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tolerant together – Mobility as a tool

for fostering Open-Mindedness

In 2012, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights published worrying
results – different forms of violence, motivated by racism, xenophobia, religious
intolerance, or by a person’s disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity, are
still a daily reality across the EU Member States. All such crimes harm the victim,
challenge human dignity, and put the EU at stake in all its diversity.

So, how do we foster non-discrimination, tolerance, and respect for fundamental

rights in our everyday life? Could international mobility contribute to this?

Author:

Mika Launikari tHreatened by tHe unknown
Msc econ, the european union’s charter of fundamental
lifelong Guidance rights (2010) prohibits discrimination on the
expert, finland grounds of race, colour, ethnic origin, religion,
and belief. in addition, detailed eu legislation
addresses discrimination in various areas of life.
still, the fear factor can occasionally provoke
intolerance in each of us. When something is
not known to us and we do not understand it,
or when we are not familiar with something
and we do not personally relate to it, we may
become intolerant as we feel threatened by
the unknown. this is fully human, but we can
definitely do better. by nurturing open-mind-
edness, curiosity and respect for those whose
thoughts, customs and cultures are at variance
with our own, we will create opportunities for
ourselves and society as a whole.

nevertheless, learning how to live together
with other people across the planet is one of
our greatest challenges. in the global society
of today, we are not solely citizens of our own
country – above all we are citizens of a much
wider world. and while we happen to be situ-
ated in this or that country or located in this
or that culture, we must not forget that after
all we are sharing this world with people from

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