INSIDE JOURNEY project at the end

Posted on November 6, 2015 by alexandra

INSIDE JOURNEY at the end of the project

The “Inside Journey” project took place in Braşov, between 01.08.2014 and 31.11.2015, and involved 4 international volunteers coming from the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Spain. The international volunteers were hosted by our organization in the frame of the European Voluntary Service.  

Maria from Germany, Thomas from the Netherlands, Mirco from Italy and Vero from Spain (Catalonia) worked together with the organization members, local volunteers and local youth workers to inspire an „inside” journey: in the local communities, and inside themselves, for self-development and self-awareness.

MAIN PROJECT AIMS
The project aims were stimulating personal resources of youngsters and design non-formal educational activities, which contribute to the personal and professional development of young people in Braşov, especially youngsters with fewer opportunities.

Moreover, the project aims were developing a proper environment for the international volunteers involved to learn and discover new things about themselves and about different cultures, and to integrate these elements in an individualised self-development process.

MAIN PROJECT ACTIVITIES & RESULTS
Project activities have been planned
a) to meet the needs identified within the project stakeholders;
b) to create various learning contexts, including different methods mainly focused on participation and direct experimentation;
c) to encourage intercultural communication and create awareness of active participation, tolerance, solidarity and social inclusion.

STAGE 1 - (October 1, 2014 – January 15, 2015) was a period of adjustment, adaptation and integration, during which the volunteers planed, prepared and implemented activities adapted to the specific target group and promoted them via digital and non-digital channels.

  • Body-Percussion Workshops – Brașov, November-December 2014

In order to connect young people from Brașov through music, theatre and body, Maria Kohlenberg from Germany coordinated during November-December 2014 Body-percussion workshops. Participants were able to interact in a special way, overcome small fears of personal insecurities, coordinate themselves and gain more confidence.

  •  Work-in Out Workshops – Brașov, November-January 2015

Starting with November 2014 Mirco from Italy started a weekly work out, in order to show young people from Brasov a healthy lifestyle, how funny training can be and also how self-confidence can be gained.

  •  Playing Sessions in a German Afterschool (NGO Asociatia pentru Educatie Practica si Creativa) - Brașov, December-January 2015

Maria with other German-speaking volunteers from the other EVS projects organized games for children from the elementary school, in order to practice their German language skills in an active way.

  • International Cooking Workshops  - Brașov, December-January 2015

Vero with other volunteers from the other EVS project RUP shared with other youngsters from Brașov international dishes and cooking skills.

  • Promotion of project activities and EVS opportunities in High schools from Brașov - December-January 2015

All volunteers developed different promotional materials and presentations for youngsters from Brașov (Sport High School, Andrei Mureșanu High-School, Grigore Moisil High-School, Mircea Cristea School) in order to facilitate de access of youngsters to different free, non-formal activities.

STAGE 2 (15 January-May 2015) – was focused on implementing an educational program to develop emotional intelligence among youngsters from Braşov, especially young people with fewer opportunities, through different activities/workshops/events

At the beginning of January  2015 Thomas from the Netherlands initiated with Pierre from RUP project Cineforum sessions, where participants were able to watch movies together in a safe and relaxing atmosphere and discus topics related to the watched movies. The idea was to broaden the horizons and new perspectives of youngsters from Brașov. The weekly sessions lasted until June 2015 with the help of Mirco and Vero. At the end Thomas developed a useful booklet about the projected movies, in order to show how they can or could  broaden the horizon of the youngsters’ minds (The Cineforum Collection).

Vero coordinated Spanish Lessons for beginners in order to help youngsters from Brașov to be able to communicate with people around the world, to develop a deeper understanding of a different culture and to be aware and appreciate more cultural contributions. Moreover Vero aimed the development of critical thinking while learning to view things through a different lens.

  • Personal development program – Playful activities and Workout in Grigore Moisil High school – February-June 2015

In order to contribute to the awareness of the youngsters of their emotions and those of others around them, Thomas and Vero developed an activity program of dynamic and playful activities, and Mirco a workout program. The activities stimulated the increase of self-trust, motivation

Mirco continued his workout workshops during the whole year, contributing to the development of a healthy lifestyle, the self-confidence, self-awareness and ability of social interaction of youngsters from Brașov.

STAGE 3 (June- September 2015) – was focused on implementing together with the youngsters from the target groups personal projects of the volunteers, linked with the competences and abilities they developed until that stage

Mirco initiated the idea of promoting slackline as an active and healthy way of urban living. Vero intensively promoted the outdoor events and the upcoming adventure corner from the CEva de vară festival, by including in the events some outdoor games such as Lasers.

