This Issue Creativity in the workshops
International trainers meet What Transpace has meant to participants
This project has been funded with support from the Daphne Programme of the European Union. The content of this publication does not reflect the official opinion of the European Commission. Responsibility for the information and views expressed in the publication lies entirely with the authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Welcome
to the 4th and final edition of “A Space to Speak Up”.
It has been a real joy to have worked on the TranSpace project for the past two years and to have captured so many experiences and stories from all those in the project. It is an almost impossible task to pick out the highlights but for the MRS Consultancy team – after much debate – we have particularly enjoyed learning about and seeing how the young people have gone about their visits to other countries in the project: to read of their experiences of the food, the travel and what challenges they have met and perhaps, most importantly, of the friendships and bonds that they have made. “A Space to Speak Out” – has also been the vehicle to show just how creative our youngsters (and even the trainers!!) have been and in this edition we show yet more of the work and also remind you of one or two examples from previous issues. This last magazine also gives you the reflections of participants, trainers and managers from all the
partners. In “What TranSpace has meant to me” they provide an insight as to how the project has helped develop their understanding and, we hope, future actions. All has not quite finished in the project and in the final 2 months of November and December 2014 TranSpace holds its final international conference in the lovely city of Valladolid, Spain whilst other partners celebrate with conferences in their own countries. Finally a big thank you to all the partners, trainers and young people who have supported the magazine with words, photos and even cartoons – but the biggest thanks of all to you our readers. The fight to beat bullying and aggression will continue and we hope the TranSpace has played its part in that effort.
What Transpace Means to me - CJD-Frechen
Page 18
Profiles of a Trainer - Peter from Germany
Page 19
Profiles of a Trainer - Rayna from Bulgaria
Page 20
Creativity in the Workshops - Italy
Page 21
What next for Transpace?
Page 1
What Transpace Means to me - Eva Galán and Annalisa Pellegrini
Page 2
Creativity in the Workshops - Spain
Page 3
“Best Friends?? – Katerina’s Story”
Page 5
What Transpace Means to me - Borgorette
Page 23
What Transpace Means to me - Andrea Viertelmayr and Martin Heim
Page 6
Melissa’s Bulgarian Experience
Page 24
Creativity in the Workshops - Austria
Page 7
Page 25
Interview of a Youngster
Page 9
Profiles of a Trainer - Claudio from Italy
Profiles of a Trainer - Gisela from Austria
Page 10
Creativity in the Workshops - Bulgaria
Page 11
What Transpace Means to me - Galabina Tarashoeva
Page 13
Vallodolid - Much more than just a ride Page 26 Open Day in Frechen Page 27 What Transpace Means to me - Page 28 Maribor and MRS Partner Profile - MRS
Page 29
Bullying Page14 Creativity in the Workshops - Germany
Page 15
You do not have to be a bully
Page 17
Production team Editor – Roy Smith Design and Graphics – The MRS Consultancy Illustrations and Editorial assistant – Jack Robert Smith
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What next for Transpace?
Project Manager Sara Marcos Ispierto of Fundacion Intras looks forward: For two years the objective has been to offer innovative tools to children and young people with mental health issues or learning difficulties so that they will be capable of protecting themselves from the aggressive behaviour of their peers. Since then there have been 120 workshops in five different countries, including group activities, meetings and intense discussions about the best way to achieve this objective. The workshops covered a variety of aspects against bullying, from creating a safe place and personal barriers to articulating the differences between people. All of the workshops have worked on boosting the self-esteem of the
participants, as an integral aspect in the management of social relations. Once the workshops finished, the participants were able to relate to their peers on a completely different level: they improved their social skills, self-confidence and gained knowledge about the dynamic of social relationships. In other words, they are more capable of changing their context to make it more pleasant. There is still a lot to do, but the results of the project and the progress of participants have motivated us to continue onwards, will the next step involve working with parents and teachers? Transpace team thinks so.
