Körösszakál
Hungary
Jot s Jol a Szatmári Kistérségben Egyesület
Hungary
Udruga za njegovanje obicaja Madara Kororogy
Croatia
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Dear Visitor,
In 2023 we managed to organize the town days in Merești, which was called “Town twinning in times of solidarity” and provided an opportunity for seven municipalities from four countries to exchange experiences and ideas on different aspects of the European Union.
During the activity days, participants had the opportunity to get to know and understand better the reason, the different steps, past and present challenges of the formation of the EU (e.g. Covid-19 pandemic, effects of the war in Ukraine, discrimination against women, etc.) and the possibilities of its future development.
During the exchange of views, as an opportunity to establish peaceful and cooperative relations between citizens of different countries, each municipality had the opportunity to exchange best practices from which the delegations could learn from and develop ideas tailored to their own settlements.
In addition, a broader exploration of the richness of Europe’s cultural and linguistic environment was discussed, also they talked about its sustainability and transmission for the younger generation.
You can read the official summary of the event here.
Tikosi László
Mayor of Merești
Objectives
- Understanding the reasons and principles behind the establishment of the EU
- Understanding the EU's benefits for municipalities
- Learn about and discuss the challenges and problems facing the EU: war in Ukraine, Covid-19 pandemic, euroscepticism, discrimination against women, etc.
- Discovering and raising awareness of the cultural values of settlements, understanding and accepting cultural diversity, raising awareness of maintaining cultural identity and diversity
- Discussing the future perspectives of the EU
- Development of future collaborations
- Promoting solidarity and volunteering
The meeting was mainly attended by adults, who represented various institutions of local and cross-border partner settlements (local governments, non-profit organizations, cultural entities, etc.), and there were civil society representatives, who represented the public. The different points of view provided delegations with more methods and opportunities regarding the controversial issues.
In addition, there was an opportunity for young adults (18-25 years old) at the discussions, as we had program elements for them as well.
Partners
Csemadok Cata
Slovakia
Tokod
Hungary
Magyaralmás
Hungary
Events
Town twinning in times of solidarity
The event was primarily aimed at adult/middle-aged people, but all teams paid attention to the importance of gender equality during the selection of participants.
At the same time, we encouraged our partners to select as many participants as possible who are experiencing life difficulties (social, economic, etc.) and who therefore do not have the opportunity to participate in similar international programmes.
The first day of this year’s Cave Festival began with the matches of the Cave Cup mini-football championship, which has been organized for years, in which the teams measured their knowledge, courage, dedication and loyalty to the sport and their teammates within the framework of a friendly match.
After short rest and lunch break, together with Csaba Borboly, the chairman of the Hargita county council, we welcome the representatives of the local and international twin towns, during which more than 200 participants from the regions of Hungary, Croatia and Slovakia gathered across the border, but coming from the same Motherland in spirit.
After the official greetings, a reception took place, where the members of the delegation and our guests had a personal dialogue, getting to know the history and interesting things of each other’s regions and communities. The event was primarily aimed at adults/middle-aged people, also during the selection of participants, all teams paid attention to the importance of gender equality.
At the same time, we encouraged our partners to select as many participants as possible who are struggling with difficulties in their lives (social, economic, etc.) and who, because of this, do not have the opportunity to participate in similar international programs. In addition to all these thematic programs, permanent activities await those interested.
The smaller ones could try the bouncy castle and face painting, while the gates of the art of archery were also open for the older ones. 25th of August Friday at the end of the day, those who wanted to dance off the dust of the tiring road had the opportunity to do so at the Kultúrkerti Street Prom, where DJ Karcsi provided the good mood.
On Saturday, the streets of Mereşt were already noisy with the sound of brass bands early in the morning. After the Worship held in the Unitarian Church and the mayor’s greeting, the presentations of the partners and roundtable discussions began within the framework of which the participants shared experiences and ideas, and engaged in a dedicated dialogue on, among other things, how to effectively help refugees from war-torn settlements in neighboring countries.
The goal was not only to develop the states of readiness established at the local level, but also at the regional and international levels, so that the region could respond to emerging crisis situations in a coordinated and efficient manner.
During the exchange of ideas and planning that unfolded during the day, the participants jointly worked out strategies that contribute to humanitarian assistance and refugee support in the affected areas. During all this, continuous cultural shows were also taking place, during which a permanent small producer and craft fair was also open to visitors.
The closing day, according to tradition, took place on the field of the Karácsonygátja near the Almás cave, where the teams of guests changed their suits to aprons and their microphones to wooden spoons to represent their localities, presenting the gastronomic specialties of their culture within the framework of a cooking competition, which eventually turned in to a big friendly cooking, at the end and it grew into joint meal.
Mereşt once again hosted the three-day Cave Festival in magical locations, where among the colorful program’s lovers of culture, sports, quietness, concerts, and games also found entertainment opportunities.
A short film was also made about the event, which includes views of the main moments of the meeting and provides an insight into the everyday life of a truly international, relationship-building town-twinning conference.
The fantastic event was closed by the band 4S Street. We thank all participants and interest parties for their dedication. We are grateful to the European Union for its support, without which this event would not have been possible. We hope to be able to implement this program here again in the future, or even at our partner settlements.
Results
A short film was made about the event, which contains the main moments of the meeting, as well as interviews with town representatives and organizers.
The video has been posted on the website of the event, on the websites of the participating municipalities, and will also be presented at the educational event.
The event was published in 3 languages, which is available in print and online form.
The publication will be distributed at educational events, and the municipalities are responsible for sharing them with local cultural and other institutions, motivating these institutions to organize and participate in similar events.
The publication can be downloaded here.
We organized informative events with the partners with the aim of presenting the results of the event, each town hosted 20-25 people on these events.
Besides of sharing our experiences and results of the meeting during these events we tried to motivate other organizations to organize similar programs and projects.
At these events, we also presented the video, website and publication of the meeting. Mainly representatives of local institutions and associations were invited to these events.
Project website – Trilingual website where all relevant information about the meeting is published: summary, images, video, publication, etc.
The content of the website is also shared by the sister municipalities.
Contact
Tikosi László
Mayor of Mereşti
+40 733 313 003
laszlo.tikosi@gmail.com
Rigó Mihály
Vice Mayor of Mereşti
+40 726 436 914
rimisi1@yahoo.com
Golicza Gyöngyi
Secretary-Cler
+40 745 195 321
gyongyi701121@yahoo.com
Contact details of the municipality
+40 266 220 688
comuna.meresti@yahoo.com
Address: str. Főút, nr. 144, Merești, jud. Harghita
Postcode: 537195