Questo post è disponibile anche in: Italian
Simone Cavagna, twenty-years-old student of Linguistics International Relations at Catholic University Sacro Cuore of Brescia, took part in the training course “The Power of the World Poetry Slam for fighting social inequality” promoted by Youmore Morcelli Giovani and coordinated by the project manager Justina Krauledaitė. The project was held in Germany, in Potsdam and Berlin from the 13th to the 21th of November with total cover of food and accommodation costs and reimbursement of 100% of travel costs.
“I am a passionate reader and I’m fond of poetry – said Simone Cavagna who came back from his staying in German – I joined this initiative urged by a friend who keeps updated of initiatives of EURODESK Sarezzo in network with local Eurodesk Agency of Chiari. It was my first experience of the training course abroad, but I left with knowledge of both languages as English as German and I had already been in Berlin before. I did not have any problems with transferring, even though I was traveling alone. Indeed, I left a day earlier of the beginning of the project to have opportunity to visit Berlin. I extremely liked the activity at Potsdam and I managed to really know a lot of people from Spain to Azerbaijan, from the Baltic regions and countries of the former Yugoslavia. In total there were participants of twenty European nationalities. I lived unique experience that I highly recommend to everyone to open their cultural horizons and to develop interpersonal relationships that in my reality of origin seem rather restricted. Now I continue to keep in touch with guys from Bosnia, Spain and Turkey and for ten days I have been speaking and I have been thinking in English even with the only Italian girl from Abruzzo who was with me in Potsdam and with whom we made a tricolor table with some culinary specialties of our area for the intercultural evening.
The training course was very intensive; seminars and workshops were focused on the theme of social inequality. In the 15th of November we participated in the final poetry competition in Berlin and Brandenburg at the Berliner Ensemble, a famous theater of Brecht where every year there is a poetry contest between “slammers” or poets who declaim texts and songs also written by temselves in front of the public.
Before my departure I did not even know what a 
“poetry slam” was! It is a real contest between poets where counts not only the skill in reciting or reading texts but also the ability to interpret lyrics as in a theatrical performance which should be presented to the public. Everyone could participate in this battle. In the following days in Potsdam we continued the training course to experience the role of poetry slammer independently. Everyone prepared a small poetry in English about the topic of social inequality and, during the final night, I had also an opportunity to share my lyrics with thirty participants of our European Poetry Slam. It was also a poetry competition that was won by a Greek girl. I discovered that this particular literary genre exists also in Italy; there is even an association based in Trieste, the Italian League Poetry Slam, which organizes events in various regions where I would like to participate after my experience abroad thanks to Youmore Morcelli Giovani! But it is also possible that I will take part in other projects promoted by Eurodesk Agency of Chiari which broadened new horizons for me on the international stage. “
Here is the text of Simon Cavagna’s Poetry Slam from Potsdam which had great success in front of the public:
Even not so far away
In a multiplicity of ways
If you don’t want to be a blind,
In every city you can find
Some people who have to fight
Also for their basic rights.