Gabi Tarashoeva also has some thoughts:
What’s on after the end? As usual at the end – sadness and hope. Sadness for separation with some people who at the beginning were foreigners, and at the end became friends. Hope that our young creation is enough grown up to continue its independent life in the large world! Hope that in our part of the world we will find some responsible adults who will support development of this young creation!
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The TranSpace Project has been an unforgettable experience for us both on a personal and professional level. The psychodrama workshops for the prevention of bullying have been one of the most relevant aspects for us, directed by two great professionals, Gabi and Martin. We believe that this practical training programme has helped us grow on a personal level with first-hand experience of the dynamics being key to feeling safe and prepared while developing this programme. In relation to the development of the group sessions, we were pleasantly surprised to find how quickly the effects of the exercises impacted on the behaviour of the participants. In our opinion, the methodology applied was very suitable, being purely existential with little theory involved. The participants themselves share our opinions. The majority of the group were capable of clearly identifying what bullying is, the types of bullying and how to prevent and deal with the situation. We are really happy to witness that the intervention has provided the adolescents with the necessary skills to build confidence and cope with struggles of the past. Finally, we would like to highlight “the encounters in Linz and Valladolid�. Both the participants and professionals have enjoyed these meetings,
sharing ideas and experiences and learning from each other. One of the best aspects of the programme have been the simple things, such as travelling by train, staying at a hotel and meeting new people, which is normal for most people, but something extraordinary for our group. It was a great opportunity to gain experiences and make new friends. This has definitely been a fantastic experience from start to finish. We hope to participate in similar projects in future. A big thank you to everyone!! Eva GalĂĄn y Annalisa Pellegrini
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Spain Throughout this edition of A Space to Speak Up we will be featuring the work being done by participants from every country. Some will be the finished piece but we also want to feature what took place and sometimes who was being creative. The next couple of pages show our group from Valladolid working on their rap, discovering how to feel good, affirming that “You are unique”, asking “What would you like to be when you grow up…?” and learning to trust each other.
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” y r o t S ’s a in r e t a K – ? ? s d “ Be st Fr ie n Bullying happens all over the world to all kinds of people. Here is a story from USA.
I remember when I used to get bullied. It all started in 5th grade with my so called “best friend”. I actually thought she was my friend, I trusted her, & I told her personal stuff. Turns out she wasn’t she ended up telling people my business, made lies & rumors about me, she called me names & turned everyone against me. She always denied the stuff she said. A few months later it stopped she apologized and I said it was fine. She said she wasn’t going to bully me anymore & I believed her. Then like a month later it turns out that she made fun of me & everything behind my back. She also cyberbullied me on social networks such as Facebook. She wrote bad stuff about me & everyone at school saw. They all made fun of me. All the things she did or said made me cry. I always kept it to myself, my parents didn’t know.
My life had become so hard I honestly never thought I was going to get through this. School noticed how I started to change so they made me talk to a counselor. I told her what was happening. It turned out to go really well, it helped. The counselor told my parents, my mum cried because she didn’t know this was happening. After that stuff got a little better I stood up for myself instead of doing nothing about it & she stopped. Bullying is something that people should prevent from happening. We’ve lost many people because of this and it’s honestly sad because people don’t know how much it hurts.
Austria
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Project Coordinator
Andrea Viertelmayr As a project coordinator you always deal more with the administrative and financial issues during a project. Within TranSpace, the project schedule allowed me to put quite a lot of effort into actually dealing with the youngsters and implementing what was theoretically developed. This is a big benefit for the project and should be part of these type of enterprises more often, as it showed that the youngsters gained a lot for themselves due to the performed workshops.
Adventure Trainer
Martin Heim
For 8 years now, I work as a social worker and “Experiential Education Instructor” with young people with mental health problems. Within the TranSpace project I was honored to develop 3 times the “Day in Space” and spent it with the youngsters in the nature. Particularly in mind and memorable are the different needs and abilities of the groups. Despite these differences, however, I was very impressed how the youngsters solved the tasks and thereby clearly increased their self-esteem. As we all know that youngsters with mental health problems quite often have difficulties with their self-esteem, I´m confident that the TranSpace project had a positive impact on them. This may, at first glance just seem as small step, but in the end these are the changes which count and are important.
