This year, on 16 – 24 September, I had the chance to participate in Erasmus+ project “Stepping Stones – Including the people with disability in Labour Market”. The project was held in Nová Baňa, Slovakia. It all began with a forwarded email. My personal stepping stones.
First one: how will I travel to this tiny Nová Baňa town all on my own? What is waiting for me on my way there? I made up my mind to go, got approval from my work and packed a small backpack.
I stepped on the next stone late at night in the city of Bratislava where I met my Lithuanian team for the first time. It was quite surreal – the city full of nightlife and 6 Lithuanians, well, 4 Lithuanians, Ukrainian and a Turk sitting in a Chinese restaurant getting to know each other as a national team. We were international and I loved it.
Nová Baňa was where my pathway met all the others – Italy, Georgia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Slovakia teams – and we all started our shared one week and one day long journey. Over 30 people, all concerned about understanding disability and including people with disabilities in all aspects of life. So I shared my experience on the improvised TV show and the world café. And I listened. And I stepped into the role of the oppressed in the Augusto Boal’s theatre.
Structured cultural evenings turned into less structured and more cultural nights. An opportunity to get to know each other and ourselves. Why can’t I pack all those people with their incredible experiences and take them home with me?
I guess the best things in life are unpackable, well, at least in the physical sense. My friends list on social media expanded with new people from countries I’ve never visited. Together with small souvenirs I brought a great deal of inspiration to keep doing my work – looking for more opportunities for people with disabilities and facing other social obstacles. And I know that over 30 people are doing the same out there in Slovakia, Bulgaria, Italy, Turkey and Georgia.
