Discover - Connect-Change

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Project funded by European Union

Discover-Connect-Change


This booklet is a result of the project “ Discover-Connect-Change”(2014-3-RO01-KA105-013288) that hosted 14 European Voluntary Service(EVS) volunteers from 7 partner organizations from United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Macedonia. This project is funded by European Union through Erasmus Plus Program.

Thank you for your hard work, commitment, creativity, responsibility, fun: EVS volunteers Daniel Thomas Appleton (United Kingdom) Daniel Anfield Watkins (United Kingdom) Fabio Jose Duarte Rodrigues (Portugal) Mara Alexandra Pedrosa Marques (Portugal) Jose Maria Tabares Pagola (Spain) María Isabel Ocaña Núñez (Spain) Maria Isabel Hernáez García (Spain) Marloes Verdel (Netherlands) Michiel Hindriks (Netherlands) Marta Nenna (Italy) Giulio Presti (Italy) Christina Carina Ott (Austria) Lorenz Fehrer (Austria) Hristina Najdovska (Macedonia)

Partner organizations National Council of YMCAs Inc –United Kingdom ProAtlântico - Associação Juvenil- Portugal Asociación Building Bridges- Spain

Stichting UcDean- Netherlands Vicolocorto - Italy Verein4YOUgend- Austria Mladinska Asocijacija IMKA Bitola- Macedonia


"Discover-Connect-Change" brought together 14 EVS volunteers from Austria, Italy, Macedonia, Portugal, Spain, UK , Netherlands with Romanian volunteers and for a period of 2 months (July-August 2015), throughout the programs to learn from each other, to develop skills, develop personal & professional competences, entrepreneurial skills, self confidence. They worked in international team, learnt to communicate in at least one foreign language, being aware of diversity, their potential for active involvement in the life of society, being motivated to participate and implement European projects. The objectives: to improve the skills of young people, including those with fewer opportunities for their participation in democratic life in Europe and employment, active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, inclusion, solidarity; young people with fewer opportunities; improving the quality of youth work and cooperation between youth organizations; promoting methods of recognizing non-formal and disseminating good practice in working with young people; creating an international environment working with youth and linguistic diversity and intercultural awareness. The main activities were: 3 educational camps for children and youth in Baia Mare city and villages Copalnic Mănăştur and Suciu de Jos, 4 public events using the Living Library and World Cafe methods, mentoring, language courses. The public events were implemented in the communities, involving all age groups and all stakeholders in the community. Responding to the needs identified in each community, the camps had different themes: in Baia Mare: "Healthy lifestyle and personal development", in Copalnic Mănăştur "Communication and interculturality” and in Suciu de Jos: "Equality and Diversity".


Trainings - Y induction at arrival: get to know each other, history, structure and activities of the host organization, strengthening the team (roles, communication, responsibility, attitude, cooperation), expectations, skills self assessment, Youthpass competences, get to know the host community - teambuilding, leadership, communication, problem solving, interculturality, cooperation, non formal methods, how to work with children - media workshop: photo, video basic rules, promotion (poster making, Tshirt design making) -on arrival training organized by Romanian National Agency-ANPCDEFP in July 2015 in Sinaia: teambuilding, interculturality, insurance, Youthpass, etc - evaluation, Youthpass, reports and testimonial writing


Educational Camps - planning activities, logistics, dividing resposibilities, leading the activities, evalution, photos, videos - in Baia Mare town: "Healthy lifestyle and personal development" – 40 children and youngsters

- in Copalnic Manastur village: "Communication and interculturality” – 80 children and youngsters - in Suciu de Jos: village: "Equality and Diversity" – 40 children and youngsters


Human Library events We adapted the books to kids and youngsters` understanding, in this way the relevancy and impact was increased. All the volunteers were involved either as books, either as librarians, dictionaries, timekeeper or readers. - in Baia Mare at Village Museum we organized the event in partnership with Baia Mare YMCA and Ys Men Club Baia Mare and we had Living books as: Austria, Netherlands, England, Portugal, The Spanish know how to party, Macedonia, Green Ireland, France: Where everybody`s colour is blue, Lithuania, Ukraine. - in Copalnic Manastur at Cultural House we had the following books: Austrian Activist, Spanish food lover, Clasic Italian, Voice Imitator, Portuguese Artist, Italian music and dances - In Suciu de Jos at Cultural House the books were: Voice Imitator,The Flying Flying Dutchman, Makedonsku Devojce, Austrian Activist, Spanish food lover, Zaragoza Storyteller, Clasic Italian


World cafe event in Baia Mare The event took place in a cool cafe place in town, at a terrace. Interesting topics were chosen by the volunteers , allowing in this way that young people get to know and understand the realities of each country, being a great way to share experiences, express opinions, learn from each other, inspire and to be inspired and motivated to initiate actions in our communities.

The topics raised were: parenthood, public relations and social media, legal or illegal substance abuse, environmental protection, international volunteer opportunities, sexual education.