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Austria
We can now have a look at what took place in Austria in and around Linz. Here we see some finished works in Land Art and paintings and some stills from a theatre performance.
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Interview of a young person S…, 17 years old by his social worker
He was asked what comes to his mind when he thinks about the TranSpace Workshops? A. What do you remember, what to do in such a situation? S: For instance to document/record such a situation, that you have a proof. S: “I absolutely liked the acting, this was great fun… normally I’m to shy to do such things, but in the small group, it got better and better. A: If there would be a similar project, would you attend it again? S: YES, I also enjoyed, as during the last workshop, the youngsters from the work.box joined us and told us about the travel to Spain…and then we performed activities together. A: Is there anything further that comes to your mind…no matter what? S: When the Spanish guys where here I was pretty nervous if I can make it and cope with it, but in the end it was quite fun.
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Hi, I’m Gisela from Austria And I work as a trainer for pro mente Upper Austria.
I was born in a small village near Linz, Upper Austria. I got my general qualification for University Entrance at the commercial academy in Wels, Upper Austria. Afterwards I worked for eight years as a marketing assistant. But being honest, working in the commercial area was never the job I really wanted to do, nevertheless I learnt a lot about marketing strategies and commercials. Always keen on learning something new I took the opportunity to study sociology and pedagogics at the University of Salzburg. In retrospect, this decision became the best in my life! Studying with the experience of being employed before was a big benefit. And I really enjoyed the time at university. Besides studying I started to work for pro mente Upper Austria. This job gave me the possibility to change my professional life by working in the social field. In addition to all the learning and working I have indulged my passion for travelling. During University holiday’s trips in a self-rebuilt VW campervan to Sardine and Corse, the Provence (experienced the wonderful smell of flowering lavender) and the Pyrenees – the French as well as the Spanish part were realised. The last term at University I spent in New Zealand finishing my master thesis by interviewing climbers and mountaineers.
As I have already said, I grew up in a small village surrounded by nature (forest, ponds and creeks) my enthusiasm for outdoor activities still lasts. During summertime I’m longing for tramping especially if there is a welcoming hut serving meals or nice cakes. But not just in summertime the mountains are my place to be. Alpine ski-touring (walking uphill with special skins on our skis) in wintertime is the possibility to go to remote places and being the first leaving a downhill trace in virgin snow – gorgeous feeling! The job at pro mente combines theoretical and practical work in a fabulous way. On one hand research work on socialpsychiatric topics and on the other hand side training youngsters in increasing their self-esteem – a very interesting and fulfilling job.
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Bulgaria MHC Prof. Shipkovenski worked with younger children from the age of 7+. The youngsters were particularly active in creating all kinds of images and situations. Here are some‌
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Project Co-ordinator - Galabina Tarashoeva For me this project was transitional space between: l l l l l l
Clinical practice and social care Creating methodology and looking for the results of its application Teaching the trainers and learning from children Acceptance and rejection Loneliness and togetherness Challenge and satisfaction.
Crossing the boundaries, mixing languages, sharing cultures, exchanging experience gave me feeling of richness and connected with my European brothers.
Trainer
My name is Angel Tomov and I am one of the trainers in MHC prof. N. Shipkovensky. The work in the project TranSpace was intensive and fruitful. This unique and multifarious experience enriches me in personal as well as in professional plan. The clear focus and frames gave me the chance to check my adaptive possibility and once again to convince myself in the power of role play, sociometry and psychodrama. I had the chance to participate in one very serious and important lesson –
Thanks to all of you who took part in this project!!
