We have all been part of a minority at some time – in the playground, in a strange city, in a foreign country. But what is it like to be a minority in your own country and feel that you are neither respected nor understood? How does it feel to be regarded as a problem or, perhaps even worse, just to be ignored? This is what minority communities in many countries face all the time – and in some cases it leads to isolation, alienation and radicalisation – which damages all of us.

The idea behind the project
The ability to live happily together in diverse societies has to be based on mutual understanding which, with good will, can lead to the full engagement of all sectors of society in public life. 'Being seen, being heard' aims to promote this process during the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008. It will bring together influential young people from a number of countries and providing them with the tools to make it happen.

What will the project achieve?
Several excellent and creative initiatives have already been taken to improve intercultural understanding and enable minority communities to engage more in public life, and it is likely that many of these are transferable to different locations. 'Being seen, being heard' will provide a platform to share these ideas and to develop new proposals that will be specifically relevant to the countries involved. 'Being seen; being heard' will help minority communities to be seen, heard and understood in their own countries, and encourage and help them to take a full part in public life.

How will the project work?
The project will begin with a congress in Slovenia, which holds the EU Presidency in the first half of 2008 Here, the participants from Austria, the Balkan region and the UK will showcase successful initiatives, exchange ideas, discuss commonalities and differences, and form alliances for the development of future projects. Teams from each country will then develop new proposals for action – identifying their own partners (local and international), potential sponsors, methodologies and target audiences. These proposals will be presented at the International Summit scheduled for March 2008 in London and it is hoped that many of them will be implemented with support from the British Council and other organisations.