  • Playing Sessions for children from a kindergarten from Brașov

In June volunteers promoted learning through playing, the project and the community event ”Afară în parc într-un Braşov de poveste” - (Out in the park in a fairy tale Brasov) to 40 children from a kindergarten in Brașov.

  •  „Fest Camp”, - a youth camp for 26 youngsters from Întorsura Buzăului, Predeal, Brașov -14-18 July 2015, Acriş,  Braşov county;

In order to stimulate the exchange of ideas, dreams, competences and needs among youngsters from different regions and to strengthen the festival volunteers group, Vero initiated together with Egle from RUP-project a one week youth camp. After this experience Vero wanted to create a useful resource for other youngsters, who would like to organise a youth camp (Camp guide). She also decided to work together with our NGO stuff at a new project application (a youth exchange), which was applied at the Romanian National Agency in October 2015.

  • „Ceva de Vară Festival”( Something of Summer), 2nd edition, 18-19 July 2015, Întorsura Buzăului, Covasna county

Besides promotional activities for the festival, Vero coordinated together with Marian Palu from the NGO GESt Predeal Adventure Area Games (such as Lasers) and Mirco coordinated the active corner of the festival  Workshop Area  (with exercises at the pull-up bar and slackline) and the face-painting sessions in the Relaxing Area.

Other achievements of the project:

  • over 8000 hours of volunteering (local and international volunteers);
  • stimulation of personal development of youngsters from Brașov and Covasna county through regular project activities such as workout exercises, playful activities, cooking sessions, linguistic exercises  and cultural events such as Cineforum;
  • 3 personal projects:
    • Thomas: Cineforum Session and the mountainbike competition which was taking into responsibility by the NGO Carpathian MTB Trails and Pierre from RUP
    • Vero: the youth camp   „Fest Camp” , Spanish Lessons, several cooking workshops and writing a new project application for an international youth camp in 2016 ”Traditions Cross Borders”
    • Mirco: created a workout group of youngsters in Brașov and initiated regular Workout Workshops, motivating young people to have an active and healthy lifestyle
  • personal development achievements:

”Looking backwards I realize that I did many things in the last twelve months, I’ve learned a lot about myself and also new skills, and I’ve met a lot of people from around the world (my “Brasovian” family, volunteers who were doing their EVS around Romania, people who were attending the CS meetings I was organizing, and the youngsters from Braşov, Întorsura Buzăului and Predeal who came to our events, the camps and the festival Ceva de Vara). Moreover, I had the chance to visit many places in Romania, to hike different hills and to enjoy the amazing landscapes that Romania offers. 
This is an experience that I’ll never forget and that I would repeat without hesitating. Because I fell in love of this country and its people, and I’m looking forward to come back again!” (Vero-Spain/Catalonia)

Beneficiaries:

  • Direct beneficiaries of the project were the 4 European volunteers from  Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain
  • approximately  20 youngsters from the Grigore Moisil High School in Brasov participating in the EQ program of personal development
  • around 150 youngsters from Brasov that participated at the outdoor events ”Afară într-un Brașoiv de poveste” (May-October 2015);
  • more then 1000 youngsters from different high schools from Brasov, who were informed about national and international volunteering opportunities as well  about activities offered by the Inside Journey project;
  • 40 children and parents from a kindergarten in Brașov;
  • 30 children from elementary school from the after-school of the NGO Asociatia pentru Educatie Practica si Creativa, Brasov;
  • 50 youngsters from Brașov, who regularly took part at the project workshops;
  • 25 youngsters from Întorsura Buzăului, Braşov and Predeal that participated in FestCamp;
  • 115 festival volunteers: 38 volunteers from  Braşov, 27  volunteers from Întorsura Buzăului, 8 volunteers from Predeal, 10 from different Romanian places (Constanța, București, Zărnești, Ploiești, Tărlungeni, Săcele), 3 international volunteers and 29 people from partner organizations involved in preparing  the second edition of Ceva de Vară festival;
  • over 750 visitors of all ages from Ceva de Vară festival.

INSIDE JOURNEY project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects only the views of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of information contained herein.

This entry was posted in Activities, Activities for Adults, Activities for Children, Board-game-evenings, Entertaining Workshops, Entertaining workshops, European Voluntary Service, Events, Festivals, I volunteer, you?, Outdoor Activities, Outdoor activities, Parents and children at play, Programs play, Projects, What we do. Bookmark the permalink.