Rural Europe on the move English_chapt1_6 | Page 59
Learning to listen
the landscape park have economic
“Trust is not something given to someone.
Trust has to be earned.”
significance and are subject to
regulations.
Adam Kamiński
We meet Adam Kamiński, the
LAG president, who explains that the
province had the lowest percentage “there was an attempt to build a have emerged, often without the
of associations per inhabitant. He consortium for a cluster but it did not support of facilitating bodies or
tells us about a turbulent local history work as they did not manage to build funding. This occurs when individuals
where much shuffling of borders, trust.” Caring for social capital is of vital or groups have been really engaged
war, resettlement and changes in importance in rural areas – especially in the protection of the forest, slowly
economic systems meant that there when villages are losing population, but surely moving mountains.
is not a well-established local identity. an issue faced by many European He believes this means people were areas. “Trust among stakeholders is of quite easily manipulated. “The forest paramount importance for success,” he is a brand, dozens of touristic offers says, “Trust is not something given to are developing but there is no initiative someone. Trust has to be earned.”
from entrepreneurs for a common
‘touristic product’,” Adam explains,
So you see how some hopeful
collective and participatory processes
NCE
THE CIVIC DIALOGUE EXPERIE
“M
OPPOSITE PAGE
15. 17. Podlaskie, a region of mixed cultures and
religions: Orthodox church and Tatar mosque
16. Meeting with Joana Kurzawa and
local players in the House of the Forest
IN A NUTSHELL
ost people do not listen with the intent to Wolf. This is our challenge all over Europe. We must
understand; they listen with the intent to reply,” create more space for dialogue and listen to all
said author Stephen Covey. Watching the Brexit people’s perceptions and needs - even the Brexit
campaign and corresponding negotiations unfold, wolf - to find a way to live together in peace.
I am reminded of this. An important mediation
Our last day of workshops in Poland is the 24th
strategy is about active listening, to ensure June 2016 and we wake up to the results of the
everybody understands the others’ needs. I wonder Brexit referendum. The Leave the EU campaign
if what is implemented to solve individual or local has won with 51,9% of the vote. This is sad news
organisations’ conflicts should have been used for for us, especially for Sarah Rutter, our English
the Brexit dilemma too. participant who bursts into tears. Married to a
I think again of Little Red Riding Hood. I feel
French man, Sarah lives in Savoie with her family
that the fear of the ‘other’ and the inability to and coordinates a transnational project between
communicate these fears seen in the tale are similar rural French and Italian areas. She feels deeply
to the xenophobic, intolerant and racist arguments European. “What will be the consequences for my
of the extreme right and populist discourse present children and for my country?” she asks. 3 years after
in much of contemporary European politics. the vote, as I write this, the steps to leaving the
Leaders of these parties play on this fear to
scapegoat migrants or foreigners as the Big Bad
EU still have not been finalised and the UK lives
in limbo.
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