Intercultural learning In order to enhance the intercultural learning and understanding, the host organized an intercultural visit in Maramures county, the rural part of our county still keeping the original traditions, history, people, food, in this way the volunteers got to know directly these aspects of Romanian culture and history : Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, The Memorial Museum in Sighet (ex Communist prison), Barsana Monastery. -visited the museums and beautiful lakes and mountains that -surrounds Baia Mare -returning from training in Sinaia they visited the attraction points from there: Peles and Bran castle, mountains, Brasov - in weekend and free days: Cluj Napoca- European Youth Capital 2015, Bucharest, Sighisoara, Timisoara, attending Untold festival in Cluj Napoca


Media and promotional products created by EVS volunteers -

project and World cafe event posters

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design for the project Tshirt

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3 video products of the camps

Photos and videos on: https://www.facebook.com/YMCA-Romania-591133814249959/?ref=hl https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/135787855@N05/sets/72157660742838550/


Results - training courses organized by YMCA Romania and Romanian National Agency –ANPCDEFP; - 3 summer camps creating three media products related to these camps, the beneficiaries being 160 children aged 5-17; –3 Human/Living library events , beneficiaries being 190 children, youth and adults from these communities; –1 World café event , the beneficiaries being 30 young people; –intercultural visit in Maramures region : Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, The Memorial Museum in Sighet (ex Communist prison), Barsana Monastery; – creation of their own project and World Cafe event posters , Tshirt design; - Romanian classes; - mentorship meetings; - travelled and discovered Romania and its culture. The impact was felt by EVS volunteers and Romanians, camps beneficiaries from Baia Mare, Copalnic Manastur, Suciu de Jos, by all organizations involved, by the families of volunteers, local partners, communities as a whole, through raising awareness, acquired knowledge, skills, values learned and changes in attitude, further initiatives and multiplication of the project, inspiring the initiative, action, cooperation within the communities.


European Voluntary Service (EVS) – Erasmus Plus Program This activity allows young people aged 17-30 to express their personal commitment through unpaid and fulltime voluntary service for up to 12 months in another country within or outside the European Union. Young volunteers are given the opportunity to contribute to the daily work of organizations dealing with youth information and policies, young people's personal and socio-educational development, civic engagement, social care, inclusion of disadvantaged, environment, non-formal education programs, ICT and media literacy, culture and creativity, development cooperation, etc. Participating organizations are responsible for: -arranging subsistence, lodging and local transports of volunteers; -envisaging tasks and activities for volunteers that respect the qualitative principles of the European Voluntary Service, as described in the EVS Charter; -providing to volunteers an on-going task-related, linguistic, personal and administrative support throughout the duration of the activity. Besides the support provided to the volunteers by the participating organizations, the National Agencies or regional SALTOs organize a Training and Evaluation Cycle to be attended by each volunteer and consisting of: a) an onarrival training; b) a mid-term evaluation, for voluntary services lasting more than 6 months. All participating organizations involved in a European Voluntary Service activity must hold a valid EVS accreditation. A volunteer can take part in only one EVS.Volunteers who carried out an EVS activity lasting maximum 2 months can


take part in an additional European Voluntary Service. Duration of activity -from 2 to 12 months. In case of activitiesinvolving at least 10 volunteers who are doing their service together (group service)or involving young people with fewer opportunities, the European Voluntary Service can last from 2 weeks to 2 months(short term EVS). Eligible participants -young people aged between 17 and 30, resident in the country of their sending organisation. The Erasmus Plus grant covers: Travel for the volunteer: based on the travel distance per participant, calculated using the distance calculator supported by the European Commission Organizational support: based on the duration of the stay per participant, cost directly linked to the implementation of mobility activities Individuals support: based on the duration of the stay per participant, "pocket money" to the volunteer for additional personal expenses. The amounts depend on the country where the mobility activity takes place. Linguistic support: conditional: applicants must request the support in the instruction language of the activity, on the basis of participants' needs for languages not offered by the central online service. Costs linked to the support offered to participants -prior to departure or during the activity –in order to improve the knowledge of the language they will use to carry out their volunteering tasks. Special needs support: costs for subsistence of accompanying persons and costs related to travel( under condition) ; costs directly related to participants with disabilities (including costs related to travel and subsistence(under condition- see Erasmus Plus guide) Exceptional costs: Visa and visa-related costs, residence permits, vaccinations; costs connected to lodging of participants during an Advance Planning Visit; costs in support of reinforced mentorship and specific preparation in the case of participation of young people with fewer opportunities.


