Representatives of NGO Mladiinfo Montenegro took part in a training course under the working title “Empowering Minorities: A Project to Improve Practices for Work with Minorities”. The training was held from March 18 to March 25, 2019, in Pristina, Kosovo, as a second activity of the project.
In addition to the teams from Montenegro, participants from the Czech Republic, Romania, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Italy, Macedonia and Greece took part.
According to the established, unwritten rule of the first day, the arrival of participants and informal acquaintance followed, while the next working day and the first working day followed the first working sessions. The participants got to know each other a bit better through a series of introductory workshops and games with names. One of the first sessions that followed and related to the game’s name is the name and movement, and after that the challenge was raised to a higher level so the participants had the task of writing their name and associating each letter of their name with the term my best describes them. During the interpretation of this activity, at the very beginning, the participants had the opportunity to connect with each other through the same or similar affinities.
As the working language was English, the participants were divided into levels of knowledge of the same to provide adequate help to those whose English knowledge is not on a sufficient level. Thereafter, a conversation about the Erasmusplus program followed. In this work, the participants had the opportunity to share their experience with Erasmus, but also to complement their knowledge of the same, as well as to learn about some novelties and opportunities.
On the first day, the participants shared the reasons why they decided to take part in this training course, as well as how they will use the acquired knowledge in their work practices as well as everyday life.
At the end of the first working day there was an intercultural evening where all present countries presented themselves with their traditional dishes, drinks, features, but also some traditions related to various joyous celebrations.
On the second working day for the purpose of raising energy, the first engineer was made. This activity, besides excitement, was aimed at connecting participants through the part where the participant who remained standing needs to find an interest that connects the other participants in order to get out of the chairs and get mixed up.
Since social networks are our daily routine, this training could not have taken place without a single session in which we still connect each other with a list and marker. Map of Connections is an activity where participants write their name on paper one by one and talk about themselves and their experiences, other participants if they find a connection take a marker, correspond to their name in connection with the previous speaker and begin to talk about themselves. This type of social network connects us to the participants and their interests, but it shows us how much we actually have in common with each other, although we come from different countries, cultures, faiths and beliefs.
In the continuation of the day, there was talk of non-formal education on which the Erasmus program rests.
In the next session, there was information transfer activity. The participants had the task of drawing the same thing as the coach had drawn. At the end of the circle, passing the information from one participant to another, the drawing received various variations. So, from the original drawings, someone got a cup of coffee, and someone else recognized the logo for G-mail. Depending on their expectations, the final result is actually dependent.
After that, the discussion followed what the participants brought with them in that ranch (experience, knowledge, needs), but also what they would pack after training to take with them.
In order to achieve team spirit participants were asked to find out how high Albert is. In addition to mathematical skills, it was necessary for participants to show themselves as leaders, dancers, meders of time and much more. With time constraints, the team had a number of tasks to complete or resolve to get further information that led to the solution of how high Albert was. Dynamics and brainwave are not fatal.
As the end of the working day, a type of evaluation of the day and training itself was followed. So the participants wrote a couple of questions about what is bad training for them, good training, a good trainer and a good participant.
At the beginning of the second working day, the names of secret surfers were drawn out. This activity gives participants the opportunity to find themselves, but also to express sympathies or admiration to each other.
As one of the goals of this training development of tools for informal education, the following day there were words about what process of work on new tools requires but also how to get the initial idea. More words were about analysis, visits to didkusia, success and failure, test groups, understanding the groups with which they are working, needs analysis …
On the third working day, the definition of “empowerment” was discussed as an introduction to the next activities. In addition to some of their personal definitions, participants also talked about what the term “mean” means for them, and what is the key to them in life as well as where they find their strength or support.
The participants learned with the discussion how to develop new tools in order to empower someone. They have learned and what types of tools exist and how they are used. Participants were divided into groups and worked on the development of new tools.
Participants developed several tools that presented the rest of the group in different ways. So one of the groups came up with an activity called “Curious Jar”. In the jar there were a handful of questions that the participants took and had a minute to talk with the other participant, that is, the answers to the question from the jar. Dynamic and successful workshop certainly.
The other team came up with the idea to work on the development of the print spirit so he designed a workshop in which all participants were blindfolded while the last in line was the leader who saw where the whole team was moving. Speech is not allowed, and in order to achieve the goal and accomplishment of the task, trust in the leader is necessary as well as good non-verbal communication of all in the team.
The next group also turned off the sight of the participants in the activity and tasked to create a perfect square from the rope. Due to poor communication among the participants at a given moment, this task was successfully done by only one team.
One of the workshops that has been developed is related to the recognition of identity and is based on the presentation skills.
The next working day was developing new tools that each participant would have the opportunity to test in his organization upon return from the training course.
After the division of the group by interest, teams were formed. After that, work on the development of new tools was followed.
The tools presented were mainly variations of already existing tools. One session that was tested with the group itself is “Shield”. The point of the workshop is that everyone on the sheet of paper write everything that empowers him and lead it through life.
One of the workshops was about the idea of hiring immigrants and supporting them through the agency “immobilie”. This workshop was presented as a theater.
The next session had the name “#strangeship”. The goal was to overcome social anxiety. Through inevitable social networks and questions, the parties connect and talk live, and have the opportunity to photograph and share their “contacts” on social networks.
Another of the subsequent sessions also related to the theater and the view that the NGO sector and state help people in a state of social need.
The last working day is dedicated to the evolution of both the training course and everything that the participants learned and adopted.
Through various activities, the participants had the opportunity to get to know themselves better, get to know new things and develop new skills.
What can be said with certainty is that everyone from this training came up with new experiences and knowledge.