Participant I am Yana, 15 years old. I have a girlfriend who took part in a group with children in MHC prof. N. Shipkovenski. She has some problems. I didn’t expect that something will be changed in good. But this happened and I am very glad for this. She is telling me what they are doing in the group and this is very interesting for me. But the most important is that my girlfriend is changing in front of my eyes. She became more self-confident, more cheerful and more talkative. I am very happy for her and I hope the achieved changes to stay constant. She told me that soon the group will finished because it is from some kind of European project. Now I am writing this, because I want to tell these who take decisions, that these groups have to go on, because I know many children who need such help. Yana
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Bullying A challenge for professionals working with youths with mental health issues Professionals from six different countries working in the field of education gathered in Linz (Austria) to exchange experiences and define new tools for the prevention, intervention and treatment for bullying. The TranSpace Project is financed by the DAPHNE programme of the EU which is now in its final stage. The INTRAS foundation coordinated the project together with CJD frechen (Germany), Pro Mente Upper Austria (Austria), Borgorete (Italia) and Mental Health Centre (Bulgaria), these organisations united to take part and intervene against bullying in schools. The programme commenced in November 2013 and ended in December 2014 and has had more than 200 young people as beneficiaries. This programme has been successful in developing and redefining criteria for intervention against bullying. So, what are the keys to detect, prevent and intervene against bullying in schools? Working on the self-esteem
of the participants plays a central role in the intervention process. However, providing young people with tools to help them articulate their feelings, fight against harassment and cope with feelings of guilt all play an important role in the intervention of bullying. If you would like to know more about TranSpace, please visit our website: www.transpace.eu we would also like to remind you that our manual containing all of the necessary information for the application of this programme will be available to download in Spanish from the early November and in the other languages from the end of November.
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Germany The youngsters working in CJD in Frechen have used rap to express what they have felt and done. The following shows some of the thinking and creativity behind their performance. To check that out visit
www.transpaceproject.eu
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As this girl explains
I started being a bully one year ago when this girl in my tutor group went and got her hair cut really short and I did not like it. In a way it look like lady gaga so I called her it then I started hitting her and being mean to her. At break and lunch she would come up to me and say so then shall we get this over and done with, and a week came to two week then to three weeks and I started being really mean and then one day I followed her home and after that I watched her getting changed in the changing room. Then I thought to myself and said why I am doing this just because she has short hair, so I stopped. Now we are friends.
I have stopped bullying because you get nothing out of it, you are not pushing others out the way you are pushing yourself away. You lose friends bullying and you just get yourself in trouble.
Whoever is reading this please stop because it is not nice and I have been bullied a long time ago when I was nine by the person I bullied please please please stop.
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My TranSpace experience: (Co-ordinator)
I took over the coordination of the TranSpace-project in January 2014, at the time of the second partners meeting in Frechen, Germany. It was challenging but very interesting to get into a project that was up and running. I was soon overwhelmed by the positive feedback I got from the involved trainers, participants and especially external people about the ideas and aims of the project. Although very little present during the workshops, Days in Space, creative workshops and the international exchange I reviewed all the photos and reports I got and always saw the trainers and participants smiling and having a lot of fun, which makes coordination a very nice job. As we are coming now to an end I agree with the trainers and participants opinions that it is sad that the project officially ends soon, but on the other side we have not let it end and have already started to use the training material with new participants coming to CJD Frechen to give more people a chance to benefit from the work we all put in. And I have to say, that I really liked to work in this partnership with all the international colleagues and their organizations!
My Transpace experience: (One of the trainers)
Our project was very interactive and challenging. I’ve known the group before and it was pretty interesting to see the resultant development of each person. Furthermore winning new perspectives could open doors for our participants related to vital issues concerning bullying or harassment at work or school. In my eyes the young people learned playfully how to create a safe climate. One boy of our group seemed in the beginning of our project more or less as a victim, being very reluctant and shy. It was a total success to observe him later transforming into a person who can be loud, “saying NO” and being part of group dynamics. That being said it had an impact on us, the trainers. I feel safer in intergroup communications and speaking my mind. All in all it was a great project and I’m actually sad we finished.
