ReliXchange – der deutsch-ägyptische Jugendaustausch für interreligiösen Dialog war ein großartiges Erlebnis, das noch lange gut in Erinnerung bleiben wird. Anfang Dezember trafen sich die Teilnehmenden nach den beiden Programmwochen noch einmal in Berlin und Kairo, jedoch erstmals nicht gemeinsam sondern nach Nationen getrennt. Es wurde zurück geblickt, die eigenen Erlebnisse reflektiert, und Inhalte und Abläufe kritisch hinterfragt. Man sah in die Zukunft und die Teilnehmenden überlegten sich, wie sie ihre persönlichen Erfahrungen weitergeben und ihre Erkenntnisse in eigenen Projekten weiterentwickeln möchten. Und es gab auch ein kurzes Wiedersehen per Videokonferenz mit der anderen Gruppenhälfte jenseits des Mittelmeeres auf dem Nachbarkontinent. Bereits in den ersten Stunden von ReliXchange war eines schnell deutlich geworden: es gibt nur eine ReliXchange-Gruppe, nicht mehrere. Alle gehören zusammen, egal ob nun Deutsche oder Ägypter, Frau oder Mann, religiös oder nicht, Moslem, Sufi, Katholikin, Großstadtmensch oder Landbewohnerin, Protestant, Christlich-Orthodoxer, Koptin oder Atheist. Diese sympathische menschliche Einheit war das größte Geschenk, dass wir als Organisationsteam in Berlin für unseren Einsatz zurück bekommen konnten. Meine Kollegin Anja Gebel und ich, Andreas Fricke, wir werden diese gemeinsame Energie der jungen Teilnehmenden, ihre Erfolge und den Spaß den sie gemeinsam hatten nicht vergessen. Es war dieses Geschenk, dass uns die Strapazen des verzögerten Projektbeginns, Verschiebungen, Umplanungen und Überstunden vergessen ließen und das uns bis heute zum Weiterarbeiten motiviert. Wir möchten uns nochmals herzlichst bei allen Beteiligten bedanken: beim Auswärtigen Amt, bei der Bundesvereinigung Kulturelle Kinder- und Jugendbildung e.V., bei Brot für die Welt, bei der Deutschen Botschaft Kairo, beim Bundesverwaltungsamt, bei Amin Saleh und Rap4Respect, bei mediale pfade.de Agentur für Medienbildung, bei 1219 Deutsche Stiftung für interreligiösen und interkulturellen Dialog e.V., bei den Trainerinnen und Trainern Sara-Duana Meyer, Gihan Abouzeid, Giovanni Gino Santo, Islam El-Ghazouly, beim Team der New Horizon Association for Social Development, bei Jade Nicole Zoghbi, Lucia Linares und Sara Samir Ashour, bei Sandra Spindler für das ReliXchange-Design, bei den ehrenamtlichen Mitarbeiterinnen Evin Kücükali, Mariam Korte, Caroline Bunge, – und natürlich ganz besonders bei allen ReliXchange-Teilnehmenden! Wir blicken mit dem Erfolg von ReliXchange im Rücken zu zukünftigen Projekten von 14km e.V., die die Entfernung zwischen Nordafrika und Europa noch weiter verringern werden. An einigen Zielen wird bereits intensiv und konkret gearbeitet, weitere Austausch- und Begegnungsprojekte sind geplant. Um möglichst viel davon erfolgreich zu verwirklichen bitten wir um zahlreiche Spenden. Je mehr finanzielle Unterstützung wir erhalten, desto einfacher können wir unseren Arbeitsalltag und unsere überwiegend ehrenamtliche Vereinsarbeit organisieren, und desto mehr können wir uns auf Inhalte konzentrieren und weitere Projekte auf den Weg bringen. Dafür schon einmal vielen Dank! Den ReliXchange-Blog schließen nun zwei Zitate aus den Original-Blogs der ReliXchange-Teilnehmenden. Das Blog-Team des ersten von zehn Programmtagen verdeutlichte die allgemeinen Erwartungen und Hoffnungen: „Die Teilnehmenden erwarten nicht weniger als eine neue Perspektive auf Religion – und vielleicht sogar das Leben – zu entdecken!“ Wurden diese Erwartungen der Teilnehmenden erfüllt? Das Blog-Team des letzten Programmtages beschreibt wie erfolgreich ReliXchange die Distanz zwischen Nordafrika und Europa überbrückte: „Durch all die Aktivitäten können wir annehmen, dass sich signifikante Verbindungen innerhalb der Gruppe gebildet haben, die die kulturellen und religiösen Unterschiede überwinden. Nach zwei intensiven lebensverändernden Wochen voller Entdeckungen und Begegnungen fällt es schwer Worte zu finden, um alles auszudrücken, aber es gab Umarmungen, Tränen, Freundschaft, intensive Gefühle, Traurigkeit und Hoffnung...“   Andreas Fricke, Projektkoordinator ReliXchange, im April 2015 Direkte Links zu den Blogs der Teilnehmenden (alle Beiträge im englischen Original): Tag 1 - Tag 2 - Tag 3 - Tag 4 - Tag 5 - Tag 6 - Tag 7 - Tag 8 - Tag 9 - Tag 10 Gefördert durch das Auswärtige Amt, Brot für die Welt – der Evangelische Entwicklungsdienst, sowie aus Mitteln des Programms „Internationale Jugendarbeit“ des Kinder- und Jugendplans des Bundes.

