Terms of participation
Participation Fee
For the youth exchange part, we ask participants for a small financial contribution in a form of participation fee. This fee is not a condition for selection, and no one will be excluded because of financial reasons.
The amount depends on the economic context of each country:
• Italy, France, Spain – 50 €
• Latvia – 45 €
• Georgia, Türkiye – 35 €
We have adjusted the contribution based on national income levels to make it accessible.
For us, as a non-profit organisation, your contribution gives support to maintain our activities and demonstrates commitment and recognition of the work.
What is the fee used for?
All collected funds are used transparently to improve the quality and safety of the project. Specifically, the donation helps to:
• Cover Third-Party Liability insurance for accidents and damage to others for all participants (N.B. this is not medical insurance, participants are still required to have valid EHIC or Private medical insurance)
• Support local contributors, like craftsmen, medieval experts or other related professionals, who will share their knowledge during YE
What if I cannot afford it?
If the participation fee represents a financial difficulty, you should let us know about it in the application form / or through communication with your sending organisation. This will be considered as a request a reduction or full waiver. We are committed to inclusion and equal access.
The contribution also has a symbolic value. By contributing, participants support the shared responsibility of making the project sustainable and high-quality for everyone involved.
Rules of the Realm
A charter for all who enter Bergolo Medievale
I. Of Presence and Commitment
Those who enter the realm are expected to be present in body and mind.
Participation is not passive watching from the margins. Each voice, each action, and each silence matters.
Attend the activities, take part in the role-play, and walk the path together with the group. If doubts or difficulties arise, speak them openly to your kin or group leader. Withdrawal without dialogue weakens the whole realm.
II. Of Respect and Conduct
In this realm, dignity stands above rank.
All participants shall treat one another with respect, regardless of role, origin, gender, belief, or background. Words are to be chosen with care, actions with awareness.
Discrimination, harassment, mockery, or exclusion have no place within these walls. Conflicts may arise, as they always have in human societies, but they are to be faced through dialogue, mediation, and reflection.
III. Of the Role and the Self
Each participant carries two identities: the person and the character.
The role-play may explore power, inequality, conflict, or privilege, but these remain within the learning space. No role justifies harm. When the game becomes heavy, the right to step out, speak up, and seek support is always honoured.
Remember: the role serves learning, not the other way around.
IV. Of Council and Voice
The realm is built on shared governance.
Decisions inside the role-play are taken through councils, assemblies, and agreed procedures. Outside the role-play, feedback flows through reflection groups, group leaders, and facilitators.
Speak your truth, listen to others, and accept that disagreement is part of collective life. Silence is allowed, but indifference is not.
V. Of the Digital Silence
For part of the journey, the realm calls for digital silence.
Mobile phones and personal devices will be set aside during agreed periods. This is not punishment, but practice. It sharpens attention, deepens relationships, and restores the lost art of being fully present.
Exceptions are always allowed for health, family, or urgent matters. These are handled with care and respect.
VI. Of Labour and Shared Responsibility
Life in the realm is communal.
Participants are expected to contribute to daily tasks: caring for spaces, preparing activities, supporting events, and assisting one another. No task is beneath anyone, and no role is exempt from responsibility.
The strength of the realm lies not in titles, but in cooperation.
VII. Of the Land and Its Keepers
Bergolo is not a stage. It is a living village.
Participants are guests of the land and its people. Respect local residents, shared spaces, nature, and resources. Waste is to be avoided, materials treated with care, and sustainability practiced in action, not only in words.
Leave the place as you would wish to find it.
VIII. Of Sobriety and Safety
To safeguard the learning space, the realm remains substance-free.
Alcohol and other substances are not permitted during the programme. This rule exists to protect physical safety, emotional clarity, and mutual trust.
Those who endanger themselves or others may be asked to step out of the realm.
IX. Of Care and Well-being
No one walks alone in this journey.
If you feel overwhelmed, unwell, or lost, reach out. Group leaders and facilitators are there to support you. Asking for help is not weakness, but wisdom.
Care for yourself, and watch over others as you would wish to be watched over.
X. Of the Closing of the Realm
When the journey ends, the roles are laid down, but the learning remains.
Participants are invited to carry the experience back to their communities through reflection, sharing, and action. The realm dissolves, but the bonds and insights endure.
What is learned here is not meant to stay behind stone walls.
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