(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/590566/Momondo_Dear_mom_and_dad.jpg )
The initiative builds on insights from momondo’s global survey, which concluded that traveling increases trust in others. 48% of people believe that people are less tolerant of other cultures today than five years ago. The study found that only 36 % of young people between 18 to 35 years have trust in other people. In comparison, 40 % of 36 to 55 year-olds and to 50 % of the 56 to 65 year olds reported they have trust in other people.
The survey concludes that travel can help break down prejudice and change how we see other people. 61% of respondents believe that there would be less intolerance if people traveled more.
Children from all over the world met up for a month this year at a school camp in São Paolo, Brazil. The exchange curriculum was tolerance and friendship. The children had the opportunity to make cross-border friendships and learn about tolerance and open-mindedness. There were four American children aged 11 among the many other nationalities at the CISV village.
The school camp was headed by the organisation CISV International and sponsored by hotel and travel search site momondo. The sponsorship is part of momondo’s new initiative to increase tolerance and respect in the next generation. The initiative is part of momondo’s Lets Open Our World campaign, which last year released the campaign film The DNA Journey.
“Children are our future. That is why we are launching this new initiative, which hopefully encourages the next generation to be more open-minded. The initiative builds on our vision of breaking down boundaries between people, and creating a more open and tolerant world,” says MaryBeth Lauro, momondo’s US spokesperson.
Expert: It is easier to fight prejudice among children
According to Rachel Kuck, Doctoral Candidate at University of Michigan School of Education, and member of the Educational Programmes Committee at CISV International, it can be easier to fight prejudice among children than among adults:
“In some ways, it is easier for children to fight prejudice because many times they do not have the life experience that has reified negative assumptions about other groups of people that an adult might have.”
Children describe their feelings in postcard to parents
The children were asked to write down their emotions on a postcard to their parents at the beginning of the camp and then again two weeks later. In the postcards, the kids wrote about how their views of the other children’s differences changed during their stay. momondo collected excerpts from the children’s postcards in “Dear mom and dad”, a short film showing the children’s positive development.
“Our survey shows that 70% of respondents believe tolerance and respect for others are among the most important qualities children can learn in their home life. This is why it’s very uplifting to hear the children from the CISV camp share how the experience of spending time with other children from all over the world gave them a better understanding of other nationalities and cultures,” says MaryBeth Lauro.
Free educational kits to help spread the message
To help spread the message, momondo and CISV have developed educational activities designed to help children understand the importance of mutual tolerance and respect. The educational activities “Equally Different” and “Our colorful World” teach children how easy it is to apply and remove labels and stereotypes. momondo has created an activity sheet, a curriculum and supplementary short films that illustrate the importance of openness.
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The materials can be downloaded for free here: http://www.letsopenourworld.com, where you can also get more information about momondo’s sponsorship of CISV and read about the other activities momondo is working on to create a more open world.
See the campaign film here: https://youtu.be/hjARRVbVHok
About momondo‘s purpose
momondo has a vision of a world where our differences are a source of inspiration and development, not intolerance and prejudice. Our purpose is to give courage and encourage each one of us to stay curious and be open-minded so we can all enjoy a better, more diversified world.
About the Value of Traveling report
The survey is based on responses from 7,200 respondents, including 400 respondents from each of these 18 countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom and USA. Data collection took place between the 2nd and the 9th of February 2016 through an e-survey via the research company Cint’s panels. Respondents are representative selected according to sex, age and region.
Key findings from the survey
- 36 % of young people between 18 to 35 years of age believe that most people can be trusted
- 40 % of the 36 to 55 year-olds believe that most people can be trusted
- 50 % of the 56 to 65 year-olds believe that most people can be trusted
- 70 % of respondents believe that tolerance and respect for others are important qualities that children can learn at home
About CISV
CISV International is a global organization dedicated to educating and inspiring for peace through building intercultural friendship, cooperation and understanding. Founded in 1950, today CISV is a federation of 69 Member Associations with over 200 Chapters or local groups.
About momondo
momondo.com is a free, independent and global travel search site that compares billions of prices on flights, hotels and car rentals. Headquartered in Copenhagen, momondo serves travelers in more than 30 international markets. momondo’s mobile applications are available for free on iPhone and Android. momondo has won industry accolades for ‘Best Meta Search Website’ and ‘Best Use of Social Media’ in 2014, followed again by ‘Best Meta Search Website’ in 2015, at the prestigious Travolution Awards in London. momondo is an independent brand within the KAYAK subsidiary of The Priceline Group.
SOURCE momondo a/s
