Theater and art in Valdepielagos
From 2 to 16 May 2018, in the Ecohousing of Valdepiélagos (Madrid), 25 young people from Italy, France, Holland, Turkey and Spain have met for a youth exchange financed by Erasmus+ program. The main objective has been try theatre as an instrument for diffusion and exchange of important values between young people.
Below, the testimonies of Italians participants who have lived intensely this experience.
Manuela, Roma, Youth Leader of the Italian group
A fantastic team!
Activities have been good participated from all and succeed very well, as well the spectacle at the end, the food and the hospitality were excellent. The hosting organization, Sol y Tierra, in the Cohousing Valdepielagos and the intense work of Victor Torre were priceless, as well his confidence in us and the capacity of delegate, including us youth leaders as much as young people in the planning, coordination and implementation, permitting to realize a youth exchange really participated and created by everyone. I want to thanks in a particular way Italian participants Serena, Emilio, Roberta, Waira Camilla and also Maurizio (woofer in Valdepiélagos, who joined our team in brotherhood), who have made this experience unforgettable, thank you for the enjoyed preparation of Italian evening, thank you for the authenticity of human encounters, thank you for the presence of all the world. I bring in my heart a new family now spread in Italy, who welcomed me as youth leader with the good and right horizontality! I would also to say that young Italians participants have founded in this youth exchange a launch pad for their following Youth Exchange in Turkey! All it’s about to start, to be our-selves and participate with dedication ,the rest comes by itself.
Roberta, 23 years old, Catania
Play and Love, sincerity and magic of being together, a concentration of human energy, without territorial or linguistic boundaries. This is what happened in Valdepiélagos. Communion of knowledge, skills, but above all of lives ready to talk and listen to each other. Young (and less young) with the desire to be present, to generate sincere and profound encounters and human exchanges. I’m grateful to life and to his punctuality. I thank all people that have organized this Youth Exchange: RIVE, Nicoletta, Manuela, Victor Torre and “Sol y Tierra”. I thank those who hosted us with patience and dedication, who cooked for us, with care and accuracy. Thanks to Manuela, leader attentive, implacable organizer, childlike and cheerful friend. Thanks to my Italian companions, friends and brothers, for the deep looks inside our lives, for the enjoyed silences and for the music that comes from their souls. And thanks to all the other people with whom I shared this experience, for courage, aimless play, tenderness, empathy, sensitivity, care and above all Love.
Serena, 27 years old, Torino
What happened in Valdepiélagos was a magic, a meeting between mythical people, all different, but united by similar desires: contact with nature, a more conscious lifestyle towards the environment and food, the desire to discover yourself, take off your mask and open yourself up to the world as you are. From this adventure, I carry in my heart the looks and the passion of Victor Torre, of the association Sol y Tierra, of Mar and of Vitin, who have opened their house with inexhaustible generosity and patience, of Loren, who hosted me in her home with all possible care and cooking-team who has cooked for us every day and with us with dedication. I carry in my heart the friendship and concern of my Italian companions and our beloved youth leader Manuela, the fraternal hugs of our comrades from Holland, France, Spain and Turkey. Curiosity, enthusiasm, interaction, childhood and discovery were the words we said during our organizational videoconference before leaving, trying to summarize our desires for this experience. All these themes have been embraced with love and freedom. The organization of the activities was impeccable and balanced, leaving an important space to the participants in the choice of what they wanted to do during the day and in the possibility of organizing their own laboratories to transmit their knowledge to the others. This magical interaction has found its culmination in the final show, held in the central place of Valdepiélagos, for the inhabitants but above all for ourselves, to tell us that each of us is a rich source of creativity and ideas. This is the proof that strong emotions can arise from the good synergy with our surroundings.
Emilio, 29 years old, Fanano
A beautiful and very stimulating experience! I left without thoughts and everything went smoothly because the project was well structured and well organized. I discovered what an Erasmus + youth exchange is, how it can be organized and how it should be managed. Despite a well-defined structure, the margin of freedom inside was maximum, the host association Sol Y Tierra accompanied us towards the final project, all together, working on the group, on individual intentions, on common passions, on communication and on so many other things. I learned a lot because I never felt forced, because I did what I liked best and because everything was always available. The energy of the group was beautiful, strong and varied, I had a great time, in the evenings between us and with the locals. I strongly believe in this type of projects because they are a spark of life in a dark world, all around there were arid and ploughed fields, animals treated badly, even there was the bullfight the day we left, scarce vegetation or none at all until on the horizon, while what was born from this small experience was immense, it was also nice to see other people in the group interacting and creating new contacts and new opportunities. Unforgettable!
Camilla, 22 years old, Torino
As the days passed we became brothers and sisters. Only with the looks, we told each other some secrets, with the bodies we played, like children, with the music we merged with each other. The theatre connected us like the roots of old trees in the same forest. And then there were guitars, drums, paintings, massages, acro-yoga, songs, long hugs … they spoke at our place, without saying a word, we knew it. Evenings, getting lost in looking at the stars, wrapped in each other with laughter, percussion, songs … and I felt the tribe, closing the eyes: brothers and sisters of the same world, hoping for forever, hoping that would never end.
See you at the next adventure !!