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A big thank you to all our staff

We are heading towards a new year, a 2021 which will surely be full of surprises. But what are we leaving behind? Meeting Halfway has tackled, in its own way, the strangest year yet, the dreaded 2020…

Deprived teachers and demanding parents

School is a place for learning, but for learning what? Education must convey values, such as freedom of expression, but also respect the counter-values coming from every subculture. Without the willingness of parents to accept a different point of view and without thorough training of teachers, pedagogical “battles” fail to achieve their goal.

The Freedom to Love: yesterday, today and tomorrow

Homosexuality is a natural phenomenon which has existed since the dawn of time and has been considered sometimes positively, sometimes negatively, throughout history, depending on the customs and norms of each society.

Become an Ambassador with Europe on Track!

Meeting Halfway supports many interesting projects at the European level. The team Europe on Track explains to us their very interesting initiative…

The Marvels of Switzerland: a rich historical heritage

Switzerland is a rather small state. Nevertheless, it offers numerous sights worth discovering. With the third and last article of this short series being about northwestern Switzerland we will lead you to St. Gallen, the capital of the homonymous canton.

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The Marvels of Switzerland: a rich historical heritage

Switzerland is a rather small state. Nevertheless, it offers numerous sights worth discovering. With the third and last article of this short series being about northwestern Switzerland we will lead you to St. Gallen, the capital of the homonymous canton.

The Past, Present and Future of Live Music During the Pandemic

Musical production has traditionally been marked by the seasons, both in terms of education and on stage. Every year, two different periods can be distinguished: between the months of September and June, when the school year and concert seasons take place, and the summer period, consisting of holidays and festivals. This year, as we all know, the situation that has generated the pandemic caused by Covid-19 has resulted in a series of changes in the live music scene. Will these changes alter our cultural habits forever?

The marvels of Switzerland: The discovery of a hidden treasure

Switzerland is a rather small state. Nevertheless, it offers numerous sights worth discovering. Today, we will introduce you to a marvelous treasure, located on the banks of the Rhine and well guarded by the local community.

The marvels of Switzerland: Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls

Switzerland is a rather small state. Nevertheless, it still offers numerous sights worth discovering. Meeting Halfway takes you on an imaginary journey of discovery to the Northeast of the country, which shares a border with Germany.

Let’s explore Alsace: Colmar

Alsace, a region located on the eastern border of France close to Germany and Switzerland, is a magical place full of surprises. In this new series, we will take you to this very special place and give you a taste of the many wonders it has to offer.

Deprived teachers and demanding parents

School is a place for learning, but for learning what? Education must convey values, such as freedom of expression, but also respect the counter-values coming from every subculture. Without the willingness of parents to accept a different point of view and without thorough training of teachers, pedagogical “battles” fail to achieve their goal.

The Freedom to Love: yesterday, today and tomorrow

Homosexuality is a natural phenomenon which has existed since the dawn of time and has been considered sometimes positively, sometimes negatively, throughout history, depending on the customs and norms of each society.

FROM PERSON IN NEED TO HERO INDEED: WHEN MAYOTTE’S ASYLUM SEEKERS BECOME VERITABLE CHANGE MAKERS

Between denied rights, discrimination and never-ending bureaucracy, daily life was already challenging for asylum seekers in Mayotte, France’s youngest overseas department located in the Indian Ocean. The government’s strict confinement rules during the Covid-19 pandemic have added to asylum seekers’ precarious situation. Two asylum seekers set themselves to help others and share their stories.

Lockdown life: between fear and hope.

The whole of Italy has been on lockdown since the 9th of March, due to the current Coronavirus pandemic. At first we did not actually realise the importance of what the government was asking of us: stay at home, they said.

An interview with Oz Karahan

An interview with Oz Karahan – a former MEP candidate and President of the Union of Cypriots organization.
“In Europe, politicians and the public do not have any idea of what is going on in Cyprus and about the bloodless genocide that Turkish-speaking Cypriots are facing because of Turkey.”

A big thank you to all our staff

We are heading towards a new year, a 2021 which will surely be full of surprises. But what are we leaving behind? Meeting Halfway has tackled, in its own way, the strangest year yet, the dreaded 2020…

Deprived teachers and demanding parents

School is a place for learning, but for learning what? Education must convey values, such as freedom of expression, but also respect the counter-values coming from every subculture. Without the willingness of parents to accept a different point of view and without thorough training of teachers, pedagogical “battles” fail to achieve their goal.

