philoxenia
Manifesto
Dictionary definition of ‘Philoxenia’
It is an ancient greek term. "Philo" meaning "love of" and Xenia signifying "The Stranger". It is love of strangers; an eagerness to show hospitality
PhiloXenia Constitution
Philoxenia is, among others, a youth-exchange program that took place in Genk in the summer of 2022 that promoted methods of informal learning in a multicultural context. Created in response to the various issues we face today, we felt the need to step back from the ‘contemporary world’ and actively confront the pressing issues of our time. We believe this is best done by including students from all over Europe in an effort to intercultural dialogue.
We hold the belief that this dialogue is an essential prerequisite to a modern understanding of human rights. To paraphrase contemporary Canadian philosopher Kymlicka, we acknowledge that "language and cultural membership are presented as necessary for the liberal value of freedom”. In this regard, we believe that cultural diversity is not incompatible with our old-fashioned idea of ‘freedom’.
We aimed to provide an opportunity for the participants to interact in an open and safe environment in which we try to make sense of the big (and small) questions of our time. This is the core principle of informal learning: embracing alternative ways of acquiring knowledge.
These three objectives can be seen as a syllogism. The first major premise is ‘Personal Growth’. This is defined by the universal proposition ‘Person’. The second minor premise is ‘Unity in Diversity’, including the universal proposition inside a particular framework ‘Society’. The aim is ‘Shaping the Future’. This includes the universal proposition ‘Personal Growth’ inside a global perspective. This ‘global perspective of personal growth’ can perhaps best be understood as follows: ‘the singular human being shapes the future within his particular society’.
Our mission is perhaps best explained by looking at the etymology of our name. ‘Philoxenia’ is composed of the ancient Greek words ‘philia’ and ‘xenos’. Taken literally the word xenos means the other or stranger. Philia, means love or friendship. When put together, we obtain ‘love of strangers’. This ‘love’ of the other is what we seek to promote in our initiative.
As the Australian comedian, Tim Minchin, would say, we have a tendency to define ourselves as to what we don’t like. Here, we stress the importance of expressing one’s ‘love’ of things. In this regard, ‘loving the stranger’ might be the most effective attempt at promoting a positive environment that gives difference a chance.
Our youth exchanges and activities aim to have an inclusive environment where we work on three different themes. First, we underline the importance of mental health and personal expression. This theme is labelled as ‘personal growth’. Second, we advocate for a pluralistic, democratic society that includes all the ways in which human beings can be different from each other, and hence the theme, ‘unity in diversity’. Last, we try to work on skills and ways to help tackle the issues of tomorrow. This theme is defined as ‘shaping the future’.
In conclusion, Philoxenia is an initiative that promotes methods of informal learning by telling a story: As a community, we seek to love zthe ‘Other’ for who they are. We believe that, despite our differences, civility and empathy should always be at the core of our behaviour. We believe that our exchanges with others must remind us of what we are deep down: human beings. Hence, denying the other would lead to the deterioration of the most genuine human expressions such as ‘friendship’ and ‘love’.
THREE main objectives of the project:
Personal Growth
Personal growth, entails the journey of self-discovery and development within an environment fostering mindfulness, comfort, and creative expression, ultimately fostering enhanced self-kindness, forgiveness, and adeptness in group interactions
Unity
Unity is the aspiration for an inclusive and accepting environment that transcends superficial divisions, fostering intercultural dialogue and critical thinking while acknowledging and valuing the diverse cultural backgrounds, all aimed at collectively reflecting on social responsibility and citizenship in the face of increasing diversity and societal challenges.
Shaping the Future
Shaping the future, involves fostering a global perspective, promoting open discussions, refining critical reasoning skills, and addressing interconnected global challenges to build a fair, sustainable, and equitable future by understanding and confronting contemporary dilemmas through a comprehensive and adaptable approach.
I. Personal Growth
This first pillar of the PhiloXenia manifesto is crucial for the further development of the camp. This first pillar can best be understood as learning who the ‘I’ is. At the turn of the past century, Nietzsche professed the words: “Become who you are.” This evolution of the self is something that we give great importance to. Yet, we are very much aware of the fact that this self-discovery differs from person to person.
In this account, all we can offer the participants is an environment where individuals are free to develop and explore new perceptions of the self. More importantly, the environment of the camp seeks to provide an extensive sensation of mindfulness. This exercise which consists in being aware of what we might feel at any given moment is something we should aim for during the camp. In short, we want individuals to feel 100% comfortable at the camp.
