From April 15 to April 21, the Erasmus+ youth exchange project took place in Cēsis County Youth House, (Cēsis, Latvia) where 24 participants from Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Cēsis (Latvia) met to brought up the topic of youth participation and inclusion in society and the processes taking place in it.
The main tool for the goals of the project was street art, which is more and more frequently used and reflects on social and society-important and current problems, as well as increasingly beautifies and characterizes countless metropolises and cities of the world. Street art has become a tool for solving various social and political issues, including promoting public participation, creating an inclusive environment and uniting the local community.
In the Youth Exchange project “The Power of Street Art 2.0" implemented in Cēsis (Latvia), young people not only discussed topics such as participation, social inclusion in the context of different communities, but also created their artwork themselves. Under the leadership of street art artist Viesturs Holenders (LV), a mural was created in the youth house, which will now delight the youth of the Youth House of Cēsis County and its visitors. Also, young people from the Netherlands participated in the weekly events of the youth center, for example, at the meeting of the Cēsis County Youth Council.
By playing the city game, participants got to know the city of Cēsis, looked for various examples of street art in it, also visited the Cēsis Children and Youth Center, where they learned about the educational offer of interests, visited the Cēsis Medieval Castle and spent time in nature, hiking to the Red Cliffs, dancing traditional Latvian dances. One day was dedicated to go to Riga so it would be possible for young people to compare examples of daily rhythms and street art, messages in the capital of Latvia and city of Cēsis.
The project was a great experience for participants from both countries. The young people of Cēsis region admitted that the project allowed them not only to promote understanding of the topics brought up during the exchange (participation and inclusion), but also to look at their city from a different point of view and be able to appreciate it, strengthening their belonging to their local community. The young people of Amsterdam, on the other hand, admitted that this experience of being in a small community, where young people actually have a lot of opportunities to improve themselves and develop their personalities has been very valuable and inspiring, because they come from a very multicultural environment where communities face similar problems.
The project was implemented by the association "Youth for City - City for Youth" in cooperation with the Cēsis County Youth House and the Amsterdam Street Art Museum, and this was a continuation of the "Power of Street Art" project implemented in September of last year, when the youth of the Cēsis County visited Amsterdam.
The project "The Power of Street art 2.0" (No. 2023-1-LV02-KA152-YOU-000142410) is financed by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the International Youth Program Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
