Culture Association “Alternate Reality” is established in 2013 by the group of enthusiasts, specialists in social and culture projects decided to unite to contribute to the social and personal development of local public, especially children and youth with fewer opportunities.
We aims to support the active involvement of young people in various areas of public life; to promote personal development and democratic citizenship, volunteering and youth mobility; thinking “out of a box”, sport and healthy lifestyle; to support the development of the abilities and potential of young people from different social and ethnic groups, and young people with disabilities through different methods, such as sport, music, theater, dance, painting, public events organizing. In order to realize our objectives, we cooperate with families, local authorities, orphanages, social associations and city administrations, high schools and universities and we develop projects with them. Besides, we also support the active involvement of them to promote personal development and democratic citizenship, volunteering and youth mobility; sport and healthy lifestyle; to support the development of the abilities and potential of young people from different social and ethnic groups, and young people with disabilities. To realize that, Alternate Reality conducts both international and domestic projects.
Alternate Reality realizes domestic cultural and social projects for youth and children, such as culture festivals and events for children, involving youngster as volunteers in each phase of organization.
Alternate Reality is a sender and a host organization for youngsters to help them to improve their competences; become aware of socially relevant topics/thematic areas, discover new cultures, habits and life-styles, strengthen values like solidarity, democracy, friendship and so on.
ERASMUS + PROJECTS
We have experience as organizing, coordinating, sending and hosting organzation in Youth exchanges projects supported by Erasmus+ Program by European Union.
We coordinated and hosted 2 projects in Latvia about culture and eco-friendly lifestyle in Latvia, and sent our youngsters to 2 projects to Ukraine.
Alternate Reality aims at:
- Increasing civil society’s role in youth policy development and in implementation in the European countries and EU neighbour countries;
- Contributing to personal development of youngsters and children, especially with fewer opportunities;
- Raising awareness on respect, empathy and tolerance between children and youngsters;
- Promoting intercultural dialogue as a tool for solving common issues and conflicts;
- Focusing on issues related to human rights and acceptance of personal limitations;
- Emphasizing social cohesion and its role in developing multicultural communities.
Our idea is to develop our city youth community, to grow young persons as strong personalities with good social and entrepreneurship skills and to have good experience, comfort and fun from this process.
We are relatively young youth non-governmental organization, but we are very interesting in participation in Erasmus + programme such as Youth Exchanges and Training courses.
Our all experiences in coordinating youth projects are as follows;
- 2017-2-LV02-KA105-001721: Splashes of Diversity: SOD is a Youth Exchange organized by Alternate Reality in Latvia and Ukraine . Youth Exchange has 2 parts, aimed to cultural exchange and about refugee’s and migrant’s issues. All 6 partner organizations in the first part of the project performed a theatrical performance about European Values, Tolerance, Discrimination to local public in Sumy, Ukraine, and in the second part of the project organized a photo exhibitionin Riga, Latvia, “From life to life” with photos and real life stories of refugees and migrants from dangerous zones.
- 2018-1-LV02-KA105-002048- Action in ECO Direction : AED is a Youth Exchange organized by Alternate Reality in Latvia and Ukraine. Youth Exchange has 2 parts, aimed to promote eco-friendly behaviour and eco-responsible life style, reducing, reusing and upcycling of materials. In the 1st part of the project in Kesterciems, Latvia, all 6 partners together created a playground for children from re-used and upcycled materials for local children. In the 2nd part of the project in Sumy, Ykraine, all 6 partners made a upcycling workshops for local public, promoting responsible and creative thinking about saving environment.
Based on our experiences; we can say that as a coordinator, we have been actively involved in all stages of youth exchanges and training courses: planning, defining roles and responsibilities of project partners, meetings, preparation, logistics, communication between all partners involved, arranging project timetables, as well as promotion of projects and dissemination of their results through our Internet pages and by organizing informative sessions for the local youth for better visibility.
Our all experiences as a sender are as follows;
- Ukraine – Splashes of Diversity (part 1)
- Greece – Training course Gender+
- Ukraine – Action in ECO Direction (part 2)
Based on our experiences; we can say that as a sender organization, we have been actively involved in all stages of youth exchanges and training courses: Communication with the Partners during the all stages of project, Promotion of the project, Selection of suitable participants according to the partner profile, Planning and implementation of the preparation activities (before the departure), Preparation of the participants and their travel plan and tasks, Management of administrative procedures and all technical and organizational aspects, Management of the flows of participants, Management of the relationship with foreign partners and with participants, Planning and implementation of monitoring and evaluation activities,- Planning and implementation of the follow up activities, and Disseminating the results and work towards better visibility.
Our PIF document: AltReality-PIF
More about our actual and upcoming projects of Erasmus+ please read here – BLOG
CULTURE PROJECTS
We are taking part in organization and also organize by ourselves multi-culture and social festivals, helping people to get actively involved in all organizational process of the project, making people more active in social life, especially youngsters and students with fewer opportunities.
Our open space festival-carnival “Count of May”, based on XV century Riga culture tradition was started from 2013, and it is the biggest spring carnival in Baltic states, and every year a thousands of people are participating in carnival program as well as in organizational and stuff support based on volunteers. More about annual festival “Count of May” in Riga read here.
SOCIAL PROJECTS
One of our social projects – integration project for kids from Latvian orphanages “Mandarinu Zeme” (MandarinLand). Started from 2013 and continuing every year, we are organizing interactive Christmas events for children
Project is organized by volunteers and active citizens. Every year more then 300 children from Latvian orphanages participates in it, play interactive team games based on communication and social integration, get sweet presents from Santa and a lot of tangerines. What is more important – these children get love from our volunteers and good feeling about people around them. Our goal in this project – is to make kids believe in real miracles and love.
More about project “Mandarinu Zeme” is here.
T30 CLUB – creative place for creative people
We created our own place for realization of creative ideas and projects. T30 Club is a place for meetings of all our volunteers and young teams, also it is a place for creating events for children and adults in very fairy tale atmosphere.
We create thematic events and birthdays for children and adults, trying to not only make fun, but in the same time introduce our guests with important values – self-improving and getting higher self-esteem, team-building, helping each other.
We do believe in miracles and want to share it with others.
SUMMER CAMP FOR CHILDREN
More then 3 years we oranize a summer camp “The Order of Golden Dragon” for children form 8 till 14 y.o. – adventure camp for young brave knights and amazones. Adventures and tournaments, medieval atmosphere and legends about brave knigths like king Arthur – we help children due playing games to get new knowledges in European history and introduce them such European values, as trust, responsibility, love, respect, team working and tolerance to all who is different in any way.
By organizing this camp we provide participation in this camp for children from Latvian orphanages and social risks groups.
Feedbacks suggested that participation improved children’s skills, confidence and self-esteem.
