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You’re Welcome: climb up the trust hill! Poznan, 2023.

"You're Welcome: climb up the trust hill!" is a project that aims to provide quality free-time activities for residents with different ethnic backgrounds in Poznań.

We want to give participants an opportunity to spend time on physical activities and give them a hobby that will stay with them long after it. Through a variety of engaging and inclusive activities, we aim to foster a sense of community, promote healthy lifestyles, and create an environment where individuals can connect, learn, and grow together. We strive to promote the well-being and integration of all participants as they acquire climbing skills.

 

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Open-area of your European life

What was the project about?

This Youth Participation Activities project aimed to integrate young people from Norway and Poland with Ukrainian refugees through outdoor activities and mindfulness practices. As outdoor life is the biggest part of Norwegian and Polish culture and this project gave an opportunity for refugees to become a part of the local society and increase quality of their life's.

The main objectives of the project included:

  • facilitating communication and increasing mindfulness
  • promoting physical and mental well-being
  • promoting greater awareness of the challenges faced by refugees
  • creating a model for using outdoor activities as a tool of integration and mindfulness.

The project also aimed to create an inclusive environment, involve young people in the cultural, social, and civic life of the EU, and increase cooperation between organizations, displaced youngsters, and local communities.

Project was implemented by a consortium of partners Logos Polska and Beyond borders within the Erasmus+ programme and with the support of the Erasmus+ national agency of Norway - Erasmus+ ungdom

Logos NGO

On Saturday, July 15th, we had our very first one-day outdoor event called “Nature Bridge” at the beach in Strykowo. We began our day with yoga to relax and get ready for the fun ahead. Then, everyone got to try kayaking and test their balance. We had yummy Polish food for lunch and sweet watermelon for dessert. Towards the end of the day, we had a special dance session where everyone could have fun moving their bodies and feeling happy. It was a day to enjoy nature, try new things, and have a great time together.

The enchanting campsite “Tabor pod Krzywą” in the Polish Sokoliki mountains, hosted a 4-day outdoor event titled “Embrace, Explore, Evolve.” Our mornings began with serene meditation sessions and invigorating exercises. Throughout the day, we embarked on exhilarating hikes, delved into the world of rock climbing, collaborated on preparing dinners, and concluded our evenings with warm conversations and melodious singing around the fire under the starlit sky. The event offered participants a precious opportunity to disconnect from urban life, unwind amidst nature’s embrace, introspect in solitude, and forge new companionships.

From August 15th to 17th we had a Study Visit to Norway, which fostered connections and unity among Ukrainian refugees residing in Poland and Norway.

This event began with a thrilling kayaking expedition down the Norwegian fjord. This adventure tested physical power and formed the initial bonds among the participants. The next day we had an exciting experience on the via Ferrata route. With safety harnesses and helmets secured, participants conquered a mountain 1000 meters high. The сulmination of this remarkable study visit was a glacier expedition —an awe-inspiring exploration of Norway's frozen landscapes. Together, the participants traversed icy paths and marveled at the immense glaciers.

Participants carried back a newfound sense of belonging, a network of support, and a reminder that regardless of where they find themselves, they are part of a Ukrainian global community that stands together.

On Saturday, the 9th of September, our volunteers organized event "Intercultural Youth Fair" under Saint Roch Bridge, where all young people from Poznań were invited. During this event, participants had a chance to take part in Latin dances workshop, try Capoeira, do yoga, taste food of different countries and enjoy music. In addition, young people had the opportunity to discuss the topic of European values with each other, after which they took part in an art workshop on the topic of equality and freedom.

In December we had an event on making Christmas wreaths and a discussion “What do you believe in?”. As a result, each participant created their own festive wreath from natural materials.

Following the wreath-making, we had an open and inclusive conversation about beliefs, values, and the essence of the holiday season, and, in general, freedom of religion as one of the human rights. In a world where differences can sometimes divide, this event was a reminder that the freedom to believe—or not to believe—is a precious gift that should be safeguarded and celebrated.

In January, we had the event ‘LARP’ about elections as a part of the project “Open Area of Your European Life”.

Through this workshop, participants gained an understanding of the importance of democratic values as well as the responsibilities of being an active citizen. Also, they had the possibility of being a part of a mock election where the youth would give a speech and vote on a fictitious issue or candidate. After that process, they debriefed and discussed the voting process all together.

On February 17th, we had a fun time excursion at the Museum Brama Poznania! We explored Poland's and especially Poznan's fascinating history, from medieval times to the present day. Here's a peek into our amazing journey:

Historical Treasures: We strolled through the museum's halls and experienced important moments in Polish history – from royal dynasties to revolutionary events.

Artistic Splendor: We admired beautiful artifacts that showcased Poland's artistic talents across the centuries.

Reflecting on an enriching study visit with Ukrainian refugees, from Norway, March 8th to 10th as a part of the project "Open area of your European life". Our time together was filled with meaningful exchanges of best practices, focused on integration, inclusivity, and European values.

Together we tried climbing, tested escape boxes and escape rooms, shared life stories, discussed the integration of refugees in Poland and Norway and had fun.

On May 5th, 2024, Park Cytadel was alive with unity and creativity as we hosted our Picnic of Unity: Eastern Edition!

From Pisanka and T-shirt painting to seed bomb making and a thrilling chocolate egg hunt, the day was filled with joy and excitement. Delicious Easter dishes satisfied our taste buds, and a captivating concert by a Ukrainian band brought the event to a perfect close.

But our picnic was more than just fun—it was a bridge between communities. Refugee youth, local youth, and decision-makers came together in a creative open space, fostering intercultural connections through food and enjoyable activities. By engaging in fun activities and connecting with one another, we took a step towards building stronger and more welcoming communities.

Great Outdoors 2.0. Volda, Norway, 2023.

In June 2023, the Great Outdoors 2.0 project took place in the mountains and fjords of Norway, near Volda city.

🏔️Based at Høydal camp, participants had unforgettable adventures, including kayaking in Austefjord, a 4-day wilderness expedition in Sunmørsalpane, scaling Tors Hammer Via-Ferrata in Leon, and conducting workshops on outdoor skills, group management, and experiential education.

🏕️Participants gained valuable knowledge and hands-on experience in setting up and managing outdoor camps, first-aid, route finding, navigation, expedition planning, and cooking. Additionally, they learned about identifying hazards in sub-alpine terrain, assessing avalanche risks, person-overboard, and marine rescue techniques. Mindfulness techniques were also explored, along with planning and conducting feedback sessions to complete the experiential learning process.

Project was organized together with our partners RE:ACT Volda and Lernlabor.

Climb into Youth Work. Andalusia, Spain, 2023.

The "Climb into Youth Work" training course took place in Andalusia, Spain, in March 2023.

Training was organised by Logos and Lernlabor organizations with the support of Rocio Monteoliva Herrera and local partners, the Andalusian Mountain Federation (Federación Andaluza de Deportes de Montaña).

Participants had the opportunity to explore the beautiful climbing sectors in the western Sierra Nevada, meet local mountain guides and pioneers of the Andalusian climbing scene, and enhance their skills in organizing climbing activities for groups with mixed abilities. Additionally, they developed follow-up projects with local stakeholders.

Throughout the project, participants engaged in top-rope climbing and lead-climbing workshops, learned how to set up and clean anchor points, and practiced setting up multi-pitch belay stations and abseiling. They also received training in risk assessment, giving and receiving feedback, and utilizing non-formal approaches to achieve learning outcomes. Workshops on funding and project development were also provided.

A highlight of the project was the inter-generational climbing day, where participants had the opportunity to climb with Andalusian climbing pioneers and meet Javier Aguilar, the world record holder in blind lead climbing. We are grateful to our participants, Rocio Monteoliva Herrera, our hosts, and our funders JUGEND für Europa for making this project possible.

This project was funded by the European Union.

Narratives from Nature. Janowice Wielkie, Poland, 2022

“Narratives from nature” it's an outdoor project that took place in the Janowice Wielkie region of Poland between 15-29 September 2022. 

🏕The main aim of the project was to promote environmental awareness, sustainability, intercultural cooperation and tolerance through reflecting on our relationship with the natural world.

🎒This project provided the opportunity for 36 participants from programme and partner countries to explore a region of Poland that stands out for its natural beauty and ecological diversity. Through the frame of storytelling, participants explored the local environment and each other's cultures in an outdoor setting.

🇵🇱During the two weeks of project participants gained outdoor skills, visited local places of historical and cultural importance to explore the traditions of the region and went for a multi-day hike in the Rudawski National Park and the Giant Mountains. Through experimenting with different methods of storytelling participants created their own stories by the end of the project. In those stories they reflected on the experience of spending two weeks outdoors with an international group and shared their unique experiences.

This youth exchange was implemented by Logos, Lernlabor, AMITIE FRANCO RUSSE LANGUEDOC “AFR” and was financed by Erasmus+ programme.

Participants video works

#Tell the nature! Volda, Norway, 2022

"Tell the Nature" it's an outdoor project that happened in Volda, Norway in August 2022.

This youth exchange was a truly spectacular experience that brought everyone together. It was a unique blend of storytelling, camping, and an outdoor expedition that lasted for nine full days.

The participants had the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in nature and explore the stunning surroundings. They learned about the importance of preserving the environment and how to connect with nature in a meaningful way through storytelling.

Camping in the wilderness was a true adventure, and the participants gained valuable skills and knowledge about surviving in the great outdoors. The expedition was a time to bond, share experiences, and create unforgettable memories.

Overall, the "Tell the Nature" project was an amazing experience that highlighted the beauty and significance of nature. The participants left feeling inspired, refreshed, and with a greater appreciation for the natural world.

Project was implemented by Logos together with amazing partners Lernlabor and RE:ACT Volda.

Our Carpathian Stories. Lviv-Dzembronya-Babyn, Ukraine, 2021

Our Carpathian stories was an almost 2 weeks long Youth exchange, where we used outdoor education and hiking in mountains to develop and share stories. We started from our favourite Білий Слон camping and went to beautiful (and very cold at that moment) Carpathians. We hiked for 4 days and met local people, animals and of course nature.

We visited Shyptsi and Rebra mountains, cooked on the fire and told each other different stories.
It was a challenging but unique experience for all participants - those who were on their first hike and those who are experienced.
When we came down we learned more about storytelling, got to know locals and especially babushkas and did rafting!

This youth exchange was implemented by Logos, Kompetenta Unga, Lernlabor, European Integration Group, Karas, Amazing Educaiton and was financed by Erasmus+ programme

Below we want to share results of the projects made by participants

Photo story about Khata Maysternya, one of the locations that we stayed at

Drawing made by participants to represent our hike

Photo editing made in style of famous artists

Video shot by participant of the project

Video shot by participant of the project

Video shot by participant of the project

A tale written and performed by participants

Drawing by participant

Hiking can be exhausting

Video made by project participant

Carpathian stories. Lviv, Ukraine, 2019

Project description

The Youth exchange Carpathian Stories brought 30 participants from 6 different countries  - Ukraine, Germany, Spain, Belarus, Russia and Poland, together to explore the beauty, diversity and fragility of the Ukrainian Carpathian mountains over a period of 15 days. This project took place outdoors with participants hiking in the Carpathians, staying in tents and cooking food on the fire.

Project engaged participants with important themes of environmental awareness and sustainability equipped them with skills in digital media literacy and provided an intercultural exchange in an outdoor setting using nonformal learning and experiential education.

The aim of the project was to foster intercultural understanding by collecting stories based on our outdoor experience and exploring different ways of telling our own stories.

Project objectives:

  • To learn about the cultures of countries involved in the project
  • To explore the Carpathian region’s culture and traditions
  • To explore different forms of storytelling
  • To create stories during the project which could be later brought to other people and communities
  • To go for an outdoor expedition and learn about hiking

Project outputs:

At the project participants created various stories through different means of storytelling. Logos member Vadym Havrylenko created a web-site of the project, where it is possible to find all the stories made by participants and learn about the project. Check the web-site at https://carpatianstories.logos.ngo/

Below you can see some of the outputs of the project created by participants.

Project partners

"Carpathian stories" Youth exchange was hosted by Logos Ukraine and funded by the German national agency within the Erasmus+ programme. This project was implemented by a consortium of organisations:

  • Germany - Grüner Grashalm e.V.
  • Ukraine - Logos znannya
  • Spain - Arousa moza
  • Belarus - Karas
  • Poland - Logos Polska
  • Russia - INTERRA

Project chronicles

Carpathian explore. Lviv, Ukraine, 2019

About the project

Youth Exchange “Carpathian Explore” brought 35 participants from 7 different countries together to share each country’s culture, cuisine and nature while exploring the nature and culture of the Ukrainian Carpathian mountains over a period of 8 days. It took place on 16-23 of July 2019 in Lviv and nearby Carpathian mountains. The project was hosted by Logos Ukraine.

 

Organizations shared the same need of involving participants more in their work for a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly society and saw that many young people lacked the understanding of the importance of taking care of nature. Through experience with being in nature, meeting people living close to nature every day and having a better understanding about tradition life, we as organizations believe it could help to meet these needs among the young people.

Aim and objectives

Aim of the project was for participants to learn more about each others cultures, traditions, cuisine and nature through outdoor experience. We set following objectives for the project :
- to promote intercultural exchange and awareness, and connect young people from differing national, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
-To learn about different European cultures, cuisine and nature
-To promote sustainable and ecological lifestyle
-To encourage active citizenship through learning about problems and challenges in different countries
-To fight negative stereotypes about various cultures
-To discuss the needs, problems and interests of young people from different cultures

We achieved these objectives by using non-formal learning methods, involving participants in planning, implementing and evaluation stages of the project.

Project partners

This youth exchange was initiated by Logos and Shokkin Group Norge and was funded by the Norwegian national agency within Erasmus+ programme. It was implemented by 7 partner organisations

Logos NGO
droni

Supported by:

Carpathia Lab. Lviv, Ukraine, 2018

The Youth exchange Carpathia.lab brought 32 participants from 6 different countries together to explore the beauty, diversity and fragility of the Ukrainian Carpathian mountains over a period of 14 days. The stunning scenery and the cultural diversity of the Ukrainian Carpathians is one of Europe’s best-kept secrets.

During the project, participants
• Explored the Ukrainian Carpathian mountain wilderness and engage with the human impact on this environment.
• Participated in a range of workshops on up-cycling and sustainable practices.
• Were part of an international team from Ukraine, Germany, Greece Georgia, Russia and Poland
• Developed initiatives for participant-led follow-up projects in their communities

Project was hosted by Logos Ukraine in Carpathia mountains and city of Lviv. At the same time it was developed by a consortium of organisations:

  • Germany - Grüner Grashalm e.V.
  • Ukraine - Logos znannya
  • Georgia - Citrus
  • Greece - Votsis Youth in Action Club
  • Poland - Logos Polska
  • Russia - INTERRA