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Change of perspective through personal encounters: promoting North-South exchange
Encounters between North and South help to promote understanding for one another. And this is particularly true when participants have prepared well for these encounters. In Germany, there are several programmes enabling young people to get involved in development activities and get to know other ways of life. These programmes are not about giving adventurous globetrotters a travel grant. In seminars, programme participants are prepared thoroughly for their encounter with the foreign country. They also look at the opportunities and limits of their own involvement and think about what they themselves and their partners abroad expect from the encounter. And even before the trip, plans are made for participants to share their experience with people in Germany after they return. The young people themselves thus become "multipliers", sharing their experience and engaging in development education work.
The weltwärts development volunteers programme promotes the exchange between North and South in this way. "Learning by serving" is the motto of the volunteers service, which is aimed at young people aged from 18 to 28. They serve as volunteers in a developing country for between 6 and 24 months. Possible fields of work cover the entire spectrum of development cooperation topics. Participants in the weltwärts programme are strongly encouraged to get involved in development information and education work after their return.
The ASA learning and exchange programme is aimed at students and young professionals with a non-academic background. It combines training seminars in Germany with a three-month placement in Africa, Asia, Latin America or South Eastern Europe. After their stay abroad, participants jointly analyse their experiences and develop methods for sharing them with interested members of the public in Germany.
The support programme for school exchanges ENSA is aimed at building a growing network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), teachers and pupils working towards globally sustainable development. Secondary schools and vocational colleges in Germany are eligible to participate in the programme. Participants should be in the 15 to 24 age group. ENSA organises the programme jointly with NGOs and helps define the general and educational content for the preparation and follow-up of the projects. So far, the ENSA programme has supported more than 80 encounters between students from Germany and from developing and transformation countries.
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