During August 16-23, 2022, with the comprehensive support and assistance of the Danish organization “Copenhagen Youth Network”, a seven-day youth exchange was held under the Erasmus+ programme “Spray Hate Away”. The participants of this year’s project were students from Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Bulgaria and Serbia, who had a unique opportunity to share real stories, discuss the post-traumatic experience of their peers and raise their own level of awareness of the concepts of hate, discrimination, bullying, harassment and disrespect for oneself.
A bachelor’s student of the specialty 035 “Philology” of the National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic” Svitlana Kis visited Denmark for the third time in a row and joined the team of youth exchange facilitators under the Erasmus+ programme “Spray Hate Away”, which took place in the city of Store Klaus (Denmark). According to her, she wants to return again and again to this wonderful country that inspires and unites completely different people from all corners of the world.
“This summer, I was lucky enough to participate three times in Erasmus+ academic mobility projects held in the Danish city of Store Klaus. I was a participant of exchanges twice, and then on the last project I have already joined the team of facilitators. This exchange was probably the shortest and the smallest in terms of the number of participants during these three months, however there were no fewer duties and responsibilities. We had not only to plan a program of activities for the entire period of time, to adapt to the weather conditions, since, as you know, in Copenhagen, the weather always has its ups and downs, but to maintain harmony in the team, to become a support for the participants, whom they could turn to at any moment for help or advice. In addition to the main help with the tasks, we, together with the other girls, also joined the project participants from time to time and completed the tasks together. Such interaction brought us together and did not separate us from others,” – shared her impressions Svitlana Kis.
It is worth noting the fact that the international youth exchange was held with the aim of improving the awareness of young people about the problem of hate speech. Unfortunately, today, we live in a society where almost every second person has at least once faced hate, discrimination, bullying, harassment and disrespect towards themselves. All these moments in one way or another leave their scars in the human soul, so it is important to find ways to fight these phenomena, to be able to share your experiences and problems as well as, together with like-minded people, change the world for the better.
During the project, the participants gradually delved into the topic, found the causes, consequences and solutions to the problem of hate speech, learned to understand and sympathize with real stories from the lives of people who experienced various types of bullying. Young people from different countries of the world have become more aware of these issues, tolerant of each other and once again convinced that one should always think before singling out someone based on racial, religious or other differences.
“One of my favorite activities is Real Library – participants become real books and are ready to share their difficult life situations with others. I really appreciate and respect people who are brave enough to tell others about problems that have brought them pain and disappointment, who are ready to share unpleasant emotions with people they have known for a short time, but who managed to become close enough to trust them. The most important thing is that this time our “books” touched on the topic of hate speech and proved that this problem does not exist only in words. Once again, I was convinced that Erasmus+ non-formal education programs are a unique opportunity to expand one’s own horizons, get to know and experience, find new friends and see the world, strengthen the cultural background about the customs and traditions of other countries, gain knowledge of the ordinary everyday life of people of different nationalities, and improve conversational skills of English language. In my opinion, such youth exchanges are useful experience and skills that every university student should acquire, as it is a chance to experience unforgettable emotions, discover new aspects of one’s personality and find oneself. For me personally, it was an incredible experience for which I will always be grateful. During these months, I have gained more than I could have imagined! Now I am one hundred percent convinced that this is only the beginning, there is more to come!
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the friendly multicultural team of Copenhagen Youth Network and personally to Heresh Faraidon CYN for believing in me, thus giving me this opportunity and supporting me, for becoming a family for me. I would like to express my special gratitude to my teacher, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation of the Poltava Polytechnic Anna Pavelieva for her faith in her students and her daily support. Be open to new opportunities, and most importantly, always believe in yourself and your strengths. You are capable of more than you think!” – commented Svitlana Kis.
Recently, the master’s student-translator studied at the Summer School of Polish Language and Culture from NAWA.
Previously, philology students mastered practical skills in the field of ecology and environmental protection, considered the problem of alcohol addiction and methods of combating it, increased the level of awareness of cultural diversity, and studied the problems of displaced persons/migrants as well as internally displaced persons.
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National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
