Programme and action: Youth in Action programme. Action 4.3. training course
Venue: Tallinn, Estonia
Date: 1-8 September 2013
Pax: Kateřina Maršíková, Jana Broulíková
Participating countries: Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Italy (Sicily), Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Austria, UK and Portugal
Project report:
Jana and me participated in Training Course in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, that took place between the 1st and 8th September. The topic of the Course was When Social Meet Rights. The participant came from countries like Portugal, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Cyprus, Italy, Great Britain, Malta, and of course the Czech Republic and Estonia.
The organizers put us up in a lovely hotel Stroomi where we lived in the rooms for two (mixed nationalities). In the same building where we slept we also ate and had the training activities. As for food, we had wide variety of choices for breakfast (sweet, salty, also Estonian fish! And their amazing dark brwad) and tasty warm lunches and dinners that gave us a little knowledge of Estonian cuisine. Two coffee brakes per day were essential.
Our daily program consisted of a morning session, two afternoon sessions and reflection time ending the more formal part of a schedule. After dinner we had Intercultural evenings where our countries, customs and national food and drinks were presented and tasted.
In our free time we relaxed, chatted a lot and as we had the seashore literally a few steps from the hotel, we often went there for a walk or a run (!). The bus could take us to city center in a few minutes which we took the advantage of in a couple of evenings when we went to drink some beer, Vana Tallin (traditional Estonian liqueur, which is by the way delicious), dance or sing karaoke.
One day was free to discover Tallinn and mainly the old city center. With the guidance of our great Estonian friends it was an unforgettable experience.
As for the programme itself, it devoted to particular Social Rights one by one. We spoke about non-discrimination, education, employment, housing, movement of person, legal & social protection and health. This was analysed and practised with the help of non-formal education including various workshops. The programme was enriched with loads of warm-ups, ice-breakers, games etc. We also learned a lot about ‘Youth in Action’ Programme and shared the good practices of ours. On the last day we, in groups, created a plan of our own project and we were supposed to present it. Most of the activities took place in our common room, but as it was very nice and warm most of the time, the trainers tend to keep the programme outside as much as possible.
I really must admit our trainers were just excellent. Friendly, experienced and most of all the best actors! When it comes to setting an activity or motivation, being convincing is essential skill, I think. All in all, I assess the Training course as fairy well prepared. I am more than happy I have experienced this!
Kateřina Maršíková
