Culinary Diplomacy - Breaking Bread to Win Hearts and Peace II.

Internationalyouthexchange

15th–25thMarch2018,Prešov,SlovakRepublic

Infopackageversion:January11,2018

WHYNUMBERII?

In the September2017weorganised togetherwithpartners from9other countries amazing youthexchangeabout gastrodiplomacy and "food connections".Whenwewereplanning thatproject,wewereafraid,thattheexpectationsoftheparticipantswillbeonlyaboutthefoodandcooking.Butafterdays what we spent together in Prešov, we were lucky to find out, that most of the participantsunderstoodtheprojectinourway.Theresultsexceededourexpectations.

Whattheparticipantssaidintheevaluation:“Havingbeentoanumberofyouthexchangesbefore-thefriendshipsmadeoverfoodweresomehowjustdeeperandtruer!Or,anotherfromEgypt,hisfirsttimeinEurope,"Ihadsomanyculturalshocks...[..]nowIfeellovefromallofyou",orsomeoftheothers:"Thewayofsharingourculturebyfoodandcreatingbridgesbetweenourdifferentcountries.Havingculturalnighteverydaytoknowtraditionsandculturalinformationabouteachcountry","Extra-ordinaryconceptofyouthexchange-innovativetopic,integrationwithlocalfoodfestival,localrestaurants,inclusionofTunisiaandEgypt,movingamongtheeatingplacesintown,andmore","It'swonderfultohavesomuchdiversitytogether.Itwasstrangeforexampletoseeusinthekitchenalltogether,eachoneinhisownwayofdoing,andthen,forexamplebeaskingveryintellectualthingsabouttheotherculture.Iloved.","Bemore open-minded andwilling to new opportunities; have tried dishes that I would never haveimaginedbefore;dealingwithpeoplefromnewcountriesformeandbeingabletoknowthatanactsuchaseatingcanprovidesuchgoodvaluesaspeaceorcooperation.Ileftreinforcedbothofknowledgeandemotions.","Ichangedmyview,howIseethefood.BeforeitwasmoreofadailynecessitywhereasnowIunderstandthatitisanactualandveryusefulwayofunitingpeopleandbringingthemtogether."Mostof theparticipantshad their first "close"meetingwith themuslimculture.And itwasnewand veryinterestingexperienceforthem."Igainedmoreknowledgeandtolerancetowardsothercultures.Itwas

myfirstrealencounterwithmuslimpeopleandIreallyenjoyedhearingabouttheirculturefromtheirownperspectivenotfromthemedia.Ithink,Ibecamemoreopen-mindednow."This is opinion of one of them. It was clearly visible during the whole exchange and the muslimparticipantswereveryopeninconversation.Thequestionsaboutmuslimbeliefstartedagainduringthefood-whyyoucan'teatpork?

There's great impact potential in connecting youth over food, and in empowering them to startinitiativesthatbridgeinterculturaldifferences,themselves.Butfortrulyharnessingthispotential,ourlatest knowledge and experiences should support it. So you all will see that food could be a greatinstrument in interculturaleducation.Weallrealisedthisuniqueroleofthefoodandthat'swhywedecidedtokeepitasatopicfornextyouthexchange,wherewewillbringtogether75peoplefrom15countriesoftheEuropeandneighboringcountries.

Themainaimoftheprojectistopromotetheuseoffoodandcuisineasaninstrumenttocreateinter-culturalunderstandinginthehopesofimprovinginteractionsandtolerance,toenjoydiversityofthenationsandcultures.

Withthismainaimwehaveseveralobjectivesoftheyouthexchange:

- todevelopmore theconceptsofgastrodiplomacyand to find together thewayshowtouse it forpromotingthediversity,interculturalandinter-religiousdialogueinourcommunities,

-toworkmorealsoonthecountry"branding"inconnectionwithnationalfoods,

- to get to know the cultures of all the partner's countries through their cuisines and food history,throughtheir"foodstories",

-tohelptounderstandthatdifferencesaremakingEuropemorebeautifulplace,notmoredangerousplace,

-tosearchtogetherforthewayshowtofightfearfromotherreligions-mostlydifferencesandcommonthingsbetweenchristianityandIslamreligions

WHERETHEYOUTHEXCHANGEWILLTAKEYOU?

TheyouthexchangewilltakeplaceintheeastSlovakiacity“Prešov”-thetownwithaninterestingpastand dynamic present and mixed Slovak, Roma, Polish, Ukrainian and Ruthenian population is themetropolisof thenorth-easternSlovakia.Withapopulationofapproximately91,352, it is the third-largestcityinSlovakia.

