Minimal & Functional — Austria

Guten Tag,
I would like to share my experience from the Erasmus+ project that took place in the Austrian city of Linz from April 1st to 6th, 2025. The project was called MINIMAL AND FUNCTIONAL and was part of a three-phase training course – the first phase took place in Bulgaria, the second in the Czech Republic, and the third in Linz, Austria, which is where I joined.

The main goal of the project was to test proven non-formal education activities that are “minimal and functional” – meaning they can be carried out anytime, anywhere, and without the need for materials or technical equipment, as long as a safe and supportive environment is created. I believe this aim was fully achieved.

On the first day, together with the Austrian and Bulgarian teams, we prepared the program: we presented our pre-designed activities, estimated the time each would take, planned when to take coffee breaks, and so on. Before the participants arrived, we visited the beautiful city center of Linz and the magical pilgrimage church Pöstlingberg. In the evening, we welcomed the participants, played a few icebreaker games, and got ready for the upcoming program.

On the second day, the morning session was led by Rob, a facilitator from the Netherlands. Through his carefully chosen activities, he helped us feel more comfortable and connected as a newly formed group. I especially enjoyed the activity focused on dealing with fears and worries.
In the afternoon, the Bulgarian team took over. They introduced their organization and shared some basic tips on creating content for social media. We immediately put what we had learned into practice by interviewing locals in Linz and writing short articles about the experience.

The third day began with a session on emotions, theatre, and mindfulness, again led by Rob and held outdoors. In the afternoon, both the Bulgarian team and we took turns organizing group activities. We prepared a European-themed quiz which, despite its challenging questions, was well received by the participants.

The final day was fully in our hands. Our activity focused on the European Parliament. Although this topic was more demanding, all participants engaged actively, discussed with respect, and represented their opinions thoughtfully and openly.

This project was a big challenge for me – participating in the organization brought moments of stress but also great enjoyment. I truly appreciated the time in Linz and left feeling inspired and enriched with new ideas for organizing educational activities. It was a meaningful and empowering experience that pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me a lot about myself.