The Freedom to Love: yesterday, today and tomorrow

Homosexuality is a natural phenomenon which has existed since the dawn of time and has been considered sometimes positively, sometimes negatively, throughout history, depending on the customs and norms of each society.

Become an Ambassador with Europe on Track!

Meeting Halfway supports many interesting projects at the European level. The team Europe on Track explains to us their very interesting initiative…

The Marvels of Switzerland: a rich historical heritage

Switzerland is a rather small state. Nevertheless, it offers numerous sights worth discovering. With the third and last article of this short series being about northwestern Switzerland we will lead you to St. Gallen, the capital of the homonymous canton.

Cooking with Grandma: Chocolate salami

In the following Meeting Halfway article we reveal the recipe for chocolate salami: with both Portuguese and Italian origins, it owes its name to its appearance, which is reminiscent of a cured meat but it is actually a cold dessert made of biscuits and chocolate. Very quick and easy to prepare, it only requires a few ingredients and is perfect for hot summer days since no cooking is required.

Would you like a cup of coffee?

Everything you need to know about Italian coffee: the vast diversity of this beverage and its legendary history: about a battle of the religions and a Pope with a sweet tooth…

A World Full of Pasta!

Italy is appreciated throughout the world because of the quality of its food and it being the native country of a series of simple but irresistible delicacies: pizza, icecream, pasta… We are not talking about stereotypes, these dishes represent an essential part of an Italian’s diet and their use in cooking follows rules which seem obvious to the Italians – but are not for the rest of the world!

Cooking during quarantine: milk torrijas

We find ourselves in very unusual times: as we know, because of coronavirus, quarantine continues. So, despite the arrival of spring and Easter festivities, we have to conduct ourselves responsibly and stay home. Just yesterday, Easter Sunday, I was thinking about happy moments from my Erasmus period in Seville, back in 2017; a time when everyday life flowed normally and we were free to go out, travel and explore the whole world whilst coming into contact with other cultures. Remembering the past, I decided to spend my afternoon cooking milk torrijas, a traditional Spanish recipe of the Easter period.

Brussels’ cultural and culinary attractions

In my last article, I presented some of Brussels’ hotspots that you must see. But if you get to spend several days in Brussels, it’s worthwhile to have a closer look at some of the districts the city has to offer.

Deprived teachers and demanding parents

School is a place for learning, but for learning what? Education must convey values, such as freedom of expression, but also respect the counter-values coming from every subculture. Without the willingness of parents to accept a different point of view and without thorough training of teachers, pedagogical “battles” fail to achieve their goal.

The Freedom to Love: yesterday, today and tomorrow

Homosexuality is a natural phenomenon which has existed since the dawn of time and has been considered sometimes positively, sometimes negatively, throughout history, depending on the customs and norms of each society.

The Marvels of Switzerland: a rich historical heritage

Switzerland is a rather small state. Nevertheless, it offers numerous sights worth discovering. With the third and last article of this short series being about northwestern Switzerland we will lead you to St. Gallen, the capital of the homonymous canton.

The Past, Present and Future of Live Music During the Pandemic

Musical production has traditionally been marked by the seasons, both in terms of education and on stage. Every year, two different periods can be distinguished: between the months of September and June, when the school year and concert seasons take place, and the summer period, consisting of holidays and festivals. This year, as we all know, the situation that has generated the pandemic caused by Covid-19 has resulted in a series of changes in the live music scene. Will these changes alter our cultural habits forever?

Cohesion policy and Covid-19: the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative

The Cohesion policy is the EU’s strategy to promote an even development of all the European regions. Its main aim is therefore to strengthen economic and social cohesion and to reduce disparities among regions. In the 2014-2020 timeframe, the Cohesion policy (also called Regional policy) received circa 32,5% of the total EU budget.

European day of languages and bilingualism

The Council of Europe and the European Union created the international day of European languages on the 26th September 2001 to celebrate linguistic diversity and encourage people to learn a foreign language.

My language, my home: Ukrainian

In this part of our series ‘My language, my home’, we learn about Ukrainian, a language spoken by 45 million people, and one that most people know only very little about.

Real news or fake news: this is the question

Nowadays the word ‘post-truth’ is the indisputable protagonist of both journalism and the political debate, thus becoming one of the biggest issues of our time. But what is it? Let’s look into the topic with the analysis of Roberto Saviano.