The last day: “Don’t cry because it is over, smile because it happened”, Dr.Seuss             After a fun warm up, we had an  introduction to our next task which comprised  a public space tour. We were divided into four groups each invited to reflect and document their impressions about one of the following aspects in public space: gender, religion, art and appropriation of space. Back from the free roaming tour, we first presented the photo essay from Berlin’s public space tour (and though this was not directly discussed, this provided us with an opportunity to juxtapose in our minds Berlin and Cairo’s public spaces). Then, each group shared their impressions and adventures about their morning tours in Cairo.           Later, we proceeded to our last formal session of the program which was a mix of emotional and intellectual reflection. This is since, through a variety of tools and activities, members had the chance to express their thoughts and emotions about the experience not only from a general perspective but also a personal one. All along the activities, we could assume that significant ties have been developed within the group transcending the cultural and religious differences. At the end of the day, we all proceeded for special surprise outing offered and arranged by NHASD which revealed to be a Nile dinner cruise and show. Only few hours were left before the German group would fly back to Berlin. Most of the participants opted to ditch sleep to catch a last chat or laugh with other fellow participants/“friends”. Many accepted the hospitable invitation of “Islam”, one of the Egyptian teamers, to spend a rooftop after-party at his place. Later, back at the hostel there was a scene of packing, chatting, catching some sleep and playing cards/ fun games. Finally, arrived the most emotionally challenging and charged scene: the farewell. After two intense life-changing weeks of discovery and interaction, words fall short to express it, but there were hugs, tears, friendship, intensity, sadness and hope…   A project as part of the German-Egyptian Transformation Partnership The ReliXchange project receives financial support by the German-Egyptian Transformation  Partnership through the German Foreign Office, by funds of the Ecclesiastical Development Services through Bread for the World - Protestant Church Development Service and by the “International Youth Work” Programme of the German Federal Child and Youth Plan through BKJ

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a (wo)man healthy, wealthy and wise. (Benjamin Franklin) A few participants of our group met at 5.30 am in the morning and went  on a spontaneous trip to the Al-Alzhar mosque, which was unfortunately closed. Instead they walked around the area and were invited to see the  making of a Misbaḥa - which is a string of prayer beads for Muslims to memorize the 99 names of Allah. Afterwards they by metro to the al-Qurba quarter of Cairo - a quarter with a lot of buildings with French architecture. After a refreshing and awakening breakfast the official program of the day started. A documentary about Jews in Egypt was shown and passionately discussed afterwards. Since Judaism is not represented by a group member everyone showed genuine interest in the topic. After lunch we started to discuss and develop our own ideas about how to share our exchange experience and how to promote interfaith dialogue in society. These ideas were further evolved and discussed through concrete project ideas and they also received helpful feedback from the teamers and the other participants. Since we were not able to see the Pyramids on Tuesday we postponed it to Friday. A light show at the pyramids told us about the sight's history and its treasures. Some people split up and went to a concert of the Egyptian band Maktoub.   A project as part of the German-Egyptian Transformation Partnership The ReliXchange project receives financial support by the German-Egyptian Transformation  Partnership through the German Foreign Office, by funds of the Ecclesiastical Development Services through Bread for the World - Protestant Church Development Service and by the “International Youth Work” Programme of the German Federal Child and Youth Plan through BKJ

