Professional Development Activity – Training Course «Training Youth Workers in Youth Employability»
Project number: 2023-1-EL02-KA151-YOU-000121291
27 September 2023 – 03 October 2023, Selianitika, Greece
Day 1 – Wednesday 27/09/2023 – Arrival Day
The youth workers after a long trip, they arrived at Selianitika, Greece for participating in the Erasmus+ KA1 Staff Mobility – Professional Development Activity -Training Course «Training Youth Workes in Social Inclusion». They settled in their rooms in «Kanelli Beach Hotel», at the Beach of Selianitika, they started getting to know the venue, the facilities, the surroundings and each other. After dinner a Welcome Evening was organized to get to know each other better before the initiation of the activities and workshops of the Training Course.
Day 2 – Thursday 28/09/2023 – Introduction to Youth Unemployment in Europe
The morning started with some ice-breaking activities and energizers (name games, bingo game, etc.), so as to get to know each other names and some important info from each youth worker, as well as to wake up in the morning. The «Secret Friend» long lasting game also started in the first morning session. In this long-lasting game, each participant picked up a random secret friend and he/she had to leave gifts and nice letters in the secret friend’s envelope.
Then, the youth workers participated in the team-building activity «Mission Impossible». In this team-building activity the youth workers were divided in three groups and they had to complete some tasks. After brainstorming and team discussion, each group presented their results in front of all the youth workers.
After the coffee break, an introductory short power presentation was shown to participants in order to get to know more about the training course they were participating, the aim, the objectives and about Erasmus+ opportunities. Then, the youth workers working in group circle wrote down each one personally on green, pink and yellow post-its their expectations, fears and contributions about the Training Course. The trainer read all expectations, fears and contributions and promised to the participants that they will come back to them the last day of the Training Course to see if they were fulfilled or not. Before lunch, a treasure hunt game took place, as the youth workers had to search around the place for the images on papers with the rules of the Training Course. When all rules were found each youth worker had to guess the meaning of each rule he/she had found.
The afternoon session started with an interactive workshop about soft and transversal skills. In this session, the participants discovered the importance of soft and transversal skills except for the hard skills developed at school or university. They had a nice coversation and team discussion with the trainer, expressing their opinions and experience.
After the afternoon coffee break, a world cafe about youth unemployment in Europe took place. In this workshop the youth workers were divided in four groups and four questions were placed in four flip-chart papers on four tables:
- Which is the unemployment rate for young people in your country?
- Young men or women are suffering from unemployment in your country? Of what age?
- How do the NGOs assist young people in getting them employed?
- Which are the soft and transversal skills required for young people?
Each group was placed in one of the four tables and they had to discuss, search and write down answers to the respective question for 10 minutes. Then, they had to change table and work on a different question for 10 minutes. This process was repeated till all four groups had answered all four questions. Afterwards, each group presented to all youth workers the answers of one of the four questions.
Before evening, a half an hour reflection took place, so that the participants would reflect on their feelings about the day passed, the competences acquired and what they would like to be improved.
After dinner, the first Intercultural Evening took place, in which Cyprus, Poland and Hungary presented their cultures interactively through videos, presentations and games, while the youth workers had the opportunity to taste national food, sweets and drinks from these countries.
Day 3 – Friday 29/09/2023 – CV and Job Interview
The day started with the Samurai (Hi-Ha-Ho) energizer, so that the participants will wake up and initiate their day in an entertaining way.
The first morning session «Imagine your Future Job – Explore your Skills» workshop took place after the energizer. In this workshop the youth workers brainstormed about the important skills the youngsters should have so that they would be equiped for future employability. They had a team discussion, interacted with the trainer and concluded to the most important skills for youth employability.
In the next morning session, the participants learned about writing the CV in a correct way. They were given tips to be followed when writing their CV and they got to know the Europass CV, the official CV of European Union.
After lunch, the youth workers participated in simulations of job interviews. This was a role-play game, in which the youth workers were divided by the trainer in two groups; one group of applicants and one group of employees. Each participant was given a role to represent and then small interviews took place by the group of the employees. Each time one employee interviewed one applicant and the rest participants observed the interviews and had to guess the role of each person. A final debriefing followed, so that the youth workers would understand the difficulties they witnessed for some applicants with fewer opportunities in being employed.
