First of all: welcome to the website of The Unity Express! For the past few months a team of highly motivated people have worked around the clock to prepare the world for this project. We wanted to make sure we have all the tools and certainties  in place for this project to go public.

Now that it is out in the open, we invite you to get involved. Let’s realize this project together and unite Europe in the process!

Read more about what this project is all about and how you can help after the break!

How it all began

Since February of 2010, a group of motivated and skilled CouchSurfers from all over Europe came together. They are all involved in organizing a truly unique and one of the most widespread events Europe has ever seen.

What is The Unity Express?

The Unity Express is about organizing a journey across as many as 24 European countries in a single, privately chartered train, with stops in major cities along the way, for a period of four weeks in the summer of 2011. The train has room for more than 400 people on board simultaneously. When traveling, people literally live in the train: eating, sleeping, partying, laughing, learning, discussing… It all happens there.

Why are you doing this?

We are not doing this “just because we can”.

The main goals of this project are:

1.    To create better understanding for the different cultures that Europe has to offer
2.    To create unity among as much European citizens as possible
3.    To strengthen and search for the European Identity within everyone

We see this train as a (very real) symbol for this. By bringing all those people together, on the train and in cities we attend, we create a better understanding for each other.

How can I help?

The Unity Express is going to be a project that crosses 24 countries, visits 22 cities, all in a train with more than 400 people in 4 weeks. Imagine that for a second, especially the organization! But: nothing is impossible. A lot of hands make light work!

Here’s how you can help…

• Join the Open Collaboration Platform – community.unityexpress.eu
  An Open Source platform, free to join for everybody who’s interested. The shape of the Unity Express will be formed there. Together we discuss, plan, share, solve and work on parts of the journey.
  Unfortunately, the Open Collaboration Platform is not entirely finished yet! It will be soon, though! Keep an eye on the website and when you want to help now: absolutely possible! Just contact us!
• Organize a Unity Gathering in your own city
  Unity Gatherings are get-togethers in various cities across Europe where people can learn about the project, fantasize about it and contribute actively to tasks and help push the project forward.
  If you want to help organize a Gathering in your own city, you can contact us and we’ll do everything we can to help you organize a Gathering over there! If it’s not too far we might even come over :)
• Spread the word!
  What the Unity Express project needs is exposure and awareness. A lot! Tell your friends about it and invite them get involved! You work at a TV station, radio station, magazine, newspaper, or any other type of media and you want to cover the story of the project? By all means: yes! Just contact the Communication Department for information. Meanwhile, you can start with the Press Package we have set up!

Have Twitter, Facebook or a weblog? Make the project more famous by tweeting or writing about it. Be sure to use the hashtag “#unityexpress” at Twitter when you can or reference @unityexpress in your tweet, so we can see what the Twitterverse is thinking about the project!
Join us on Facebook and invite friends to do the same, so we can get them excited as well!

That’s it for now! Be sure to stick around a bit more and read all about The Unity Express on this website! Put this blog in your RSS reader for updates on what we are going to do on the train, future Unity Gatherings (perhaps in your own city) and more!

Greetings from the whole team!

A part of the team in Münster at the train wagons!