Today started with a very creative exercise . After a quick introduction to the definition of interreligious relationships we shared our personal experiences about this topic. In groups we came up with drawings, a photo story and theaters to present our ideas. The results were very interesting because we heard about problems with interreligious marriage but also about harmony and cooperation between religious communities. In the afternoon we explored Christianity in Egypt. We did so by visiting a Coptic Church, a Greek Orthodox Church and also the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Coptic Cairo. Afterwards we had a discussion with a Coptic Priest about the role of Christianity in the Egyptian state and it's status as a minority. Our day ended with a traditional Egyptian dinner on a Faluka on the River Nile. We were joined by Ramesh de Silva, the cultural attachè of the German embassy in Cairo. Authors: Adrian, Carol, Diva and Svenja     A project as part of the German-Egyptian Transformation Partnership The ReliXchange project receives financial support by the German-Egyptian Transformation  Partnership through the German Foreign Office, by funds of the Ecclesiastical Development Services through Bread for the World - Protestant Church Development Service and by the “International Youth Work” Programme of the German Federal Child and Youth Plan through BKJ

Discovering Cairo’s religious treasures… Our second day in Egypt included plenty of activities, encounters and impressions. In the morning, we took a look at some contemporary religious music from Egypt. We tried to analyze how it pictures women in religion. After our group discussion scholar Omaima Abou-Bakr provided us with some more information about the position of women in Islam – also pointing out controversies among Muslim scholars in nowadays society. Later in the day we visited the NHASD headquarter where we got to know more about the two most important institutions  for Islamic faith in Egypt – the al Azhar and the Ministery of Endowment.               Apart from all these discussions and encounters, we got to see some of the city today. Namely, the Citadel and the 18th century Muhammed Ali Ottoman mosque, which’s architecture has been considerably inspired by the Hagia Sofia in Turkey. From the Mokattom Hill we had a beautiful view over the ancient quarters of Cairo. Just like in Berlin, where we met up with some Bahaii people, in Cairo we also learned about a religious minority: the Sufi communities in Egypt. We visited a Sufi dance and music performance. Afterwards, most of us took a  stroll over the nearby market.                 A project as part of the German-Egyptian Transformation Partnership The ReliXchange project receives financial support by the German-Egyptian Transformation  Partnership through the German Foreign Office, by funds of the Ecclesiastical Development Services through Bread for the World - Protestant Church Development Service and by the “International Youth Work” Programme of the German Federal Child and Youth Plan through BKJ

We started the first day of the second ReliXchange week in Cairo. After having started the day with traditional Egyptian breakfast, we were introduced to our new teamer who later on showed us the importance of different perceptions. We then had a debate about crucial topics of Christian, Islam and atheism. The debate was focusing on moderate and fundamental religious perceptions and how these views are implemented in the context of our everyday life in regard to evolution/creationism. The main challenge of this debate was to step into the shoes of other persons, as we were supposed to argue in favor of a position we were not sharing.             In the afternoon we were discussing aspects of religion and different beliefs as well as rather philosophical concepts as monism. The movie “Life of Pi” dealt as a basis for this discussion.             Finally we were supposed to see the Pyramids in the evening, but unfortunately we couldn’t enter the area due to the Cairo film festival. Instead we had a cool and refreshing boat trip in the Nile, where we could reflect our new impressions and knowledge we gained during the first day.   A project as part of the German-Egyptian Transformation Partnership The ReliXchange project receives financial support by the German-Egyptian Transformation  Partnership through the German Foreign Office, by funds of the Ecclesiastical Development Services through Bread for the World - Protestant Church Development Service and by the “International Youth Work” Programme of the German Federal Child and Youth Plan through BKJ

"Hip is the knowledge. Hop is the movement. Hip and Hop is the intelligent Movement" (KRS-ONE and Marley Marl)             A new sunny and warm day started, which we took as a good sign for what's ahead on our final day in Berlin. We started with a quick reflection on the past days, before our special guest Amin Saleh, a German-Egyptian Rapper, was introduced. Because he has been through a lot of discrimination, as he was born to Egyptian parents, he now uses his art to promote respect and tolerance. He was our trainer for the Rap4Respect workshop, in which we recorded our own Rap-Song to express the experiences and insights we gained throughout the whole week. This was a perfect end for a perfect week. In the evening we had a farewell party to say goodbye, take pictures and exchange expectations for the week in Cairo. It was an emotional time of hugs and tears. Now we are all looking forward to seeing each other again for another interesting week, when we meet in Cairo in only 15 days. Adrian, Sarah, Joscha and Mina   A project as part of the German-Egyptian Transformation Partnership The ReliXchange project receives financial support by the German-Egyptian Transformation  Partnership through the German Foreign Office, by funds of the Ecclesiastical Development Services through Bread for the World - Protestant Church Development Service and by the “International Youth Work” Programme of the German Federal Child and Youth Plan through BKJ

