Dissemination from North Macedonia
Participants from our program: Kristina Todoroska, Marija Jovcheska made an activity in Ohrid, North Macedonia with 16 young people of different profiles took part in the dissemination workshop. Among them were project developers, youth leaders, youth workers and members of our and other local youth organisations (3 different youth organisations altogether). The age range of the group was 17 to 34 year-olds.
During the workshop, we focused on the active listening segment of the project because the need for proper open and reciprocal communication is key to achieving one's goals. Through active listening can one understand other people's needs and also communicate their own needs to others more successfully.
We started the workshop with an energizer and a name game followed for the participants to get to know each other (some of them already knew each other, but others did not). The energizer was to help the participants focus on the tasks that followed and to give them energy since it was a Sunday morning the time when the activity took place.
The name game helped the participants open up because it involved sharing more personal details about themselves other than the names. The participants liked it particularly because they were surprised to see a roll of toilet paper and then learn its actual purpose. The name game really helped set a positive and fun mood in the group.
The active listening exercises followed after the name game and they were of 3 kinds. They helped the participants to focus on their partner, to really try to hear and understand what their partner was saying and then discuss in depth about the messages they were trying to send.
The active listening exercises were met positively by the group and the participants were able to identify real-life situations where they only respond for the sake of having to say something, and situations in which they really hear the people with whom they speak and respond accordingly.
The immediate, short-term impact on the participants was that of raising awareness about active listening and about their reactions to external stimuli, especially in the process of communication.
What our participants said for the training:
Marija Jovcheska
The IN & OUT project is a great example of solid cooperation between youth organizations and an example of how partners in such an Erasmus + project should work. The organization of the overall project was at a high level from the very beginning. I personally, as well as the other participants from the Macedonian team, received unreserved support during the preparation, first from our sending organization CRR - SEE, and then from the project coordinator Acpelia and the hosts In-Planet. All doubts and uncertainties were discussed and the best solutions were offered and implemented for my smooth participation in the training that took place in Athens from April 26th to May 1st. The team of coaches and facilitators contributed to the atmosphere of the event to be positive and encouraging for each of us. Huge thanks to CRR - SEE, In-Planet and Acpelia for allowing me to be part of this event.
Dino Stojkoski:
"The IN&OUT training course in Athens, Greece was one of the most interesting, exciting, and informative experiences for me. The purpose of the project was to use a variety of different methods of thinking out of the box for our self-improvement, personal development, team leadership, time-management, social and cultural discrimination and a lot of other themes which are a part of our personality. The aim was to spread these methods and help us become more balanced and happier in our daily lives, as well as transfer that energy, knowledge and skills to our peers. I was honoured and thrilled to meet and cooperate with a lot of people from different countries with whom I became great friends and learned a bunch of interesting information about their countries and cultures.I would like to give my appreciation to the host organization In-Planet and the coordinator Acpelia for the support throughout the whole training course and my gratitude to the organization Association Centre for Rural Development - SEE Struga that sent me to have this new amazing experience."
Kristina Todoroska
"Besides having the chance to meet numerous new people from different countries, learn about their cultures and create unforgettable memories, I took part in a wide range of activities as a participant in the Erasmus+ project 'Innovation through Thinking Out of the Box (IN&OUT)' in Athens, Greece. We developed skills for better self-understanding thanks to self-knowledge and self-evaluation games. In addition to finding creative ways of understanding our own personalities and determining our short-term and long-term goals, we searched for different ways of understanding others, as well.The activities about human rights pointed out certain issues, such as the fact that even though human rights are supposed to protect everyone, there are some people who are deprived of particular human rights, thus not being able to achieve their goals and lead normal lives.All daily activities were educational, fun, and meaningful. They helped us improve both on a personal and professional level. Thank you for the chance to learn new things and acquire new skills!"
Angelina Jovanoska
"Last month I had the opportunity to participate in the Erasmus+ project 'Innovation through Thinking Out of the Box (IN&OUT)' in Athens, Greece. Spending a week in an international environment positively affected both my personal and professional development. I learned more about different cultures and traditions since there were participants from various countries, including Romania, Moldavia, Georgia, Cyprus, Greece, Armenia, and Ukraine. The diverse activities covered numerous areas of creativity, and I will definitely implement them in my future professional assignments.The organization was flawless from the very beginning until the end. We received all the necessary information regarding the project from our organization, 'Center for Rural Development - SEE' (the Republic of North Macedonia).We didn't face any difficulties or issues during the project thanks to the great organization and attention to detail by IN-PLANET and ACPELIA. I'm grateful for this one-of-a-kind experience, meeting new people and learning new things."
Links of posts that are been done from the participants:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLKkCycJ/?k=1
https://www.facebook.com/marija.jovceska.71/posts/5542766052424534
https://www.facebook.com/100970395043953/posts/491849235956065
https://www.facebook.com/100970395043953/posts/491056796035309
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=5533656516668821&id=100000735834776
https://www.facebook.com/100970395043953/posts/499699015171087/