Although the meetings of Czech and foreign families gathering together at one table will take a place in the autumn, in the meanwhile we are intensively working on the Family Next Door project 2022.

You can also be a part of this amazing project and taste (figuratively and literally) something from the culture of people who have found new homes with us here. Meetings of the families will take place on the 27th of November this year 2022. If the pandemic situation is not favourable for the family meetings or there are other serious reasons on the part of individual families, it is possible to arrange another time.

In addition to the meeting, we are also preparing six STAND-UP performances by foreigners in cafes or other suitable places for such an event; we will specify more details, but we already know the presence of famous people, such as Tigran Hovakymian and Nikola Džokič.

The Family Next Door project, in the form of joint dining of Czech families and families of foreigners, creates a space for the exchange of cultural experiences, the establishment of new long-term friendships and especially the bond of relationships between families from different countries.

Foreigners have the opportunity to get to know Czech culture or customs better, which will help them integrate into mainstream society. Czech families will taste new dishes and today's different cultures, which is priceless at times. Registered families are paired with project assistants, who decide on the basis of age, hobbies, language and place of residence of the participants. In recent years, families from Syria, India, Belarus, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Iran, Algeria, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Vietnam, Mongolia and New Zealand have participated. And of course, from the Czech Republic.

The "Family Next Door" project boasts the prestigious Austrian Sozial Marie 2011 award. At the end of 2013, it was awarded by the Maurer Foundation as one of the best gastronomy projects dealing with the socially disadvantaged. The European Commission has identified the project as one of the best ways to integrate foreigners into society. Thanks to its innovation and success, the project has taken place beyond the borders of the Czech Republic.

Matvijevská Marina (host):

"Great, wonderful meeting, we didn't want to say goodbye at all. We seemed to be on the same page and we didn't feel like strangers at all. The conversation was balanced on both sides and we are happy for the wealth of information. It's a very friendly family, thank you! "

Can I participate?

A Czech family or a family of foreigners from third countries with legal residence status in the Czech Republic can join the joint meal.

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