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I remember a short collective intake of breath when we saw the weeks schedule pinned to the wall on the first day. 8am until 9.30pm, 7 days in row, scheduled in detail, to be partaken  by 25 strangers. As this was my first experience of a programme like this, my slightly introverted alarm bells began to go off, questioning things such as lack of time alone, overstimulation and exhaustion. How will I manage sharing a room with 6 other people? However, my questions began to change as the week went by as I asked myself; how can I continue to incorporate this way of living into my life back home? And how am I going to stay in touch with all my new friends?

The week went so fast. Mornings getting ready in the shared bathrooms, eating each meal together while sharing stories about our cultures and teaching each other our native languages, dancing with one another and celebrating at the end of each night (in the local bar or Cartagena!) The co-living became my favourite thing. For me, it was such a beautiful way of learning about other cultures , using words to tell eachother what all of our homes are really like. Our first hand experiences. We were, however, lucky enough to experience other cultures in different ways too! Through food, music and dance! Traditional tzatziki from Greece, phrases in Arabic from Palestine (habibi!!), Lithuanian line dancing and Spanish partying!

Although hearing about each country was amazing, it was each individuals story that was the best learning of all. The way each person held themselves, the way each person talked, moved, loved, cried, and laughed was something I am so grateful to take away from the programme.
- Stella

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 I'm very grateful that I decided to join dancing in Diversity. When I first signed up I hadn't put much thought to what it was  we were about to do. Upon arrival in Spain, I was a bit nervous. However, as soon as I met with the  4 other  Irish ladies, i felt like I had made the right decision. The week was as times slow and at others it felt like it was flying by too fast. Whenever I speak about it to those who weren't there, I describe it as one of the most intense, beautiful things I've done. It was really special to be able to grow, learn and communicate with 25 people, all from very different countries. We were able  to connect on a human level that allowed those borders to be crossed.The weeks structure and the chosen activities were really well planned and thoughtful. It was tiring at times but the rewards being friendship and love made it all worth it.Learning to tango was vital to the weeks progression and although I was still stumbling my steps by the end of the week, the communication and laughs it provided were invaluable.I would highly reccomend for anyone who wants to step out of their comfort zone to part-take in something like this. It was a week I'll never forget. 

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 I'm very grateful that I decided to join dancing in Diversity. When I first signed up I hadn't put much thought to what it was  we were about to do. Upon arrival in Spain, I was a bit nervous. However, as soon as I met with the  4 other  Irish ladies, i felt like I had made the right decision. The week was as times slow and at others it felt like it was flying by too fast. Whenever I speak about it to those who weren't there, I describe it as one of the most intense, beautiful things I've done. It was really special to be able to grow, learn and communicate with 25 people, all from very different countries. We were able  to connect on a human level that allowed those borders to be crossed.The weeks structure and the chosen activities were really well planned and thoughtful. It was tiring at times but the rewards being friendship and love made it all worth it.Learning to tango was vital to the weeks progression and although I was still stumbling my steps by the end of the week, the communication and laughs it provided were invaluable.I would highly reccomend for anyone who wants to step out of their comfort zone to part-take in something like this. It was a week I'll never forget. 

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human connection ❤️

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Building trust with each other was a huge part of the week we spent in Cartagena. By the end of the week, I felt so comfortable with everyone. We did various trust exercises throughout the week which really helped us trust each other, which was definitely beneficial for the dance aspect of the week, as well as for our general connections with each other!

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Throughout the week, we worked on connecting with each other through dance and movement of our bodies. It was amazing learning about the power of human connection without conversation, which is something i hadn’t really experienced in my life. I learned so much, and it was an amazing experience. Connecting with people all over the world with such different experiences and ways of living was eye opening, and extremely special.

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Lifting Alejandra during the performance. This was really special to watch. I can't believe how well everything turned out considering how short of a time we had to plan it. Everyone worked so well together and it was very clear in the final show!

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A special moment from the performance

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Finale!

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<3

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What a view!

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Enjoying the view of Cartagena after the performance. The sky was so beautiful that evening

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Rehearsing for the final performance in Catargena.

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One of our first exercises!
We drew ourselves and our expectations. We then used string to connect to the other drawings we related most to.

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Trusting one another throughout the week

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Trusting one another throughout the week

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For the youth exchange 25 people from Spain, Lithuania, Greece, Palestine and Ireland came together to share and learn from each other.We connected through learning the tango together and participating in trust activities.

Coming from Ireland i thought that maybe i would connect with the Irish team the most as we come from similar backgrounds and i knew we could relate to each other, however during the week i not only felt connected to the Irish team but i felt just as equally connected to the 20 other people there.  I think a big part of the reason for this was the amount of time we spent together and with sharing our emotions and struggles we gained a lot of trust in each other, which helped a lot when expressing ourselves through movement.

There were many activities that we engaged in that pushed us to trust one another like the self reflections at the end of each day, one activity in particular that stands out to me for helping to build trust was one which involved lifting and lowering each other to the ground. All a person had to do was vocalise whether they wanted to be lifted or lowered and the rest of the group would work together to help them. it surprised me how safe i felt during this activity considering i'd only known these people for a few days, but the feeling of safety and care between us all was amazing.
The week spent in Cartagena was truly enlightening and inspiring. i've gained so much and learned a lot from all the people i met and it is definitely an experience i will never forget.
- Molly Hennessy

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International night : Irish fairies🧚‍♂️

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Connecting & Communicating through Dance 

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Connecting & Communicating through Dance 

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During the week, we were focused on connecting to each other using dance as a tool to do so.
Aside from team building tasks, the physical dance activities we participated in included mirroring, contact improvisation, duet work, trust building, all which contributed to building communication skills and expressing our emotions through movement. Among that, informally, outside of activities, we shared in learning each other's national dances and cultural social dances in the evenings.

We spent time learning to dance the Tango, which was really enjoyable. Although we only touched on the basics of this intricate dance, from the beginning to be successful in dancing together involves so much non-verbal communication and listening, that forces you to try and connect with your partner in ways many of us had never tried before.  We alternated between playing different roles within the dance, leading or following, and experimented with these roles in non-traditional and non-gendered ways.
I don't believe I speak for myself when I say that this week brought with it an abundance of learning, and in regards to dance, introspective learning and space for self reflection, not only our communication skills, but about ourselves as people, which role we felt more comfortable in and why, and challenging ourselves to step outside of our comfort zone and assume a different role - a metaphor I know for sure I will take forward with me.

- Molly Mc

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Link to share google drive of photos & videos throughout the week 

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Link to share google drive of photos & videos throughout the week 

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Performance in Cartagena

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Activity: presenting positive and negative aspects of our society in Ireland. 

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Activity: presenting positive and negative aspects of our society in Ireland. 

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Our playlist for Intercultural night presentation! We taught a ceili dance