My language, my home: English

One of the most interesting aspects of English has to be the variations of the language that are spoken globally. English is spoken in countries which are on the other side of the world from each other, and this offers some staggering diversity.

The language of inclusion

While many may have noticed this before, it is crucial to understand that the way in which our languages are structured oftentimes breeds social issues. Language stands at the core of a person’s experiences and ideas, and its default structure often limits or expands our thinking.

Has Couchsurfing become a bohemian Tinder?

Locals offering free housing and good company in a beautiful location? Sounds like a backpacker’s dream! Is it still so, though?

Equal, the same, all the same

The fight for equal rights in Europe is far from over. In a very personal text the slam poetry artist Veronika Rieger writes about the feeling of one’s own love being treated as second-class, and takes a look at the hypocrisy of the arguments people bring up again and again.

Europe and I – a love letter

Europe is going through a hard time, and it is only with faith, and a little bit of idealism too, that we can overcome this crisis. In a letter to her native continent our author recalls the best moments of a youth spent with eachother and holds out hope for the future. A love letter to Europe.

Polyamory – Three Views

Lately the concept of polyamory is all over the media. The basic concept: having more than one relationship. But what does that mean for those involved, how does it feel – and what makes people begin doing it?

Four visions over one reality: homosexuality in Russia

We spoke to Andrey Glushkó, who moved to Spain to live in ‘’freedom’’, his friend Anastasiya Belickaya, the young political scientist Nina Ivanova and the correspondent for El Mundo (daily Spanish newspaper) in Moscow to discover why 74 percent of Russians do not socially accept homosexuality.

FROM PERSON IN NEED TO HERO INDEED: WHEN MAYOTTE’S ASYLUM SEEKERS BECOME VERITABLE CHANGE MAKERS

Between denied rights, discrimination and never-ending bureaucracy, daily life was already challenging for asylum seekers in Mayotte, France’s youngest overseas department located in the Indian Ocean. The government’s strict confinement rules during the Covid-19 pandemic have added to asylum seekers’ precarious situation. Two asylum seekers set themselves to help others and share their stories.

A volunteer in Calais: let’s help refugees!

For many years a large number of migrants have waited in Calais, in incredibly precarious conditions, hoping to cross the Channel. Antoine decided to spend his holidays with the humanitarian association Utopia 56 in order to help them. He shared with us the work he took part in there.

When people die because their rescuers are standing trial

While European politics is discussing symbolic political measures and right-wing populists of all countries are trying to push through deportations and prevent immigration, hundreds of people continue to die in the Mediterranean attempting to reach Europe by sea. Civilian sea rescuers are doing their best to prevent this – and are increasingly criticised and criminalised for doing so. We spoke with Claus-Peter Reisch, the captain of the Lifeline, about the the fraught situation.

(Not) A minority: Muslims between inclusion and discrimination

In a guest contribution the political scientist Saskia Schäfer argues the case for citizens of modern societies to acknowledge the complexity, temporality, and variability of identities.

Nothing has changed yet, but everything is different – The UK after the referendum

24 June, the day when the result of Britain’s referendum on exiting the EU was announced, happened now several weeks ago. The first feelings of surprise and disbelief that the UK, Europe and the world experienced on that day have subsided and the country is now different from what it was. What has changed and what will the future bring?

Become an Ambassador with Europe on Track!

Meeting Halfway supports many interesting projects at the European level. The team Europe on Track explains to us their very interesting initiative…

The Marvels of Switzerland: a rich historical heritage

Switzerland is a rather small state. Nevertheless, it offers numerous sights worth discovering. With the third and last article of this short series being about northwestern Switzerland we will lead you to St. Gallen, the capital of the homonymous canton.

The marvels of Switzerland: The discovery of a hidden treasure

Switzerland is a rather small state. Nevertheless, it offers numerous sights worth discovering. Today, we will introduce you to a marvelous treasure, located on the banks of the Rhine and well guarded by the local community.

The marvels of Switzerland: Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls

Switzerland is a rather small state. Nevertheless, it still offers numerous sights worth discovering. Meeting Halfway takes you on an imaginary journey of discovery to the Northeast of the country, which shares a border with Germany.

The European Quarter – international exchange point and power centre of the EU

A district of Brussels which was not mentioned in my last contributions is the European Quarter. However, the fact that this part of Brussels has not yet been examined in more detail does not mean that it is not important (to me), but exactly the opposite. The European Quarter is in fact the heart of Brussels, to which this article is intended to give special importance.

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