International Youth Exchange
„LET’S COOPERATE”
Here is the personal feed back from the partcipants:
“LET`S COOPERATE IN POLAND!
“The Change is in You” Association was represented in the youth exhange project “Let’s Cooperate”, in Poronin, Poland, between 23-31 July, funded by Erasmus + Programme by five youth people aged 18-25 from Bulgaria. In the project there were 5 representatives from the following countries too – Spain, Romania, Sweden, Italy, Portugal and Poland. The main goals of the project were ensuring the development of skills in self-presentation, cooperation in groups, determining youths’ goals, achieving them using methods that increase the quality of their achievements and activities. Also, this project helped them to broaden their horizons, increase technical knowledge, tolerance and self-awareness.
In the beginning, most of the participants were a little bit afraid as they were going to a different country without knowing anyone, but in the end these fears were gone and substituted by positive vibes and new friendships.
TEAM BUILDING activities AND ENERGIZERS contributed a lot for getting to know each other and making the working atmosphere friendly and nice. The first day was well-organized and completely dedicated to names and background information games.
Energizers were important part of the everyday activities. At the beginning of every session one of the teams presented a short game which warmed up the participants and prepared them for the serious work.
The cooperation in multicultural teams allowed young people to make the rest of the participants aware of their culture, similarities and differences between them in a complex and challenging Europe. During each session participants worked in different teams and this helped them to learn from each other as well as practice and improve their English speaking skills. No more than six people were usually included in each group which gave them the chance to take active participation in the learning process.
To confront participants with actual challenges that await them in the selection of a future study, career paths were developed using activities as simulation of job interview, elevator speech, workshops concerning how to create an NGO or a company and researching good examples of CSR plans in each country. Workshops were well-planned and useful. Some of them were held outdoors when the weather and the activities allowed that. The simulation of a job interview was of great interest to the participants as some of them had never experienced one. Some advice was given to them, also different situations were performed by the international groups and this prepared the participants for real life interviews.
The elevator speech was an opportunity for each person to learn how to use their time optimally while cooperating. Everybody had the chance to express themselves individually and learn from the others.
Workshops for CSR examples and creating NGOs were pretty useful and practical for the participants. Working in international groups helped them learn from each other’s experience and therefore create interesting projects.
The project definitely helped the participants to develop a lot of skills in terms of cooperation. It also made them aware of having a lot of talents. Meeting international people, exchanging ideas, sharing good practices was a step forward to a better world.”
Project description:
By organizing this youth exchange we wanted to help young people in confrontation with actual challenges that await them in the selection of a future study, career paths. A particular aspect of our activities was to break barriers, especially interpersonal, mental, cultural and language barriers. Leading and combining workshops, and theoretical knowledge with practical knowledge and knowledge about cooperation in multicultural teams allowed young people for a better, fresher and more confident start to their future professional life.
During our exchange we allowed them to establish close contacts with their peers. We helped them take their first steps in creating themselves, to develop their natural talents and predispositions, so in the future they will be successful in the professional and private life. Creating the conditions to explore their capabilities and giving a students tools to help themselves and the people around, it granted them immeasurably greater benefits in their future life. The situation in which they can work, created a team, learned about the culture, traditions and customs of young people from other countries. We erased in them the possibility of prejudice formation, we indicated that only knowledge, interest, empathy and willingness to understand the other person except racism, lack of a sense of unity, harassment in their environment or life.
Our goals, objectives and methodologies gave participating organizations in the project, to establish an extremely important friendship and establish future cooperation on new projects and organizing of events with other topics. All participants in our exchange broaden their horizons and improved their technical knowledge, tolerance and self-awareness. Stimulating both students and leaders and representatives of organizations for innovative thinking, unconventional and unique problem solving methods, and a fresh look at everyday problems. We ensured the development of skills in self-presentation, cooperation in groups, determining their goals, achieving those using methods that will increase the quality of their achievements and activities. With thematic blocks, discussions and workshops they learned how to advantageously present self at the interviews, at internship interview and be able to use their natural talents, increase self-confidence and faith in their own skills and abilities.
Learn methods : entry into the role of employer , which someday they will be , the powers of skills appropriate self-assessment of their abilities and knowledge, broaden knowledge and develop implementation decision-making process, accelerate the pace of action, determining goals and achieving them, increasing the quality, the effects of work. Using a combination of theoretical knowledge and confront with the practice, gave the participants most optimum opportunities to learn and absorb new information.
Partner organisations:
“The Change is in You” Association – BULGARIA
Civiltà 2.0 Onlus – ITALY
Associação de Defesa do Património Cultural Natural de Soure – PORTUGAL
Asociatia Be You- ROMANIA
Educadaje – SPAIN
Youth In – SWEDEN
FRATERNITAS – POLAND
The venue:
The exchange took place in Poronin village. It’s in south part of Poland, near border of Slovakia. Poronin is settled in Podhale region, near Tatra Mountains, it’s very calm place, close to nature, with animals and with a lot of trees and plants.
Participants were in rooms with 3 or 4 beds. Mixed nationalities of the same gender shared rooms. The venue was equipped with a plenary room where all activities were held, and a canteen where we had all the meals.
Address: Tatrzańska 99a street 34-520 Poronin
Website of our venue: http://austryjok.com
GPS coordinates: 49.327831, 20.037145
Participants` profile:
Participants were in age 18-25, and team leaders without age limit. They were interested in self-development, unemployment topics and also intercultural learning.
Intercultural evenings:
Each country had a chance to present their culture, food, drinks, music, dances and traditions. Our team prepared presentation of our country, including the following things – quiz, games and video presentation.
Our role:
Our role was to presentat “The Change is in You” Association and our country.
Before the project we made a research on unemployment of youth people in Bulgaria and then we shared this knowledge between participants, to see the situation of young people in Europe and make them aware of ours.
What we took with us:
- Practical clothes for different kinds of weather: chilly, rainy or hot. And shoes for walks.
- Personal things: hygiene, medicines you usually take, or other thing you need for your own well-being.
- Towels.
- Pocket money for your personal purchases.
- Information about “The Change is in You” Association.
- National food, samples of our local cuisine and some brochures about Bulgaria.
Travel costs:
We were reimbursed according to the rules of the Erasmus + Program. Reimbursement of travel costs was done upon presenting original tickets, receipts/invoices and boarding passes. Reimbursement was done in EURO, regardless of the currency indicated on your ticket, receipt or invoice. Our tickets were reimbursed directly to the CYA`s account, because they have paid for all of them. All we shared in the end was 3 euro per person, in order to cover the bank, transfer fee, fees for sending the original tickets back to Poland by post, currency exhnange losses, etc.
YouthPass:
Every participant was individually entitled to receive a Youthpass Certificate, which confirmed participation and validated the non-formal learning (NFL) experience of Training course project. Validating the learning experiences of participants is important in itself and the document can be of benefit in terms of the educational or employment future of the participant. Through Youthpass the European Commission ensures the Training course activity is recognized as a non-formal learning experience. Each one of us got YouthPass and we were also incuraged to full fill the self-assessment part as well.
(*For more information on Youthpass you may click on this page to check it online)
Български