In July 2019 we went on behalf of Ways to join the Erasmus+ co-funded training course “To be in the rights place” in Trikala, Greece. The course was organized by CET Platform Hellas. It was an amazing trip which we began in Athens by exploring Europe’s historical roots through ancient monuments and great philosophers.

Next stop on our journey was Trikala, where we had the training course. The training facilities were located in an ancient museum that used to be an Ottoman bath back in the days. Our trainers introduced us to the topic of the training, which was immigration and human rights. They did this through methods of non-formal learning, which made it funny and playful to learn about a serious topic. We were able to learn about the topic from a multitude of different national understandings as there were 9 countries represented (Greece, Denmark, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Sweden, Turkey, Germany and Macedonia).

One of the greatest learning points were how politics and media influence which story of migration and refugees is being told. It influences people and their ability to see people beyond their labels though the discourses that are created around them. This can lead to racism and discrimination. However, there exist many good people that try to resist these stimuli and create space for inclusion and human rights through NGOs, projects and associations. Often times the violation of human rights takes place when we become ignorant and do not meet the people that we talk about. Therefore it was good to hear the stories of many refugees and migrants which helped us broaden our horizon and become more understanding and knowledgeable about immigration and human rights. Many tears were shed and emotions fill the room, when the participants opened up and realized nuanced realities. These magical moments made us family and we will remember each other forever.

We also had a free day where we went to the ancient Meteora, which is a breathtaking beauty. It enabled us to enjoy the magical view from the top of stone mountains and left space for deep reflection in the open heights of the Greek landscape.

The training course was intensive, but magical, funny and playful. The excellent days often ended with some singing and dancing together and spending time for relaxation in order to know each other even more than during the day. Overall this was a great learning experience that we can add to our daily interactions with young people, but also to understand our European neighbors better in future relations. We will never forget this trip.