Crossing Borders

Held on 10 June 2023 at the Union Cultural House, the Couleur Café festival aims to raise awareness about, showcase and celebrate African culture in Copenhagen through performance arts, expos, music and food.  Crossing Borders had the privilege to pitch a stand with educational materials. CB was represented by a strong team of 7 members from 7 countries comprising Brazil, Denmark/Cameroon, France, Lebanon, Turkey, Global and India. The purpose of being part of the event was to promote CB School Workshops, the Migrantour and Food For Thought.  Between the sound of the tambourines, the outstanding African dances, colourful booths, the smell of the delicious food, the CB team invited participants to learn more about our organisation and support us in our projects. We did a Coffee & Climate Quiz and a manual activity to engage people, consisting of leftover filter coffee mixed with olive oil to rub hands to raise awareness about food waste and how to use leftover coffee to protect, heal and keep our hands soft and elegant.   I personally really enjoyed being part of this event. It was a truly nice day with great music and food. The performances were impressive and captivating. We promoted our projects to the participants in a fun way. It was nice to experience this event with CB team! I will remember the moment where all the children gathered to dance and listen to kids’ songs, so cute. I also really liked taking part in organising the event, very enriching.  Let’s take a look at other CB members perceptions about the event:  Giselle: Diversity, culture and good vibes surrounded the Union Building in Copenhagen during the vibrant Couleur Café event on the second Saturday in June 2023. Inspired by the name of the event, Crossing Borders team members devised fun climate action activities to engage the event audience and raise awareness on how climate change seriously affects coffee plantations in tropical countries. In addition, participants left the event with soft hands after massaging their hands with coffee scrub made with leftover ground coffee, giving it a second chance to be used in a sustainable and fun way.   Furkan: Through Crossing Borders, being a part of Couleur Cafe 2023 was a great opportunity for us to promote CB works, projects, and events. Also, listening to African music with cultural dances, tasting traditional foods, and seeing handcrafts from all around Africa was a remarkable experience. For me, the highlight of the event was the activity we made with coffee leftovers. I learned a very useful method to make my hands soft by scrubbing my hands with these leftovers.  Tanya: With an incredibly sunny day and good vibes, Couleur Café proved to be a delightful experience. I enjoyed the opportunity to strategize for the event and engage in brainstorming sessions with the entire team to plan marketing activities. My personal highlight of the event, however, was the amazing food I got to taste that was infused with Jamaican flavours!  Aman: Couleur Café made us travel to Africa through good music, captivating dance, delicious street food and amazing performance art! The CB stand was at a strategically located spot to promote our programmes in Denmark and projects. We used fun methods like quizzes and friendly competition to engage and promote to our Food for Thought, School Workshops and Migrantour. My favourite moment: seeing the participants and the CB members dancing to the rhythm of the drums!   Christoffer: The event was great for talking to people about our Food For Thought and School Workshop events, everyone I talked to was interested in our work. The music performances were also really nice to watch together with other CB members. Would definitely attend again!   Maryam: It was a very festive event with lots of colours and good energy. The music and dances were cultural and new to me, which I enjoyed very much! There was great food, long lines but still worth the wait!  Written by Anna Bonenfant, Intern at Crossing Borders

From 13th to 16th March 2023, the Erasmus+ Project Growing Green Communities (GGC) training took place in Bordeaux, France. Project partners from Finland, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, and France met with 8 young students to learn from each other best practices in developing green communities, including urban gardens. Project participants of different ages, nationalities, cultural, educational, and professional backgrounds had 4 intensive days of activities inside and outside the classroom. Our project partner and city host, Salu Terre, took the training participants to visit different projects based on community development, including the first community garden in France. Participants visited interesting green places such ENSAP. School of the Gardens, Jardins de Beaudesert at Mérignac ,the Pedagogical Farm of Les Aubiers, the Alotment Gardens of Les Aubiers and the Ecological Park of Domaine de la Burthe Ardins de Beaudesert Mérignac. The GGC project coordinator Giselle Mesiara mentioned in her GGC training reflection that visiting different sustainability-related projects gives training participants the opportunity to better understand not only what a community garden is and its benefits, but also the challenges and difficulties behind it. “When we see a beautiful community garden, we don’t know all the challenges it had to face to finally flourish in every way”. The training in Bordeaux introduced the realities of a community development activity, including unsuccessful community gardens, the difficulties of obtaining land and committed volunteers, and the hard work of a