📅 From December 4th to December 10th, 2023, Mundus Bulgaria proudly hosted its first Erasmus+ Training Course in Sofia, Bulgaria, centered around the theme “Sustainability: Growing with Care – Practical Workshops for NGOs.” 🌍🌱
This transformative Training Course, specifically tailored for youth workers and generously funded by the Erasmus+ program, delved into sustainable practices and innovative methodologies within the realm of youth work. Emphasizing youth-centered design, personal development, EU values awareness, and fostering a mindset of sustainable growth, the project aimed to equip participants with practical, hands-on materials, implementable strategies, and interactive workshops tailored to NGOs, with a keen focus on achieving sustainable growth.
Engaging participants from Romania, Spain, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, and Turkey, the course explored sustainability across diverse domains, including environmental protection, organizational learning, community building, and economic growth.
Participants actively immersed themselves in a rich array of activities, covering:
- Understanding EU values
- Exploring personal and professional growth opportunities within the EU
- Embracing sustainability as a driver for long-term impact
- Education Through Sport Methodology
- Game-based learning through the board game “Virtual Planet”
- Design Thinking in problem-solving
Here is the rundown.
Day 1: Arrival and Welcoming
The course started with a warm welcome, fostering a supportive atmosphere for participants to connect and build a sense of community.
Day 2: What EU opportunities are available to me?
The agenda featured “Slow start” activities, enabling participants to ease into the program. The day centered on identifying diverse EU opportunities open to youth workers and citizens in general. Exploring European values, mission, and vision became pivotal, underscoring their essential role in every youth organization.
Day 3: Sustainable development
Sustainability took center stage, featuring an introduction to key concepts and strategies for incorporating EU values into personal and organizational strategies. Additionally, participants were introduced to the ETS (Education Through Sport) methodology. We wrapped up the day with a culture night, providing a platform for sharing interesting facts about each participant’s country and exchanging customs with the group.
Day 4: Engagement and impact
Activities included game-based learning and discussions on establishing a learning culture, providing a youth-centered perspective on program design. A walking tour of Sofia and a free afternoon allowed participants to explore the city and unwind after a week of intensive learning.
Day 5: Including Youth in decision-making
Participants delved into the theme of youth inclusion in decision-making, exploring methodologies such as Design Thinking. Divided into teams of 4 or 5 people, each group addressed an urgent issue related to sustainability in their organizations or countries, applying Design Thinking strategies to offer potential solutions.
Day 6: Evaluation and reflection
The final day of the training course provided a stage for all teams to present their work to fellow participants. It featured reflection sessions, enabling participants to absorb the week’s learnings and contemplate their experiences. The closing ceremony included an evaluation of the course and a celebration of the participants’ growth and achievements. Everyone received a Youth Pass certificate.
Closing Day: Departure
With heartfelt goodbyes, all participants embarked on their next adventures.
All in all, the training course marked a resounding success! Anticipation is already building for the next one, scheduled for this spring.
Stay tuned for updates!
