WHAT IS THE MAIN IDEA OF THE PROJECT AND WHO IS THE TARGET GROUP?

When 10 new Member States joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, Europe's diversity increased greatly, on a cultural, social and linguistic level. Moreover, European societies are undergoing major demographic changes resulting in an ageing and shrinking working age population and sustained immigration flows. In such a context, the shared values that hold European societies together, such as freedom, fairness, tolerance and solidarity, are more important than ever. The sociological, economic and cultural aspects of life for young people have changed significantly as a result of demographic changes (ageing societies due to the combined effect of a lower birth rate and increased longevity) and changes in the social environment, individual and collective behaviour, family relationships and labour market conditions. Young Europeans need tools for expression; after all, these are precisely the people who are primarily affected by economic change, demographic imbalance, globalisation or social exclusion.

Young people in Europe form part of society; they are open to outside cultural and economic influences and they are a particularly receptive group when it comes to tackling discrimination, more especially racism and xenophobia, and are particularly committed to a multicultural society.

Crossing Paths is a project for young European citizens, giving them the chance of direct, personal experience of what European citizenship and its values mean in practice and mainly through exchange and mobility schemes.

Crossing Paths challenges the development of social themes and issues, such as intercultural dialogue and social inclusion, tolerance, peer and non-formal education through the international language of performing arts. The project involves children, youth and adults in three different countries: Italy, Denmark and United Kingdom. Through artists' mobility actions, Crossing Paths aims to improve the quality of inter-personal relationships among children, youth and adults, promoting the active participation of people in civic society and the values of tolerance and solidarity to foster intercultural dialogue through performing arts, interpreted as a tool to achieve greater European integration and more active European citizens.

Fighting discrimination, solidarity, equality and multiculturalism are values that are generally endorsed by young people. They are at the heart of European integration, but also of cooperation with the rest of the world. In this sense, Crossing Paths wants to fulfil the expectations of young people to protect universal fundamental rights. Consequently, intercultural dialogue is perceived here as a mean to promote and protect those rights and values.

It is an important task to enable young people to shape and express their own cultures, but also to understand other cultures. Therefore Crossing Paths wants to work primarily with children and young people to develop an intercultural path to be addressed to adults through performance, in order to spread a common intercultural dialogue message using the international language of acting.

WHAT DOES THE PROJECT INCLUDE?

The project involves forming three groups of teenagers, one for each partner country. The groups will participate in a theatre workshop on the theme of poverty and social exclusion. During the 18 months of the project, each group will also work with directors and teachers from the other two partner countries. The artists will travel to the other countries, both for artistic exchange workshops, and to work directly with the teenagers.

The climax of the project will be May 2011, when the three groups will perform during the Festival of School Theatre of ITC Teatro (Italy), and many other events will take place: performances by Bucharest Clowns of Miloud Oukili’s Foundatia Parada (Romania), meetings and seminars for teachers and other educational/social stakeholders, as well as open days dedicated to the associations of the new network.

WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THE COLLABORATION WITH EACH PARTNER?

The partners were selected in order to represent different realities in Europe, yet who face the same problems on a daily basis.

HOW IS THE PROJECT FINANCED?

It is supported by the European Commission.