SLOVAKIA

Officialname: SlovakRepublic(SR)

Statesystem: republic

Politicalsystem:parliamentarydemocracy

Language: Slovak

Currency: euro

Area: 49.035km2

Population: 5.426.252(2015)

Capital: Bratislava

Timezone: CET(UTC+1)

Emergencynumber: 112

Callingcode: +421

InternetTLD: .sk

Electricity: 230V/50Hz,standardsocketwithsafetypin.

Weather: Continental, with a gradual transition between the four seasons. Wintertemperaturesarebetween-5and10°C.Usually,itsnowsinSlovakiabetweenNovemberandFebruary,however, asourexchange is close to thatmonths,please, takeenoughwarmclothes readyalso for some rainydays. Formoreinformation about the weather please visit the pagehttp://www.accuweather.com/en/sk/slovakia-weather?lang=en-us.

Slovakia is not one of the countries everybody'sbeento.Youwilldiscoverhundredsofunexpectedcuriositiesandsecretsinalmosteveryvillageorasmall town, in the mountains and valleys. It isSlovakiawhereyoucanfeelasarealexplorerwhoisalwaysabletodiscoversomethingnew.IncludeSlovakiainyourtouristroutes.

Slovaksareemotionalnation.Weexperienceourjoys, successes, disappointments and sorrowswith emotions. We are sincere, friendly, open,

hearty,generous,butalsotouchy.Thisisthewaywedifferfromourneighbouringnations.Butintheend,itisourheartinessandtrustfulnessthatprevail.Weareabletofullyexperiencejoysandconcernsofourvisitorsandempathisewiththeirfeelings.Weareacountryoffriends!

Folk crafts, costumes,music anddances in Slovakiaarepassedon fromonegeneration toanother.There are different cultural traditions and folklore in every valley. Many folklore festivals andperformancesareheld inSlovakiathroughoutayear.Slovakovertoneflutecalled"fujara"aswellasMusicofTerchovawereincludedintheUNESCOListofIntangibleHeritage,theRadvanFairand"gajdy"bagpipesareonthewaitinglist.

Slovakia is a country of contrasts. It changesright in frontof youreyes, yeteverythingandeverywhere isnearby. It justtakesacoupleofhourstogetfromtheDanubianLowlandtotheCentral European Highlands, still bodies ofwaterarejustatastone'sthrowfromturbulentriver rapids. You can get swiftly from urbanagglomerationstosecluded,romantichighwaygatewayswithunspoilednature.

Due to its geographical position, Slovakia'salways been an important trade and culturalintersection.Inarelativelysmallareainfluencesandremnantsofwesternaswellaseasternculturesorreligions can be detected. In Slovakia you can find northern discipline along with southerntemperament, and western rationality with eastern emotionality. It is reflected in eventfulness ofeverydaylife.

Slovakia is a young, progressive country. During twenty years of its existence we've gone throughdynamicchanges,newthingsemergeeveryday.Wesurprisetheworldbyouradvancedtechnicallevelwhichgoeshandinhandwithhumantouch.Newcompaniesarefoundedeveryday,newobjectsorcitylandmarksemerge, lifeconditionsare improving,butwekeepour traditionalvaluesaswell. This isSlovakia.

Prešov-ABOUTTOWN

PresovisanimportantculturalandhistoricalcenterinEastSlovakia.Theclosestcitiesare(asairdistanceinkm)Košice(38),Uzhgorod(96),Miskolc(115),Tarnow(128),Budapest(250),Bratislava(345).ASlavsettlement,itsawthearrivalofHungarianandGermancolonialistsandthenwentthroughatumultuousperiod,notablyintherevolutionaryyearsof1848-9.Theellipticalshapedhistoricalcoreofthecityhasbeenpreservedandapartofthefortificationsstillexisttoday.ThetowncenterisdecoratedwithdozensofRenaissance-stylehomes.Severalimportantmonumentscanbefoundonthetownsquare.

Theoldtownisanationalmonumentwithmanybeautifulhistoricalbuildings.Prešovisinterestingforvisitors especially with its valuable historical monuments. The sacral dominant of the town is theCathedralofSt.Nicholas,builtinthe14thcenturyintheGothicstyle.LutheranCollegefrom1667isalso an architectural gem. Nearby the city is Solivar - National Historic Landmark, exposition oftechnicalobjectsforthedrawingandcookingsalt.Complexfromthe17thcenturyisoneofthemostimportantindustrialmonumentsinSlovakia.