Testimonials Daniel Watkins – EVS volunteer from United Kingdom Before I came to Romania I had many expectations but most of what I expected was based on stereotypes and not facts. I knew that Romania does not have the amount of services available as the ones that are available within the United Kingdom, I believed that I would witness lots of poverty, drug abuse and homelessness and even though I have seen some of this I have not seen as much as I thought I would. I also expected to grow up and develop teamwork skills and communication which I believe I have. What has helped me develop my communication skills is the fact that I have to live with 14 people which is completely different for me in England as I live by myself. I have had to learn to accept others and not lose my temper and get angry with others. During the project I have learnt many things, one of these is that no matter where you are from in the world you can communicate with everybody and make friends with them, since I have made friends with people from countries that I would have never thought I would become close with. Even though everybody has come from a completely different background and live a different lifestyle we have all worked well together. This has helped me develop teamwork skills I think that me volunteering in Romania has had a big impact on some of the communities that we worked within, on the third camp that we completed when we were leaving on the Friday some of the children started to cry which was quite touching. I think that they really liked how they live in an extremely small village in rural Romania and they do not get many outsiders coming into their community but I think it is the first time that they have had so many people come from different countries. I think that they have learnt to live healthier


lifestyles and in rural areas there is a hatred from Romanians towards Roma gypsies, I believe that them seeing all of us from different cultures being friends and working well as a team may inspire them to integrate with people that are different to them. Christina Ott, EVS volunteer from Austria I have done a lot of voluntary work in different countries with different organisations, but this is the first time that the organization and the people who work for it look also that I feel well and that I can learn also a lot for me. In other voluntary works there was no time for this. It was just working for the organization. So I enjoy really the time in Romania. From the organization everything is well organised and we get all the important information in time. When we have problems there is somebody who tries to solve it with us. I like also the work in the camps. In my opiniom I learned what important is planning the camps for children, how to work with children and manage difficult situations. In my free time I have a great time with the other volunteers. Here it is the same that we look that everybody feels well and when somebody has problems, there is always somebody who helps. In this time I learned a lot from the others and also something about different countries. The time on my own I spent in museums, go somewhere by stopping cars and speaking with different people from Romania about their life. So I got to know the life here in Romania. In my opiniom the people are very nice here and try to help. The On-Arrival training was great too, we met other volunteers, got to know their work and spent a great time with them. We made great activities and I liked also the hotel. So I really like this voluntary service and I am happy that I have the opportunity to do it.


Mara Marques, EVS volunteer from Portugal Best two months of my life! I will never forget all the adventures I had, all the places I visited, all the people I met. Now I can talk about Romania and break all the stereotypes that people have, I didn’t have any problem with Romanian people, actually they are all very kind. One of the things I will really miss from Romania is the food, oh my God, homemade zacusca and salata de vinete(eggplant salad) are the best. Romania has the best nd 2 hand shops ever, my Portuguese friends would love it, so cheap, why waste money in Portugal when we have Romania! The three summer camps we made were all so different, I really enjoyed the last one in Suciu the Jos, in a very small and traditional village, the kids really enjoyed and at the end they were crying. At the summer camps it’s one of the best ways to learn Romanian, the kids keep talking to me and I started to understand some part of the sentences they say. It’s a good feeling when we realize that we can be understandable with a few words or even with gestures to people that don’t speak our language. If I could, I would stay in Baia Mare for longer time. I’ll also miss all the volunteers and the people I met here, I’ll miss karaoke on Thursdays and our parties at the balcony.During the project I started to be more responsible and more independent in my daily routine. I also learnt how to communicate with people from different countries that I didn’t knew before. My English improved a lot since the beginning of the project, because it’s the language we use to talk with each other, I also learned some words in Macedonian, in Spanish, Italian, and so on…


In my opinion this experience brought me more knowledge than if stayed one year in Portugal, here I can lead with so many different situations every day. Our activities helped the community to be aware of the difference and to not judge people from their appearance. Giulio Presti, EVS volunteer from Italy

Doing this EVS project in Romania has been a really amazing experience. Although before I left I wasn’t sure at all of what I was going to do or how it would be, as I arrived and met all the other participants I understood I had nothing to worry about and that a great experience was going to begin. The first week was dedicated to team building activities and introduction to the methods, then we started with planning weekly summer camps for children. Organizing the first one took a longer time, necessary to get confidence with the methods, and required more initiative as none of us had a great experience in this field. In this occasion previous experiences have been useful to me. In the camp the main challenge was keeping the kids involved in the activities and communicate with them. The Romanian volunteers’ support has been fundamental for this, but also knowing few words in the local language represented a useful skill, and more than once prevented children from loosing attention and doing whatever else during the few seconds before the translation started. The On Arrival Training in Sinaia after the first weeks has been one of the most wonderful moments.I met all the volunteers just arrived in Romania from all over the country, people with very different nationalities. We got to know each other and discovered each other’s culture. I have also been hosted in another city by volunteers I knew there. Planning the last camps has been very fast. The camps themselves have been easier to run. These ones were in the villages and have been a good challenge for organizing everything, cooperating all together and adapt to the country lifestyle. Besides this, these have been two wonderful weeks, and the easier it become to handle the kids, communicate with them and understand each other, the better