Jenny, 17 years old: (Member of the job orientation class in the CJD-Frechen)
I enjoyed the workshops about bullying very much. That was action and fun on one hand and on the other we really learnt a lot, but not in the traditional school routine with worksheets and biros. I can feel the topic now. I am able to imagine, what it means to be an outsider. But what I liked best was our rap performance. I never thought to be capable to produce a text. And not at all I could imagine to sing a song in front of my class mates. But I did. I am really proud of myself. I would love to do all the program again!!!!
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Nature Educator
Peter Schallenberg
from Germany
to My motto: “We all are part of nature, we only have recognize and to experience this!” We all, but particularly young people with and without disabilities, may gain a lot from it. I was born in the well-known city of Cologne on the river Rhine in 1955. Although I never liked school that much, I always enjoyed it when teachers managed to get me enthusiastic about certain things.
Instead of doing my military service, I did community service and organized youth work programmes. When I graduated in Geology at Bonn University, prospects for geologists were quite bad. Nor did I want to contribute to a society which is highly lavish with natural resources and recklessly exploits these.
Following some steps in journalism, I came back to one of my former special areas of interest: local and regional history. I started to work as a city guide in the city of Cologne, something I did very passionately. I thus kept in touch with people and are able to explain how one of the most important medieval cities developed. Both tourists and
guide, however, Fun, however, has got to be part of the show! These days I do tours in three different cities, sometimes even dressed as a night watchman in his typical gown. Here in the Rhineland, my “Brauhaus-Tour” during which we visit several old-established breweries where I explain the culture of beer on a both theoretical and practical basis, is very popular. Cheers!!!
For four years now I have been pursuing another passion: I increasingly discover nature and make it accessible to school classes by organizing nature and wilderness programs! These programs take us back to our roots: making fire using wood and flints. I show what can be found in forests which we can eat and show survival strategies. In summer I sometimes sleep outdoors, under the starry sky, enjoying the encounter with animals and adventure linked to it. I lure young people away from their two-dimensional illusory world (mobile phone, computer, TV) and get them enthusiastic about this real and exciting nature, our true home!
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My name is
Rayna Markova.
I am psychologist and speech and language therapist. I see the way children participating in TranSpace project change after our meetings. They are getting stronger, and seem to find new ways to react in daily basis situations. In recent years in Bulgaria there are many projects aiming aggression prevention and here I’ll mention the names and web addresses where all the information may be obtained:
In 2007 – Project named “School without violence”. - http://www.unicef.bg/ kampanii/Uchilishte-bez-nasilie/16
violence, aggression and other negative events “ - goals adequate training on issues related to aggression at school. http://uchitel.mon. bg/
In 2009 Bulgarian National Help-line for Children http://www.animusassociation. org/?page_id=146&lang=en
Of course there are similar projects aiming prevention of school violence, and each has contributed to the improvement of the
In 2012 – Project named “Success” which includes total amount of 1307 schools with the same aim: prevent and/ or decrease violence between teenagers offering extracurricular activities through workshops. http://uspeh.mon.bg/
The difference that Transpace brings is that it uses psychotherapeutic techniques of psychodrama and psychodramatic scene. Provides a protected space for young people in which they can freely experiment with oneself, to know themselves better, to
In 2012 - Boot Sector Program “Komenskisteps towards school environment free of violence” including students, parents and teachers in project activities at national and European level. http://issuu.com/lafrikanov/docs/ comenius_aggression_2012 In 2013 - Project “Training of educational professionals on the prevention of school
school environment.
face their weaknesses.
A place to discover they have hidden potential and find the inner strength to say “No” to violence in a secure and supportive environment. I hope in future the TranSpace methodology to be widely used not only within Bulgaria.
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Italy
Borgorete based in Perugia, Italy worked with a range of younger children using a repetoire of creative and physically active exercises to help the youngsters understand and develop mechanisms and tools.