door-to-door community approach. GGC participants had a realistic experience of a community development process, which laid the foundation for the development of the Growing Green Community framework. In addition to external activities, the collaborative methodology of “learning from, with and about” was implemented. Where each project partner had the opportunity to present their professional expertise and innovative ways of collaborating to achieve the goals of the GGC. The active participation of young people in the process of mapping the needs of the GGC will be analyzed in the next phase of the project. The knowledge generated during the GGC training activities in Bordeaux was in connection with the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), 11.7 (Provide Access to Safe and Inclusive Green and Public Spaces), 12.3 (Halve Global Capita Food Waste), 13 (Climate Action) and 17.16 (Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development). The NGO Crossing Borders, which is a major implementer of project activities that meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations in Denmark and globally, is leading the Erasmus+ project Growing Green Communities. Blog Author: Mesiara, Giselle

Written By: Giselle Mesiara The main objective of the BRAND project is to raise awareness among young people about fast fashion and its effects on the environment as well as provide youth workers with all the materials and tools necessary to inform, influence and train young people towards more ecologically friendly fashion choices to create a greener and sustainable fashion future. Why are sustainable fashion initiatives the need of the hour? Recommended read: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/fashion-industry-carbon-unsustainable-environment-pollution/ BRAND Project Meeting in Copenhagen On the 11th and 12th of May 2023, Crossing Borders (CB) hosted one of the transnational project meetings of the Erasmus+ BRAND Sustainable Fashion project in Copenhagen. The 6 partner organizations gathered at CB’s facilities to discuss and plan the final stages of the ECO-FASHION Toolkit and the upcoming project results. The CB team organized a dual sustainability event to host the BRAND project partners. On the sunny afternoon of May 11th, the project partners and other CB guests walked along the Sustainable Fashion Migrant Tour route to discover the hidden gems of the many thrift, upcycling, vintage, and second-hand stores in the vibrant neighbourhood of Nørrebro. The route was designed by CB BRAND project collaborators to present different forms of sustainable fashion businesses in Copenhagen through a migrant perspective, inspired by the CB Migrant Tour project.  After the tour, participants attended a Food for Thought Sustainability event with Karen Blincoe, an expert on the subject, who invited BRAND Coordinator Lena Gruber to speak about the BRAND project for an audience of 30 people. Lena mentioned the BRAND project objectives of increasing awareness about sustainable fashion consumption among young people and sustaining future generations. Food for Thought is a monthly social event organized by CB as the name suggests bringing important themes of our modern society for reflection. It also includes the incredible experience of a community dinner in Copenhagen, where participants have the opportunity to talk about the topic and interact with different people and of course enjoy a fabulous vegetarian dinner prepared with love by immigrant women in Denmark. Stay tuned for BRAND Sustainable Fashion Results The first project result, the ECO-FASHION Toolkit, will be released soon! It will provide a dynamic and interactive experience designed for young people and youth workers. Follow BRAND on social media for more details about the BRAND Sustainable Fashion project and access to the Eco-Fashion toolkit. Instagram: @youth4sustainablefashion Facebook: www.facebook.com/BRANDboost4sustainablefashion/ Website: www.brand.erasmus.site

Written by Giselle Mesiara, Project Coordinator at Crossing Borders 11 Crossing Borders from 10 different nationalities departed from Copenhagen Central Station on the 12th of May to experience 3 sunny days of team building activities in the calm and relaxed atmosphere of Samsø Island, DK. Samsø became Denmark’s first sustainable energy island, due to its commitment to become independent of fossil fuels by 2030. The island is known as Denmark’s Vegetable Garden due to its large production of potatoes and other vegetables. Crossing Borders team members had the opportunity to visit many amazing places on the island guided by Garba Diallo, including the Energy Academy, which serves as a meeting place for discussions on sustainable development between residents and visitors interested in green energy. We then visited Samsø’s Nordby village, bought some local products, had ice cream by the pond and relaxed for a while. In the afternoon, some of us went to the Labyrinten and it was fun to answer tricky questions about the world and get lost, but in the end, we managed to end at the right place and get out of the maze. The bike group biked to Issehoved hills and down to the sea and took memorable photos. Crossing Borders team building was experienced in all senses, from organizing the trip, sharing household chores, small conversations in pairs or deep sustainability discussions and other discussions in group, sharing personal stories around bonfire and favourite music and experiencing the sensations that it brings to others, dancing with Turkish music and playing fun games at the bonfire. Everything was simple, genuine and fun.