relationship we had with them. During my EVS service, travels, trainings, I managed to meet really a lot of people, and I talked with them and discovered their experiences, ideas and attitudes. Lorenz Fehrer, EVS volunteer from Austria When you decide to volunteer and you are applying you already made up your mind. You are ready to open yourself for new and exciting moments. You are getting unbelievable experience in different fields of living. At the beginning may all this situations can be stressfull for you, but after some time they will get less stressful and will turn into more and more fun each time. Living and working among people who share the same enthusiasm will create a life changing experience. This is a great opportunity to learn new cultures, different habits, discover new food, drinks and, also, to learn a new language or at least some words. Isn’t it a magnificent feeling to find yourself on a road to a place you have never visited before? So many awesome places, beautiful things to see, nature, architecture, people and everything else that you will keep in your memories for the rest of your life! You are improving yourself as a person, spreading your horizons, way of thinking, and seeing things in a new, better way. Even when you are in some kind of problem it empowers you to overcome it and to take on new challenges. All of this is just a small part of why I always keep on looking for opportunities like this one- because in the end we only regret the chances we didn’t take. I learned a lot about my character and my strenghts and weakness. The most I learned is how to reach goals I set for myself . These 2 months were a whole learning process:to see how other people achieve goals, trying to adapt them and also the other way round.


Marloes Verdel, EVS volunteer from The Netherlands My first day in Baia Mare feels like yesterday, yet it feels like ages ago. Even though the city is not comparable to my hometown, Baia Mare felt like home from the start. Beginning with a warm welcome at the YMCA Romania and teambuilding activities the project started off in a great way. I learned more about myself and at the same time about the others. Getting to know each other continued after working hours by drinking, singing, dancing, swimming, eating, travelling, and going on arrival-training together. Organizing three summer camps has been the main purpose of the project. Each camp had its own topic around we planned non-formal education activities. While the first camp took one week to be planned, the second and third camp went much smoother. During the camps it was great to see the interaction with the children. Even though there were some language barriers and the amount of time was limited, we managed to connect with the children and in their own words give them a great, unforgettable summer. So was mine! All of the things I was hoping for are fulfilled. The team was really nice and I had a great time with them. I had the opportunity to develop some of my personal skills, by creating opportunities myself and by the opportunities the staff gave me. But most important I think I can say that the camps were a great success for the children. They seemed to have a great time. During the first week it was great that the staff gave me the confidence to lead some activities, it showed me that I am able to speak in front of groups and that I am capable of more than I think. I liked it a lot to see the activities from a different perspective. Right now I believe that the project has been raising my confidence and made me more aware of the differences, but maybe even more the equality between people no matter what


their background is. I think that the camps had an impact on all the children, but especially the children from the villages. The children in the villages were coming from different backgrounds and were brought together. Children who normally would not play together were doing that now. It showed them that no matter how they look or where they come from they are all equal. Hopefully they can keep this in mind and stop judging based on prejudice. Also other people from the villages noticed our presence and were interested in what we were doing. Fabio Rodrigues, EVS volunteer from Portugal Hello, my name is Fábio, I’m a EVS volunteer in Baia Mare, Romania.During this two months experience, I met friends for life, I had the opportunity to grow up with responsibilities, I learned processes for my life and I learned about other cultures.Not only had I the opportunity to work with other volunteers, from different backgrounds, some with difficult lives, with different customs, different cultures and different languages, as I had the chance to meet, work and get to know local people, who teached me their language, who welcomed me to their country and showed me their culture. The project itself, summer camps for children and public events as “Living Library”, allowed me to choose in what I wanted to take part and how, having the full responsibility upon my own choices, my own schedule. Working daily with these kids and providing them knowledge and joy in the same time makes me go home with the sense of duty fulfilled.Not everything was perfect, the language was a big obstacle, the lessons helped with basic words and sentences, but the interaction with non-English speakers is limited to body language and a few words, it may be difficult to communicate and the assistance from native Romanians was needed often. But even this difficulties made me develop my capacities of solving situations


and make myself understandable even without talking the language.I wish that every single young person has the same opportunity! Hristina Najdovska, EVS volunteer from Macedonia Being a participant on the project “Discover – Connect – Change”in Baia Mare, Romania from 1 of July till 31 August with 14 young people from different countries, created a turning point in my life. Before my project had started, I was a little bit scared how I will adapt in the new environment, but after one week living with the other volunteers, they have become my second family. In two months we have organized three summer camps for kids, one of the camp was in Baia Mare, and the other two camps were in villages. Apart from the camps we have organized public events: Living library and World Coffee, in purpose to be in contact with Romanian people. During my EVS we had courses for Romanian language, I have met Romanian friends, I have tried traditional food, have learnt more about the Romanian culture and I have explored just a little part of the country. And the most important thing about my EVS is that it helped me to grow as a person in many areas and to get to know myself better, which are my weaknesses and strengths and where I see myself in future. The time in Romania has passed so quickly. Beside the volunteering work, we had so much fun.Two months with a lot of new friends, new place for living, working with kids, parties. I have full head of memories and heart filled with emotions.I have enjoyed every day and for sure I will remember these days as one of my best days in my life.