In this account, all we can offer the participants is an environment where individuals are free to develop and explore new perceptions of the self. More importantly, the environment of the camp seeks to provide an extensive sensation of mindfulness. This exercise which consists in being aware of what we might feel at any given moment is something we should aim for during the camp. In short, we want individuals to feel 100% comfortable at the camp.
In this way, we hope to give participants a space of expression and interaction in which they continue to discover new parts of themselves. In the hope that this might help them be kinder and forgiving to themselves. Beyond that, we believe that this experience will help them express themselves in a group setting. Hence, another way to look at the camp is a continuous exercise in team building.
This self-development is also encouraged through a wide range of permanent workshops. The ‘success’ of these free spaces of creative expression will depend on the involvement of the participants. In this way, we offer a communal framework in which participants will take up their individual responsibility to make this camp a success.
II. Unity
The second pillar of this camp is most likely the most apparent one. Throughout this week-long experience, we will collectively try to take a step back from society. This in order to reflect on the fundamentals of our social responsibility and citizenship. Today’s society is characterized by increasing diversity. This is especially true for big European cities where most of the participants come from. This diversity may also create some friction between different social groups. At PhiloXenia, however, we try to go beyond these superficial dichotomies by valuing diversity as the greatest asset of the European Union.
Still, we try to make an effort in understanding the dynamics of the social and political oppression of minorities that perpetuate inequality. These structural social anomalies form an important obstacle to the welfare and well-being of our diverse societies. However, our aim is not to offer a one-sided political solution to inequality. Rather, our intention is to promote critical thinking on these topics.
Still, we try to make an effort in understanding the dynamics of the social and political oppression of minorities that perpetuate inequality. These structural social anomalies form an important obstacle to the welfare and well-being of our diverse societies. However, our aim is not to offer a one-sided political solution to inequality. Rather, our intention is to promote critical thinking on these topics.
In this social diversity, we give a particular interest in intercultural dialogue. This is perhaps even more the case given the face that Europe is the home of many different cultures. This intercultural dialogue will also play an important role in the non-activity time frame of the camp given the fact that we will have participants from all over Europe. Hence, the diverse cultural backgrounds that will be present can be seen as our main source of inspiration.
Lastly, we try to give our participants a better feel for intercultural dialogue and diversity in the hope of creating an inclusive and accepting environment. This is especially important given the fact that we will deal with major global issues where we will have to make a continuous effort in listening to different opinions before divulging our own.
III. Shaping the Future
Our project follows the belief that one's views and deeds should always be grounded in a global perspective. We strive to build a fair, equitable, and sustainable future by encouraging people to put aside biases and ideological rigidity, and engage in open discussions with all people, irrespective of faith or beliefs. Furthermore, we strive to refine people's critical reasoning skills by giving them the tools to analyse concepts, both familiar and foreign, and strategies to evaluate information sources.
In our increasingly globalised world, we face a variety of dilemmas. These dilemmas, be they climate change, rapidly evolving technologies, or increasingly dogmatic public discourse, are all connected to our fast-paced, modern way of life and require us to deal with them in a resolutely contemporary way. However, to shape our future with our actions, we must first fully understand the issues at hand and, from then on, choose how to act appropriately.
In our increasingly globalised world, we face a variety of dilemmas. These dilemmas, be they climate change, rapidly evolving technologies, or increasingly dogmatic public discourse, are all connected to our fast-paced, modern way of life and require us to deal with them in a resolutely contemporary way. However, to shape our future with our actions, we must first fully understand the issues at hand and, from then on, choose how to act appropriately.
Thus, at PhiloXenia, we are trying to coherently grasp tomorrow’s challenges. These challenges have gained global concern in recent months as we’re faced with the devastating consequences of a pandemic. More broadly, our aim is to understand that challenges, which vary in nature, are all intertwined when we talk about the world of tomorrow.
Critically analysing these challenges should always encompass a global and sustainable approach of the future. In this way, ‘Shaping our Future’ invites participants to contemplate the possibilities generated by this approach. As Yuval Noah Harari puts it : “People are usually afraid of change because they fear the unknown. But the single greatest constant of history is that everything changes.” Thus, let us, all-together, work on this one constant of history.
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philoXerasmus@protonmail.com
philoXerasmus@protonmail.com
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