Programme & action: ERASMUS+, Key Action 1: training course
Venue: Viljandi County, Estonia
Dates: 22-30 July 2015
Participants: 2
Please read the info-pack and daily activities schedule.
Host organization: Noored Ühiskonna Heaks
Participant’s fee: €25
Project report:
At the end of July 2015 I had an opportunity to participate in a 9-day-long training course in the south of Estonia which was focused on outdoor education and non-formal education and organized by Youth Association DRONI. We were very multicultural group, because there were people from 14 countries and not only from EU. We met also participants from Georgia, Armenia etc. But we created a very good team and our organizers were awesome so we really enjoyed perfect time there!
The first two days we spent in a small town called Olustvere where we stayed in a school and as usual we started to get know one another. We played lots of teambuilding games and through them we started to trust one another and learnt how to cooperate. Than we started to prepare everything for three-day-long hiking trip in the Soomaa National Park, which was main practical part of the course. And in this moment the organizers ‘Stepped Out’ and for all three days they just watched us and let us decide about next program. We made a three group – material, food and program team – and each of them have they own responsibility. At the beginning it was difficult to find the way how to communicate and how to strike a deal with so many people, ideals and with so many different opinions. But we had a reflection every morning and we talked about our problems and about their solutions and we got better every day. Teams started communicate together and we solved every problem.
For everybody it was totally different experience, but in every case it wasn’t only about team-working, but it was about self-development a lot. At first sight the organizers did nothing, but they gave us space..! This trip was challenge. For someone it was physical challenge, for someone it was more psychological, but we dealt with it as a group and everybody were proud of themselves at the end. Last but not least we also saw nice Estonia wetlands and swam in the swamp.
Than we came back to the civilization, organizers ‘Step up’ and last few days we spent in a nice hotel in seclusion near to town Viljandi, which we also visited. Here we focused more on the theoretical part of our program. We evaluated everything and started to realize what had happened. We also get a lot of knowledge about different types of leaderships and about ERASMUS+ projects. We also tried to write our own project (Youth Exchange or Training Course) and I really got interested in it!
In these 9 days I met lots of amazing people, I made a new friend and I realized a lot of things about myself. It was perfect experience and I hope, I will get opportunity to participate in some other project. I definitely recommend everybody to apply for some training and have first-hand experience.
Jitka Zejbrdlichová
