From the 8th to the 12th of June 2017, all the coordinators of the five partners of the project First ADR Kit met for the mid-term meeting in a wonderful place in Norway, 220 km inside the arctic circle: Narvik. The Norwegian partner association, Narviksenteret, is in fact located in Narvik where they also manage the War Museum. Joakim and Ann Kristin hosted us in Beis Fjørd (12 km from Narvik) in a nice dormitory which was part of what used to be a military barrack and is now owned by the local sport association. The fact that we were hosted in a dormitory with a common kitchen contributed to create the right atmosphere to work together: the rituals of having breakfast together and to prepare the meals together positively influenced also the way we were working together.
We hadn’t seen each other from the seminar that Vicolocorto hosted here in Pesaro last March. It was not only a pleasure to meet again, but it was also a very useful occasion to revive the energy which is now necessary to accomplish the final phase of the project. First of all, we used the mid-term meeting to share with the other partners what we all have been doing regarding the project from March until June. In Pesaro the participants had created 10 workshops and every association had to test them in their local reality to improve and to adapt them to the target groups they were meant for: this was the moment to share all the results and the actual status of the workshops. Some partners struggled more than other to finalize the workshops and, in this sense, meeting with the group was very helpful: the creative atmosphere of the previous seminar was easily recreated and constructive feedback was given to everybody’s work.
Beside the workshops, we discussed dissemination strategies, the handbook and the final events since the project is entering its last phase. Another big topic was “Games”: the partners felt that we had to use the valuable time together of the mid-term meeting to finalize them. This was the right decision because we managed to work hard and to give a better shape to the two educational games that we need to develop within the project. There was and there is a good synergy within the group and what is really impressive is the fact that nobody lost interest in this project, on the contrary we discussed the option of continuing not only working with ADR, but also together.
Besides work, thanks to the hosts and their EVS volunteers (we are very proud to be Giovanna’s Sending Organization), we also had the opportunity to visit Narvik and the museum they manage. They are really passionate about their town, its history and the history of the people that lived there. Not only they’re passionate about their past, but they also use it as a tool to fight war in contemporary society and to work towards peace. The tour in the museum was very exciting and they gave us a lot of interesting information and facts. The cherry on top was the dinner with an amazing view on the fiords. While getting to the restaurant, we discovered the city and its curious facts and places thanks to a special tour organized for us.
We had five days of intense work, cooperation and discoveries since for many of us was the first time in Norway and for sure the first time in the midnight sun. We left Narvik with a lot of tasks and new appointments: each partner will work now with its own team until the final event when everyone will meet again to close the project.
Virginia
Vicolocortini 