https://usercontent.one/wp/crossingborders.dk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Ukrainian-youth-visit.mp4 On March 1st , we were both honoured and grateful to host the delegation from our Ukrainian partner, Klitschko Foundation, at Crossing Borders in Copenhagen. What would turn out to be an exceptional warm and emotional visit started with the presentation of the Great Debate Camp winners, which took place last November in the western part of Ukraine. At the camp, youth participants inspired us with their stories, and also shared their strong motivation and determination to be part of the Democracy Hub project. That is a formidable demonstration of Klitschko’s determined efforts in empowering youth to be the change they want to see in their own lives. On the basis of that, we were looking forward to welcoming the youth group, showing them around the city, and at Crossing Borders’ own headquarters, where we ended up spending an exciting evening together. During the visit, we had a session of the Fabo Learning Lab where our participants got the opportunity to engage with and be part of the global learning platform. After the session had left everyone both a little wiser and hungry for more engagement, we all went to the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy (DIPD). Here, Director of DIPD Lisbeth Pilegaard gave us a warm welcome and then a great chance to discuss democratic values and its vital importance in society. None of us wanted to miss out on commemorating this day, so we took lots of group photos during this special visit. Late in the afternoon, we went back to Crossing Borders’ offices and invited all our guests to participate in CB’s monthly event, Food for Thought. This evening was spent in the company of award-winning Afro-American musician, professor and storyteller, Norman Fearrington. The many and often surprising stories about a long life spent as a musician for the likes of Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Santana, John Coltrane and David Bowie came to a halt when all of Food for Thought’s participants introduced themselves and it turned out that Ukraine was heavily represented in the crowd. Norman stopped his storytelling for a time and visibly moved started to talk about the invasion in Ukraine and how much the devastating situation was on his mind. He praised the Ukrainian youth for not giving up hope and for continuing their quest for education, travel, and friendship amid this terrible time. It was a moving moment for all at the event and a reminder to not take anything for granted. Norman’s heartfelt speech to the youth group visiting us was an unforgettable moment. At the end of the visit, many hugs were exchanged between CB’s project coordinators, volunteers, and the youth group. Presents were awkwardly given, and friendships forged. It was indeed a successful and educational visit. Anna, Inna, Mariia, Yelyzaveta , Vitalii and Olena and all the Democracy Hubs participants have inspired us and made us proud.  The special partnership with Klitschko Foundation has created a solid foundation for further and a longer-term collaboration, and we are glad that we can contribute to Ukrainian youth fighting for their dreams. We are thankful to our partners, the Klitschko Foundation and the New Democracy Fund for making this project possible. Video Credits: Crossing Borders & Klitschko Foundation

Anti-racism and Civic Courage Training (ACCT) is a transnational project focusing on the decrease of discrimination, including multi-dimensional discrimination and racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance. The partners also aim at combating discrimination, hate crime & hate speech across the EU.  On January 25 and 26 2023, partners from Berlin, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Álora, Sofia and Bratnik came together in Berlin for the kick- off meeting of ACCT.    During this meeting, the consortium had the opportunity to get to know each other better and set the priorities of action for the project life, next 24 months. ACCT envisions to prevent as well as fight intolerance, racism, xenophobia and discrimination expressed in the forms of antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred, anti-roma discrimination and other forms of prejudice in rural communities across the EU.    