Great final evening. The group decided to cook a bbq and really get our teeth into a variety of meat and salad.
Incredible food with great people :).
Our first full meal I think and a real opportunity for us to team build. If only this could have been every night.
Amy again with a quick chat with Seher.
I am Seher Saka, I live in Manisa, Turkiye.
My favourite thing about my country is the beaches. They are perfect! The sun never disappears in the south part, but I know alot of Britons already know that. We have a lot of people travelling to our sea during summer.
The economy in Turkiye is better than some European countries, but we are still a candidate for the union.
I have done some amazing things but the most interesting thing I've ever done is calling for and taking with spirits. I did it when I was younger and don't think il ever do that again. It was difficult to get it out of my mind.
I'd like to make projects together in the future, absolutely. I am a teacher at a state school Gediz Ilkogretim Okuku. I would like to do a cultural project because I want my students to learn about other counties, especially England.
Meeting people from another countries has been the best part of this training. I will never forget any of them.
One of the most active participants this week has been Loredana Crucitti. She is from Torino in the Piedmont region of Italy.
She says, '' My favourite thing about my country if the food. We have sevenal regions each with their own style of cooking. Its really diverse and it differs from village to village. Everyone can find something they will enjoy. I also love the sea, its beautiful.
The most amazing thing I've done is move to New York on an internship with the UN. I was working there for 3 and a half months, it really gave me a chance to learn about different ways of life. It really is a city where you can meet people from all over the world, fantastic experience.
I am not as experienced in youth work as some people on this course therefore I think I am learning alot from it about non-formal education, from an international point of view I work with Romanian Roma children, living in camps in Italy. So its great to have some first hand experience of their country.
However it is interesting seeing how we work as people and realising that we too as youth workers need to develop and be open to change. Courses like this are a step to help us push our boundaries and learn that we must take the aims of our organisations into our day to day lives.
Piedmont is in the north of the country. It means the foot of the mountain, as it sits close to the Alps.
I am working on a local project at the moment around film and photography in the camps. I really hope to make this a international project, and most certainly work with Amy and Momentum to achieve this''.
Amy here with another quick interview with one of my fellow participants.
This is Petar Stoyanov, from Pleven Bulgaria. He is currently living in Sofia, the capital.
He says, ''My favourite thing about my country is the Nature. Bulgaria is Heaven on Earth. Starting with the black sea with its beautiful sandy beaches, going through the high mountains full of various natural forms such as lakes, waterfalls, caves, canyons and all this combined with the seasons. The blossoming Spring, warm Summer, colourful Autumn, and snowy Winter.
Something you may not know about my country is that when we nod up and down we mean no and when we shake our head from side to side it means yes. This can get confusing for us and English speakers, so we always have to check we are on the same page.
I've had some awesome experiences in my life, but if I had to choose one it would be my Erasmus project in Latvia. It was my first experience abroad and I really enjoyed it. This is when I realised I wanted to travel more and learn about other countries.
I would be happy to work with you again in the future and cooperate in anyway I can. I've been excited about this project. However I am very tired, and I wish I wasn't because I like to have alot of fun and want to get to know everyone better :) ''.
Me again :). We just completed a great team building exercise around moulding a flower and a lighthouse.
In my team we had, Alexandra,Lory, Momo and Eddie. We had a mask over our eyes and were not allowed to talk. To simulate being blind and deaf.
Communication was key during this exercise. However we had to use different senses in order to communicate. Touch was our most important ability, to understand how the rest of the group was feeling. The first activity we were just told we had to build a flower. I don't think we did a bad job.
For the lighthouse we had the oportunity to look and discuss a strategy before our senses were took away. We decided to split the lighthouse into sections sharing responsibly.
Great activity when working with participants from all walks off life, for an example of role reversal.
This afternoon the group had some great discussion around how to include a variety of people in society in Youth in Action projects. Especially focussing on students with disabilities, working with mainstream students.
Myself and Eddie spoke about the London Leadership course and the fantastic work at S-Factor. As a positive example of how Momentum work to achieve and develop this.
This morning we had an opportunity to visit the home of Dracula.
The bus pulled into a fog covered Bran, Transylvania. Looking through the fog up the hill you could see the house where Bram Stokers creature lives.
The house held alot of history and told of how the story developed over the years.
It was cold in the air when walking around. But with all the garlic we had in the soup I think I'm covered.
Henry (Estonia) is modeling some of the souvenirs on offer.
A great sight today was seeing Seher, who is an English teacher from Turkiye and Momo who is Moroccan but lives and represents Italy on this project.
Seher is helping Momo with his English studies and teaching him about English grammer.