Isa Ocana Nunez, EVS volunteer from Spain These two months in Romania have been amazing. I will never forget the experiences lived here and the friends made. Although I had a lot of expectations before coming, I couldn’t expect at all what I was going to live.The time has passed very fast. Personally, I have not realized how the time was passing and the deadline was getting closer. Almost two months since I arrived and a lot of stories to remember. I have known a new culture and an incredible one. Romania was a totally unknown country for me; a country full of prejudices and unfair treated. After this experience, I can say that Romania is a rich culture country with a lot of things to learn, but above all, with more things to share. I will love it forever. I have achieved the goals I proposed before coming here. I have improved my English, made new friends, known a new culture and places, enjoyed the project, I have laughed and cried as well and I have grown professionally and most important, personally. This project has been really important for me. Before been selected for it, I really wanted to make a volunteering in other country to be useful abroad my habitual place. Besides, I wanted to get the chance to learn with others how to plan a project: preparing materials, managing group work and organizing dates and tasks. In addition, it was very important to me help children and young people while learning other cultures and people. I am satisfied on the work we have done on the communities we have been. Above all, I think that the impact was really successful in the small villages. The children enjoyed a lot the camps and the local people were so grateful when we finished the camps that they invited us to a celebration with typical Romanian food. To finish, I would like to say that I have enjoyed a lot this project and I have grown professionally and most important, personally


Daniel Appleton, EVS volunteer from United Kingdom In YMCA Romania I have learnt a lot of things related with team building and leadership.Some of these I have learnt by being in camps and trainings with both YMCA and Erasmus Plus. In the on arrival training I have gone through a lot of emotions, one of these being a cultural shock where I felt as if I couldn’t handle being away from my family and friends and was very upset, but was able to stick through the program and I’m very happy that I did because I feel as if I have gained a new strength which I didn’t have before and this has caused me to look at a lot of things in different ways and be very optimistic to the future. Workwise I have been involved in a lot of trades and different jobs but always have enjoyed working with kids like in this EVS that has showed me a positive career in which I hope to take in youth work helping children with further opportunities and helping to make a silver lining on a day which is grey . To me, speaking honestly, if I didn’t have the YMCA I wouldn’t have this, I would be on a path of uncertainty still . I have made amazing friends in my YMCA, met new people from different countries on my EVS and I have helped them as they have helped me and that is to work in a team where if there is a problem we help one another to fix it and support each other in any challenge or activity that comes our way. So for this I would like to give the YMCA my biggest thanks . It’s amazing how much I have found people care for me on this EVS although I have only spent 2 months with them which for me is a big trust issue after all I can meet someone and know them for a while it takes a long time for me to trust people. I have always felt very distant to people and as much as people can trust me so easily it has always been very hard for me to feel the same back to others and yet I have come away and been trusted by the people who live here and I have not felt like an


outcast but been introduced to their family like an old friend who they have not seen for years. For myself where I was both surprised and intrigued that people who didn’t even know me could trust me to stay at their houses and parents in other countries they could trust an English man who they never met to help make a difference to their children’s lives and yet I have only spent a week with each camp I have received messages and I think it has changed the way I think, realizing that I have made an amazing difference in a child’s life. For this i don’t want to change the career I hopefully have in YMCA. Jose Maria Tabares Pagola, EVS volunteer from Spain I have to say that from the early beginning I was a bit “afraid”.I didn’t know much about my hosting organization (YMCA). But after the first week here in Baia Mare I knew for very sure I made one of the best decisions of my life. My expectations were very clear. The first of all was to learn more about the Romanian culture and also get rid of some stereotypes of this country. Many friends of mine were making so many jokesabout Romania. “Have you been stolen yet?”, Be careful with your wallet even during the day ”. But as I’ve already said, in the first week I realized Romania is a modern and European country.My project was with other 14 volunteers from Austria, Portugal, UK, Italy, Spain, Macedonia and Netherlands. So from the early beginning I got in touch with other languages, cultures and very different lifestyles. I was really looking forward for this. During the first two weeks we just did a lot of teambuilding activities in order to learn about the others and also get along more easy. It was very interesting because at the end of this, we managed to work as a team for the first camp in Baia Mare. For many of us was the first time dealing with kids. Besides, there were so many of them, with so many activities in the same day. Despite many of us were a bit afraid of this situation, I think we