To achieve this, ACCT unites people from diverse backgrounds such as civil society organisations, activists and community leaders, for Civic Courage trainings. These trainings are designed to establish a safe space of contact among groups that are directly and negatively affected by different types of discrimination and people that are not affected directly. The latter are trained to reduce prejudice and bias against marginalised groups in the communities they live in, as well as practising everyday civic courage. At the same time, participants facing discriminatory practices and incidents in rural communities will be empowered spaces for inclusion created together.     Over the coming months, the consortium will work towards the designing and testing of the trainings before starting to offer them to the communities.     ACCT is an EU-funded project engaging with the priority of the CERV Call “Fighting against intolerance, racism, xenophobia, discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes”.     The consortium for ACCT consists of:  Comparative Research Network (Berlin, Germany)  Perspekt Initiative (Hamburg, Germany)  Crossing Borders (Copenhagen, Denmark)  Imagina (Álora, Spain)  Stowarzyszenie “Dla Ziemi” (Bratnik, Poland)  Association on Refugees & Migrants- Bulgaria (Sofia, Bulgaria)     Want to know more? Get in touch:   Maxine Cottreau, Project Coordinator, Comparative Research Network e.V.  E-Mail: maxine.cottreau@crnonline.de  Phone : +33662271499  Web: www.crnonline.de             Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.      edit post Blog Food for Change March 6, 2023 Facebook Twitter Google+ Linked In Pinterest edit post Blog A Week in the Life as a Project Assistant. In Estonia (Where else?) March 1, 2023 Facebook Twitter Google+ Linked In Pinterest edit post Blog Our recent journey on Democracy February 15, 2023 Facebook Twitter Google+ Linked In Pinterest edit post Blog Food for Thought ‘I tell my story, therefore I am’. January 24, 2023 Facebook Twitter Google+ Linked In Pinterest

By Maryam Alaouie Everybody loves food, but have you ever tried a slice of discussion? A sip of chat? Have you ever just felt so full after a delicious dialogue? If yes, you definitely want to hear about our new ‘recipes for conversation’!  On the 13th of February, Crossing Borders was in Berlin for the kick-off meeting of our brand-new European project ‘Food for Change’. In partnership with CRN from Germany, Euro-net from Italy, Kainotomia from Greece, Novo Mundo Azul from Portugal, and Active Youth from Lithuania the project offers an innovative food-based approach to dialogue and social issues using universal concepts like food. The project is based on dinners that involve young people cooking together, sharing food, and with the help of the ‘recipes for conversation’ which will be provided for the participants, initiating conversations that allow the youth to share their stories on personal, societal, and political issues that affect their everyday lives with peers on a local and European scale. With this project, we aim to develop innovative food-based methods to engage youth in intercultural dialogue that contributes to the social inclusion of marginalized youth, who are affected by poverty, disabilities, discrimination, or mental health issues. By participating in the dialogue dinners, they will gain social and professional competencies that we expect can strengthen their employability. Furthermore, ‘Food for Change’ is promoting two of the main values of Crossing Borders which are the importance of storytelling and highlighting the cultural diversity of food. We believe, through these dinners, that sharing food and stories will enhance the youth’s feelings of community and belonging. In addition to cultivating the mental health of these participants, the dinners also have a positive impact on the participants’ physical well-being with healthy seasonal food recipes they can cook together and learn to use in their daily lives. Being a part of a community will make us more resilient during difficult times in our lives, imagine all this…with food? The perfect recipe to a fulfilling evening! Stay tuned to hear more about how this project will develop on all of our social media platforms!

