Stories by Participants: We Are All Humans “Solidarity on Air” (Dimitra Mantziou)

March 23, 2022

Stories by Participants: We Are All Humans “Solidarity on Air”

Training Course  (21/02/2022-28/02/2022) Moravec, Czech Republic

 by Dimitra Mantziou

When I met a Polish man at the bus stop of my neighborhood in Thessaloniki I couldn’t imagine that the information he gave me about Erasmus+ programs would be the beginning of an unforgettable experience. Participating in a project about the intersection of podcasting and storytelling interested me, so I applied to the training course We Are All Humans “Solidarity on Air” organized by Brno For You. The program took place in a small village in the Czech Republic, called Moravec, on 21/02-28/02. The main aim of the training course was to inform us about Human Library and Creation of Podcasts as a means of breaking down stereotypes.

Listening to the stories of the people that the coordinators invited in order to show us how a Human Library works was fascinating. The invited guests played the role of books and they talked to us about their life experiences. The story about domestic violence was touching and made me think a lot about human relations and human behavior.

Aside from the human library topic, learning how to record and edit a podcast by a famous Czech creator aroused my interest. Podcasting is a modern and non-formal way to express ideas and thoughts. Podcasts can reach a broad spectrum of people across the globe and have a great impact on them. After the educational program sessions, 4 people from the group offered to share their stories. We splitted into groups and we created 4 podcasts around the stories of each speaker that are now uploaded on Spotify. The stories were about eating disorders, mental health issues, alcohol addiction, and sexual abuse. Taking part in the creation of one of the episodes was an intense and unique experience for me. It was admirable that the speaker of my team had been through such a difficult time but he was always so nice and positive. 

Beyond the technical knowledge I gained, thanks to this program I made friends from the Czech Republic, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Portugal, Estonia and Greece, with whom I created so many memories! I had the chance to communicate with them in English for 8 days and learn more about their culture during the sessions as well as during our walks in the village. Also I had the opportunity to share parts of my identity and cultural experience with them. On the first night in Moravec, we had a cultural night so as to taste food from each country. Moreover, during the activity sessions, including creation of stickers, we discussed important social issues that each country faces.

Being in the Czech Republic for 8 days gave me the opportunity to have a better understanding of human libraries, podcasts and foreign cultures. After this experience, I feel so thankful about what I have learned and for the people I met, whom I can’t wait to see again. Our trip to Moravec was a life changing journey that challenged me and made me even more interested in Erasmus+ programs. I am looking forward to participating in the next Erasmus+ project!

 

 

 – Dimitra Mantziou