Creativity in youth work

How you describe creativity? Lifestyle, a way of thinking, or just everything? Well, in the 2nd of June, a couple of youth workers gathered in the natural habitant of Bansko to discover, share and deepen in creativity. How we achieved this? With effective discussions, unstoppable brainstorming and exciting workshops.

 It was really good experience as all of us saw our selfes from another perspective which we didn’t knew that was existed before. Beside the programmes’ activities, we had unforgetable moments as each one has different personality and different role in the project. So, most of us  had the opportunity to indroduce our selfs to the other as we want to be seen.

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” So, we felt that from the first time. We weren’t alone. We had each other. And until now, that we are seperated, we still know, that somewhere in the world there is just one person , who thinks , act and believe like us.

HERE ARE A FEW PHOTOS OF THOSE DAYS :

Seeds of Sustability

They say “if you want to see a change in the world, you have to start from yourself”. So, we did. In the Gravina of Puglia with only the necessities, we have created a new world based on the necessities of our environment.  “We are the seeds of sustainability” was our motto and we reached our goal to be a part of the earth.

The days have passed easily and creatively. Workshops, discussions, brainstorming and a lot of smiles. Thanks to our coordinators, Noa and Rossana, we have learnt how to make a wallet from TETRA pack, how to make a toothpaste from eco-friendly products and of course we learnt how to calculate our eco footprint.

But , besides these, “we” as a group we understood how easy is to live sustainable. You don’t need much to be happy and make the others happy. Unfortunately, in nowadays, we have been brainwashed by the rapid routine that they promote us and we can’t get over it. However, Gravina was our chance to understood that there is life without the social media, there is life without expensive clothes and there is a life outside the box. There is life where you let the nature to do all the work for you. Because nature is unstoppable and superpower. It will not hurt you, if you don’t hurt it. Leave it genuine as the God made it and don’t try to disturb its work.

Everyday, we woke up enchanted by the beauty of nature which we have been trying to protect from the affliction and stupidity of humanity. So, please my lovely readers don't leave this post and take nothing from it. Try to reduce the plastic in your life, use the public transport or your foot instead of your car, don't let the water running from your tap and live your life with more consciousness for you planet. JUST LIVE SUSTAINABLE.

• This is our group in facebook where you can find more: Seeds of Sustainability Youth Exchange.
• Sending organisation in Cyprus: Plan be, Plan it be.

HERE ARE A FEW PHOTOS OF THOSE DAYS :

BMEU 2019

How is European institutes working ? Is it difficult to take a decision? Is it fancy to be a president? All of these and more questions I had before attending for first time in a Model of European Union in the center of Europe, in Brussels . I have to be honest that it was quite stressful and full of adrenaline experience. Okay, we did not climbed to the Niagara waterfalls for bungee jumping, but everyone of 100 youngsters we had a different role and representing different country which in one perspective is kind the same.

For the ones that do not know what is MEU, as it said it is the original simulation of the European Union's legislative process. Each participant had to choose between different roles in four different institutes. European parliament, European court, Council of Europe and European Bank. Although, I had the privilege I think to be a journalist. Why privilege? Because I was a bit of everything and be as objective I could without take a specific place.

How was our schedule? More interesting that is sounds. Waking up at 7 o’clock, having breakfast and then running to take the bus to be on time. At 9 asap we were starting the session. Debating, discussing, creating memes, hide laughing and lot of visualization. And after the session…party party party!

But BMEU 2019 wasn’t just that. Actually, was more than that. 100 people from all around the world, we created a wonderful team and shared great ideas on how we are dreaming the European Union. But beside the European stuff, we sang together, we ate together and we had lot of fun together. These were the days I will remember and who knows, maybe they will convinced me that being a journalist of the European Union will be funky at all!

The BMEU2019 was organized by an amazing team who put their best in order to make pleasant everyone. Special thanks to Wassim Essebane, Sahajanya Balaganesh, Arkan Diptyo. And of course, thanks to every DREAMAKER who make by stay in Brussels an unforgettable experience!