by Mia Brygger, Project associate   A depiction of my maiden voyage, as a representative for Crossing Borders, travelling to Estonia for the finalization of an Erasmus+ strategic partnership project, that aims at enabling teachers to include more design thinking into their work. In collaboration with Educraftor, Tartu Kunstikool, Tallinna Kunstigümnaasium (TKG) and Modern Didactics Centre, we met at TKG outside of Tallinn for a three day “meet and let’s finish a two-year project in style”. My week started at CPH airport. The day before. Project coordinator from Crossing Borders and all-round hard worker, Rosie, had invited me to Estonia to take part in the last stages of the project. Who was I to say no to that?! It was an opportunity to witness firsthand how a project collaboration between nations and schools can result in new ways of educating youth, and of course, a great way to discover a new cultural setting. The trip was quite a learning experience for me. Fun, challenging and eye-opening. With lots of crazy events along the way. Creepy portraits and bumpy hallways  The hotel itself was an tale worth telling; St. Olav, located in the Old Town (Vanalinn) part of Tallinn, was an old building propped up between a strip club/karaoke bar and a beauty salon. Four floors, each floor consisting of long winding hallways and staircases leading to other staircases and bumpier hallways. You could easily trip over dusty, antique furniture scattered throughout the hotel or get lost staring at the creepy portrait gallery decorating each hallway. The whole vibe of the hotel was one of mystery, murder and aristocratic oppulence. That is, if this was the 19th century. In 2023 it seemed more rundown than luxurious. It did prove a novelty stay and an entertaining topic of conversation, though.   Lazy craftmanship or fun for the whole family? Night tour in old town Assistant duties and cheese on fish?The next morning we went to Tallinna Kunstigümnaasium, a few kilometres north of Tallinn, where we would meet up with the partners and go over the results of the project. Rosie was kind enough to pay for our transportation all week; I didn’t get to repay her generosity except for being a willing assistant, who was always ready to carry whatever s%¤#, she couldn’t be bothered to carry. Just kidding, she always asked, if I would carry her s¤%+. That’s the life of an assistant, I guess. The first day at the school was a hectic one, with presentations from the partners and a online audience tuning in from all parts of the world: Italy, Marocco, Georgia, Jamaica, Poland etc. The day ended with lunch in the school cafeteria, where we were served fish covered in what appeared to be cheddar cheese. Weird choice for a fish dish, but it tasted okay. Anna, the project manager and a teacher at TKG, suggested we all have dinner together at Olde Hanse that same night; A medieval restaurant serving centuries old recipes (but not centuries old food). Not joking, the food was some of the best, I’ve ever had and unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. As a civilian, that has never been involved with an Erasmus+ project before, I was delighted to spend time with the partners and share cultural experiences with each other. We crossed borders indeed and had a lot of fun.   Hard-at-work-Rosie Happy partners Cheesy fish dish Previous Next Reality sets in and we paint cats!The following day we had a group meeting with the partners to divide the last tasks of the project. I was also discovering that working with other organizations and people from different cultural backgrounds is inspiring and fun. It can be challenging at times, but it’s a wonderful lesson in compromise and camaraderie. Even though my tasks were limited, Rosie had been considered enough to forget to bring a bag for her computer, so the least I could do, was act as her pack mule. The day ended back at the hotel, before we set out for the evening’s grand adventure: A paint class! Anna had arranged for the remaining partners (and the sole assistant present: me) to take a paint class. I would like to say, that it was great fun (and it was), but mostly it was fun, because everyone was really on point in sarcastingly stating, how exhaustingly difficult the class was. The inferiority complexes setting in, while we were trying to mix colors and getting the composition right, were punctured by the snarky laughter, that followed our feeble attempts at creating art. At least we got to take our painting home with us. I will use mine as a torture device, should I ever need one.   