{"id":1175,"date":"2019-07-17T12:19:45","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T10:19:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/euroalter.local\/?p=1175"},"modified":"2020-02-20T12:20:55","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T11:20:55","slug":"transeuropa-caravans-where-have-we-been-so-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/euroalter.com\/fr\/transeuropa-caravans-where-have-we-been-so-far\/","title":{"rendered":"Transeuropa Caravans: Where have we been so far?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Four of the five Transeuropa Caravans have already arrived home, after an intense and thrilling couple of weeks on the road (the final caravan is hitting the road this autumn.) On the way, they visited cities and towns, met up with activists, NGOs and local authorities, interviewed politicians and ordinary people, supported campaigns and helped spread the word about the rights that come with EU citizenship.<\/p>\n

First one to head off was the\u00a0Visegrad Caravan<\/a>. Their mission: to speak to migrant workers and the communities that welcome them in Poland, Czechia and Slovakia. Eastern Europe has a reputation for being conservative and culturally homogeneous, and not always open to newcomers \u2013 but recent years have brought an influx of immigration and, with it, economic and social changes.<\/p>\n

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To explore these phenomena, and the realities of living and working as a foreigner in the Visegrad region, they met\u00a0Ukrainian bus drivers<\/a>\u00a0in Wa\u0142brzych and\u00a0Skoda factory workers<\/a>\u00a0in Mlada Boleslav. They\u00a0sang traditional songs<\/a>\u00a0at a picnic with the local government of Wa\u0142brzych and\u00a0danced at the old bazaar<\/a>\u00a0in Prague to remind passers-by about the European elections. They organised dance and theatre workshops for children and adults, using body movement to communicate hopes and dreams about the future. Finally, they\u00a0interviewed<\/a>\u00a0organisations and\u00a0institutions<\/a>\u00a0that help migrants settle in their new chosen homes in Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Baltic Caravan<\/a>\u00a0set off soon after to explore green Scandinavia with a focus on sustainability and climate change. This year has seen an explosion of climate mobilisations, from the school strikes with Fridays for Future to Extinction Rebellion protests \u2013 and the planet is finally becoming a major topic of political debate, as was visible during the recent parliamentary election in Finland.<\/p>\n

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On the way, the team interviewed a number of environmental campaigners and raised awareness of green issues \u2013 but soon discovered that they were an excellent starting point to wider conversations about Europe, the upcoming elections and the necessity to work together across borders. From Green Drinks at a local bar to a Wheel of Fortune with quiz questions about the EU and the climate, they found creative ways of engaging with the public on these crucial topics. They also took part in events \u2013 from the H\u00e4<\/i>ssleholm Europaforum to Europe Day in Turku and a festival hosted at the European Commission office in Helsinki \u2013 talking about their trip and mission. Last but not least, they paid a visit to Helsinki\u2019s free,\u00a0community-run sauna<\/a>\u00a0and even bumped into MEP candidates who were\u00a0DJing at a party<\/a>\u00a0in Tallinn.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Central Eastern Caravan<\/a>\u00a0had as its aim engaging with the theme of civic space. The question of freedom of speech and democratic rights, as well as crushing voter apathy, is once again becoming urgent in the age of the rising far right \u2013 whether that\u2019s in the form fascist street movements, like seen for example with the growth of\u00a0Pegida in Germany<\/a>, or radical right parties entering government, like in Hungary and Austria.<\/p>\n