managed very well for the rest of the camp, and also got more experience for the following ones in Copalnic and Suciu de Jos. Even though it has been a bit tiring and stressfull in some parts of the day, the experience was unforgetable and I would like to repeat it as soon as possible. The impact of this project was really amazing. I wasn’t expecting the Romanian kids were so open-minded an also willing to learn about different languages. I was impressed that many of them could speak, communicate and translate from English and Spanish (my mother tongue) in a very easy way. I really would like to have this multicultural lifestyle in Spain. I also think we did a great job towards those kids who were coming to our camp. At the end many of them were really impressed and thankful at the same time. They couldn’t understand how so many young people from really far countriescame to small villages like Copalnic or Suciu de Jos in order to spend time and have fun with them. I’ll never forget their faces full of joy during the whole week. Isabel Hernaez, EVS volunteer from Spain Even wanting to be part of the amazing project Discover-Connect-Change, I had my doubts the week before travelling; it was that mix feeling between fear and excitement previous a new adventure. But after the first camp with the children, all the preparation and organisation, all the people from the different countries who became my family in Baia Mare, I really knew I was in the right place, in the right moment, doing the right thing who can help me to grow up as a person and in the right organization, YMCA, where a meet nice and interesting people. I really enjoy the camps with the children and I have seen myself enjoyed playing with them. So I really know now is a job I can enjoy a lot in the future and contribute to the education of the children through the non- formal education. The first camp was very useful to learn a lot about organisation, games and


deal with children. I noticed that in the following camps it was a little faster organising and thinking the games for the camp. It was quite interesting working in group to prepare the structure of the camp. This project has helped me to be sure that I like to work with children and I feel good with them. And how good tool is the non-formal education. As a personal experience, I come back home with a lot of good memories, moments and feelings which help me to grow up as a person. We had impact as a group in the children and we were part of their summer, but where I really felt our impact on the children was on the camp of Copalnic and Suciu. I really think we made more special their summer, because they didn't have a lot of opportunities of going to a camp. Michiel Hindricks, EVS volunteer from The Netherlands It was quite hard to make expectations because it were going to be an experience I've never had before, and I also wanted to see how it will be without too much thinking before. But of course I had some expectations for this project. I expected to participate in a new environment that is different as in my country, have the chance to really participate in the project and be able to make a difference with the group for the children during the camps. When I’m looking back, after almost 8 weeks in Baia Mare and 3 camps with children, I can say that my expectations are fully fullfieLd. Baia Mare and Romania feels now like a place where I feel like home, the friendly people and nice atmosphere made it feel really nice for me. And also the camps with children were amazing. After the camps some of the children told that it was the best week of there lives, that gave me a fullfield feeling.


During the 3 camps with children in Baia Mare, Copalnic and Suciu de Jos we did our activity program with the children that joined the camp. All the camps were a big success, the kids loved it and we gave them a really special week, in which they learned things and also had a lot of fun. And so had I during the camps! I’ve learned a lot of things during my EVS project. It was the first time in my life that I must speak in English for a long time in order to communicate with people, because of that I really learned to explain things better in English. I learned to be more patience when you work in a team with other people, a thing that was before more difficult for me, to adapt in another environment with other facilities that i’m used to and to be involved with people from all different countries. Even if it was a short project, it changed some things for me. I think I’m more patient after this and more thankfull to all the facilities we have in my country that are really good and where we still complain about every day. I have a more open mind to other places and people that I don’t know so good before. Marta Nenna, EVS volunteer from Italy My expectations were about learning new non formal methods and activities, be able to interact well with the children of the camps and create a great group cohesion with the other volunteers. They have been fulfilled. The camps have been great and very enriching not only for the children but also for me and I have learnt a lot of new activities, and with the other volunteers it has been created not only a great group cohesion but with most of them a real friendship too. We organized and held together three summer camps for children and teenagers. The first part was “the creation” of the camp, each one of us proposed activities and games and also managed about logistic and timetable aspects. During the camps I was responsible of many activities, especially the ones


that I proposed and of breaks, rewarding system or closing. The Romanian volunteers helped in translating my explanation; after explaining I took part in the activity with the children. The first camp was for me like a sort of training, I was a bit nervous, as it was the first time I did this kind of activities with children. In the second and in the third ones I felt much more confident and relaxed as I knew now how to work. I enjoyed them a lot. This project had a strong and building impact on me. I have learnt a lot and I have been also surprised by myself and by what I am able to do when I am enthusiast. I think that it has been usefu.Ttwo months have passed very quickly. It seems just yesterday when I arrived in Baia Mare in my dormitory, meeting the other volunteers in the corridor that for me in that day were just strangers; while now we are all friends and if I think that we are going to separate soon I feel very sad. If I could go back in time I will repeat for sure this experience, maybe it was one of the most beautiful of all my life. Andreea Lazar, project coordinator 3 years ago I really wanted to have a full house of EVS volunteers in our organization, to organize a big team with young people coming from different areas, in order to provide quality programs with relevant impact on our community. My dream became a reality this summer when, by designing “Discover-Connect Change� project we had in Baia Mare 14 young EVS volunteers from seven different countries, which have managed to create a change in the community of Baia Mare and villages. Being in direct contact with them during the project, they had a major impact on me because they are very different and each has a strong personality. I gained more knowledge about other cultures and the way we interacted with others, developed social and professional skills. I am glad that these young people were able to create an impact so large in the communities and also on my family.