Rosie was having a bad angle day Creative genius at work Artsty kids and goodbye to the partnersOn our last day at TKG we wrapped up the final tasks and had an early lunch. And then a concert followed. With high expectations in tow, we set off…. towards the gym where student bands were ready to blow us away with cover versions of Amy Winehouse and Arctic Monkeys songs. They did good, and mostly hit the right notes, but there was one group, that delighted us all. A group consisting of five young women; sheathed in punkish attire and piles of make-up, took to the scene and started performing……an Estonian folk song..? Okay. Not what I was expecting, but their dedication to the performance and the goth-like girl with long, dark hair, in a Slayer t-shirt, playing the triangle with such detached focus and intensity, blew my Nordic mind. That was exactly the Baltic vibes, I had hoped to encounter in Estonia. Time to reflect and head homeOn our last night, Rosie and I had a magnificent dinner at Rataskaevu 16, where we gorged on elk roast and fancy desserts with various sirups and fruits. Not a bad way to end a successful trip. We headed home for the last time to our murder-mystery hotel and

by Melina Niraki and Soraya Boumediene, project coordinators Ghanaian diplomat Kofi Annan said “No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. (Rather both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime.) Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline.”  From there, a healthy democracy should include youth in the decision-making process. However, it is often said young people are not interested in democracy, that they are disconnected from it and that they don’t have faith in it anymore or that they never did.  How to develop young people’s curiosity about democracy? How to make them want to be part of the decision making process? How to make them aware of the role they have to play? How do they become active citizens conscious of global issues? Crossing Borders tried to meet this challenge. On the 21st of November 2022, I assisted in the final competition of the Democracy Class in Copenhagen. It took place in Aula, the biggest room in Union which can accommodate up to 150 people. We had prepared the room for the occasion which looked like a conference room. 90 students from Adventure Efterskolen, boarding school in Southern Denmark participated in the event.  The students participating in Democracy Class for the final event had been divided into groups and their responsibility was to create their own political parties from scratch, present their political program, as well as debate with each other with the aim of their political party to prevail and possibly win one of the available monetary prizes. The final event was divided into two stages. The first one invited group representatives to announce their political party program whereas the second one was solely focused on debating, under the watchful eye of the jury and CB facilitators. As you can imagine, speaking in English on a stage in front of a hundred people is not a simple exercise… It was really impressive to see the students defending their political ideas and trying to make them shine over the others. Especially because it allows us to see justice and this is the only way for society to thrive. It was nice to see the participants really involved in what they were doing; after all, what could be more effective than directly asking youth to speak for themselves and with their own words, about subjects concerning them? The debate was led by the jury: Simon Dalsgaard, member of the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy, Mads Grønne Bärenholdt, PHD student in adolescence loneliness, former community science teacher, and member of the ø party, Garba Diallo, CB Director. Three monetary awards were at stake for the three winning parties to spend on activities or cultural projects of their own. A way to make them responsible and aware that their decisions have societal consequences. Many topics were discussed: gender and LGBTQ policies, migration policy, social benefits, healthcare, environmental policies, integration. Students actually had things to say about most of them, which showed their commitment but also their involvement in the exercise. And by extension in the democratic process and in society’s issues. Conclusion:  Not all parties won a prize but all the students were able to gain creativity and to hopefully ignite their curiosity about democracy. What is sure is that democracy won that day. For a moment the youth, supposedly disinterested in democracy, made it live and believed in it. And once again Crossing Borders contributed to the education and empowerment of young people to become active global citizens. It’s exactly for moments like this, that drive us, that we fight everyday, in order hopefully to make the world a better place. This final event was part of a project funded by the Danish Ministry of Culture, including 4 workshops and a final event, facilitated by Crossing Borders coordinators.