Before dinner, the Mayor of Aigialeia, Mr. D. Kalogeropoulos visited the venue of the Training Course at Selianitika Beach. There, he discussed with the participants and the legal representative of our organisation, Mrs. Kyriaki Vamvaka-Christodoulopoulou about the Erasmus+ projects and the opportunities they give to youth for future employability. The youth workers also had the opportunity to ask him about the actions his municipality is taking for youth with fewer opportunities to develop soft skills and get employed. The Mayor had also a group photo with the participants of this Erasmus+ Training Course.
Then, the youth workers had a 30-minute reflection about the day passed. They discussed about the strongest moments of the day and about any improvements that could be made in the project.
After dinner, the second Intercultural Evening took place, in which Romania, Türkiye and Italy presented their cultures interactively through videos, presentations and games, while the youth workers had the opportunity to taste national food, sweets and drinks from these countries.
Day 4 – Saturday 30/09/2023 – Cultural Visit to Archaeological Museum of Patras
In the morning of the fourth day, a surprise was waiting the youth workers of the Training Course. A yoga session was organised by the coordinating organisation «Achaia Adult Education Institute», so that the participatns would discover the benefits of yoga and meditation as an energizer. The yoga session was implemented by an experienced yoga trainer from Patras, Greece. All participants took part in the yoga sesssion and they were really enthusiastic about this type of energizer.
After the yoga session, the participants were transferred by a bus provided by the coordinator to the Archaeological Museum of Patras for a cultural visit. There, the youth workers admired the ancient antiquities and they were astonished from the ancient Greek culture. All the group had a group photo at the entrance of the museum.
Then, the group was transferred by the same bus to the seaside town of Nafpaktos by crossing the Rio-Antirrio by ferry. In Nafpaktos the youth workers had the opportunity to admire the medieval town, the medieval port and roam around the medieval pedestrian small roads of the town.
After retuning back to Selianitika in the evening, they reflected on the day, they expressed their feelings about the cultural visits and thanked the legal representative, Mrs. Kyriaki Vamvaka-Christodoulopoulou for the opportunity she gave to them, to discover these magnificent places.
Later, the participants had dinner and then a free evening, so as to relax from this wonderful but tiring day.
Day 5 – Sunday 01/10/2023 – Start-up Companies Foundation
The morning of the fifth day started with the energizer «Follow the Leader». In this energizer all participants were in a circle except one who was the guesser. A leader was selected among the participants of the circle who had to do dance movements, clap, etc. and the rest of the group had to follow, while the guesser had to find out who was the leader.
After the energizer, the youth workers were divided in four groups and they were given a task to create their own start-up company. The groups had to be creative and think at least of a name of this start-up company, a logo, a business plan describing their target group, their aim, their objectives, their targets, the funding opportunities, etc. After the creation of these start-up companies for an hour they had to present their companies to the other groups. Thus, they created:
- wp.job: a start-up company offering services for training people to find their dream jobs.
- Selianitika Sup Boards (SSB): a start-up company for renting sup paddles at Selianitika Beach.
- HEALTHIKA: a start-up company selling fresh air in a bottle as a health treatment.
- GULP: a start-up company providing personalized all in one device for dogs in order to make the lives of their owners easier.
In the next morning session «Digital Marketing Opportunities – Sell your Product» Activity, the youth workers were divided by the trainers again in the four start-up companies groups and they were asked to digitally advertise the companies they created and then present the digital marketing advertisement to the other youth workers. As a result, the following advertisements were prepared by the start-up companies groups:
- wp.job: a video was created about the services this company was offering and it was uploaded in the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/100030727278687/videos/278193358423838/
- Selianitika Sup Boards (SSB): an Instagram account was created advertising their services to the public:
https://instagram.com/selianitikasup - HEALTHIKA: an Instagram account and a Facebook page were created advertising their product to the public:
https://www.facebook.com/helthika.2023 https://www.instagram.com/healthika1/ - GULP: a digital marketing campaign with the moto «STAY PAWSITIVE» was created and uploaded on the Facebook group of the Training Course: https://www.facebook.com/groups/803177844687774/?multi_permalinks=840118627660362&ref=share
In the afternoon sessions, the youth workers learned more about the non-formal learning methods by the trainer and they were divided in four international mixed groups to create and develop their own non-formal learning methods about youth employability. Each group had to select a category of these methods, think of a name for this method, the objectives, the desired learning outcomes, describe step by step the implementation of the method, think of debriefing questions and predict any possible risks during the implementation.
In the evening, the youth workers reflected about the daily activities and workshops and they expressed themselves about the progress of the Training Course and the competences they had already acquired.
After the dinner, the third Intercultural Evening took place, in which France and Serbia presented their cultures interactively through videos, presentations and games, while the youth workers had the opportunity to taste national food, sweets and drinks from these countries.
