ERASMUS+, Key Action 1: training course
Venue: Brežice, Slovenia
Dates: 4—11 April 2023
Czech team: Lukáš Rychetský, Eliška Kubovčíková, Pavel Hrdinka
Please read the info-pack & daily activities schedule.
Hosting organisation: Cirkus La Bulle & Društvo CIK
Project report:
This amazing project took place in Brežice, a small Slovenian town near the border with Croatia. This project was aimed at promoting the mental well-being of youth. We had 23 participants from 11 different countries, including Slovenia, Czech Republic, Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece and Italy.
At the beginning we did activities to get to know each other. We talked about ourselves and had the opportunity to introduce our organisations to others. Then we continued with a discussion about healthy lifestyle. Especially about what a healthy lifestyle is and what activities help to maintain good level of well-being.
The next days we participated in activities focused on self-development, self-knowledge, self-awareness and self-reflection. We did these activities individually or in pairs and then had a group discussion about the purpose of each exercise. We had opportunity to try out imagination exercises, different ways of relaxation and meditation too.
Not to forget, Anja, one of the lecturers, prepared a workshop on circus pedagogy for us. We tried some acrobalance exercises and had a lot of fun! 😊
In the middle of the training course, we had a free day. In the morning we did “sharing is caring” activity. This meant that each participant could offer an activity to the other participants. We learned how to fold an origami plane, how to meditate or how to do some interesting sports exercises. In the afternoon we could do whatever we wanted to. Some people went sightseeing in the city of Ljubljana, others took a walk in the nature or enjoyed the bath in the local hot spring.
The second half of the training course was focused on communication. We had a two-day workshop on non-violent communication. This was a very useful part of the course as we learned about the function of emotions and needs in our daily lives and developed some ways to share them with others. We learned about the importance of setting boundaries in communication and cultivated self-empathy too.
We always had free time in the evening. We used it for a tango class, a kahoot quiz and playing board games.
Last but not least, all the participants and lecturers were wonderful, open-minded and very inspiring people! We managed to create a safe space where everyone could really express themselves and we became a great group of friends together. I’m very happy to recommend you all to participate in such a project. It’s a great opportunity to gain new experiences, enrich your knowledge and meet amazing people from different countries!
Eliška Kubovčíková
