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On 19th July 2015, 29 participants arrived in Vienna, Austria for an intensive 6 day course ran by Don Bosco Youth-Net. The aim of the course was to promote intercultural learning and human rights education with a particular focus on refugees.  The hope for the future was that this course would encourage participants to become more actively involved in local and European youth work in this area with the help of DBYN.  There were representatives from all over Europe, including the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Malta, Belgium, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Montenegro and Austria.  Led by a team of experienced trainers, the week was packed full of activities and workshops that allowed the participants to grapple with the issues and explore possible solutions that they could collaborate on as a newly found team of participants. 

The programme was intensive and demanding, but this did not stop them from working hard and having fun.  The course began by challenging stereotypes and exploring respective identities with some well-deserved evenings of intercultural exchange.  There were many different types of activities which kept the participants on their toes, they had the opportunity to participate in group challenges, expert-led sessions and practical workshops with some local refugees. Although the week presented many difficulties, including the occasional language barrier, it was clear to see the Salesian method at work.  It was a universal language that we all could understand and relate to.  The sessions aimed to give them the expertise that they needed to take their interest in refugee welfare, human rights and the practical work of the Salesians to a practical level.  They spent their final working day collaborating on some plans for the future.  It was a constructive and well led course, the participants are hoping to utilise the information gained from this week in order to create a worthwhile project to enhance the lives of refugees throughout Europe. 
Project Partners
Please check the resource blogs for the outcomes, the training manual and more background information.
Objectives
  1. To raise awareness on theme of refugees through focussing on its relations Human Rights and intercultural learning.
  2. To demonstrate Don Bosco volunteers can use a Human Rights-based approach in their educational projects, catering and safeguarding the human dignity of (young) people.
  3. To train the intercultural competences of the pax, enabling them to work in intercultural settings within their local communities and within DBYN, specifically on projects linked to refugees.
  4. To multiply the learning experience of the pax in their local communities, and the renewed educational methodology of DBYN in their home organisations.
Training programme

Venue

The Salesianum Don Bosco is a dormitory for students from all over the world. The house is managed by Priest Salesians who welcome young people. This site introduces the dormitory which consists of three buildings. Next to the student dormitory, the Salesianum is also the home of the Salesian oratorio "Sale for Alle".  In summer the student dormitory is transformed into a summer hotel.
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DisclaImer
The international secretariat of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw is financially supported by the European Union, through its 'Erasmus+'-programme, and by the Council of Europe, through its 'European Youth Foundation'. This website is a publication of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw. The website reflects the views only of the author, and neither the European Commission nor the Council of Europe can be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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