Day 1
We were very warmly welcomed to the project. We started the first day with a short introduction. Later we played name games. We threw the ball at each other and introduced ourselves. We tried to remember each other's names. We also played the blanket game. We sat across from each other and had to say the name of the person across from us as quickly as possible. It wasn't easy. But we had a great time doing it. Having fun is the best way to get to know each other! That's why we're not strangers.
After our first coffee break, we had one of the most basic activities of the project. That one was to share with the group our contributions, expectations and fears. In my opinion, this is one of the most crucial activities because I believe that is important to highlight the needs of the participants and understand their perception of the project. Firstly, we were asked to note down our contributions to the project. That means what each participant could bring individually in the project. Most of the people chose good mood, energizers, share their culture with us, teach us their native language. Afterwards, we wrote down our expectations, what we hope and expect that we’re going to gain or experience during this project. Some examples are meeting people around the globe, feel connected to new people and learn more about foreign cultures. Lastly, we shared our fears referring to the project. We observed a wide range of fears that the participants would possibly have. For instance, feeling left behind, not making friends, not learn enough for Spanish culture. My point of view is that this activity was quite enlightening and I’m looking forward to get to know the participants more during the next days.
After lunch, we had the team building activities. Firstly we made a circle and massaged the people next us in order to relax. After that , we made couples with people we didn't have the chance to talk to and we played a mirror dance game . That was about getting closer with the person. Then we played a game where there was a person with closed eyes in the middle of a circle and the person depended on the team to stay standing. The purpose of the game was to trust the group. Then was a game of team dancing where a master leader in each team guided every person's on the team to do a specific dance movement. Lastly there was an activity where we made a line of 4 people. 3 people with closed eyes and one was in the back leading the rest. All those games were to gradually build trust with the other People and rely on them.
After a refreshing café break, we moved on to the next session, which focused on Erasmus+ and Youthpass. However, before diving into the topic, we started with a quick energizer activity. Following that, we engaged in a discussion about Youthpass, its associated competences, and how it can benefit us in our future careers. Building upon this understanding, we formed teams to complete tasks that revolved around these competences and aimed to enhance our knowledge further on how to utilize them effectively. The session was both interesting and helpful, particularly for those participating in an Erasmus+ project for the first time. After this session, I believe that everyone gained a comprehensive understanding of the competences and recognized the significance of Youthpass in our lives.
In the afternoon we did the family reflection, that instead of doing it as a family group we did it in pairs. It was a time of expressing our thoughs on the day, and we had also the opportunity to walk around the town while talking, or going to whenever we wanted. We think is important to create a space each day of the project, where is not the whole group, but less people to reflect, because in this way everyone talks and opens, as is easy to get shy infront of all the people that are here in the project.
Day 2
We started as usual, with exercises to awaken our energy, like «gunslinger,» name games, and team-building activities. Then, we reflected at the Museum of Ideas on what we personally consider art, heritage, culture, and tradition, in groups of five people. It was somewhat like a «world café» to share opinions 🙌🏻
We delved into our emotions through three masks that we were going to design: how we express our emotions with others, with family/close friends, and with ourselves.
The participants organized two workshops:
Spain: they portrayed the history of Spain from prehistory through a dynamic activity of painting on the wall, designing an arch, placing artworks on the map, etc. Then, the Polish workshop presented games with candle wax figurines, dreaming/naming in a heart, a row of our shoes, and the shoe that arrives first through a human chain wins, along with typical and participatory Polish dances.
After dinner, free time ( swimming pool, Rubik’s cube, evening conversations, etc.)
After each activity, framed within non-formal and informal education, Brisa Intercultural always provides us with time to reflect in a large group circle on what we have learned, to share our feelings and moods. How exciting and beautiful!
Day 3
We started the amazing BRISA-day 3 with morning visit to the museum of Roman village. It was fascinsting and well-preserved. We enjoyed the exploring the ruins a lot. It created lasting memories for us all as we were imagining the life back then. We got the opportunity to create our mosaic masterpiece after. It was huge fun!!