AmongthepopularplacesofinterestbelongtheruinsoftheŠariš,Kapušiansky,Zbojnickýcastleandcave Bad hole. A frequent tourist destination are famous Dubnícke opalmines. Theworld-famousSlovakopalshadbeenminedmainlyinthelate19thcentury.

IntheSoutheastarethesummitsoftheSlanskevrchyMountains,ofavolcanicorigin.ThelargesttouristcenterisSigord,locatedintheDelnaValley.ThedamisthefavoriteareafortheinhabitantsofPresovwhotakeadvantageofthefishingandwatersportsavailablethere.GoinginthesamedirectionisthelittlevillageofZlataBanawhereaWorldWarIIMuseumislocated.ThevalleyoffersnumeroushikingpossibilitiesandtheviewfromthesummitofMountSimonka(1092meters)ismagnificent.

TothenorthofPresovaretwofortifiedcastlesdatingfromtheMiddleAges:theSarisCastleandtheKapusianskyhradCastle.

Dateandplace

Date:15th–25thMarch2018

• 14thMarch2018–arrivaloftheparticipantstothePrešov• 15th–24thMarch2018–mainworkingdays• 25thMarch2018–departureoftheparticipantsfromthePrešov

Accommodation:

YouthexchangewilltakeplacedirectlyinPrešovcity.AccommodationwillbeprovidedinPensionADAM(PensionAdam,Jarkova16,Presov,Slovakia).Pensionisrightinthecentreofthecity,just3minwalkingfrom the Main street (Hlavná ulica). You can see the accommodation herehttp://www.pensionadam.sk/fotogaleria.php.Theaccommodationwillbeinthetwin/triple/quadruplerooms.Thereisabathroomandtoiletineachroom.Insomeoftheroomsthereareseparatedbedsand some rooms consist from 1 double bed for 2 persons. There is a freeWi-Fi connection in thepension.Inpension,wewillhaveonlyaccommodationandaplacefortheeveningmeetings.SincethecapacityoftheaccommodationofthePensionAdamisnotenough,someoftheparticipantswillbeaccommodatedinthenearbypensionwiththesamelevelofquality.WewillconfirmuntiltheendoftheJanuaryexactsecondpension.

Food:

FoodisanimportantpartofthisexchangeasyoucanguessJWewon’thaveallthefoodatthesameplaceandwewillhaveapossibility to try thedifferent food indifferent restaurants in thecity.Thedetailedplanyouwillreceiveatthebeginningoftheyouthexchange.Wewillalsohavepossibilitytopreparesomemealsalltogether,butthisdependsonthecommoncookingskillsofthewholeteamsandwewilltalkaboutitalsoatthebeginningoftheyouthexchange.

Pleaseletusknowifyouhaveanyspecialdietaryrequestsorrestrictionssowecanaccommodateyourneeds during the youth exchange asmuch as possible. Please, take into consideration thatwe canmanagespecialdietaryrequestsonlyifweknowitbeforetheexchange.

Travel:

AlthoughthereisnoairportinPresov,thereareseveralwayshowtogethere.TheclosestairportfromPrešovisKošicehttp://www.airportkosice.sk/en/(40kilometres).FromKošiceairportwewillarrangetransportforyouandthevolunteerswillwaityoutheretomanageit.

TheotherpossibilitiesforbestflightsclosesttoPrešovaretoBratislava(Slovakia),Budapest(Hungary),Vienna(Austria)andPrague(CzechRepublic).TherearenewCzechAirlinesflightsalsotoanothercloseairport,Poprad (Slovakia), thecity right in thecentreofamountaneousareaof theHighTatras (80kilometresfromPrešov).Ifyouflytothesecities,oralsotoBudapest,Hungary,fromEuropeanairports,and if youdonotmind travellingby train, youcan takea train fromPrague,Bratislava,ViennaandBudapest to Presov. From the Vienna airport, there are regular buses to Bratislava (about an hourjourneyfromtheairport)fromwhereyoucantakeatrain(about5hoursbycleanintercitytrains,orasleeper)fromBratislava,changinginKysak(about15kilometresfromPrešov),orKošice(36kilometres

from Prešov). Bratislava is roughly 400 kilometres from Prešov. To get to Bratislava, thecheapestflightsareprobablybyRyanAir,orWizzair,orDanubewings.TherearemoreflightstoPrague,althoughPragueissome900kilometresfromPrešov.Ifyouwanttotakeafasttrain,ittakesabout12hourstogettoPrešovfromPrague,oryoucantakeasleeperfromthere.FromBudapest,whichissome350kilometresfromPrešov,youcantakeatraintoKošiceandthenchangethereforPrešov (buses and trains). Perhaps the best webpage to check all these trains is Deutsche Bahn,seewww.dbahn.de(inEnglish,too).