TAKE A GLIMPSE OF BMEU 2019:

"PROJOUR" in Serbia

Do you want to know how you can benefit yourself and educate it in one week? The answer is easy. The "PROJOUR" is a project which took place in Belgrade, Serbia to promote gender equality through media. Participating in this training course, i had the chance to understood deeper how media can create a public opinion . I realized that in 2019 , when discrimination can lead to creating prejudices and stereotypes, there are a lot of journalists, reporters who suffer from this. Well, the good news is that i found out ways how i can change this phenomenon. And fortunately, in this voyage, i wasn't alone.

I had by my side, 30 intelligent, open-minded, extremely kind people from Serbia, Cyprus, FYROM, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Romania who shared their dreams and vision with me. Sometimes, is not the topic of the program that make it important and interesting , but the people who are involved in this. So, i guess that week, we did not change the mindset of the world, but at least we tried to make it look better and more fair.

Through project activities, we were encouraged to speak up about the discrimination we are facing in our daily routine but also, we had discussions while analyzing the topic. Also, we were given different tools, on how to promote gender equality and be gender sensitive towards their target group by using different media, with special aspect on online media.

As you can understand when you are in one training room with eight different cultures, the multinationality is became a routine since you wake up, you eating and talking with the representatives of each country. And, i have to admit that i enjoy it! I don't know what i will remember from this project after one year, but for the ones that i am sure, are the moments, the talks, the faces and the smiles.

Thank you beautiful people, and thank you SEAL CY for giving me this opportunity!

HERE ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE PHOTOS:

Underneath Athens

Under the lights of the adventurous Athens, Win win society open its wings to fly to another universe, where all people live happily. Our aim was to embrace the immigration and understand the difficulties this social problem has in order to help refuges and immigrants in their new life.

Together we unite our power and the volition for an evolution. Because if we want change, the first thing we have to change is our own, and then the others will follow.

I will never forget the workshop with the children refugees. We played together, we created our instruments together and we shared a big smiles together. This time, i had realized why i was there.The reason was these beautiful, fragile and innocent smiles. My missions was to keep them alive. Because children is the future, and future without acts is vain.  

However, the main goal was to come closer with each culture and have a great cooperation together. Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Croatia, Estonia, Sweden, Macedonia, Romania came across a new world, called Win Win Society. In this Society, we are all one and all winners. Because you don’t loose anything when you are fighting for your rights and for the whole world.

We are pleasant for participating in this youth exchange, as for 10 days we were the superheroes of our world and felt creative, powerful and winners. Thanks to our coordinator Ioanna Ntinou for her great work!

HERE SOME OF MY PHOTOS:

Holloko-A state of mind

 It was started just like another Erasmus, but it was finished with a feeling of intense excitement and happiness-EUPHORIA. Unfortunately it took me time to understand what effective and affective communication is. I thought talking and have discussion with somebody is the easiest thing. And I was wrong. An effective and affective discussion is the most difficult and precious thing you can create. Not all people communicate, they just talking.

My dear friends, with you I felt real connection and communication. We may don’t say too much with our mouth but we say everything with our bodies. Yes, body language. One of the things I have learnt from this programme is that body language says a lot of things that words don’t. Actually, words are not necessary I some situations. Just an eye contact can say everything. So, our eyes and our bodies where active members in these 9 days. They played a huge role in the whole process and help us to understand what people need more. COMMUNICATION with there inner self. The one who forgot all the time that exist and we ignore the fact that is very important for our personal piece.

It was the right place for the right project. In Holloko of Hungary. A heritage traditional village protected from UNESCO. In this extremely peaceful place where we achieved our biggest goal. To came closer to the nature and found our Gaia Spot which helped us to figure out who we are, why we exist and what we want from ourselves.

So it not an assumption but fact that nature brings people together and there can live in serenity for a eternity.

HERE SOME F MY PHOTOS: