Intercultural Dialogue in Youth Work

Intercultural competence and foreign language skills are seen as essential preconditions for youth mobility, for the development of international activities and for increased youth participation, one of the key priorities of the Council of Europe's Directorate of Youth and Sport. The present programme consisting of three separate courses puts the improvement of foreign language skills at the service of youth work and intercultural communication through a non formal education methodology.

The aim of the programme is to promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue with a special focus on youth work at European level by bringing together young people from different backgrounds and countries. This approach aims at contributing to an active, critical understanding of one's own culture and of other people's culture. The programme also encourages an interest in areas other than just language: history, politics, culture, geography, religion and everyday life in the host country. The strategic objectives of this programme are to:

- promote intercultural dialogue and co-operation;
- provide young people and youth workers with the opportunity to discover the diversity of youth actions in different countries;
- encourage networking and creation of projects among them.

This year's programme brings together participants not only from various European countries but also from the host country itself, thus allowing for a day-to-day direct networking between the local partners and those from other European countries. While international participants will improve their proficiency of the language of the host country (Arabic or Russian or Turkish), the participants from local/national partners (from Russia, Turkey, Morocco) will improve their English language skills. Thus the morning language sessions will be held separately, whereas the youth work workshops and cultural programme in the afternoons and evenings will be a joint activity.

All candidates and partners must use the application and endorsement forms shown as Appendices I and II.

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