“We are Europeans”, Traveling Competition

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Deadline: 19 December 2010
Open to: natural persons from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia (between 18 and 35 years of age)
Prize: 17-day-tour with five representatives from other SEE countries in April/early May 2011

The main strategic aim of the project initiated by Polska Fundacja im. Roberta Schumana is to familiarize citizens of the European Union with the contemporary reality of candidate and potential candidate countries in South-Eastern Europe (SEE), thereby illustrating their potential as possible future member states.

With „We are Europeans“ we establish opportunities for European citizens to engage in peer contact and intercultural dialogue. We intend to stimulate a constructive European debate about the benefits and challenges of future enlargement. Offering balanced and first-hand information about the contemporary situation and long-term changes in SEE countries is a prerequisite for promoting mutual understanding and tolerance.

During a 17-day long, two-route bus tour (EuropeTour) starting and ending in Warsaw one representative each of the six participating SEE countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,  Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) together with a tour guide and photographer will meet face to face with citizens of Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland. They take part in common activities of representational, intercultural and informal kind (e.g. debates, conferences, local community meetings, sports activities and performances).

Offer

  • A unique group experience and personal challenge
  • Specific preparatory training
  • Full provision of travel and subsistence costs during tour, conference and parade
  • Documentation and certification of successful participation

Conditions

  • be active and motivated to participate in the project already in the preparatory phase
  • be able to communicate in English freely
  • present great knowledge about their country, the culture, history of Europe and human rights awareness as well as be familiar with current events and the
  • stages of preparation for EU membership their countries are going through
  • be able to express themselves on the topic of why they want to cooperate with EU citizens and argument their point of view
  • be familiar with web 2.0 technologies and/or express willingness to use them since all participants will have to constantly report on their status and inform the public about their daily adventures using modern technologies, especially internet (blogging) and social networking (Twitter, Facebook)
  • take part in the organizational meeting in Warsaw in mid-April 2011
  • participate in a 17-day-tour with five representatives from other SEE countries, a caravan guide and a photographer in April/early May 2011
  • actively participate in different local events on their tour in different EU Member States and in the international conference and the Schuman Parade in Warsaw on 6 and 7 May 2011

Deadline for applications with CV, current picture and motivational letter is Sunday, 19 December, 24:00 CET.

Send your applications to Gert Roehrborn at g.roehrborn@schuman.org.pl

Official website

5 thoughts on ““We are Europeans”, Traveling Competition”

  3. he enjoyed most. Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was wonedrful and the people were so friendly. I stayed in the backpacker district and it was convenient and had lots of cheap accommodations. One thing I would tell anyone going to HCMC is not to miss is the Museum of War Crimes. It isn’t like anything I have seen before and with such a crowd, the silence is striking, as everyone is absorbing and processing rather than speaking. I also took a tour to The Mekong Delta where I did 2 days on a boat with a stay in Can Thao. To be honest, one day on the Mekong is enough. I also did a day tour to the Cuchi Tunnels, which was very interesting and so significant to the history of the war.I then traveled to Dalat. Not many travelers go to Dalat, but it is in the highlands and is quite a bit cooler than other parts of Vietnam. It is where the summer palace of the former royal family is located and looks very different from other parts of the country. I did a horseback ride in the mountains one day and a tour of the city and the palace the next. It is so beautiful there.Nha Trang is popular with many travelers, but from what I could tell it is for the partying and the beaches, which aren’t great if you have been to other beaches in South East Asia, such as Thailand. Hoi An was my favorite place and I stayed for a week. This is a town where many people have custom clothes made for them and is also convenient to other day trips such as China Beach and Marble Mountain. Hue is a definite in my opinion. I only had a day there and when I go back it will be a city I focus on.From Hue I went to Hanoi, which was great too. You can feel the difference there compared to the south, as the people are not quite as friendly (in that they don’t go out of their way, in my experience, to the same extent as in the south). It is a beautiful city and I was more impressed by its architecture than that of HCMC. I was in Vietnam in Dec 2003-January 2004, and at that time there weren’t really cars in the south. Everyone (families of four, pigs tied upside down on sticks, chickens in cages and anything else you can imagine had to be transported) were on scooters. It was nearly a shock to my system to arrive in Hanoi and see all the cars. They even had a highway. I am not sure how that has changed in the country since. I assume things have progressed in the south to some extent.The city is beautiful to simply walk around. I did see Ho Chi Minh’s body encased in glass (along with his home and some history) while in Hanoi, and I also went to “The Hanoi Hilton” which is actually an old French prison for the Vietnamese during colonization and later a POW prison for the airmen falling out of the skies while fighting over Vietnam in the war. This is the prison where John McCain and many others were held. It is mostly concentrated on the crimes of the French and the history of the Vietnamese imprisoned there, but there are a few rooms dedicated to the Vietnam War and the POWs imprisoned there in that time.While in Hanoi, a MUST see excursion is Ha Long Bay. I did a two-night tour purchased through my hotel with one overnight in a cabin on an old boat in Ha Long Bay and another in a hotel on Cat Ba Island. I highly recommend finding a similar tour. One regret I have is not getting north of Hanoi to Sappa Valley. Every traveler I met coming south (as I was heading north) that had experienced Sappa raved about it. That is also on my list for when I return. I had a month and traveled from South to North. I am not sure how much time you have, but I came away believing two months would’ve been ideal to really explore and see all I wanted to see without rushing. I hope this helps! When are you going and for how long? Safe Travels, Christine

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