“Expertise for me is skills and real opportunities, not the ideas about them. That is not formal education and a diploma that confirms it, but the ability to do something.”

 

Damir knows what multicultural communication is not by hearsay. Originally, he is from Russia. First, he relocated from his home town of Nizhny Tagil to Moscow, then he moved to Estonia, and now he is studying in Finland. Damir notes that every move is a change of social circle and social status. “As a result, you break free from the homogenous bubble and leave the stereotypes and the feeling of the dangerous world behind.”

 

Empathy, tolerance and solidarity are essential to Damir. “My participation in MeM and a cultural inclusion training in Yeltsin Center taught me to be more tolerant towards others, pay attention to people’s experience and expertise, value the partnerships. I came to realize that horizontal relationships allow us to do so much more.”

 

“I would like to share a link to an exhibition «Disarming language: Disability, Communication, Rapture». If we are speaking about disability, it is interesting for me how people with the experience of disability make themselves seen and heard. There is a principle, «Nothing about us without us». This is the approach I see in this project, and I relate strongly to it.”