From 28th February to 8th March, Lewin Kłodzki in Poland welcomed 35 ESN volunteers from 16 countries and four trainers for Intercultural Dialogue 101.

As a part of a training cycle on the topic of Intercultural Dialogue for International Cooperation, supported by Council of Europe’s European Youth Foundation, Intercultural Dialogue 101 was a basic training on the topic of intercultural dialogue and differences between cultures, where the participants defined intercultural dialogue and developed theoretical knowledge in this area. They also learned more about an intercultural understanding with an emphasis on cultural inclusiveness on a global scale as well as on intercultural communication, as one of the main aims of the training cycle is to strengthen the competences in intercultural dialogue among ESN volunteers and other young people, specifically international students in Europe, for the purpose of furthering cooperation with neighbouring and other world regions.

In order to share the knowledge gained at the training with their local organisations and students, participants learned how to design, implement and evaluate quality workshops and short training sessions on the theme of intercultural dialogue. ESN has been enriched by volunteers who have developed general training skills and competencies and can act as leaders and ambassadors in their local communities, reaching different groups and creating a space for building and nurturing intercultural dialogue.

 

Take a look at what the Trainers and participants have to say about Intercultural Dialogue 101!

"As ESNers, we work in an intercultural environment on a day-to-day basis. Through training on the topic of intercultural dialogue, volunteers become aware of their experience, start to reflect their patterns and act more empathic. After intense training, the participants of the Intercultural Dialogue 101 are able to facilitate sessions on interculturality and start a behavioural change in their future participants."

- Florian Heinrichs, Germany

"The Intercultural Dialogue 101 showed me that I'm not alone in the facilitating and training journey." 

- Axel Phelipeau, France

''Personally, Intercultural Dialogue 101 was the start of something new: I thought my ESN journey was over, but it showed me ways of still participating in the network and gave me basically my first tools to become a trainer and I can’t wait to follow up on what I learned. Also, the topic of intercultural dialogue is vital for us in ESN – our daily work consists of dealing with intercultural environments and people from all over the world, so you see why it’s important to have skilled trainers and facilitators in this area. For the future, I’d like to experiment a lot with the knowledge I gained. As an example, especially in this difficult time right now, I want to do an online workshop for my local section about intercultural group dynamics – we all need to stick together now and why not make use of the skills I gained?''

- Julia Bauer, Germany

''Thanks to the Intercultural Dialogue 101, I had the opportunity to meet new people, learn from and with them. The topic of intercultural dialogue is relevant for us as an international organisation - we daily need to deal with different people, but we don’t always understand our differences from a cultural point of view. This topic can help us raise tolerance and solidarity. Now, I want to use this knowledge and practice to improve our action in Nancy by sharing the knowledge and raise awareness of our volunteers, international and local students. I also want to use this experience in working with partner organisations, focusing on a better understanding of our capacities and better cooperation.'' 

- Christine Drosne, France

''Intercultural Dialogue 101 helped me to become more aware of the whole universe of workshops from the behind-the-scenes part - before the event, I knew only a tiny piece of it. The topic of the training event is in the core of ESN. We all come from different cultures and with the plans to reach the global level, the topic grows in importance. I believe this event will boost my facilitator career in ESN and help me deliver workshops at many local and national events.''

- Hubert Put, Poland

''Intercultural Dialogue is a great topic and a very good conversation starter in the times we live in and especially since, as a network, we are working in an international environment and we deal with international students on a day to day basis, so it is very important to be aware of our differences and embrace them. It is also very relevant in order to understand one another and be able to collaborate better. I will most definitely start planning and delivering workshops, as a way to educate the network on Intercultural Dialogue, as it covers a wide area of discussions, with multiple applications for our day to day activities, and not only. I would like to explore the opportunities outside ESN as well and take advantage of the new challenges.''

- Alexandra Cojocaru, Romania

''Nowadays, intercultural dialogue is a powerful tool which can be used against racism, stereotypes and judgement in society. Intercultural Dialogue 101 gave me not only the basics about the construction of a workshop but also the real feeling of cooperation, help, support and deep connection with my co-trainer.''

- Nicolás Andrés Ladino Camargo, France

''Intercultural Dialogue 101 was like a roller coaster. You are a bit afraid at the beginning, you challenge your limits, you are learning a lot about your emotions. Then, at the end, when you realise the adventure is over, you just want this to happen again and again.''

- Roxana-Dorina Crihana, Romania

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