DML Bonn Delegation Takes Part in Youth Conference in Jordan

by Ilse Rudolf

From July 14th to 22nd, 2005, a group of DML Bonn members took part in a Youth Exchange organised by the Young Women Christian Association, Amman, on “History & Religion”.

A total of 60 participants from ten countries (Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Palestine, Poland, Spain, Turkey, UK) got together in Jordan’s busy capital to learn more about other nationalities and beliefs, and to seize the opportunity to rectify some misperceptions about their own traditions, thereby promoting a culture of open exchange and tolerance, which is the basis for peaceful coexistence. With this purpose in mind, the multinational group of young people aged between 18 and 26 set about the conference’s seven-day-programme crammed with workshops, lectures, visits and social activities, thus striking a good balance between work and fun.

The conference started off with ice breaking games to get to know each other and to memorise each other’s names, which, not surprisingly, turned out to be a bit of a challenge and yet was crowned with success in the end. After some exercises intended to identify expectations (hopes and fears) and to enhance communication skills, the agenda foresaw group discussions and workshops on how to “break the barriers”, i.e. how to overcome prejudices, and on similarities between religions. Moreover , each delegation had to give two presentations, one on history and religion in their country of origin and one on the organisation they represented. The programme also included an orientation on EuroMed, the EU programme that provided the funds for the event as well as visits to a mosque and church where lectures were given by an Islamic Sheikh and an Orthodox priest respectively.
Later during the week, a session on religious stories and a simulation workshop on how belief is practised gave the participants the opportunity to explore the conference theme in a less conventional, academic type of way, drawing instead on their artistic veins, which produced amazingly creative results.

On the social agenda, one of the highlights was the Intercultural Night, during which participants went to great lengths to present their respective nation in multiple ways: The hotels’ courtyard was thus turned into an open-air bazaar-and-stage hustling and bustling with an international crowd of people, many in their traditional costumes, offering samples of culinary delights from their local cuisine. While everyone enjoyed good food and drinks, they watched (and in many cases joined in) a kaleidoscope of music and dance or other performances from all four corners of the world, which continued until the early hours.

Half way through the week, everyone was eager to get out of the conference venue to see the sites the host team had chosen as places of interest for the conference’s theme. Jordan proved to be an ideal place for that, featuring world-famous places like Madaba, Mount Nebo, the Baptism Site, the Dead Sea, Umayyad desert castles, prophets’ graves and, last but not least, Petra. For most participants, the ultimate highlight of the conference was a night spent together camping in Wadi Rum, a valley in the country’s South, where the beautiful desert setting provided the perfect stage for a farewell evening to remember, which everyone seemed to enjoy in their own way: some partying all night long, others engaged in hours of deep conversation, still others inspired to meditate or pray by the peace and quiet radiating from the contemplativeness and vastness of the desert surroundings, under a sky full of stars lit by the most amazing sight of a beaming full moon.

Despite the fact that each and every young person walked away from the conference with their highly individual new insights and experiences, there was an overwhelming consensus that the exchange had been highly enriching and an eye-opener in many ways. To many, it was the encounter with other young people on a personal level which made the conference so unique an experience. Since the end of the conference, people have been in touch through a newsgroup and many friendships have been forged, with people paying individual visits to others, taking the level of exchange yet one step further. Also, a lot of participants have expressed their wish to continue what has been started because they feel the need to dig deeper into many of the topics whose surfaces could only be scratched during the conference due to time constraints. A core team of leaders has therefore been formed to work on PART 2, which it is hoped will take place in 2006. This article cannot be concluded without yet another expression of deep gratitude to the incredibly dedicated Jordanian host team, which literally worked day and night to make this conference a great success and a week never to be forgotten. Thank you! .

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