International Sparrow Action
| Keywords | Emotion Participation Practical Application Bread |
| Target Group | All Ages People With Special Needs |
| Type of Action | Mini-Project Baking Action Food Sharing Food Preparation Benefit Action |
| Research | Baking Houses Recipes-Seasonal/Christmas/Eastern/... |
| Location | Senior Meeting Point School Baking House Bakery Church Private Location |
| Pedagogical Aims | Communication Cooperation Practical Application |
| Use of Media | Computer |
| Dissemination | Internet |
| Geographical Scope | Local |
| Type of Method | Action-Orientated |
| Knowledge Transfer | Creative Skills |
| Area of work | Food Preparation |
| Location or Venue | Danube Countries |
| Website | http://bread-connects.tastes-of-danube.eu/idea-and-background/ |
Duration
| From | Until |
| 01/10/2019 | 31/12/2019 |
Short Description
The Sparrow action is an activity initiated with the aim of connecting people through baking together and then sharing small sparrow-cakes with others, whom they did not know before, thus delivering a message of peace and unity.
Full Description
This method can be applied to small groups of people. After having been given instructions, they meet in a place, where they can make pastry items in the form of sparrows. The participants of this initiative may be school students, elderly, or any individuals who would like to prepare this small symbol of friendship and caring for others, with the motto “Bread sharing is caring”.
They learn together how to bake and to cooperate in a common aim. After finishing the baking, they give the final sparrows to someone they do not know – it could be a person in the street, a senior or a person with special needs. By making a gift of the sparrow as a sign of peace and understanding, the participants in the initiative demonstrate under the aegis of the EU that they care about others. .
Bread is applied here a symbol of unity between people in a practical way.
Step-by-step explanation
Step 1
Ileu
The coordinator of the initiative had made a call at an international level, where the aim of the action was introduced to institutions and individuals from different target groups, inviting them to participate. When the participants needed financial support, they received from the coordinator a sum of 50 Euros.
Step 2
Participants
With the recipe and instructions on how to properly bake the sparrow cakes provided by the coordinator in each country`s language, any individual, alone or with a group of friends got the opportunity to bake the sparrows and to decide whom to give them. These were persons that they never met or talked to before, to show that they care about them.
Step 3
Participants
After deciding, who will get the Danube Sparrows, the participants went and presented these people with this sign of friendship. Later they discussed other initiatives and actions done by the Danube Networkers, and formed friendships with people, whom they considered to be strangers earlier.
Step 4
Ileu and participants
The participants took photos of the baking process and of the sharing of the sparrows, and sent two of the pictures to the international coordinator, who exhibited them at an international exhibition. They also provided a short description of their experience within the initiative, which were published along with the photos on the internet website of the action.
Step 5
Ileu
A jury selected the best five presentations by the participants, which each got a prize of 50 Euros.
Results
The material results of the method are pastry products, in the form of sparrows, which were given to strangers to promote dialogue and communication between members of the civil society. Moreover, an international exhibition was organized during the Danube International Festival by the coordinator, consisting of the photos received from the participants.
Variation of the approach
A larger organization could bake a bigger number of Danube sparrows and donate them to the needy.
Partner Organistions
| Name | Homepage | Logo |
| Danube-Networkers from 5 countries | danube-networkers.eu (German) |  |
Responsbile Organistion
| Name | Homepage | Logo |
| ILEU e.V. | ileu.net |  |
Products and Materials
| Web Presence |
http://bread-connects.tastes-of-danube.eu/idea-and-background/ http://bread-connects.tastes-of-danube.eu/2019/12/02/mirela-carp-from-timisoara-romania-is-telling-about-their-danube-sparrow-action/ |
| Documentation of the Project/Event | |
| Post Cards | |
| Poster | |
| Press Release | |
| Photo Gallery | |
| Video | |
| Blog | |
| Decoration: Flags/Bookmarks | |
| Information about the Danube Countries |