Day 6 – Monday 02/10/2023 – Visit of a Local Winery
After the morning energizer, the participants were transferred by a bus provided by the coordinator, Achaia Adult Education Institute, to Aigio, to visit the Digital Museum in Panagiotopouleio House. There they had the opportunity to learn about the history of the Aigio and the Congress of Vostitsa and admire the building of the museum.
Afterwards, the participants were transferred by the bus to a local winery of Mr. Rouvalis in Aigio. The youth workers discovered a local company and had the opportunity to discuss with the owner about this business. In the local winery the owner offered the participants to taste wine from his winery.
After the visit to the winery the youth workers were transferred to Akoli Beach, where they had the opportunity to relax, have light lunch and swim. Later in the afternoon at Akoli Beach, they also worked on the development of the non-formal learning methods about youth employability, which has started the previous afternoon.
When the participants returned back to Selianitika in the evening, they had a 30-minute reflection about their feelings and experiences from the day passed and expressing themselves about the progess of the non-formal methods development.
After the dinner, the youth workers had free time to relax themselves and finalize the development of the non-formal methods if it was required for a group.
Day 7 – Tuesday 03/10/2023 – Youth Employability Non-Formal Method
The morning of the last working day of the Training Course started with an energizer with two rival teams that had to represent dragons, princesses or princes to win the other team. In this energizer the prince won against the dragon, the dragon won against the princess and the princess won against the prince.
After the energizer, an open discussion with the CEO of the local start-up company, FEAC from Patras, Greece, Mr. C. Kokkinos took place. The CEO presented his start-up, expained to the youth workers his dreams and vision and shared his experience with them. The youth workers had the opportunity to ask him about the start-up, funding opportunities and other questions about employability and Mr. C. Kokkinos answered all their questions and invited to visit his company if they would like in the future.
Afterwards, during the morning session, the four groups of youth workers developing the non-formal learning methods presented to the whole group their methods. The presentation involved the implementation of the non-formal method step by step by the youth workers as facilitators and a final debriefing. The four non-formal learning about youth employability developed by the youth workers were:
- «Shape your Communication»: a team-building activity and energizer about enhancing active listening of youngsters and improving their auditary competences.
- «If Teenagers Should or Should not Work»: a debate game for preparing youngsters for challenging interviews.
- «New Land»: a team-building activity about improving the communication, teamwork and collaboration skills and understanding the problems of youngsters with fewer opportunities, especially those having special needs (health problems or disabilities).
- «Find your Job» a brainstorming, role-play, treasure hunt, team-building and debate activity about developing interview skills to youngsters.
After lunch, in the afternoon session, the youth workers completed the competences and skills acquired during the Training Course in a flip-chart paper, so that the coordinator would prepare their Youthpasses according to the skills and competences the participants were feeling they had acquired.
Then, the certificates ceremony took place, in which the legal representative of the coordinating organisation, Mrs. Kyriaki Vamvaka-Christodoulopoulou gave to all youth workers a certificate from the host organisation and congratulated all of them for their participation.
Later in the afternoon, the participants reflected about the day and about the whole Training Course, expressed their feelings and thanked everyone for their contribution. They also evaluated the Training Course through a written evaluation form, so as to let feedback to the coordinator for the next projects and activities that will be organised. Except for the written evaluation form, the youth workers returned to the expectations, fears and contributions of the first day and removed the post-its that were not fulfilled. Most of the green and yellow post-its remained on the flip-chart and only a few pink, i.e. the expectations and contributions were achieved and not the fears; thus, the Training Course was successful!
But before going for dinner and the final Intercultural Greek Evening, the participants had to find out their secret friends. The secret-friends were revealed in an interactive way by guessing who was the secret-friend of each other and everyone thanked his/her secret friend about the gifts and the letters after revealing.
After the dinner, the fourth Intercultural Evening and a Farewell Evening took place, in which the Greek group presented the Greek culture interactively through videos, presentations and games, while the youth workers had the opportunity to taste Greek national food, sweets and drinks.
Day 8 – Wednesday 04/10/2023 – Departure Day
After breakfast the youth workers were boarded on the bus to transfer them at Athens International Airport and return back to their countries. They said goodbye to each other and they started theri trip back home.
As all nice moments come to an end, so did this Training Course… But did it really finished? No, the youth workers have promised to keep this Training Course alive! Even after implementation, in their countries and in other prjects! The friendships, the partnerships and all results will stay for sure alive!
