A trip to Greece was my second journey in my Erasmus “career” I can daringly say – certainly not the last one.
During the training, we learned about climate change, how to work with young people, how to use digital tools in this area effectively, and much more. One of the most important elements for me was to train teamwork and communication in English which I also consider a successful point of this trip. I found out a few interesting things that will be useful for me. All who attended the course were very nice and brought an amazing atmosphere to the room where we worked, but most of all, they were incredibly creative. That is why my favourite part during the development of projects was brainstorming – each of us came up with many ideas and it was hard to choose “the best” one.
I often heard that Greece is a country where it is slightly difficult to communicate in English. I can now say from my own experience: certainly not in Ioannina. Almost everyone I met spoke English. A young guy in a cafe (note well there are a lot of them in this small town) or an elderly lady selling breadstuff – there was no problem communicating, and what’s more, the people there are so open and curious (in a good sense) that interactions almost always ended on short conversations.
I will remember the atmosphere of this place for the rest of my life. I normally live in a pretty “grey” city, so a week in the bustling and constantly crowded streets of Ioannina was an incredibly nice springboard for me. I think such experiences are also very important in all of this situation.
I thank LEVEL UP for supporting me and that I have been given another chance to go with them on an interesting international project.
If you have the opportunity to go on such, do not hesitate and take advantage of it! Later you can only regret the missed opportunity. Such trips teach a lot, starting from a project theme, going through the place where you are, ending with the cultures and behaviors of people from different parts of the world. They on their own are the experience you’ll remember for a long, long time.
Julia 20 years old, Digital Youth Climate Action, training course, Ioannina, Greece.
Through the training, I expanded my knowledge about project facilitation and learned how to better use AI and digital methods during work with young people…
A week ago I participated in a “Digital Youth Climate Action” training in Ioannina in Greece. It was my first training as such and visit to this country, and at the same time a second mobility in which I participated thanks to LEVEL UP. I’m very grateful to the coordinator and to the whole organisation and partners who participated in this project.
The whole mobility was perfectly organised from the formal side. We were accommodated in the centre of a quaint town. From the hotel, it was also very close to the lake, where I went every day for afternoon walks.
Through the training, I expanded my knowledge about project facilitation and learned how to better use AI and digital methods during work with young people. During this week we worked a lot in different groups which allowed me to communicate in English language with people from different countries and later to present to all participants the projects we created together. Time spent in Greece also allowed me to acquaint myself with the culture of countries that participated in the project – even though it was the training and not a youth exchange, participants took the initiative to organise cultural evenings themselves, during which we taught each other our national dances. This mobility encouraged me to continue participating in projects and taught me how to use digitalisation in my work.
Participation in this project gave me a possibility to spend almost a week with people from several other countries, get to know their cultures and use English language in an international environment. Additionally, I learned new things about climate and digitalisation.
Alicja 22 years old, Digital Youth Climate Action, training course, Ioannina, Greece.
I particularly liked that we – the participants – were involved in conducting the workshops. I appreciate the opportunity to check myself and also plan and conduct the workshop…
In January I had the opportunity to spend a week in the Greek town of Ioannina 😊 The aim of my visit was to participate in training „Digital Youth Climate Action”. Every day we had an opportunity to take part in very interesting workshops😉 I particularly liked that we – the participants – were involved in conducting the workshops. I appreciate the opportunity to check myself and also plan and conduct the workshop. It allowed me to cooperate with people from many countries. It was a very important experience 😉The hosting organisation was very well organised, the workshops were well planned and we also had many opportunities to taste the local cuisine, get to know the city or the local community. My favorite moment of the project was the urban game, when for the first time all participants became a team. While doing our tasks, we came across a group of people in the ruins of the castle. One of the subpoints on our list was asking if they knew the history of one of the attractions, so we approached them for a brief interview. It turned out to be a local culinary club. We had the opportunity to taste a delicious sorbet, made by the use of a traditional method or meat prepared in the external oven. We were also explained the principles of operating a traditional outdoor oven and showed what it is made of. It was a great time – both during this walk and at the time of the whole project 😊 Thanks a lot to Karol for writing back to the group whenever we had a problem and reacting to all the memes 😉
Erasmus Plus projects are a great opportunity to meet great people, spend a very interesting time and increase one’s own competencies 😉 I think everyone should give themselves a chance and go on a youth exchange or training.
Dominika, Digital Youth Climate Action, training course, Ioannina, Greece.
I learned a lot about organising youth projects and workshops, and apart from that I discovered new ways of implementing fun in different aspects of life…
During the exchange, I gained a lot of inspiration and motivation for work. Unforgettable experiences, a friendly atmosphere, Turkish dances and extraordinary memories – it is only a part of what I gained from this project. I learned a lot about organising youth projects and workshops, and apart from that I discovered new ways of implementing fun in different aspects of life. I had an opportunity to meet wonderful people from Italy, Greece and Turkiye, and the Greek cuisine delighted me again. Additionally, I received great support from LEVEL UP both before and after the exchange.
Yes, just by mentioning and telling about my previous workshops and experience I gained.
Marta 26 years old, Digital Youth Climate Action, training course, Ioannina, Greece.
I don’t think it was a bad project, but I noticed that the organisers were not very well-prepared and could have been much better in terms of activities…
The project was conducted by a nice coach from Latvia. She was experienced, but it was visible that she hadn’t gained enough information on how to conduct this project from the organisation which was the applying organisation. The project was more a youth exchange than a training course, most of the activities we did ourselves for others and didn’t learn from the coach much about climate change and digitization. I see that this organisation usually conducts projects of good quality, but the program of this project was not the best because it was conducted not by an applying organisation, but only the one taking part during one of the phases thereof. Breakfast was every day in the hotel, in which we were accommodated, but it wasn’t a meal of the best quality and I lacked more variety, for example, vegetables. For lunch and supper, the president of the organisation had been ordering takeaway food for us from nearby restaurants. The project concerned ecology, but I don’t think that ordering food is the most eco-friendly way and I think we would be more environment-friendly if we ate in restaurants. Lunch always contained meat and suppers were vegetarian, the quality of both was quite good and I enjoyed the Greek cuisine. The participants of this project were kind and we had good conversations. I don’t think it was a bad project, but I noticed that the organisers were not very well-prepared and could have been much better in terms of activities.
I would like to encourage young people to apply for such projects, because it will help them to understand different cultures and will give them an opportunity to travel to countries they wouldn’t normally go to.
Marek 27 years old, Digital Youth Climate Action, training course, Ioannina, Greece.
