JEF Belgium

Okay, this is only going to be a short one, because I rrrrrrrreally need some sleep.

We started of with a simulation game: Each of us got a post-it on taped to his forehead, without knowing what was written on it. We then had to interact with each other (without words) like we would in real life. Based on those interactions, we had to guess what identity we had unknowingly assumed.

It was immediately clear to me that I had to be something REALLY bad, ‘cause everyone ran away from me all of the time. (It turned out that I was a murderer, so I guess it makes sense that prostitute Michel turned me down). Troughout this game, we could experience a little bit what prejudice and stereotypes are about.

The rest of the day was filled with some really interesting discussions about stereotypes: what are they, are they always bad, can they be avoided or are they part of everyday life?

Peter invited one of his catalan friends for a creative workshop. The workshop was really cool. At first I was pretty sceptical (I think most of us were) but it was so great to open up… The concept was called “theatre of the oppressed”. We had to interact with each other without using words, and had to let our bodies do the talking. At first, everybody was pretty shy and closed. But after 10 minutes, we were dancing and jumping, crawling and hypnotising and using “body language” like we never did before. It was really cool to see how different people feel with the concept. We had to lose all socially accepted frameworks of communication and create an entirely new one. It really got us closer together as a group.

We finished our day with a quiz, because we had to be fresh for the next morning: leave at 08.15 for a visit to the catalan parlement!

The quiz was pretty cool, but after the quiz we decided that a little party would not hurt anybody…So we simply continued the international evening of the night before with a dance contest (Wich I lost – badly) on our room. Spontanious parties are usually the best, and so was this one! It was great!

Sleep tight! I know I will!

Peter

Alright! After breakfast we started of with a nice energizer! I don’t remember all the specifics, but it was about all the different kins of beans we have in Europe: Broad beans, princess beans, mexican beans… It is kind of difficult to explain how beans can energize a person in the morning, but believe me: They certainly can, thanks to Tomas!

We then went to the seminar room, where we each got a lemon. We all got really close with our lemon, some even gave names to theirs, and then all of a sudden, we were seperated from our beloved lemons! All of the poor guys (and probably also girls) where just lying there, in a huge pile of lemons. We then had to find our own lemon back. And believe it or not, but we all found our lemons! Weird thing is, that when you see a group of lemons, they all look alike. But get to know them a bit better, see their in-group diversity, and you’ll notice that each lemon is different and has its own character! Anyway, I’m just glad that I got reunited with my dear lemon Suzy.

We continued after the much-welcomed coffee break with some explanations on migration and migration flows. (Apparently, more people migrate TO Afghanistan than from it – weird!)  The general tendency however was migration from eastern europe to western europe.

After lunch, we returned to Gracia, where we visited the CNJC (Catalan National Youth Council). We were explained some more about diversity and multiculturalism in this youth organisation and then continued on to visit park Guel, a beautifull fairy-tale like parc designed by Goudi, who also designed the famous Sagrada Famillia (we haven’t visited this majestic cathedral yet). Unfortunately, it was already getting dark so we could’t really see the parc in all of its glory, but it was still extremely cool.

And then, finally, the first party! International evening: everyone had to bring someting to eat or drink from his or her own country, and share it with the rest. Needless to say, it was all jolly good fun. We played some games, had fun with each other, and got to know each other better. It is only a shame that we had to keep the volume down, beacause as I said earlier, we are staying in a monestary, where people try to enjoy some peace and quiet…

Anyway, getting up in the morning will be a pain…

Thanks for caring!

Peter