Programme & action: ERASMUS+, Key Action 1: Training course
Venue: Istanbul, Turkey
Dates: 5-12 July 2018
Participants: Ivona Pokorná, Jan Buček
Please read the info-pack.
Hosting organisation: Turkiye Avrupa Vakfı
Participating countries: Romania, Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, Greece, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, United Kingdom
Project report:
In the beginning of July me – Ivona Pokorná and Honza Buček had an opportunity to go to Turkey for training course: Good Mentors, Happy Volunteers, which started on 5th of July and ended on 12th. The project took place in small calm town Selimpaşa close to Istanbul, and hosted diverse group of people from many countries: Turkey, UK, Romania, Croatia, Italy, Greece, Estonia, Slovenia, Poland, Czech and Slovak Republic and also one Ukraine, who represented Slovakia. Sounds funny, but since you live in participating country, you can attend a project representing that country. Thanks to that rule we have also had a girl with dual citizenship Italian/Turkish, who grown up in Turkey, but currently she has been living in Italy, so she basically came home representing Italy.
Why I mention those details is that every participant was unique. Everyone came from different background, with different experience, knowledge, age (from high school kid to high school teacher), with different attitude, expectations and character. To put such people in one hotel for one week, make them team work on some activities, share, and open themselves, it’s a great school itself. We were lucky to learn from each other, find friends and also maybe future colleagues.
The aim of the TC was to grow up good mentors, who will take care of volunteers who go for ESC volunteer project to foreign country, where they might not have any other person to turn to, when they have a problem. The organizers prepared many activities which taught us to deal with conflicts or to know where to find a help, when the problem is serious like for example harassment from the volunteer’s boss. We shared contacts and sources, where we can learn more, and contacts to NGO we can cooperate with. I have to appreciate a flexibility of organizers, who were able to adapt a program and activities to participant’s needs and wishes in a way I have never experienced before. That was a great example of non-formal education.
I would love to thank to organizers and EYCB for their work and for the opportunity they gave us. It wasn’t my first E+ project and I can say in general, they changed my life and I always learn so much. Thank you for another well done project!
Ivona Pokorná
