Follow Up Belarus

Belarusian participants did two follow-up activities to spread the results of our project, as follows:

1st Follow-Up activity

The follow-up activity was organized at 08.01 in Minsk. Mini-training was done on the topic of ecology. To conduct the event, the energizers from VARCOU training were used, as well as other non-formal education methods. I am grateful to Olya for the idea that there were several new ones every day so that the list of exercise ideas was large. Also, the method of informal acquaintance through the game of watches with mini meetings was used. People afterwards said that they had not seen such an approach to the event, after which they had many friends and ideas. Thanks to the training in Cyprus! Additionally, I shared information on my experience with VARCOU training and Erasmus+ with everyone who was interested to learning more about them.

2nd Follow-Up activity

At the beginning of January, Alina and the organization "Education Every Day" held an event about collage and video. It was organized for 15 people and consisted of a theoretical part and practice. We prepared a presentation about the collage and video, and we also shared our experience that we gained during the "Voice of ARt and Community" project in Cyprus and told more about the Erasmus+ program. The practical part included making a video collage and learning about yourself through videos.

Link for the event: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1r13phI9cX/?igsh=cTFheWRiMGJjM2h0

Feedback and individual evaluations from participants

Darya

To begin, this was my first experience in such a serious Erasmus project for adults. Furthermore, I gained colourful impressions from it. It was my pleasure to be selected and have the fulfilling opportunity to dive deep into the sphere of participatory art, photography, project writing, and what's more, sharing the knowledge with Cypriot pupils. Speaking about the structure of the project, we had plenty of activities, which helped us to be more communicative, open to each other, to combine professional knowledge and practice and fun. We had a lot of group work, so that I improved my skills of being in a team and competing tasks with students whom I do not know a lot but still need work with a team and contribute in limited time.

Personally, I improved my time management, because these were the rules, and thus Nicholas and Olya taught us how to respect each other through time management and completing our plan. I felt comfortable through the atmosphere that Olya and Boghos created. us. The place and food were good, that is why I had the energy to actively participate, despite the large amount of work. Moreover, I could proudly say that I found close friendships. The participants of the project were clever, enthusiastic, and open-minded, that is why we had fun in our free time with each other, and during completing tasks. Specifically, each of us was hard-working and contributed much.

In the end, I'm full of gratitude for this amazing chance to experience everything during the project.

Alina

This was my first Erasmus+ project, so before, it seemed to me that only students could get into such trainings. It was nice to know when my application was selected because I I really liked the topic and this is exactly what I work with in my organization. In my opinion, the 8-day program was very correctly and competently compiled. because, in addition to the main activities, there was plenty of time for walks and sleep.

I couldn't even imagine that there are such a huge number of energizers :) I liked not only the timing of the program, but also Olya's lectures, our practical classes and, of course, the trip to school. It seemed to me that we should have learned more about the children from the school with whom we worked, because the main thing was not to complete the task, but to interest the teenagers. It didn't work out for everyone.

I also liked getting to know other cultures, because it's also a wonderful opportunity to talk about my own. Thank you for this opportunity; I will use the acquired knowledge and skills in the activities of my organization.

Ilya

In my humble opinion, it was a really nice Erasmus project with an amazing combination of theory and practice. I learned a lot about other cultures. We saw the local school where We shared our experiences. I'm thankful to our trainers. They made a pleasant atmosphere for making friends and getting new knowledge. I was happy to work in different group. Because always communication with different people is nice opportunity. Also, I liked activities outside the program. Doing this program at the end of November is the next decision because you're not hot or cold. Comfortable temperature for studying. And these eight days were like a separate life. Thanks for this opportunity!

Lisa

This project was not my first experience, but it was definitely the best. The content of the program was varied and it developed different skills of the participants. Every day, we were learning or doing something new, discovering new sides of ourselves.

In addition, it was an important experience to conduct a class with teenagers at school. It was a difficult task that I could not have handled alone, but we were divided into harmonious teams, where everyone had their own strengths.

I would like to note that Everyone who was involved in this project was wonderful. Thanks to comfortable communication, I was able to learn a lot of new things about different countries, their traditions, and what is happening within the country. Another huge Plus, I have made new friends from various countries and cultures.