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Project Co-ordinator
My name is Michela and I work as a project co-ordinator with Borgorete in Italy. Transpace was a really positive working experience for me. I enjoyed the work and collaboration with the partners, their knowledge and expertise in the area of violence and bullying and their professional approach to the work, but also the good humour. I learnt very much about issues of violence and bullying, particularly directed at young people with special needs. It was great to see our trainers get familiar with the methodology developed for the project and then put it into practice with three groups of children in Perugia. The response was very positive, as the children enjoyed the workshops – and, while they were “playing”, they learnt very important skills about themselves and others and their own personal safe space. Some of the children’s quotes during the workshops are real eye openers: some very sweet, some very sad and some really positive. We have had very good feedback and many requests to continue with the work with schools here in Perugia, and that is an important indication for us that the work has been positive and was understood to be useful. Hopefully we will be able to carry on! Michela (Borgorete, Italy)
Impressions of a “TranSpace Trainer”......
It was one year ago that I followed the very interesting workshop of the TranSpace methodology to become one of the trainers (Italian partner). For me it was a very rich experience: from one side to learn about this methodology and from the other side to work together with the foreign partners and to share ideas and opinions. This all in a really positive atmosphere! It was nice to visit the partner countries and to see places where I had never been before...to freshen up my English and to eat the foreign food. It was a real exchange of uses, organizations and traditions. From the other part the methodology acquired in Sofia functioned really well with our groups in Italy. The children liked the games and the theatre techniques, like the expressive drawing activities. They could experience their personal space and how to relate with the others in the Safe Place and the safe group that we created using this methodology. My colleagues and I were very satisfied about our first TranSpace year. And now …let’s go on !!!! Sabine (Borgorete, Italy)
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Melissa’s Bulgarian Experience When Claudio asked me to go in Bulgaria I immediately said “yes!!” because I loved the idea of going to a new place! Before our departure, I was unwell with a sore stomach and I was anxious because I thought that I wouldn’t be able to make it... The trip lasted two hours.. a bit boring because I couldn’t look out the window on the plane as I was sitting on the aisle. A lady offered me her seat near the window but I refused because I felt shy. When we left the airport I asked myself: “where am I?” When we arrived at the hotel I was impressed by how nice it was!! On the stairs, there was a red carpet! And there were a lot of mirrors and a lot of chandeliers. In the evening we walked around the city centre and there were magnificent fountains with coloured water like in a fairy-tail! Then I took a chocolate milkshake in a very nice bar outdoors. Then we went to bed and I dimmed the lights to make a cosy atmosphere in the room. I shared the room with Sabine and before going to sleep we talked a lot: she told me about her country and I told her about all my family. The morning after when I woke up I thought I was at home… Breakfast was very good, just like at home. I saw someone eating eggs and sausages and I couldn’t believe my eyes!! After breakfast, on the way to the meeting, we visited a beautiful church and then we went to a market place where I bought the famous Bulgarian rose water for my family. The meeting was a bit boring for me because they were speaking Bulgarian all the time!!! And I didn’t understand a word. Gabi and the others gave me paper and pencils and I made three drawings for my mother. Gabi hung them on the blackboard and took a picture of me. At lunchtime, people drank yogurt and it was very strange for me. The food was different and to be safe I always had pizza. In the afternoon, we played together with the Bulgarian boys and girls. It was strange to play together without speaking the same language... Now I can imagine how difficult it was for Alex when he was with us. The last morning we prepared our bags and said goodbye to our room and the hotel. Returning home, I told everything to my mother. I said to her that it was all nice and fun. It was a nice experience.
Melissa
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Hello everybody. My name is Claudio Marinangeli and I live in the lovely town of Foligno, near Perugia, in Italy – which locals call “the centre of the world”. I live with my family, which means my wife and a wonderful, funny little girl, Gloria, who is 2 years old. Among my hobbies, I love playing football with friends, but also enjoy my passion for music and culture in general. I often go for long walks with my two dogs and enjoy being on my own, discovering the beautiful nature around me. I am a Psychologist, specialised in group psycho-therapy and I chose to study psychology because I wanted to understand human behaviour and study the complexities of the human mind. I went to University in Rome, a city that I fell in love with. At the moment, I work privately with patients with different mental health problems, but the most demanding ones are people fighting cancer in hospital.
