Experiment in International Living

Breaking down barriers to increase mutual understanding and cultural awareness

Recognised by the United Nations as a Peace Messenger organisation, charity Experiment in International Living (EIL), work with hundreds of people from diverse backgrounds encouraging them to engage with and contribute to their local communities.

EIL, based in Malvern, has been working with people from different cultures for 77 years. As a participant in previous EU programmes, such as Youth in Action and Leonardo, EIL was keen to take part in Erasmus+ and successfully applied for Erasmus+ Key Action 1 youth funding to run a training course for youth workers.

Basia Ligas, the Project Coordinator, said: “Through this training, participants gained competences and can cascade the learning to other youth professionals and to the young people they work with. The array of the participants’ backgrounds and their peacebuilding work carried out in Europe resulted in a highly informative event as well as being an emotional journey for many of us!"

EIL brings together youth workers and project staff with a passion to promote peace and social cohesion in their own communities and to encourage and equip their young people to do the same. Alongside local youth workers, they work with young people providing learning opportunities to build their skill levels in order to improve their life chances and find employment. Their programmes include volunteering, individual homestays, group learning and all programmes involve intercultural training activities.

A course on positivity

The week-long course funded through Erasmus+ took place in Worcester, with 47 participants attending from all over the world, from countries such as Somalia and Gaza. As part of the activities, EIL organised a study visit to the Central Mosque in Birmingham and partner organisations working on community cohesion with young people there.

It will help give youth workers ideas, new ways of working and new activities to try out with their young people - Basia Ligas

Through interactive, informal and non-formal learning methods participants shared their experiences and learnt more about peace building, conflict resolution, identity and culture and developing intercultural competences. Youth workers shared good practice in youth work across Europe.

Basia Ligas, Project Coordinator, added: “There is an essential need for communities to handle conflict themselves but this doesn't always come naturally to people. Building peaceful and cohesive communities requires the acquisition of appropriate competences such as knowledge, skills and attitudes, to help facilitate conflict resolution."

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