What if it all was just a very good story? Half true, half made up, reflecting our memories, experiences, and those of the communities we live in. With the project “Érase una vez”, we would like to invite youth workers and people committed to international cooperation to think about history, memory, and identity in this different way. Not as something fixed or stable, but as a stories...good stories though. "Erase una vez" that's how fairy tales begin. These words sound very familiar to all who have heard stories and transmitted from generation to generation, counting and adapting. When people talk about the history, tradition and identity, something very similar happens. People tell stories about their experiences and the communities in which they live. From August 5th to August 11th Cultural Association Muxelka has organized a youth exchange project "Erase una vez" to make sense of various facts, myths, commemorations or memories that are happening throughout their lives. Seven days of summer twenty four young participants from Poland and Span met to review and challenge the historical narratives about Europe that exist in the different areas and locations from which they came. In 2015, “Érase una vez” focuses on issues of belonging and identity in Europe: Which stories about Europe exist in different local, national or other commemorative cultures? How are these stories shaped? Which aspects become important, while others are neglected? And how can institutions for historical youth education and active citizenship deal with these questions in a way that brings young people together? 70 years after the end of the Second World War, many years of dictatorships and 15 years after the end of the twentieth century so hard for all of the Europe, 24 participants from Spain and Poland intensively deal with historical narratives about Europe that exist in different local, national or other commemorative cultures. During the exchange we discussed these issues, exchanged experiences, developed new approaches for follow-up projects to be carried out in our countries and future international meetings with young people. We all live with images constructed on the basis of our experiences, cultures that come into contact with and the stories they told us. All these elements play an important role in the formation and evolution of our perception of ourselves and of our identity. Therefore, to be able to live together in peace in different environments, we need to understand these mechanisms. It is crucial for the development of a healthy empathy for different cultures and traditions of other nations, religions and individuals. Building on these project themes, "Érase una vez" enabled multicultural dialogue on the past, presence and future and facilitated reflection on one’s own culture, history and society and thus fostered mutual understanding and tolerance between people from different national, ethnic and religious backgrounds. During the project, participants from Spain and Poland made an experience together. Understanding one’s own story and discovering that all communities and nations had their respective and legitimate stories allowed looking at one’s own national narrative in a more critical way. It also allowed for seeing that behind nations there were individuals with their own private stories – these revealed how diverse nations were. Participants were discussing different national stories and myths, analysing them in an intercultural context. The multiperspectivity of the debates during the meeting revealed the mechanisms of how cultural and social standards are being constructed. Apart from looking at the narratives from national, European and global perspective, individual biographies were analysed. That allowed for looking at individuals rather than at groups with assigned characteristics. Through an insight into individual perspectives it was possible to see what groups, nations and communities were made of – namely individuals with different values, opinions and identities. It was one week with workshops, group work, presentations, stories, exchanges of ideas and fun. And all in A Coruña a city full of myths, legends, historical events and cultural diversity. The main objectives: - Promoting European citizenship and improving conditions for civic and democratic participation in the EU, - Promote European cooperation in the youth field; - Develop solidarity and promote tolerance; - Foster mutual understanding between young people from different countries; - Increasing awareness of European mobility that young people are offered through the Erasmus + program; - The cultural exchange between regions/European countries through culture, tradition and customs; - Create a network of strong cooperation between org. across Europe; The project has been funded by the Erasmus program. Muxelka Association is an NGO dedicated to the organization of European mobility projects. More info: www.muxelka.org.