After delicous lunch and deserved free time, we continued with czech workshop, when we experienced funny energizers. After that, we got the possibility to let out our inner creative soul by painting the canvas with traditional czech folklor patterns.
Following by the greek workshop, we acknowledged ourselves about the greek alphabet and preparation of typical tzatziki. Moreover, we competed in a relay race, so we tasted the greek “olympic games” side.
At the end of the day, we relaxed by participating on maltese and polish intercultural night. We got to know more about the cultures of those countries and tasted the sweet treats coming from them.
We enjoyed this day a lot!
Day 4
Today we started with the workshop led by the Italian team. They started their workshop with the "gym" energizer, where we needed to follow their typical gestures. After that, we participated in the competition that consisted of finding the Latin words or words with Latin roots in our languages. Then, we had to draw what Inferno (Hell) looks like to usand perform performances inspired by Dante's Inferno and Manzoni's Promessi Sposi.
The second part of our morning workshops was the Maltese workshop. We started after our coffee break with a really funny energizer. Later on we split into groups and we tried to guess and learn how to count from one to ten in Maltese. The next and the main activity was to make our own little Maltese tiles from sand in the traditional Maltese fashion. The activity was a combination of fun, art and tradition.
During the afternoon part of the day the participants of Canvas For Youth - Youth Exchange were asked to take part in an emotional workshop about their own perception of their body. They first started with a meditation session accompanied by music where they reflected on the days spent together and set the mood that would persist for the whole activity. We then took rolls of papers and drew our own silhouettes with the help of a partner. The first thing to add was a motto for our lives up till now. Secondly a logo, then a visual representation of our physical and emotional scars. Then we passed on to creating a self portrait, without guidelines, on the paper.
They were called in a circle and asked to recreate a human size figure of their own body to be used as a canvas on which to express their own feelings and emotions while thinking about the outside perception of their body and digging inside their own private concerns and anxiety about their body such as scars or body marks. They were then asked to create a self portrait of themselves and write or draw about their fears and dreams, such as what are they afraid of and what are their plans for the future. At the end of the activity, the participants were asked to write a message to the others, writing their feelings about themselves and their experience in this project. After the completion of the drawing and the reflection about it they were asked to fill the papers about the reimbursement and write their details on it. The evening finished with the family reflection.
Day 6
On the fifth day of the project, a tour in the city of Segovia was waiting for us. After an early breakfast and a dynamic energizer to release all our vitality, we got into the bus: road to Segovia.
We went for a walk because the bus left us out of the city and during the walk they explained some things about the castle, we also talked about Christopher Columbus and we took photographs, at the end of the path, there was a sanctuary, with a park. We went to visit this sanctuary, after which we walked to reach the center of the city and on the way we saw several churches. When we arrived at the center we talked about the Segovia aqueduct, they explained the story is some myths and we witnessed a folkloric exhibition. After we went to see the cathedral and they explained to us that over time it has changed and that one of the towers in the past was one of the tallest in Europe but it also underwent changes in style because initially it was not Gothic. In that square there was another church, the church of San Miguel that we visited, after this we had some free time where we could tour the city independently.
We had around 5 hours to visit the city on our own. As we divided into groups each of us saw different things in Segovia. Some of us went immediately to eat something from Spanish cousine. People from polish team wanted to try churros but unfortunately they found out that after 12 when we tried to buy them, they’re not served anymore. At least not in the summer time. This short conversation at the shop was another great chance to practice our spanish. For some the souvenir shop was an important stop, so we could have something which will remember us about this amazing project. At 18:30 we met at the meeting point and took our bus to Tolocirio. On our way back we could again admire views from the bus’s window, like mountains.
Spanish team started the intercultural night with fun game with informations about their country and than we did tradicional dances. Next group was Czech republic with video about their country and than also dances. Everyone tried traditional drinks and food from both countries And in the end we listened And danced on typical czech and spanish music.