FromthelastyouthexchangewealsohaveagoodexperiencewithconnectionsthroughtheFlixBus.www.flixbus.com,whereyoucanfinddirectbusconnectionstoPrešovandtoKošice.

SUGGESTION:

Whenyouwillbearrangingyourtravel,wesuggestfirsttotrytogettoKošice(flights,trains,buses)andfromtherewewillarrangetransportforeveryone.Wearereadytohelpyouwitharrangingthetravel.

Therewillbealwayssomeonefromthegroupwaitingforyouattheconfirmedplace,justlookforthelogoofGastronomySociety:

TRAVELREIMBURSEMENTS

IMPORTANT:Pleaseobtainandkeep•originalinvoice•originalticketsofflight/trainorbus•originalboarding passes (the slip). The reimbursement of travel costswill be done by bank transfer to thepartnerorganisationsonlyafterwehavereceivedalltraveldocumentsinoriginalformandaftertheyouthexchangehasofficiallyended.Travelsnotadequatelyreportedcannotbereimbursed.

Ifyouprefertoreimbursethetravelcostsdirectlytotheaccountoftheindividualparticipantsthroughthebanktransfer–thiswewillmakealsoonlyaftertheyouthexchange.Pleaseprovideuswithallthedetailstothat.Therewillbenocashreimbursementduringtheexchange.

Please,takecareofplain,busortraintickets,boardingpasses,etc.Ifyoudonothavetheoriginaltraveltickets,wecannotreimburseittoyou.Donotforgettotakecarealsoofyourpassports,IDcardsandinsurancecards.

Maximumtravelamountsthatwillbereimbursed(accordingtotheErasmus+rules):

Preparationfortheyouthexchange:

Duringthepreparationphase,wewillallworkonsomeactivitiesconnectedtothetopicoftheexchange.Wewouldliketoasktheleaderofthegroupandtheparticipantsoftheexchangetodosomeactivitiesevenbeforetheystartthetravel.

Since this is youthexchangewithmore than75participants, part of the “get-to-know-eachother”activitieswewillmakeonline.AlltheparticipantsandleaderscanjointheclosedgroupontheFacebook,wherewewilluploadallthenewsandinformationandalsosomesmalltasksfortheparticipants.

Linktothegroupishttps://www.facebook.com/groups/208987736340541/

UntiltheendoftheJanuarywewillsendyouthedetaileddescriptionofthepreparation,whatweexpectfromyou.

Whattobringwithyoufortheexchange:

Throughoutthedurationoftheyouthexchange,wewillhavesomeactivitiesthatwillneedpreparationinadvanceifwewantthemtobesuccessful.Hereyouhavethelistofthingsthatyoushouldbringwithyouorprepare.

- Wewillorganizeaculturaleveningsoitwouldbegoodifyoubringsometraditionalfoodandthingsthatrepresentyouandyourculture.

- Bring some information of your organization if you want to share information with otherparticipants.

- Ifyouhaveanycookbookorbookaboutfoodinyourcountry,wewillbemorethanhappyifyoubringitanditcantakeaplaceinourorganisation’sWorldFoodLibrary.Itcanbealsoinyouroriginallanguageand itdoesn’tneedtobeanewexpensivebook.Wecanrefund itonthebaseoftheoriginalofthereceiptbutonlytothemax20EUR.

CountryTravelgrantper

participant

Numberofparticipants(includingthegroup

leader)Totaltravelgrantperpartner

Bulgaria 275€/person 5 1375€Egypt 360€/person 5 1800€

Hungary 180€/person 5 900€Italy 275€/person 5 1375€Serbia 275€/person 5 1375€

Lithuania 275€/person 5 1375€Portugal 360€/person 5 1800€Spain 275€/person 5 1375€Tunisia 275€/person 5 1375€Romania 275€/person 5 1375€Malta 275€/person 5 1375€Jordan 360€/person 5 1800€France 275€/person 5 1375€Albania 275€/person 5 1375€

Interculturalevenings(presentationofyourcountries)

