When inviting a group of teenagers and young adults from different cultures to an ordinary home (CASAdelDRAGON), one would be wise to show humility and forbearance. These pictures describe the chaos that we had to clean up after the group of youth left. And above all Francesca should be mentioned, who had helped a lot days before arrival to get the house in a condition that could cope with the rush. And again she was helping a lot to clean it after!

The images describing reality, and they should also find space in a review. But they are not an accusation. The children of this time are a reflection of this society. And every criticism of these children is actually criticism of ourselves.

Spaces like the CASAdelDRAGON, which offer a social space to experience yourself and others, in cooperation, in success and in failure, are all the more needed.

The children from Moldova and Romania made such a trip for the first time. It was a journey into a foreign culture, with foreign customs and believes, but also with different values and strategies.

They have witnessed with their eyes and ears what life is like in a Spanish mountain village today. And they were able to discover and experience themselves through joint action.
Responsibility is a word of submission. It comes into life as an attempt by one person to burden the other with something that he/she themselves want to get rid of. Trust is expectation. Confidence is self-confidence. So let’s not talk about responsibility, but rather about cause and effect, about significance, and let’s talk about the confidence in a new generation that can only grow through failure.

Anyone who only sees reality in the rearview mirror will hit the wall. Follow caution, intention, supervision and forbearance (german quote VORsicht, ABsicht, AUFsicht, NACHsicht = CAUTION, INTENTION, SUPERVISION, FOREIGNNESS).

We made this stay possible by accepting gifts from friends and supporters of CASAdelDRAGON and by intentionally donating our own resources. Cleaning up afterwards is part of it.

Stupid people learn from their mistakes. Smart people learn from other people’s mistakes.

anonymous

When we later look back on this time – the free movement within Europe in spring 2024 – the negative sides of history will fade out and the beautiful shared moments will shine ever more intensely. What remains with us are our good experiences, not the things that once surrounded us.

When these lines were written, it was impossible to foresee what this journey would bring, when they are read, it is just the beginning…