FIRST THINGS FIRST
Start date: May 18, 2015,
End date: Nov 17, 2015
PROJECT
FINISHED
Context of activities of project First things First:
In the last years, participants of the project are experiencing various strange phenomena of the nature: flood of rivers, strong rains or big amount of snow, strong winds, unusual summers' heats, or strange winters... That raises questions- from where does it come; how should I act to prevent these disasters; what does it mean for my future. So 5 groups of 6 participants from Spain, Portugal, Lithuania, Turkey , Macedonia decided to meet and together search for answers to these questions.
Project's activities will consist of 3 phases :
a. Preparation phase (activities- one day national group buildings, setting personal goals, getting know principles of NON formal education+ research about nature-person connected challenges at native districts+visit to nature preserved park next to living place and conversation about preservation issues there with stuff+ preparation of presentation to others)
b) Exchange phase (25.07.2015-03.08.2015). Activities 1st day-creating atmosphere of learning 2nd day-sharing national challenges on the theme 3rd day- interdependence between person's life quality and nature preservation 4. day -Going to experience in rural nature (setting tents) 5. day- self directed hike in Neries river's national park (+ personal outcomes of it) 6. Putting participants inputs to Neries regional park (work for saving one spice of butterflies+helping to establish mental disable people's wood atelier) 7. Experiencing people's crafts of old-times 8. Back in civilization- creating activities/presentation for event for local community 9. Nature preservation festival with local community organized by participants 10. Documenting results of the project, evaluating the exchange, producing Youth pass. p.s. The days 1-3 and 8-10 will take place in Vilnius city (one seminar center) and days 4-7 will take part at Neries regional park (living in tents with very few civilization aspects) p.s.The detailed program with used methods in exchange activity it is attached to the application.
c) Follow up phase: after coming back at least one participants initiated action at their living place based on results of the project (interdependence between community life quality and nature preservation)
The learning outcome of participants will be reached by having these aspects (methodology) in the project:
-Enough structured spaces in the program for reflecting experiences personally, in national or international groups
-Creative methods, which push out participants from their comfort zone.
-Concrete work in helping to survive special spice of butterfly at Neries Regional park and helping to develop wood atelier of mental disable people
-Interaction in the participant?s group between mental disable youngsters and youngsters with other abilities
-Several days of experience in nature with very few things at Neries river?s regional park (sleeping in tens, making food on fire...)
- Non formal education methods, which involves into learning process participant's bodies, feelings and minds (p.s. concrete methods explained at attached program)
-On Experiential learning methodology based activities at Neries river?s regional park (f.e. self organized hike, rope activities)
-Participants initiated event in local community (in follow up phase and at the end of exchange phase), where they will try to inspire other people with ideas which they found out at project activities
-working in small international groups.
Expected impact on the participants:
-Competence to find out individual needs and to set personal goals
-Skill to collect some facts about the topic and to make small critical analysis of it
-competence of self reflection out of interaction with different nationality people
-competence of presenting your needs and expressing your feelings (+ to do it in foreign language)
-Competence of taking risk (going out of comfort zone) and being open for unexpected things
-competence of critical thinking, "giving names" and analyzing processes in society
-Competence of living "friendly" with nature
-Knowledge of D.Kolb's experiential learning circle and importance of using it in daily life
-skills of overcoming prejudice (especially with disable people)
-competence of noticing small things and finding joy in them
-competence of showing initiative and implementing actions which solves some challenges of local community.
p.s. these and other personal found competences will be put into participants Youth pass after the project
Impact to target group:
- special species of butterflies will have more chance to survive in Neries regional park (p.s. participants will work a bit for that aim)
- Neries river?s regional park will start to make more nature educational (+international) events for youngsters