Therewillbepossibilityforeachgrouptopresentyourcountry,region,city.Thisiswhatisusualpartof theyouthexchange,wheregroupsarepresenting theirculture,music,history, foods,etc. Inourexchangethispartiscalledinprogramas“Noreservations”accordingthefamousTVshowofAnthonyBourdain,wherehevisitsdifferentcountries,citiesworldwide,andplaceswherehosts treathimtolocal culture and cuisine. You can check some episodes here in the YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=anthony+bourdain+no+reservations. Since this istheyouthexchangefocusedongastronomy,pleasepreparesomeinformationaboutthegastronomyinyourcountry,aboutthehistoryofgastronomyinyourcountry,famouspeoplefromgastronomy,etc.Makeitinterestingandinnovativeandintheway,thateveryonewilllearnasmuchaspossibleJ

Youwillhavealsopossibilitytopreparesomefoodifyoulike,justletusknowwhatingredientsyouneedforitandwewillprepareitforyou.Ifyouneedanyspecialingredientswhichyoucanbuyonlyinyourcountry,pleasebring itwithyou. Ifyouwritemetothemailwhatyouneed, Icancheck if it’spossibletobuyithere.Youwillsharetheinterculturaleveningswithsomeothergroup/s.

YouwillalsohavepossibilitytopresentyournationalgastronomytothepublicduringthesmallStreetFoodFestival,whichwewanttoorganiseasoneoftheactivitiesoftheyouthexchange.Wewillsendyoumoreinformationaboutissoon.

Programoftheexchange:

The proposed program of the exchangewewill send to the leaders of the groups and also to thepartner’sorganizationcontactpersonuntiltheendoftheJanuary.Wearestillworkingonthedetailsoftheprogramproposalandwewillshareitwithyouwiththeaimtoimprovesomeoftheactivitiesandalsotosharetheresponsibilityfortheorganizationofsomeoftheactivities.Wewillexplainyoualltheactivitiesintherighttime,butifyouhaveanyproposalsorquestions,letusknowplease.

Targetaudience:

All togetherwewillhavemore than75participants (60youngpeopleand15 leaders+ somemoreSlovak participants as volunteers). Eachpartner organization is responsible for selectionof 4 youngpeoplefrom17to25yearsoldandineachgroupand1leader(noagelimit),therewillbe2womenand2men(orintersexparticipantsiftherewillbesome)+1leader.Pleasetrytokeepthegenderbalanceasfaraspossible.OneofthepriorityoftheErasmus+programmeandalsooneofthepriorityofourorganisation is involvementof youngpeoplewith lessopportunities.We strongly encourage you toinvolveyoungpeoplewithlessopportunitiesoryoungpeoplefromsociallyexcludedgroupstotakeapartintheexchange.Forexample,inSlovakteamwewillhaveyoungpeoplefromRomaminorityinSlovakia,youngpeoplefromsociallyexcludedcommunitiesandLGBTyoungpeople.

TheworkinglanguageoftheprojectisENGLISH.Itdoesn’tmeanthatalltheyoungpeoplehavetobefluentspeakers.WeexpectthatiftherewillbesomeonewithlowerlevelofEnglishcommunicationthattheothersfromthegroupwillhelphim/her.Ontheotherside,weexpectthatthegroupleaderwillbeabletocommunicateinEnglishwithoutanyproblem.

Thepartnersinthisexchangeare:

• Diabetes,prediabetesandmetabolicsyndromeorganisation(Bulgaria)• MI-HIForTrainingandDevelopment(Egypt)• FoodClubFoundation(Hungary)• EUROSUD(Italy)• Association“DeaDia”(Serbia)• Inceptus(Lithuania)• GrupodeJovensNovoMundo(Portugal)• LaVibriaIntercultural(Spain)• AVECassociationdevolontariat,échangecultureletactiondesjeunes(Tunisia)• ENGIM(Albania)• TerradiMezzo2000(Malta)• YouthSpiritCentre(Jordan)• AsociatiaPro-Expert(Romania)• Parcourslemonde–SudEst(France)• Gastronomickýspolok(Slovakia).

Contactdetails:

MichalŠľachta,director

e-mail:michal@gasoc.sk

mobilephone+421910992999

MartinSeman,communicationmanager

e-mail:martin@gasoc.sk

mobilephone:+421949116588

Please,alltheofficialcommunicationtotheprojectshouldbesenttothee-mail:michal@gasoc.sk

www.gasoc.sk

Facebookgroup:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/208987736340541/

Feel free tocontactus foranyquestionsyoumighthaveconcerninglogistic,travelandpreparationfortheyouthexchange.