Involve! Include! Improve!
The alarm rang early for us because there was a mission to accomplish: to deliver important information to Valga students about Erasmus+ .The day before was spent on preparing activities : energizers, games and workshops. This was an interesting and useful experience for both parties, because most of the students had never heard of Erasmus+ before and some participants from our group had never done activities like this either. We got a lot of positive feedback and hoped that we were able to give a nudge to students to take part of different Erasmus+ projects. Through the eyes of people from different countries and cultures, the school in Valga was like a mansion. We were all extremely surprised, shocked of how good were the conditions in schools and how polite and enthusiastic the teenagers were! The most amazing moment for us was, when we were able to be in two countries at the same time. “I’m in Latvia, I’m in Estonia, I’m in Latvia aaaaand Estonia.” The border made us feel free and was a good example of how the world and people should be: open-minded, prejudice-free and happy! On the way back we discussed with our study buddy about the experience that we’ve just gained and what could we have improved.
The second part of the day was focused on group dynamics and how to notice changes during the lifespan of a group. This is good information to use in the next projects so that we can evaluate the development of the team. The strategy can be also useful to prevent future conflicts and help groups achieve their goals. Now, we are waiting for the sauna… Keep you updated! In the morning we facilitated and participated in a “World cafe”; an opportunity to discuss important issues about how to reach more participants with Erasmus+. This was an informal event where 4 volunteers facilitated the discussion of important topics concerning youth work whilst everyone enjoyed delicacies such as “magic juice” and “warm water with herbs”. After lunch we prepared workshops to deliver in Estonian schools. We were all excited about this as we wanted to experience the culture of a different country's school system. The objective was to inform students about the volunteering and educational opportunities available to them through Erasmus+, using a relaxed and non-formal learning environment. After a group reflection session and a delicious meal of buckwheat and chicken in a creamy sauce, we spent the rest of the evening putting the finishing touches to our presentations, ready for an early start the next morning. People were tired out after all that hard work... ...or was it because of all the snowball fights earlier?!
In the morning we all made our own notebooks to record all our amazing thoughts and ideas for the week. With our books in hand, we learnt more about Erasmus Plus and the different elements of the programme from Strategic Partnerships to Youth Exchanges - learning from our group's experts. After an energising "Shark Song" we divided ourselves across 8 islands of Key Competences and explored these islands together. We then reflected about our learning by watching Shaun the Sheep and analysing what Key Competences the animals displayed during the episode. (Shaun is very entrepreneurial and showed good initiative). Finally we reflected about the different roles of Youth Workers through brainstorming and sharing our ideas. The 2nd Intercultural Night was hosted by Romania, Turkey, Poland, Spain and the UK. We had quizzes, dances, songs, videos, food and drink from each country. In May 2017, we invited 2 future group leaders and 3 former group leaders to engage in a skype chat to discuss the responsibilities of being a group leader. It was a great opportunity to share learning and experiences and prepare the new leaders for their responsibilities.
The following notes were taken from the meeting and will form the basis of our briefing papers for all future group leaders. Notes on Skype Group Leader Briefing
In may 2017, the EVS volunteers that are working in Asociatia D.G.T. started going at “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” school, located in the Middle West part of Bucharest, very close to Titan metro station. They teach Italian, Spanish and English to children between 6 and 12 years old. For teaching they are using non-formal education, a new learning methodology based on the motivation of the student. In other words, the education doesn’t work only with traditional learning techniques where the teacher is explaining a topic and the students taking notes. The teacher should also inculcate the illusion and interest to get new knowledge without forgetting to take in consideration some issues. First of all, the class should be attractive; it should be adapted to the 2th century, to use new information and communication technologies (ICTs) and non-formal methods. That is to say, learning trough games, songs, and another practical activities. Currently, teenagers are in a global and consumerist society where they receive plenty of attractive spurs trough TV, internet and street advertisements. In conclusion, we have to live up to the necessities of the new century in order to make an attractive and dynamic class. One of the problems EVS volunteers find out during the beginning of the classes is the difficulty of individualizing the class. When the number of students is more than 12 is difficult to achieve their potentials. However, there are some helpful tricks. For example the shy kids can be encouraged to speak in front of the public or to have an important role in the class. Also, the teacher should explain slowly and patiently the contents to the kids with learning difficulties. At the end, the achievement of this activity would be to make the kids learn new languages, and to come with pleasure at the classes. |
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