From the 31st of July till the 7th of August the Junge SPitzen invited to an surf exchange for the first time in the history of European national and autochthon minorities. Among the 30 participants were Romansh people, Kashubians, Burgenland Croats, Aromanians, North Frisians, South Schleswigans and some North Schleswigans. They were all gathered with the motto „Surfing Europe 2009“, in the nice little town of Schelde in northern Schleswig. Not only the cultural exchange was in focus, but also one or the other surfing skill was astonishing.
The surfing was not in Schelde but in Flensburg. The participants didn’t mind the constant trips, because the hour long bus ride only brought them more together. There were two groups surfing. While some climbers explored the element of water, the others could enjoy the beautiful weather or use the beach volleyball pit. Through several grill sessions at the beach, the participants were supplied with sufficient energy.
Because surfing is exhausting in the long run, there was also a one day excursion to the Viking Museum Haitabu. Here there was a tour of the former Viking settlements and area. After the morning trip there was, in Germany’s northernmost restaurant „Hansen’s Brauerei,“ a strengthening refreshment for the following boat tour to the ox-islands. Arrived at one of the islands the participants could listen to By’s historical presentation of the islands and then explore the island.
In addition to the surfing was „CO2-free Sonderburg“ a topic. The participants prepared little mini-presentations on their regional climate conditions and then engaged in the topic. Usually in the evenings the moods were rising. One could forget the soreness from surfing at a photo creative workshop, the traditional exchange market and live music (with spontaneous contributions of the Romansh people and locals).
The Exchange was funded by the Danish department of the EU Youth in Action program.
