Grace Pilgrimage 2010, Bogotá, Colombia
Youth School for Global Learning
The „Youth School for Global Lerning“ is part of the Peace Research Centre Tamera in Portugal. The school is a model for the growing-up of youths and supports them to find answers to their inner questions as well as finding forms of expression for their compassion and their endless strength to change the world.
In 2007, today´s pupils of the Youth School were at the age of 10 to 12 and participated for the first time in a GRACE-Pilgrimage in Israel-Palestine. They returned immensly moved by witnessing the injustice and violence human beings can inflict upon one another. They were then looking for ways to express their compassion and their hope for peace. They dreamt that they would tour the world with a theater piece and infect all the children to join them. This dream was taken serious by two creative teachers with the result that a theater piece was written that expresses the deep compassion and hope of the children in a most moving way. They translated this also from German into English and Portugues and toured through Germany, Switzerland and Portugal.
Youth-Pilgrimage to Bogotá
Now, after an intensive summer of education with many international students, seven of the Youth School pupils have decided to participate in the GRACE Pilgrimage in Bogotá.
The main impetus is their wish to support a project in one of the Favelas of Sao Paolo in Brazil next year. This year's pilgrimage they want to use to familiarize themselves with the political and social situation of South America in an environment that is protected enough. At the same time they wishh to get to know the youth of San José de Apártado personally after having exchanged letters with them for some time. After the pilgrimage the youth school is invited by the well known „Teatro La Candelaria“ in Bogotá, to perform the political children theatre play „The Black Shadow“.
Maria, 13 years:
„Pilgrimages to other countries and above all to areas of crisis open up my heart, a little more each time. Each time I see a little more of the world and each time I am shaken, each time I want to do something, each time something new and powerful happens in our group and in my heart. I want that at some point the entire world is in my heart, that the world lives in my heart as I live in the world.
Naila, 13 years:
„I want to travel to Colombia because here at Tamera in the Youth School I learn to be touched by the fate of the children in Colombia, Brazil and Israel/Palestine without despairing. I allow the people to be close to me, since I know that I am able to help them even when I am at Tamera, since I know that by living at Tamera I help to build something different.“
Pilgrimage as mutual enrichment –
The youth from San José will pilgrimage together with the youth of the „Youth School for Global Learning“
The pilgrimage enables the youth of the Youth School to actually be confronted and exposed to the social and political situation of South America in a proteted space. Through the intimate contact with the youth of San José they will get to know what it means to live in a conflict area and still to go for peace.
For the youth of San José this encounter with our „western“ youth, who engage themselves for the world and live themselves in a peace village, may open up new perspectives and make them realise how valuable and important their work is.
Naila, 13 years:
„I also want to go to Colombia in order to get in close touch with the youth there. I want to be friends with them and help them to see the possibilities they enjoy in their peace village. I know that many of the youth want to leave to live in towns and they believe that there life would be better for them. From experince I know that it is much easier to make a contribution to the world if one is embeded in a community.“
Youth School in development
The development of the Youth School is in full progress. By and by, and according to the experiences gained through various projects and education times, a comprehensive concept is being developed including the various subjects that are taught, such as theater and music, practice in the various professions of a peace village, language tuition, political tuition, world travel, youth forum, community development and love school.
The pilgrimage with the youth will constitute another building stone in the development of the „Youth School for Global Learning“.
We warmly invite all those who wish to support the development of the school and/or support the pilgrimage of an individual pupil, to make a donation so that this project may flourish.
Travel Costs
In order to attend the pilgrimage, participants are asked to make a contribution to the GRACE-Foundation. They are not supposed to pay this contribution out of their own pocket but instead raise it with friends, sponsors and other supportive parties. Adults are to raise EUR 1000 and youths EUR 500.
In addition we wish to raise the travel costs which will amount to approx. EUR1500 for each person. The overall costs for the adults are therefore EUR 2500 and for youths EUR 2000.
Budget for the group of the „Youth School of Global Learning“
including seven youths, three adults and one spanish translator:
Adults 4 x EUR2500 EUR 10.000
Youths 7 x EUR2000 EUR 14.000
Total EUR 24.000
Possibilities of support
You are invited to take on the sponsorship to one youths and afford his or her travel with EUR2.000 or to support the entire venture with a sum of your choice.
Banking Details:
Support Circle Children & Youth
Juliane Eckmann
Sparkasse Freiburg
BLZ: 680 501 01
Kto.-Nr.: 122 85 387
IBAN: DE 70 6805 0101 0012 2853 87
SWIFT-BIC: FRSPDE66
Reason for payment: Colombia
