Programme & action: Youth in Action programme, action 3.1.2. training course
Venue: Aghveran, Armenia
Dates: 15-24 February 2014
Participants: Martina Jetmarová, Monika Hudečková
Project report:
Mikrorevolution. Upcycling. Teabreaks. Clay. Human design. Decision making. A training course on eco-building “Valley of Happiness” which was held in February in Armenia was not only about the eco-building. It was actually about the group of people, let´s say community. And communities are people, not buildings. The program of the course seemed to be really full of activities. Twenty-five participants and ten countries took a part in such a great project. The project has connected people from Ukraine, Germany, Belarus, Moldova, United Kingdom, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia and the Czech Republic.
We met up with the concept of eco-villages at the beginning and the following task for our group was to create a dream land from eco-materials including the planningand other processes. The creation went really well and our working groups could present four beautiful ideas of eco-villages in the end of the project. Moreover, we had an opprortunity to know each other and our cultures thanks to the international evening which was full of delicious national food, drinks, dances and fun. Also NGO presentations were full of inspirative project and ideas. We also got more familiar with Armenian culture during two beautiful days out of the resort. Excursion to the capital Yerevan and visit cultural and natural monuments in the nature.
First days were really organized according to the program but the structure gradually disappeared during the next days. We focused more on the group processes what was also a part of the course but not explicitly. Thanks to this change we had an opportunity to focus more on inner work and spirituality what was also very important because the roots of the decision to live in eco-villages are much deeper than just only the will to be in the nature. I would really appreciate the open space for sharing all the knowledge, ideas, feelings and whatever we wanted. The atmosphere allowed us to feel like at home. I am really glad that I could be a part of Valley of Happiness because somehow each of us find a piece of happiness there. And honestly, the project brought an unexpected outcomes for all of us.
Martina Jetmarová
