Music&Culture, 19-27 June 2022, Denmark

Being able to coexist, cooperate and communicate with people from different cultures was the norm in the globalized world. People easily moved from one place of the globe to another, for various reasons. And even though we all came from different backgrounds, had different social norms, habits and beliefs, we had to find understanding and respect among each other. But, our human world was a mixture of people where each of us was biased with our own outlook on the world in which we resided. Thus, getting in touch with other cultures different from ours made us understand ourselves better and appreciate cultural differences. Being interculturally competent represented a huge asset for both personal and professional life of people. Therefore, the main goal of the project was to promote understanding and collaboration between countries and cultures using music, dances and other artistic forms as a tool for breaking down barriers between young people from different backgrounds. Given that, we wanted to show young people coming from different parts of Europe that they could combine their cultures, backgrounds and talents and create something unique with mutual effort. In that regard, participants would organise a Final public event where they would represent different cultures by performing music, dances, and other artistic activities in order to show locals how important it is to appreciate cultural diversity. We wanted this project to serve as a positive example of what could be done by young people from different countries coming to work together towards a mutual goal. Thus, participants would be involved in various creative activities exploring the culture, as well as each others cultural backgrounds. Also, they would improve their talents in music, dancing, creating digital outputs, such as shooting photographs, filming and editing videos, etc. during jam music sessions, dancing traditional dances, and so on. Next, being able to visit the local community, participants would have an opportunity to share information about the project and the Erasmus+ Programme. We sought to show participants how they could use their time in a more qualitative way outside of their homes, schools etc. and become active members of their communities. Therefore, we were directed towards engaging youngsters across Europe and giving them opportunities to develop and express creatively in a context familiar to them.

Objectives that were achieved:
1. Using non-formal educational methods, such as interactive presentations, open discussions, and various creative workshops including individual and group work, where participants kad an opportunity to develop skills in the area of culture, music, social change, leadership, teamwork, intercultural learning etc
2. Participants practicaly tried and learned during the activities, both physical (hiking,outdoor team sports) and mental (yoga, meditation, laugh therapy). 
3. Our group of young people from became aware of the importance of understanding mental health issues during this pandemic and how important it is to create good habits (such as meditation, sports, yoga, etc).
4. Participants from Lithuania developed tools for promoting music and culture on social media.