Andrei Tomsa, Romanian volunteer The experience of working hand in hand with volunteers from different countries and backgrounds with our common goal- to organize the best summer camps in the Y spirit- was one to remember. I must say that the effort and determination we all put in delivering the programs for the camps was out of this world; and the ties and friendships we engendered, the hugs and smiles we shared definitely brought us really close together! Organizing a summer camp requires a lot of determination and trust. The team you work with is the central focus of the whole structure. I must say that this summer, the volunteers I worked with were more than determined, and we became a team before even noticing it. We relied on each other and I felt how the strong feeling of trust was building up every day we worked together. We put all our ideas together in the creation of activities and games for the children. As a team we were always there for each other, we discussed, planned, implemented our ideas, and learnt how to receive a feedback, be it positive or negative. I must say that we all learnt important lessons, for me every day was a new lesson on how to approach different people, enlarge my inter-personal perspectives and how to use creativity as a tool to develop a better communication with children. The best part in the camps we delivered during this summer was probably the journey to become a great team. At the very beginning, I noticed everyone’s concern and reluctance towards working with a considerable number of children, and I myself was not really confident on the way I would communicate with children. But then I noticed that we were there as a team to support each other, help out when someone was in need and felt really encouraged when I received advice and insight- as I said, it had been a good process of learning for all of us.


Having this great opportunity of organizing activities and different non formal methods of learning for children, really spurred my creativity. Apart from designing the methods and games we used in the camp, I really cherished the time spent with the international volunteers. I felt really good in working with them and helping them out with translation or just simply with some humble advice here and there. My experience with children was not outstanding, but I did know a few tricks and tips, and working side by side with the Y team helped me even more in this instance. I feel more confident now, and also cheerful that the activities turned out so well. The ideas and insight given by the EVS volunteers was invaluable, I must say that working with them really was a great accomplishment. I felt really great seeing the way each of us came with some bits in completing the patchwork of activities we delivered, all based on trust and respect. The feedbacks from the children were really fulfilling, they really made us feel more confident on ourselves, on our work, and kept us going further. At the end of the day, a pure smile of a child is the only true sign of an accomplishment; it’s genuinely the greatest feedback you could possibly receive. Spending an invaluable time with the international volunteers was another great accomplishment for me during this summer. I really felt good hearing different opinions on different topics. I found it really nice hearing their thoughts and plans approaching different subjects, like the ones in the World CafÊ event we organized. I know it was a time well spent, really fruitful for me in matters of experiencing the taste of multiculturalism. I found out that even if we come from different backgrounds and countries, we all share common interests and we could all get together as a team to make up something out of this world- like the summer camp we organized. It was a great time, and I wish all my summers to be as productive, constructing and challenging as this one was.


Gabriel Flontas, Romanian volunteer For me, these summer camps were an unique experience, I learnt how to work as a team, I learnt many things about different countries and cultures, I could improve my level of English, I met lots of new people, and I had a lot of fun with the foreign volunteers. This summer was the first time when I was a volunteer and it was the best experience of my life. At the beginning when I went to YMCA office, I was a little bit scared and nervous because I didn’t know what it was going to happen. All fourteen volunteers were very nice and friendly, and it was a pleasure to spend two wonderful weeks with them, in camps. I got along very well with them and each time we worked as a team regardless of activity. Andrei Filip, Romanian volunteer This experience was something completely different for me . I am very happy for being part of it. Last year a was beneficiary of a summer camp organized by YMCa and this year i was invited to prepare and deliver the activities as a junior camp leader. I have learned a lot of things about diferent people, different countries, cultures and their traditions. With great joy I remember the days I spent with the EVS volunteers in the summer camps. The EVS volunteers and this project taught me how to do things have never done before , to be more confident in myself, improved my English, team spirit, they can change your life and show you that you can think out of the box .


Alexandra Canta, mentor As a mentor for long term EVS projects I often witnessed the life-changing impact of this program on young people’s lives, and thought that it is natural and it is mainly a result of the new lifestyle, the challenges and conditions of living abroad, and not necessarily a result of the project itself. I was wrong, and Discover-Connect-Change proved me that even a 2 months experience can be as powerful, significant and insightful as a 10 or 12 months ones. This project highlighted for me the importance of creating an environment which encourages self-development and self-expression in a way that everyone would find their core strengths and maximize them within the project. Working with so many and so different youngsters in such a short amount of time is a challenge, but I truly believe that the success of this project lies in offering everyone the chance to go through this experience, benefit and learn from it in their own rhythm and based on their own needs. Nonetheless, the activities of this project, the setup, the partners, the beneficiaries, all revealed to me the necessity of coordinated actions between NGOs and local institutions for increasing the quality of mobility programs and the quality of services offered through these programs.