Multicultural learning at it's best. However my Yorkshire accent was more of a hindrance than a help, so it was better for me to write examples rather than to say them, fun and a great way to help me with my pronunciation.
We have been working on developing future Youth in Action projects and the requirements in the applying process.
Robert (Estonia) in the picture is discussing a potential HIV project. With HIV participants and trainers. Allowing them to discuss how to medicate their conditions. Also how they can begin to think about how to compact the growth of HIV in the community, especially with drug users.
Minna (Finland) is discussing a training programme around finance and health for people with a variety of mental problems, to help them avoid debt and issues to ensure they can live and be safe in society.
Thomas (Greece) is developing a youth exchange project with people with disabilities. His organisation works using sport to engage and inspire young people with disabilities. I definatly think there is a connection here for Momentum.
We also worked as a small european group to think about ways we can continue the growth of European citizenship. In the photograph we have Loredana from Italy, Alexandra from Romania and Seher from Turkiye. Discussing potential project working with young people on a youth exchange project.
I am Alexandra from Cluj Napoca in Romania.
My favourite thing about my country is the people. We are welcoming and have a great sence of community.
I try to live everyday to the full and make the best opportunity for tomorrow.
I think our organisations can work together in the future, I have already contacted my organisation so we can think of ideas. We like the idea of creating a project using film.
I will tell you something you may not know about Romania. Each colour represents something different.
Red represents the blood of people who have died in battles for our freedom. Yellow for the land of wheat and corn. Blue to represent the clear sky.
I am glad I got selected for this project because I have met some fantastic people. Amy and Eddie are the first British people I have met and I have learnt alot about all the countries.
To help develop this project the participants have been vocal and this needs to continue.
Last night the groups participated in the intercultural evening. This is a presentation of your home country and an opportunity to share in each others culture.
All the presentations where fantastic. Countries brought their traditional food and drink, and as a group we sampled the taste of a wider europe.
After the drinking and chatting the only way to wrap up the night is to dance and have a party. Where we also learnt traditional dances from Bulgaria and Romania.
An incredible night and thanks to my camcorder some interesting video clips.
A long and tiring night in the end.
Hi It’s Amy here on day 3 – it is time for me to share my thoughts about the training process so far. So today the group has been given 28 statements and quotes around the context and understanding of European citizenship. After which each member has voted whether they agree, disagree or are on the fence. The fishbowl process is a discussion where the participants try to change the others opinion. This process was very interesting during the discussion. However I also feel that we seem to be covering the same areas of discussion over the past few days and need a bit more in terms of creativity and diversity in the programme.
The project so far has covered in depth and at great length the concept of citizenship. With little flexibility depending on the preferences of the participants. This differs from a lot of other Youth in Action and Momentum projects I have been a member of.
Flexibility on the part of the organisation is crucial in a project like this and it can not be possible to follow a schedule/programme to the letter. Projects must bend to the learning and benefits to the participants, not always the interests of the organisation, as long as the main content and aims remain key. As you can see today has been a tough one but loving getting to know the participants – later on I will introduce some of them to you in a short interview”
This morning we woke to a cold, frosty and foggy Brasov. I have my extra thick socks on and an open mind to todays discussion around citizenship.
A late night socialising with the Romanian locals and more Kareoke to come in the next few nights I feel.
The evaluation game egg, chicken, monkey. To get us awake and ready for inclusion debates.
The different groups have been broken up and are discussing the reasons for and against religious inclusion within a society.
The pros and cons that constructing a religious building will have on a area. Myself being anti building and Eddie representing the womens association voting for. An interesting discussion and thought provoking.
Even more interesting thinking of Eddie as a feminist.
This afternoon we visited Brasov to experience the cultural and diversity of the town. My group made a short video showing the different examples of this and some of the people of Brasov opinions on being part of the European union.
Group participants wrote several points about their personal identity and how this influences the European ideals
After arriving late last night, there is only one way to really get to know the other participants... Kareoke! On heading into Brasov the group found a bar and started to warm up their vocal chords.
I graced the crowd with a rendition of Elvis Presleys Teddy Bear and Eddie performed Britneys Hit me baby one more time.
So introductions complete the first day of the training begins.
Bus and train ticket purchased, after a bit of a maze. We are waiting for our Journey from Bucharest to Brasov to begin.
Our bus journey through Bucharest showed us many sites of the city. Sat on the train to Brasov feels like we are in a Hogwarts carriage. Time now to have a nap and prepare for meeting the international partners.
All packed and ready to meet our We Build Europe partners. We will arrive tomorow evening after a day of travel. My day will start with a 4am rise and a flight from Manchester. Early night it is zzzz
So I have been checking out the weather for Romania and starting to purchase appropriate clothing. Really looking forward to meeting all the participants and making international connections