By Soraya Boumediene, Intern at Crossing Borders So, I tell my story to exist. I do this through my reflections on my first Food for Thought experience at Crossing Borders. Taking place on 6 October 2022 in Copenhagen and facilitated by Vice Chair of our board TV journalist Nyeleti Sue Angel Nkuna of South Africa, the Food for Thought brought a CEO of a top global corporation, just awarded Nobel Prize Laureate prof. Meldal, two ambassadors, one a Mandela family friend HE Maguba ambassador of South Africa, and the second HE Menabde ambassador of Georgia. The audience reflected the beautiful diversity of the globalization. Here we go. I am Soraya from France and Morocco, two different but connected countries. I believe having two nationalities taught me to be really open to the world and it might be the reason why I have always been attracted to international relations! Indeed, I love discovering the world and everything it has to offer as well as meeting new people and talking to them about all kind of subjects such as current global issues and politics. I would also describe myself as a free spirit, open-minded, optimistic and committed. I feel particularly concerned with human rights issues, especially feminism, antiracism and ecology. On top of that, I am a new Erasmus + intern at Crossing Borders where I meet the world everyday. As soon as I arrived at the beginning of October 2022, Crossing Borders nature, activities and global outreach connected me to my own life story. Thus, my first Food for Thought experience gave a strong feeling of belonging to my background, experiences and interests. The 6 October Food for Thought event was also the first time it took place at our new location at Union cultural house, which I found really welcoming and warm. The cozy decoration, softened lights, curtains and candles food made me feel at my family’s house in France. But, this wasn’t the only thing that made me think about home… The Food for Thought concept is to combine storytelling with dinner, two spaces bringing humans together. I like to read, write and listen to podcast and I was very excited about listening to someone’s story. I had the feeling I was listening to a family story before dinner, even though I barely knew anyone yet. I was very new to everything, and everything was new to me. The event brought together some 70 guests from many countries. As CB loves to grab every opportunity to celebrate diversity, to begin with, we were all asked to get up telling our names and where we came from. In addition to the 16 Georgians who participated in our Youth 4 Democracy course, almost everyone came from a different country: Denmark, Dominican Republic, Italy, Ghana, Estonia, Morocco, the USA, Sierra Leone. It was really amazing to have so many nationalities together at once! This moment brought me back to my previous Erasmus experience some years back when I studied in the UK and met people from each continent almost every day. My favorite thing to do in life is travelling and interacting with people from all over the world. In a way, Food for Thought was like another trip during which I met and talked to international citizens. I even met someone from the city where my family comes from in Morocco and felt so grateful about it! I never thought I would feel so at home while abroad in Denmark. The guest was well known medical doctor specialized in immunology and oncology Deborah Dunsire. Dr. Dunsire started her life journey in Zimbabwe where she was born into a white family. Her parents moved to the then Apartheid South Africa where she studied medicine. She started to observe the odd structure of racism. This system was enacted into law by Apartheid which was built around a racialized pyramid with the tiny minority white citizens on the top, brown citizens under them while the vast majority black indigenous citizens at the very bottom. Dr. Dunsire has been the CEO of several companies in Switzerland, the US, and currently CEO of Lundbeck, a pharmaceutical company in Copenhagen. It was quite impressive to meet such an important person in such an intimate context. She introduced herself and humbly answered questions about her life, career and about the pressing global issues of the time. I found her really inspiring and her speech empowering. In some ways, her storytelling was a journey too for me. Ibelieve at Food for Thought you have a unique chance to meet people in a way you wouldn’t meet otherwise. This event was also an opportunity for the Georgians youth workers and municipality representatives to meet the ambassador from Georgia to Denmark, HE Natela Menabde who attended the evening for the occasion. Some of the Georgian members couldn’t speak English very well but it didn’t stop them from sharing their gratitude, energy and joy to be there. Their joy was expressed in Georgian songs, wine and sweets. I had the feeling what really mattered at that point was being together regardless of our nationalities, languages or other differences. Another special guest to join the event was Professor Morten Meldal at the University of Copenhagen who just received a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, no less! It was as if Food for Thought brought together people from all walks of life and countries in an inclusive social space where everyone is on an equal foot. I guess that’s Food for Thought and Crossing Borders power! We finally had delicious Lebanese food for dinner: humus, fried eggplants, and couscous, which once again made me think about when I used to visit my family in Morocco. In the end, this is maybe what this is all about: Food for Thought framed in storytelling, delicious food, great company and in a welcoming space do enable us to learn about life and one another’s experiences from around the world while echoing to your own story.