Learning OVERcomes Discrimination (L.OVE.D.) was a youth exchange that Thessaloniki Pride implemented along with partners from Serbia, Denmark, Estonia, Croatia and Portugal. It took place in Thessaloniki on 22-28 September 2021.
The main aim of the project L.OVE.D. was to promote equality and non-discrimination among young people. No one is born with prejudice but rather has the potential to develop it over time.
It is crucial to foster the values of equality and non-discrimination. Among children and youth it must be done from an early age through formal and non-formal education. The project brought and spread different methods of non-formal learning for non-discrimination work with young people in order to strengthen their daily work, raise awareness of rights, empower them to recognize and stand up against discrimination and address the relevant institutions to seek legal or other appropriate solutions. At the end of project, participants prepared one booklet, posters and a video for promoting non-discrimination and tolerance.
Learning objectives were:
– Learn how to communicate with others using non-violent communication
– Exchange knowledge and examples of good practices in an international group of young people
– Improve knowledge about other cultures and religions and countries
– Promote youth intercultural dialogue and universally shared values
– Raise solidarity and tolerance through intercultural dialogue
– Overcome stereotypes and intolerance
– Organize short workshops about discrimination and intolerance for the local youths
– Build an international network of youth (Facebook group or page on other social network)
After they were trained on the types of discrimination, the direct and indirect discrimination and gain skills, youth got able to bring benefits to their local communities and places where they live. After our youth exchange, young participants could bring about a positive impact on how to work and live with people with different cultural background and without discriminatory rules and policies. The project affected the participants in such a way that it developed in them the ability of analytical thinking and intercultural sensitivity.
L.OVE.D. was funded by Erasmus+ (Key Action 1).