SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED TRAINING COURSE “FROM CHALLENGE TO CHANGE”.

From 6 to 11 March, an Erasmus+ activity for capacity building of youth workers, namely the training course “From Challenge to Change”, was held in Knin. Four working days, 8 partner organisations, 22 participants and 2 facilitators/trainers. What was done?

Over the last few days, participants of the international training course “From Challenge to Change” participated in a series of enriching activities that helped them develop key skills, improve team cooperation and strengthen intercultural exchange.

Day 1: Getting to know each other – We started the evening with fun getting to know each other games, which helped participants introduce themselves, followed by a presentation of the TC programme. The next morning, we set clear goals for the coming days and started our team building journey with an interactive game exploring Knin, which covered the topics of team leadership and communication skills. After that, each participant created their own “Wheel of Life”, reflecting on their feelings, followed by an evaluation of the day to summarize everything we had learned. We ended the day with an intercultural evening, where participants from Turkey, Spain, North Macedonia, Finland, Slovenia, Croatia and Greece shared parts of their cultures and traditions.

Day 2: Adventure and Teamwork – The morning started with a big challenge: finding the Krčić Waterfall without using Google Maps! On the way to the waterfall, we asked for help from locals and enjoyed the beautiful nature, working together in groups. When we arrived at our destination, we were greeted by a trainer and facilitator with a challenge and a reward. After a well-deserved rest, we shared our vlogs in which we recorded our adventure and played a building game that taught us teamwork, management and communication skills. We ended the day with a relaxed evening socializing, enjoying the fun and building new friendships.

Day 3: Assertive Communication and Interactive Learning: The third day was dedicated to assertive communication. The trainer and facilitator introduced us to the topic through a mock conflict game, and then we explored different communication styles through role-play games, from passive to assertive. After analyzing these dynamics, we compared communication styles in group discussions. In the afternoon, we gave the participants the opportunity to hold their own workshops, and we were also visited by partners from the Krka Ecological Association from Knin, who inspired us with their conversations. We ended the day with a fun and tricky card game “The Crew”, which was a bit demanding to learn, but a lot of fun!

Day 4: Youth Leadership and Motivation The last working day was focused on taking leadership. We started by identifying the key challenges that young people face and brainstormed how to motivate young people. Then we formed suggestions on how to face these challenges in groups. We have also started work on a common handbook to help other youth workers overcome these challenges. In the afternoon, the participants gave short interviews and explored the possibilities offered by the Erasmus+ and ESC programs. We ended the day with a farewell party, enjoying learning different traditional dances and spending our last evening together.

Now that the TC has officially come to an end, we hope that the participants will apply the acquired knowledge and experience and inspire other people who work with young people. Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of this project!

Partners: Eko Greece, Greece; Experimentaculo, Portugal; Asociacion Juvenil Inter, Spain; Cappadocia Youth Mobility, Turkey; Association Na Gragani Kreator Kumanovo, North Macedonia; Youth Center Marttinen, Finland; Ecological Association Krka Knin, Croatia; Adastra Ljubljana, Slovenia

*The project was financed through Erasmus+ accreditation.

*Financed by the European Union. The content of the article is the sole responsibility of the Argonaut Association. The views expressed reflect only the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Erasmus+ program. Neither the European Union, nor Erasmus+ nor AMPEU can be held responsible for them.”