Thank you and good night

I know im a bit late on doing a final post but ive been very busy since I've been back,  also the time has given me time to reflect on the week just past and how  great it has been. First of all I would like to thank Andrew, Paul and Trevor for giving me and Chris this huge opportunity and actually entrusting in us to represent Momentum World.

Chris and I would like to thank Altino, Pedro and everyone else involved in the week, it was absolutely amazing thank you for all your hard work and experience you shared with us.

It has been amazing meet so many different types of people from all across the globe, we have met some incredible, hilarious and sometimes downright bizzare at times people. But thank you to everyone who participated on the course ive made some great friends and hopefully some great partners who I look forward to working on projects in the future with.
So yeah im going to wrap up now. I hope everyone had as an amazing week as I did

I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Conor.

The final day

Today is the final day on the course. In the morning we paired off to discuss what we felt like we had experienced during the week, what we will be taking home with us and what we are going to do with it.

For me, as I am very new to this I found the week very interesting for many reasons. 

First, I learnt a lot about non formal, formal and informal education styles, which I didn't know much about before this week.

Second, I really enjoyed gaining new skills and improving the ones I already had; such as team work and communication.

Third, the people I met and got to know over the week have provided me with a valuable insight into different cultures that I would not have had sat at home back in  the UK. 

But there is so much more to add to this list that I just can't fit into one blog.

In the afternoon we learnt about Youthpass and wrapped up the week with the presentation of certificates and a few closing statements.

Even though Conor and I are leaving tomorrow, some people have already left and more are due to go later tonight.

The group formed a bond right from the beginning and it is somewhat sad to see the first ones go. 

Yet, I feel like we will all stay in contact and we might even meet each other again on future events that may be formed from new partnerships that began this week.

Dinner Last Night

The importance of cooperation

Hello!

Today was only a half day. In the morning, following a presentation from a french organisation about teaching tools for illiterate children, we were tested on our ability to communicate and work together as teams in a scenario which placed us into 4 groups of people: Farmers, Fishermen, Oil refiners and transporters.

All four teams had to work together for mutual gain. For example, the farmers needed the transporters to transport goods and in return they were willing to help them out as it would provide them with income. This scenario was set out for us with a giant sheet of paper that had been divided in quarters (one for each team), the teams then had to select one negotiator who would do the talking with the other negotiators, and a builder who would draw on the paper a road between the sections (providing that the team had permission from the owner of that quarter) linking the groups for trade.

The idea is simple but for some reason communication broke down a bit and rules were broken... in the end however the group managed to implement a solution to the chaos, stressing the importance of cooperation and compromise.

Then, after lunch we were allowed some free time to explore Beja.

Khaleel

Meet Khaleel from Jordan.

He is from Dana and Qadesiyah Local Cooperative, a non profit organisation based in a small village called Dana in the south of Jordan which aids female education, the promotion and knowledge of contraception use, environmental  problems/ solutions and more.

He is enjoying the week so far and has come on this course to exchange knowledge, ideas and culture with the others.

He says that the future of his organisation is dependant on what they are building now and would love to learn more about how to host people from other countries, how can they apply, and how can his organisation can get funding for youth exchanges or any other kind of programme that they might do in the future.

Good luck Khaleel, you are a very nice person and I hope this week provides you with all the answers you are searching for.

Day 4

Our first energizer today was run by Pierre and it was a laughing workshop, where for almost an hour we had to continuously laugh, it was very entertaining and was a very fun way to get our endorphins flowing.

Later, we had an introduction to the Euromed programme with a power point and an introduction to the Youth in Action programme. This stuff was less exciting but a lot of necessary logistical information was taken from it.

After lunch we had a communication exercise. The group was divided in two: one half was blindfolded and taken into a room, and the others were led in and had to direct them to sit down at a table while over coming obstacles like over turned tables and chairs. Then we swapped over and they had to lead us. It went much smoother this time round as they had learnt from our mistakes.

All in all a very enjoyable day, we have also now after much deliberation decided which organization we would like to work with and will put projects forward to them tomorrow. We shall keep you posted.

Conor

Pictures from our day in Serpa and Mertola

Team work and day trip

We had a very busy day yesterday. The morning was taken up by an interesting activity demonstrating the importance of communication, partnership and networking in non formal education.

Then afterwards we were treated to a visit to Mertola and Serpa; two historic Portuguese towns not too far from Beja. We had a guide for each who explained about their interesting past and present.

