This was my first ever participation in an Erasmus+ training after my ESC. So, excitement, expectations (especially regarding the climate – I was definitely not disappointed by the outcome) and uncertainty of how it’d turn out was certainly present.
The past year, I participated in an Erasmus+ ESC project in Brazil, where I worked with young people in the subject of languages, sports and general education. This got me hooked on to working with young people.
I applied for this training in order to receive additional knowledge and new pathways for content creation in youth work. Since I’m coming from visuals & design professionally, I was especially keen on hearing about what’s to consider visually if you want to communicate with youngsters.
On the first evening of our 3-day-workshop, we had a very chill get together and initial meetup. It helped to get to know our group a little better as well as our trainers. Our trainers, Pavel, Markus, Olalla and Petra were highly motivated and found a very charming balance between a tightly-packed and intensive schedule and their levity and ever-present humor which made it so fun and welcoming.
Each day had a different topic: On the first day, we learned about what makes a great visual message delivery and what question you have to ask yourself when you want to start a campaign - what your target audience is, how you will transport the message and so on.
We also had one entire day contributed to podcasts. From the basic technicalities and things to consider when recording we then went on how to structure a podcast. After a short excurse into editing, we then recorded our own podcasts applying what we’ve learned before.
Engulfing all methods of content delivery, be it visually or via audio is a good story. We devoted another day by focusing on storytelling: Are there common specifics that every good story share? You can you intertwine facts and emotions?
Due to the sporty schedule, I liked how my creativity received a push with the pressure of a time limit and it helped me getting into the flow and generating ideas on short notice.
The exchange with my fellow colleagues from Austria, Spain, Slovakia and Estonia was enriching. We definitely amplified each other by sharing our unique experiences and life stories. After a very short period, I already felt a familiarity and closeness to them that never seemed different. That was certainly one of the most remarkable memories that will stick with me.
The location at a frozen lake, embedded into a forest around 50 km south of Tallinn was just absolutely stunning. Although I’m from a country that is no stranger to snow, I haven’t experienced such a beautiful winter environment and tranquility for a long time. I set my alarm to 7:30 am every day to make a long walk into the forest and the upcoming sunset. It certainly helped with processing all the information we gathered during the days. ;)
For more information, check out Shokkin Group’s website. There, you can also find their podcast series “Gems of Youth Work” dedicated to this topic.
More information:
The project was implemented by Shokkin Group International funded by Estonian National Agency under the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission.