Adela Lakatos, mentor For me it was a real pleasure to work with the EVS volunteers in this project. At first I took it as a challenge, being my first time in the position of mentor. I like to challenge myself and also I like to go beyond my limit. So I "why not?" and I am glad that I have this experience. From the group of 14 volunteers I worked close with four volunteers, two girls and two boys from Italy, Austria, Netherlands. At mentorship we created a trustful and open team spirit where the sharing of opinions , ideas, achievements and self assessments were the core elements of the meetings. The activities done during the mentorship meetings help everybody involved to get to know himself/herself better but also to acknowledge the others, to understand and engage together and develop a team. Discover – Connect-Change project brought a multicultural diversity, a true and dedicated team, with major impact on communities, both in Baia Mare and rural areas, through the summer camps implemented. Thanks YMCA Romania for this experience!


Dan Carpov, Romanian volunteer, president of YMCA Romania There are many ways that you can make contact with the new European trend in volunteering, namely EVS. I experienced gradually from being host to a more direct involvement as a mentor. The project from this summer when we had 14 foreign volunteers in our organization clearly proved that young people the best barometer of unity in diversity in Europe, but also proof that together we will succeed. Activities EVS are foreign to us and the experience of the summer brought the novelty of having two months, a large group, diverse but highly organized by the youth workers, in the service of the community and especially in the service of communities inaccessible for such activities, but not least, of the organization, after this project we have the new experiences, learning outcomes and healthy principles of youth empowerment. I understood that where you least expect it you'll find the "engine" of volunteering, the intensity with which the young people want to assimilate as much of those so dear provides support, informations, best practices and friendship. I would like to repeat the experience anytime with volunteers from other countries, because together we can learn what inclusion and love of neighbor is, and in times of crisis we can be united against any danger.


Stefan Pozan, Romanian volunteer, Romanian language teacher These 2 months in which I was part of the summer camps and Romanian lessons guide/teacher has been the best experience for me. Seeing a camp from a new perspective, as a member of the team, made me think a lot at the times when I was a participant in summer camps and it made me relive a small part of my childhood. On another hand, the Romanian classes for the EVs volunteers were completely a new experience for me. It was fun and everybody leant that teaching a group something new to them it is not so easy as it seems, although it`s been very fun and challenging. Winter may be coming, but the memories from this summer will not be forgotten so easily.


Alina Pop, executive director YMCA Romania This project brought a new perspective and new understanding to our organization, to our human resources, programs and beneficiaries. Never expected such a big impact, and again this proved to me and to us as an organization that if the right space is created for the young people they will not only take action but actually they will perform in a way of making a change. This project taught us again how important is to have a real team within organization, to create the space for the young people, to have involved in the program stakeholders from the community- authorities, schools, business, teachers, other NGOs. Here we put in practice the principle: SPACE-TRANSFORMATION-IMPACT. Discover-Connect-Change project was a transformational project for everyone involved. The values transmitted - care, respect, honesty, responsibility, trust, equality, diversity, cooperation- the children, youth, teachers, parents who participated in camps in Baia Mare, Copalnic Manastur and Suciu de Jos, at public events Living Library and World Cafe, the EVS and Romanian volunteers have created an educational framework based on exchange of information, methods, ideas, activities, projects, intercultural, generating unique life experiences, transforming behaviors, attitudes, actions, target groups and communities.


Acknowledgements Romanian Volunteers Andrei Tomsa Andrei Filip Gabriel Flontas Stefan Pozan Alexandra Bozantan prof.Ovidiu Bobb prof. Valerica Bobb prof. Oana Oros prof. Flavia Nechita prof. Dana Cosma prof. Cosmin Cosma prof. Valeria Pop prof. Nelu Pop Dan Carpov Alina Pop

Mentors Alexandra Canta Adela Lakatos Marian Cupse

Romanian Language Teacher Stefan Pozan

Local Partners Asociatia YMCA Baia Mare Ys Men Club Baia Mare Muzeul de Etnografie si Arta Populara Scoala gimnaziala Copalnic Manastur Primaria Copalnic Manastur Scoala gimnaziala “Florean Muresan� Suciu de Sus, centrul Scoala gimnaziala Suciu de Jos Primaria Suciu de Sus Podul Viilor 9

Project coordinator Andreea Lazar

Appreciations for logistic support Ms Pica Canta and family Mr. Aurel Lazar and family Ms. Viorica Pop


Changing lives. Opening minds.

Discover-Connect-Change EVS transformational project Care. Respect.Honesty.Responsibility.Trust.Equality.Diversity.Cooperation. www.ymca.ro This publication is a result of the EVS project Discover-Connect change organized by YMCA Romania and funded by European Union through Erasmus Plus program. The information and views set out in this publications are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.


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