DAY SIX
This morning I woke up with strange feelings. I don’t remember why, but there was something that I couldn’t figure out in my mind. By the way, I stand up and went to have breakfast before my brain started to work too hard. After three sandwiches everything got better and I was ready to start the last day. When suddenly I remembered why I woke up so upset! I dreamt one of the coordinator giving me some order and tasks to accomplish all night long… Such a nightmare!!! No guys, you’ll never know who I dreamt, but at the end of this article I’ll introduce you both of them.
Changing topic.
The morning activities involved immediately the participants, as they had to create a flipchart about their NGO and then to present it to everybody. It was a nice time because the atmosphere was very relaxed and even if we were working on our tasks there was time for chatting and laugh together but also start to compare each competences. It was the aim of the session let the organizations know each other and build a bridge for future cooperation. We got more into the topic when the coordinators put some piece of paper with the name of various areas of the Erasmus plus program and every participants had to choose were to put himself. At the end some small groups were built spontaneously and they started to work on the topic they choose, with the purpose to create a new project that can involve them in the future.
During this phase I talked with Karin, from Austria, that explained me what her group was doing:
“We created an idea and the plan for the future is to accomplish it. For the moment we are just in a kind of analysis phase. Think together and cooperate to achieve a goal is absolutely better then stay over a table to think to something alone”
I also asked something about the whole program, just to have some more feedback:
“I think the program was very active, interactive and creative. We talked in a funny way about a serious topic as the inclusion. Personally I didn’t have any expectation before coming here, but after 6 days of project I can feel satisfy and I hope to cooperate with these people in the future. I also had the chance to reflect about something in my life that maybe I have to change.”
I think the session was successful because the people were very interested in cooperate, so much that I saw them speak about it even during the lunch break. Maybe some good idea will see the light soon, maybe later… or never, but the point was to get them talk and share their competences. The goal was perfectly achieved, for what I saw.
The last activity was the final evaluation about the whole project. There were some proper areas in the room with each topic related to the program and to the people expectation and contribution, and every participants had to walk randomly in the seminar room and reach the area where they wanted to leave some feedback.
Before I end my report, let me give a face and some words to the people that make all this possible: Laura and Inga, the trainers of this project.
When i ask to Inga about the project here what she says:
“the week together with everybody was a great experience, which will fallow me for a long time… we were not only “giving” something to participants, but were also receiving a lot… that’s why I like non formal education events – learning happens on all sides! Ah, and thanx to my Team as well… without them many things would not be possible…”
Then i got curious so I share with her a question that everyone in the group is thinking since a while: how was to plan and work together in the trainer’s team?
“I say, it went much easier as I expected… especially, because in this setting we never been working together before. We fast find the connection and felt each other, which is super big plus… And flexibility as well… Almost all planning was done together, we did split some tasks and during sessions we always were there for each other in case of need for extra support… and it worked out fine 🙂 “
But how everything started? I can’t stop making questions and I went searching for Laura because i hope she could maybe say something more and yes, she starts: “once upon a time..”.
“Me and Inga met for the first time in Portugal 2 years ago to work on a booklet about inclusion: as you can see we were already passionate about this topic! Sharing our (bad) experiences we both feel the need and the will to spread the awareness of a real inclusion perspective in a youth work and we couldn’t resist to design this training course which i personally love a lot. I can’t wait now for the new edition which it will take in a couple of months in Italy.”
Wow, after one week of work both trainer are still so energetic, passionate and full of energy and i can’t believe on it. Come on, something should have been hard in this week, I will keep the secret, let’s share..
“Difficulties? The only difficulty I had was to resist to the great food everyday! Working with Inga is amazing, she’s really professional and efficient, and of course a great person not only as a trainer! We immediately understand each other and complete, nobody in the group beliefs we were working as trainer team for the first time! A special thanks also to the staff: Joanne, Julia, Dace, Richards who helps always with a smile and a good work. And a very very special thanks to you, dear “inclusion reporter”! Travelling and working with you is so easy-going, enriching and funny. Who See you to the next check-in for the new reporting adventure in Armenia!“
And what about me? It was my first project were I wasn’t participant. To be in the other side of the wall is a strange feeling! First of all because when everybody is having free time you are busy to work in your report or to think about it. It doesn’t mean that I lived outside the group, at the contrary I enjoyed my time with them a lot, but it was a kind of living on the edge. By the way, it wasn’t something negative. I had the chance to see they work from the outside and I could observe how a group of unknown people has born and has grown up spontaneously. It was the most interesting experience for me in this field, also because at the end of the day I had to write down these reports, so I had to spend some time to reflect on what happen during the day. And, trust me, reflect is not one of my principal competences…
Let me also give my final evaluation about one more thing: the food!!! People, at a certain point I felt like a farm animal! I started to think that they were filling us and the last day we’ll have been cooked…
This is all more or less, now is time to leave you. I hope you enjoyed my report, if not you have all of my comprehension.
Daniele
Vicolocortini 