Anna’s involvement with the Udinese Youth Association and the youth exchanges likely stemmed from her father's social connections and his acquaintance with the mayor of Udine, who was involved with the association. It's possible that schoolmates who were also participating in the exchanges may have influenced her decision to join.
Anna’s father was a conscripted soldier who became a prisoner of war during World War II, spending two years in a prison camp near Hamburg. He rarely discussed this and Anna didn't know much about what he went through. About 9 or 10 years after the war ended, he wanted to revisit the camp with my mother. He always emphasized that the civilian population had treated him well and he harbored no hatred or resentment towards the German people.
Anna participated in town-twinning exchanges four times and thoroughly enjoyed meeting young people from various countries. It was eye-opening to realize how similar they were, they shared the same songs, admired the same singers like the Beatles. However, perceptions about each other could be differend. Her host and friend Susan from Neath in Wales described Italy as a country of small towns where people seldom ventured outside, with many churches and constant bell ringing. She also believed at first that marriages in Italy were traditionally arranged by parents, attributing these ideas to depictions in Italian films circulating internationally.
Anna, on her side, was particularly curious about the family that hosted her in Neath. The father, despite being a factory worker, carried himself like a gentleman with a pipe. He was kind and hospitable. This was quite different from my perception of a factory worker, especially in Italy.
After having been for two weeks in Neath, Anna records in her diary: “I don’t want to leave, what I regret most is to leave all these boys and girls that are now for me as old friends. Now we don’t care absolutely about nationality, we are all European! We are all friends, brothers. And, not to be rhetorical, but I really understand What it is: “Europism”!
In 1968, Anna felt more mature and composed compared to her earlier experiences abroad. The real changes came for her after 1968 when she went to university, gained new experiences and knowledge, interacted with different people, and lived independently from my family. Her experiences of the exchanges was all before this historical moment of change.
Friends in a Cold Climate: After the Second World War a number of friendship ties were established between towns in Europe. Citizens, council-officials and church representatives were looking for peace and prosperity in a still fragmented Europe. After a visit of the Royal Mens Choir Schiedam to Esslingen in 1963, representatives of Esslingen asked Schiedam to take part in friendly exchanges involving citizens and officials. The connections expanded and in 1970, in Esslingen, a circle of friends was established tying the towns Esslingen, Schiedam, Udine (IT) Velenje (SL) Vienne (F) and Neath together. Each town of this so called “Verbund der Ringpartnerstädte” had to keep in touch with at least 2 towns within the wider network. Friends in a Cold Climate looks primarily through the eyes the citizen-participant. Their motivation for taking part may vary. For example, is there a certain engagement with the European project? Did parents instil in their children a a message of fraternisation stemming from their experiences in WWII? Or did the participants only see youth exchange only as an opportunity for a trip to a foreign country? This latter motivation of taking part for other than Euro-idealistic reasons should however not be regarded as tourist or consumer-led behaviour. Following Michel de Certeau, Friends in a Cold Climate regards citizen-participants as a producers rather than as a consumers. A participant may "put to use" the Town Twinning facilities of travel and activities in his or her own way, regardless of the programme.
Integration of West-Europe after the Second World War was driven by a broad movement aimed at peace, security and prosperity. Organised youth exchange between European cities formed an important part of that movement. This research focuses on young people who, from the 1960s onwards, participated in international exchanges organised by twinned towns, also called jumelage. Friends in a Cold Climate asks about the interactions between young people while taking into account the organisational structures on a municipal level, The project investigates the role of the ideology of a united West-Europe, individual desires for travel and freedom, the upcoming discourse about the Second World War and the influence of the prevalent “counterculture” of that period, thus shedding a light on the formative years of European integration.