We ate out in Mertola and the group sang songs from their countries and got everyone else to join in, which was great fun.

I think that it was very important to our hosts that we took the time out of the conference room to go explore and learn more about their culture.

Here is a picture of our guide in Serpa talking about the ancient church doorway in the background: 

The Intercultural evening

The intercultural evening was great fun and a fantastic chance to learn more about a wide variety of countries.

Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Spain and France all presented fantastic food and fascinating insights into the culture, religion and history of their home countries.

Our UK presentation involved a quiz with a prize to first person to shout out the correct answer. We were overwhelmed (and a little frightened) by how much they enjoyed it.

Overall it was a great end to a great day with amazing people:

Pictures for day 3 1st and 2nd attempts

Day 3 – From paper planes to frogs

First thing we did this morning in groups was to define what we believed non formal education meant.

Our definition was “Non formal education is a more engaging less pressured, non competitive individual style of learning. It is laid out in a way that is more enjoyable for those involved. It allows you to be more creative, learn life skills and have fun in and educational way.

After a short coffee break we had a lesson about different styles of learning. We were told to sit on our own, we were then given a piece of paper and told to make a frog... My frog did not go well. It ended up being a plane. We then rejoined and we allowed working in small groups and try to figure out how to do it. After that wad unsuccessful we then rejoined as a circle and Toni told us step by step how to make it correctly. I’m sure you will now agree that my frog is glorious now.

After lunch we were split up again into groups, this time the groups only contained one member from each country. We then had to write down the problems that are faced by our NGOs and people involved in them and present them to the class.

After dinner we have our intercultural evening, we shall keep you updated with that I’m sure.

Conor    

Team work

Today was a day of getting to know each other through team work and fun activities.

We awoke for breakfast before setting of for the first activity of the day: a treasure hunt! 

Our hosts split the group up into 4 teams and sent us out to find clues and questions hidden around Beja. Not only did this activity help us to meet and bond with other people on the course, but it also let us explore the interesting sights and culture of Beja.

It is fascinating to be able to get this opportunity to chat to people from different counties in a way that you wouldn't be able to normally. In my team we had a French person, a Portuguese person and someone from Palestine.

Later in the day we regrouped to talk about our expectations of the course and we got the chance to hear about the non formal education projects that are being run outside the UK. Inspiring stuff.

Here is a picture of Conor and his team on a mission to find the next clue in the treasure hunt:

Day 1

We met at 9am at Kings Cross station and made our way to Luton Parkway. Boarded the flight for 2 and a half hours to Lisbon. Once we arrived in Lisbon I decided we should get on a bus and head into Lisbon. We arrived in.... I have no idea where we were but no body was around to ask for directions. Finally we found a café and asked how to get back to the airport.  We took the the underground back to Lisbon airport which was quicker and cheaper than the bus, we know for next time now.

Once at the airport again we met Pedro and the other members of the group and had to wait for the final memebers flights to arrive which took another hour. Finally we were on our way to Beja.

We arrived at hotel Francis at 22:30 very tired but very excited to get started the next day.

Sorry this post isn't very exciting im sure day 2 post will be more so than this one.

Ready for takeoff!

The need for change

The Education system has barely changed in over 120 years but today employers are looking for a different type of employee, so what is the role of non formal education in producing this employee?

This week in Portugal our team will explore this question, follow our progress 

Packed and ready!

Passport: Check
Sun tan lotion: Check

Portugal here we come!

To Portugal!

Hello! Conor and myself (Chris) from Momentum World are very much looking forward to this weekend when we will be travelling to Beja in Portugal for a full week of training, networking and fun!

We shall be involved in various activities that our kind hosts have planned for us and many other groups from a variety of different countries. This will include:

-Team building (including outdoor activities)
-Group discussions and challenges
-Dealing with unexpected situations and...
-Action planning

All this with a little entertainment mixed in it is sure to be an educational and enjoyable experience for the both of us and all those involved!

We will be heading out this Saturday (the 15th) and coming back on Sunday the 23rd (a very late flight), so you can expect to hear regular updates from us throughout the week.

Watch this space!

Chris

Images of Beja - Portugal



Good Luck To Chris Bradford and Conor Sherry

Good Luck To Chris Bradford and Conor Sherry who will be representing Momentum on a trip to Portugal at the end of the week. The temperatures will be hot and the programme a full one, but the team will keep you up to date via their daily blog

Follow them at www.2020portugal.blogspot.co.uk