Pre-departure meeting in Plovdiv

On the 22nd of August, the Courage Foundation team organised a pre-departure meeting for the participants who will be representing the Bulgarian national team throughout the exchange ”Living European Books” from the 6th to 14th September in Messina, Italy.

European Living Books Stories is a youth exchange which is co-funded by the Erasmus + programme. The main objectives consist in raising awareness towards human rights, battling discrimination and creating a safe environment for ideas, thoughts and personal stories. The method that will be used throughout the mobility is the so called ”Human Library” which is known to provoke challenging, yet necessary and valuable discussions

The pre-departure meeting was divided into two parts – get to know each other activities and logistics arrangement. The get to know each other activities gave the opportunity to the participants to relieve the initial tension, get to know each other better and share their views on various subject. They connected through similar hobbies, experiences and societal views. Amongst the exciting activities was ”the no name game” where the participant omits sharing generic details ( such as their name, age, university/work, ethnicity, etc) and instead lets their views, hobbies and interests represent them. This way of introduction helped deeper the discussion and at the same time practice the ability to ask questions. The logistics part included mainly preparation for the intercultural night. The group brainstormed various ideas to represent Bulgaria, including introduction of national dances, quizes and local cusine.

We hope that we will be able to bring the authenticity, beauty and taste of Bulgaria to life!