BICBIC – Bringing Intercultural Competence in Building Communities

BICBIC – Bringing Intercultural Competence in Building Communities

From 13th to 21st November 2018, we, the three members of a Czech group, went on a long journey to Yerevan in Armenia to participate in an international training course called „BICBIC – Bringing Intercultural Competence in Building Communities“. The topic of this training course, as its name suggests, was the nowadays resonating issue of migration, refugees and integration of immigrants. During this week, we tried to better understand the terminology connected with this topic, but also, to experience how people feel in the often very difficult situations when migrating. We looked closely at the problems they encounter along their way. Finally, we also tried to find solutions in various simulations. Thanks to the organizers, we had an opportunity to visit a local NGO called Youth Bank and listen to a testimony of a Syrian-Armenian woman who was forced to flee Syria back to Armenia, where her family originally came from. Apart from the non-formal education, we were also eager to get to know Armenia and its culture, cuisine and traditions. Our initial plans were influenced by Mother Nature and so at the end, we went to a very known Sevan lake. We enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere and amazing views of little churches, standing on hills along the lake, and finally also visited Dilijan – hometown of the hosting organization YCCD. The time flew by and we had to say our goodbyes to the snowy top of Ararat mountain. Thanks to this training, we broadened our horizons, got out of our comfort zone, met new friends and got to know another interesting country. Participants of the training course came from 8 different countries – Italy, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, and Moldova. Big thanks for this opportunity go to the organizers and we are already looking forward to attend other interesting projects!

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