To lift myself up a bit, I also work with children and adolescents in a daily care centre, managed by the Cooperative Borgorete. It is with this group that we carried out workshops with the Transpace project. We realised that there is a real need to increase relational competences of these kids to protect them from violence and bullying.
Arrivederci…… Claudio!!
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Valladolid
Much more than just a ride
Right on time at 12.15 pm the Iberia flight took off from Düsseldorf via Madrid. On board were Yussuf, Mike, Dennis (participants of the Daphne Programme) and, supervisor and trainer, Ms. Brandt and Ms Kroeber. Alas there was a stowaway – Yussuf’s fear of flying – but this was fought off with many songs. Despite these adversities we landed safely in Madrid and continued our journey to Valladolid by train passing snow-capped peaks on the way. Valladolid lies 100 miles north of the capital and is a beautiful city with sunny weather which shines on many great building facades and inviting places. We arrived ready to enjoy a great programme of four amazing days with young people and trainers from Austria and Spain. Of course it is not so easy if you speak only little English and no Spanish - and Austrian German is not always a help. However, despite the language barrier the participants understand each other very well. How is that possible? The Spanish organization “Intras” had prepared great exercises in cooperation that could be implemented with the minimum of words. The focus of the activities was on creating self-awareness and strengthening the team building. To realise that goal the focus was on action not words. Here are just two significant examples of what went on. In the first, participants and trainers formed a wall of people in a meadow. One of us had
to run blindfolded at this from a distance of 10m. Although nothing could happen, we all showed a anxious behaviour in one way or another. Our first steps were very fast but as we approached the wall we slowed and slowed. Some of us even came to standstill before the wall of people. The second example set another task for the team: We all stood behind a rope lying on the grass. We could not touch it with our hands but we all had to crawl under the rope. As the task developed you had to follow your own ideas. There was no Spanish or German or Austrian solution – it is down to cooperation and creative thinking. The solution is fun, promoting the courage to work together and is a fine example of successful international cooperation. All these experiences were reinforced and intensified by our visit to a crag the next day. Any anxieties there had not chance of winning faced by the encouragement of the group with their cheers and songs. Of course all these emotional und physical challenges made hungry. Numerous visits to typical “Tapas” restaurants helped against this feeling. “Calamares” (fried squid) were the undisputed favourite. Rarely have so many squids been eaten in Valladolid in such a short time. It would be no surprise if they are still swimming around in the stomachs of the students. The four days passed in no time at all and on the return flight the many great experiences and events far outweighed any fear of flying. Struggling for photos from my stock – perhaps a general shot or two of Valladolid and a plane given the story
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Open Day in Frechen
Students, trainers and the local community relax at the Open Day in September 2014 held at CJD, Frechenat which the TranSpace project was presented.
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Two partners the University of Maribor and The MRS Consultancy did not take part in the piloting and workshops. However, the project still had an impact on the organisation and the people who worked for it and in the project.
University of Maribor, Slovenia – Karin Bakracevic Vukman Two partners the University of Maribor and The MRS Consultancy did not take part in the piloting and workshops. However, the project still had an impact on the organisation and the people who worked for it and in the project. With the help of the TranSpace project, we enhanced our knowledge about the problems of violence among youngsters, especially children and youngsters with special needs. We advanced our understanding of measuring violence and created a framework
for understanding causes and effects of violent behaviors as well as characteristic features of the victims. Through the project, we established valuable contacts with foreign partners and created fruitful cooperation with institutions from this field in our country. We gained valuable experiences in working with children and young people with special needs and insights in ways of empowering disabled and disadvantaged youngsters to protect themselves from community–based violence.
The MRS Consultancy, UK – Roy Smith MRS has worked with disadvantaged communities in the UK and Europe for many years. Many of our projects have been about communication in one form or another – whether that was learning, advertising, skills audits, research or reporting.
