POWER OUT: Youth Learning through the Power of Outdoor Activities — 1st phase — Albania

A week-long trip to Albania with a program focused on Learning through the Power of Outdoor Activities. Sounds exciting does it not? What is more, you would spend the week with people from countries such as Montenegro, Greece, Romania, and Bulgaria. That seems like an unique opportunity you simply cannot leave unused. 

And so, there we were, three small light-haired girls in one of the largest and most important cultural and economic Albanian centers—the city of Korçë. Starting with sharing our adventures from crossing the Albanian border alone, we quickly moved to planning our future adventures together. From strolling through the streets of the old town, hiking the local mountains, visiting the nearby lake Ohrid, and running from the local snakes to becoming stars of the local climbing center, we experienced a lot by each other’s side, which brought us really close. Furthermore, while fighting the exhaustion when hiking the Morava Mountain, navigating through the hills of Pogradec, overcoming the fear of falling when climbing, and experiencing the feeling of being alone in the middle of nowhere, we found out a lot about ourselves, which showed us how powerful outdoor activities can be in facilitating learning processes, especially in terms of self-development.

Our outdoorsy adventures were accompanied by more relaxing activities prepared by the hosting organization. Team-building games, lectures, workshops, a volleyball session, or horse-riding provided us with the opportunity to get to know the people from other countries, learn about their culture, and have some very enriching conversations. On top of that, we got to experience the best of Greek culture by being invited to a festive Greek dinner, which marked the end of our time in Albania. 

Overall, the project was very enriching. Although we did not get to know that much about the theory of learning through outdoor activities, we were given enough free time to explore this topic in practice on our own. From taking the initiative and planning through executing our ideas and experiencing their outcomes to reflecting on the whole process, we went through all the stages of effective learning. Finding out how we behave in particular situations throughout the process using introspection made us realize how much one can change and develop in response to adventures in an outdoor setting. With its beautiful landscapes and spectacular nature, Albania indeed proved to be an excellent environment for such adventures. 

So, Albania, thank you for having us but also for letting us return home. A big thank you, of course, goes to EYCB for allowing us to attend this project. However, the biggest thank you goes to Míša and Hanka for accompanying me on each of the mentioned adventures and making the whole project an unforgettable experience.

                                                                                                                                             Barbora Petrlíková