_d English claSs

On this blog till now I haven't mention about long life learning and the moment that I respect a lot the people who decide to continue with their educative process in one different bit non-formal way of learning during their adult age.

In the 'association Jacques Prevert' one of the things that you can find in their program is the English class that's open for all d people who want to learn. Madame Mireille Oudart, the teacher invite me last week to make small presentation for the „students“ from the adult group. I accept the invitation and start thinking what should I speak about.. didn't think a lot and decide to make only a small introducing and with interactive conversation to make them asking me what are they interested about.

In the beginning we speak about art, literature, youth work etc.. they were pretty good in their level of understanding English. After that we spoke about the part of Europe that is not so famous, my country and the Balkan as whole. Interested in the topic they start asking questions that were surprising for me.. some of them already know some version of the history, Yugoslavia, the wars... I try to change their way of seeing the things explaining them that most of the think that they know come from the medias and the media as it is in the moment is not the right, real information about how really is. I told them that our countryside is very beautiful, there are plenty of different, unique traditions, cultures that live all together, in atmosphere that is much warmer then the one that you can find here. We had time to mention about the 100% natural food that we produce and consume, where we mention the moment that the standards are not good and the people are still not educated/ informed to make serious international exports etc.. I explain them that the life on the Balkans is slower and more easy going, what is maybe the main reason that there are not big changes in any aspects..



..they ask about the music, the prizes of the real estate, the opportunity for the youth generation, about the tourism, in a way pretty interesting, unexpected intro for the region that as big picture I think I present in positive way, because I think that looking bright on the things is the only think that is left and absolutely even more action :)

Appreciation for madame Mireille Oudart, professeur d'Anglais et Relaxation that invite me to be part of her class, brought great change in her teaching and get closer her students to one person that besides few languages, speaks English too. :)

art canvases @ d Fair

I'll just mention here with 2 photos that the same canvases that I already made and wrote about here were part of the stand that AJP made for presentation of their association, program and activities on one local fair for association and organizations that work in this field – education and animation of kids, teenagers and youngsters in general.

I was very happy searching the photos on the ajp camera and finding how they use the things that I made for them multiply times.

So, voila..mood: happy :D

Foix, the mid term course

It's second day of my mid-term course connect with my EVS here in France. I arrived after more then 12 hours traveling from the North (Мetz) to attend program that will show to me better and more concrete things about my work as a volunteer, about my opportunities connected with my project and also to meet some of the other European Volunteers that I met on my on-arrival training.

Yesterday morning it was funny when I saw the Turkish and the Russian volunteers waiting in a front of the „foyer“ because it was locked, and it was 06:00 am.

After the coffee and the croissant in the city, the door was finally open and we went in our rooms. I was positively surprised when I saw that I'll be room mate with Davide, Italian volunteer that choose to go in South of France (Bordo) for his EVS.

When we went to start our activities in the big room we figure out that we are not alone. We're together with some newbies that I see for first time and obviously also volunteers like me. After the introduction of the organizer of the mid term Stella, we understood that part of the participants are here with Us for their on arrival training.

Everything start very good, the activities, the working groups, the reflection about our work, the place where we live, the people that we work with etc.
In the evening we attend class for traditional French dances and the local people from here were very happy to show us all those different steps in the dancing. We taste wine rose, usually produced in this region and also some of the food that the people prepare here.


Today we start in divided group, the newbies (on arrivals) have the activities that I had in May and we concentrate on our work more in details. We speak about the key competences and we need to make short brain storm about all the things that happens to Us since we come in France.
The key competences are very important about explaining the special levels in our work, connected with the developing of the new skills that we have opportunities to learn here.

Time for a break, I mean pause with coffee au lait!

Training course Youthpass: for a better recognition of non-formal education

From July o2 till July o7 in Novoli, Italy training course organized by the youth organization WIP - Work In progress took a place.
French group with me as a leader couldn’t reach the training on the July o2 .. missed flight in Brussels due to the large traffic jam in front of Luxembourg and Brussels was the problem that was not part of our plan.
But, we joined the group of young people from 9 different countries the next day after we took the flight which was almost in the same time as the previous term.

Italy is a beautiful country, at least I felt like that when after four attempts to get there, the fifth time finally I broke the curse.
We landed at Bari and then we took a train to Lecce. After a small walk through town, visiting the exhibition of Caravaggio, Luigi member of WIP take us from Lecce and with his car bring us to Novoli where really wonderful group of people together with the coordinator of the project and president of the organization WIP, Lara were waiting for Us with great satisfaction.

At the moment we arrived there was a workshop on the agenda for designing the largest Youthpass. I join them immediately and few days after with several participants we made our design that is "almost" a copy of the original, and there was another group of participants that made a great creative version of the Youthpass.
In the night we visit Lecce and we attend the White Night or on Italian ‘La notte bianca’. Huge crowds of people in the streets. I was delighted from the night lights in combination with lights and street lights installed along different buildings with architecture that fascinates. Various bands and stages on all streets in Lecce, street artists, performance event .. I will remember.




Excellent discussion of Youth in Action Programme, presentation of a youth initiative that is implemented by an organization in the region Apulia, a photo and a video animation. New graffiti where we were accommodated ~ Centro Madonna di Lourdes, logo WIP few meters below the wall .. victory win at the Campus, that is regularly held there. We participate only in one of the games after the organizers gave us permission to participate, colorful team managed to win and give us a special motivation in communication with the local youngsters.

The visit of the beach and the excellent weather were perfect shot.

here are:
the blog of this Training Course Youthpass: for a Better Recognition of Non Formal Education
the picassa web album with all the pics from there.
the facebook event for this TC
the page of the organisation organizer of this exchange
and
also few articles about the exchange:
Lecce - YOUTH IN ACTION - GIOVANI EUROPEI PIU’ ATTIVI E MOBILI puglialive.net
Lecce - YOUTH IN ACTION - GIOVANI EUROPEI PIU' ATTIVI E MOBILI san-pietro-vernotico.virgilio.it
YOUTH IN ACTION GIOVANI EUROPEI PIU' ATTIVI E MOBILI polveredistellelecce.it
“Youth in action” per una gioventù consapevole C.S.V.S. - Centro Servizi Volontariato Salento
Youth in Action: un corso di formazione peer to peer leccenews24.it

..here is the video of the game where the colorful team w.IN!
Videoclip - Campus Giovani 2010: format EUROPEO