TranSpace has given us a wonderful opportunity to focus on and develop that part of our work through a regular magazine for a diverse range of readers from our young people to trainers to national and European policy makers. We have also developed and provided content for a web site that is used by all kinds of stakeholders and is supported with social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
For our part we have really enjoyed understanding the needs of the young people for whom the project was devised and of learning how the innovative methodology of the project was designed to meet those diverse needs. We have learnt so much about aggression, its causes and effects and how it can be combatted. Our team of graphic designers & illustrators, writers and web developers have relished the challenges of communicating those particular situations and experiences.
www.facebook.com/Transpaceproject and www.transpaceproject.eu/
29 A Space to Speak Up
The MRS Consultancy
RS) is a small The MRS Consultancy (M countryside organisation based in the is in the in North Yorkshire which kilometres 60 t North of England abou in Scotland – from York – but not quite on. You may and definitely not in Lond s where have seen the area as it wa in July d the Tour de France starte 2014.
at we do and If you want to see more of wh more detail in ults res see the projects and check out
www.mrsconsultancy.com and www.facebook.com/ TheMrsConsultancyLtd
opean projects MRS has been working in Eur porting sup inly for the past 17 years ma h migrant suc es niti disadvantaged commu ties, older cul diffi g rnin women, those with lea se with tho and ple workers, unemployed peo have We s. ent airm physical and sensory imp rises erp ent ro mic and also worked with small itive through to make them more compet e-learning, ally eci developing learning, esp ”. line m tto that improves their “bo g all types of We have supported learnin cing basic different groups from introdu reach”, to digital skills for the “hard to women, to learning English for migrant how to tell training Community Reporters dia, to helping their stories through the me ployability and the over 50s learn some em community skills. do in developing How we work and what we and learning for our target groups tanding ers und on ed communities is bas it that they is at wh ”: tick what “makes them it that would are interested in and what is ome active. Our bec or rn motivate them to lea basics and then approach is to find out these methodology. to develop the appropriate
Partner Profile
A Space to Speak Up 30
November 2014 11th November 2014 Final project Conference in Valladolid, Spain
18th November 2014
Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria “European project TranSpace and Bulgarian experience in working with children and youths with special needs for overcoming violence”
Other Events Dissemination conference in Frechen Germany – to be arranged between 24 November and 12 December 2014. Dissemination workshops in Perugia, Italy to be arranged during December 2014
Dissemination Conference in Linz, Austria
“Education and School Inclusion” Conference 28-29 November that is held in Bolzano (northern Italy) every two years, organised by the University of Bolzano and GRIS (Research Group for Integration and Inclusion in Schools). It is a Conference aimed primarily at school teachers with the purpose of supporting school integration of children with special educational needs.
Local Conference “Project presentation” by the group who went to Valladolid - their experiences and what they gained from them.
“Capability Oriented Activity” Conference in Gmunden, Austria - 4 December 2014
18th November 2014
“Beat Bullying” Conference in Harrogate, UK – 4 December 2014
“Youngsters and Violence” Conference in Maribor, Slovenia - 5 December 2014
31 A Space to Speak Up
Varied and amazing magazine, good place to express your opinion if you’ve participated in the project. Furthermore, an outstanding design. Laura, Spain
A great chance to empower young people! Irene, Spain
The Rap sessions looked great! I had a look at the German one on the web site. Awesome! Dieter, German student studying in UK
Very friendly style and useful to reflect the point of view of participants. Maria, Spain
Very appealing design with all the pictures for young people Trainer, Austria
Great mag. Wish it came out more often Anonymous from Italy
An attractive magazine! Good balance between text and pictures; I love the participatory style of all numbers. It tells us about activities, as if Transpace was a big family. Rosa, Spain
I like to see what is happening in other d countries. Wish I coul take part Katerina a support worker from Thessalonika, Greece
More cartoons please. Make me smile Franky, 14 years old from Poland
Readers’ Comments
This project has been funded with support from the Daphne Programme of the European Union. The content of this publication does not reflect the official opinion of the European Commission. Responsibility for the information and views expressed in the publication lies entirely with the authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.