20. June 2022

Rural Video Ahead: Participatory video project with young people from Hungary, Germany and France

Being young in a rural region: I, we, where I live and my dreams!

Intercultural exchange and video workshops with young people from Hungary, Germany and France

The central element of this intercultural encounter is a lively discourse about the living environment in rural regions. 15 young people from rural regions of three European countries will exchange their vision of “youth in the countryside” together with the leaders' team: How do they perceive their place of life? What are you dreaming of? What fears do you have for the future?

During organized visits, the young people will get to know the Bruche Valley, the residents (young and old) and their activities (forest trades, shops, farm-inn, viticulture, market gardening, hiking clubs...), conduct interviews with them and all capture on video.

In connection with the local activities, the feedback from the German and Hungarian participants will be of great use for constructive comparisons between their three rural living environments.

The young people will create video content using participatory video production techniques in daily workshops. They should learn how they can best get their message across via audiovisual media and how they can use basic techniques such as recording and video editing to get their concerns heard.

Rural regions are of great importance when it comes to environmental and climate protection. Due to this special attention to rural areas, environmental issues and climate protection will be present throughout the stay.

The highlight and crowning conclusion of the project will be a public event. This is organized thematically around the rural youth day in order to present the results of the intercultural exchange to the residents of the region.

An online video platform and a collaborative resource space will also be set up to make the results public and visible. An active member of Solidarité Jeunesse is responsible for the technical part.

Accompanied by the team, the participants will shape their communal life themselves. In addition to organizing meals together, the household and the leisure program, democratic processes also play an important role: How do the young people want to live together in the 10 days and how do they want to make decisions?

When?

Thursday 04.08. (arrival) to Monday 08/15/2022 (departure). 10 project days / 2 travel days

Who can participate?

  •     3 groups of 5 young people (14-18 years) each from Hungary, Germany and France. The participants in the project are young people between the ages of 14 and 18 who live in rural areas. The Hungarian youths come from Nograd County, where Egyesek works with several youth centers. This area borders on Slovakia. The French young people come from the Bruche valley via the youth center in Schirmeck. A German group is still being sought.

  •     2 supervisors with experience in international youth exchanges (language skills in English and German required)

  •     3 youth leaders (from France, Hungary and Germany)

Location

The first round of exchanges in 2022 will take place in the Bruche Valley, about 50 km west of Strasbourg: the valley consists of 26 villages and towns with 34 to 2700 inhabitants. It is located in the Alsatian Vosges at the foot of the Champ du Feu massif (430 m asl). The landscape i is characterized by the valleys of the Chirgoutte and La Bruch rivers with a mosaic of forests and meadows on the mountain slopes.

Accommodation

The international group will be accommodated in the youth center in Schirmeck, the largest municipality in the Bruche valley. The accommodation has a kitchen, toilets, sinks and showers. You have to bring your own sleeping bag, bed linen and pillow.

Financial Aspects

All costs for transport, accommodation and meals are covered by the funding of the FGYO. In addition, part of the budget is used for organizational costs, the purchase or rental of teaching and program material and, if necessary, additional video material as well as for the work of the coordinators and leaders.

Expected results

For the young people: intercultural experience and mobility, which are possible and secured again after the pandemic. Broadening horizons, transferable skills in the socio-professional field. Opportunities to implement more projects in the future based on the common shared experiences.

For the 6 organizations involved: A better understanding of the similarities and the specifics of each club, the specifics of each country and each region. This project would provide a basis for possible future collaborations. An experience with diverse partnerships and opportunities to develop further international projects, to intensify partnerships and to further expand the network.

For the three regions: Better knowledge of the living environment in rural areas, an exchange with the various actors in the regions. Knowledge of what it currently means to be young and live in the country.

Information about the partner organizations

In north-western Hungary, the Egyesek organization, founded in Budapest, settled in the Nograd region a few years ago and is establishing partnerships with various youth centers in the region, in particular with that of Szécsény.

The French organization Solidarités Jeunesses (SJ) settled in Alsace last October and, like other regional SJ delegations, will carry out actions in rural areas. The partnership with the Alsatian youth center network of MJCs has already been established and there is regular cooperation with the local coordinator Étienne Enette.

In Germany, especially in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, we are looking for local partners who would like to take part in this project with the young people from their youth center or youth association.

In this project, we are particularly looking for ways to expand the complementary competencies of our associations:

  •     The three local youth centers/youth associations benefit from new insights into the perspectives of young people on life in the country in the respective rural region. In addition, the specific needs of the young people are highlighted through the concrete analysis of the living environment in the rural regions.

  •     Egyesek, IBG & Solidarité Jeunesses belong to the European network Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organizations and are used to collaborating with European programs, Erasmus +, DFJW... to organize stays in their region and abroad.

Lukas will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the project:

Email: projects@ibg-workcamps.org
Telephone: +49 711 649 02 63
Messenger (Signal, Telegram & WhatsApp): +49 1520 2185131