On the 9th of May, the Crossroads - Cultural Diplomacy Seminar, organised by System and Generation in collaboration with Zavod Voluntariat (Slovenia), and the ALF Türkiye Network Coordinators, united 25 participants from 17 different countries as well as 25 people from the local community of Fethiye for one common celebration of Europe Day.
The event took place at the Fethiye Municipality Council Hall and consisted of three sessions.
President and LEAR of S&G Mr. Gürkan Akçaer held the opening speech. Mr. Akçaer welcomed everyone, informed about the Cultural Diplomacy Seminar "Crossroads", held within the scope of the Erasmus Program, and explained that Europe Day contributes to efforts to bring people together, a process that began with the Schuman Declaration on May 9, 1950.
Prof. Dr. Necdet Sağlam, Coordinator of the ALF Türkiye Network, spoke about Civil Society Diplomacy, and the importance of a large international network like the Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) with 42 member countries.
ALF General Manager Josep Ferre shared information about ALF's role in Civil Diplomacy and ALF activities for the youth. Mr Ferre emphasized the importance of intercultural dialogue and the three main pillars of the ALF: Inspiring Knowledge, Driving Action, and Uniting Cultures.
Cultural Psychologist and former ESC volunteer Ida Marie Lykke Elsborg delivered a speech on the topic of people-to-people diplomacy, linking human relations and connection to collective agency for cultural and societal change. Participants also played the game "what we share" to discover common things with others in the room.
Celebrating Europe Day with participants from different corners of the world was truly a moment of uniting, connecting, and sharing what we have in common across cultures.
We would like to give our special thanks to the Fethiye Municipality for hosting our event and us.
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