The missing piece: Introducing Islam Jewish minority, Christian majority: How is the relation between these two groups in Germany? Our fifth day started out with a reflection about the experiences we made so far concerning these two religions. Two of our insights: While Christianity is taking a strong influence on the state level (e.g. church tax, churches as responsible bodies of kinder-gardens, homes for senior citizens etc.), Judaism takes on a passive role, rather being the object of politics than shaping them itself. Also, we figured that the way we are perceiving public sphere and religious symbols present in it is deeply influenced by our cultural background. Having already been able to gain lots of insights into Christianity and Judaism, we also got to know Islam a little bit by visiting the Sehitlik mosque today. An interesting side fact to all of us: This mosque belongs to the biggest Muslim community in Germany. Further elaborating on our morning discussion concerning the treatment of religious minority groups in Germany, we talked about the five pillars of Islam as well as about the history and current situation of Muslims in Germany. We appreciated a lot that although the focus of our project lies clearly on Christianity, Judaism and Islam, today we met some people of another religion, some Bahá'í people, as well. Only a few of us - both on the German and the Egyptian side - had heard about this religion before.   A project as part of the German-Egyptian Transformation Partnership The ReliXchange project receives financial support by the German-Egyptian Transformation  Partnership through the German Foreign Office, by funds of the Ecclesiastical Development Services through Bread for the World - Protestant Church Development Service and by the “International Youth Work” Programme of the German Federal Child and Youth Plan through BKJ

"Baruch Ata Adonai Elohainu Melekha Olam ..." "Blessed are You, LORD, our God, sovereign of the universe ... (common prayer in Judaism ) The fourth day of our interreligious and intercultural exchange started with cloudy weather and wet roads that led us to the Synagogue Fränkelufer in Kreuzberg. With open and interested minds we listened to a member of the local Jewish community in Berlin, who explained the history of their prayer house and answered patiently the questions of our curious group. After that we were heading to the Anne Frank Center. But before that we enjoyed lunch at a Hackescher Markt. At the centre we got to know the very touching story of Anne Frank through an audiovisual exhibition. Back at the hostel we discussed our impressions of the day since it caused a lot of emotions and opinions. Afterwards we started a very creative theatre exercise that wanted to illustrate power relations. We spent the evening together having fun, discussing and reflecting our exchange. Authors: Sandy Safwat Yanni, 21, Student of B.A. Tourism and Hotels/ Ahmed Muhammad Elsayed, 19, B.A. Business Administration/ Peter George Ayad, 20, Student of B.A. Mechanical Engineering/ Tim Friedrich, 22, Student of B.A. Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies   A project as part of the German-Egyptian Transformation Partnership The ReliXchange project receives financial support by the German-Egyptian Transformation  Partnership through the German Foreign Office, by funds of the Ecclesiastical Development Services through Bread for the World - Protestant Church Development Service and by the “International Youth Work” Programme of the German Federal Child and Youth Plan through BKJ

Today is the second day of the German-Egyptian youth exchange: our knowledge about cultural diversity -- especially within the area of Berlin -- increases. During the first activity we discover that we all perceive our surroundings in a different way. Afterwards we are guided through two different churches: a Catholic one and a Protestant one. Later on, the lunch at the "Route66" American Restaurant gives us the opportunity to rediscuss our impressions and strengthen our relations. Then we are introduced to the GPS city rally through the centre of Berlin that was especially designed for us as religious communicators. The tour leads us to very interesting religious historical places: from the Holocaust Memorial, over synagoges and churches to political places of crucial importances for Germany. After this long trip all four competing groups meet again in the hostel, inspired by the discovery of religious and artistic places of Berlin. We gather in the seminar room in order to share our impressions of the day by presenting our pictures and moreover talking about public and private space in the city. Through this meeting our different perspectives and points of view are brought together and enrich our picture of Germany's multicultural capital. Authors: Rukayyah Reichling, Diva Saidze, Carol Daniel, Amany Ibrahim               A project as part of the German-Egyptian Transformation Partnership The ReliXchange project receives financial support by the German-Egyptian Transformation  Partnership through the German Foreign Office, by funds of the Ecclesiastical Development Services through Bread for the World - Protestant Church Development Service and by the “International Youth Work” Programme of the German Federal Child and Youth Plan through BKJ