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Sports de plein air + Bi-tri-multi
Sports de plein air + Bi-tri-multi
Start date: Jan 1, 2015,
End date: Jun 30, 2015
PROJECT
FINISHED
This Training Course was intented for sportsmen and sportswomen generaly reluctant to fill administrative forms pretending grants for international exchanges. On the other hand Youth leaders promoting European mobility use to pay not enough attention to Sport activities... Our aim was to prove that there are not two different worlds Sport vs European mobility, but in Youth area both may coincide. The key is the initiative of the youngsters themselves and of Youth associations. In this case we offer Open air sports practices as canoe, kayak, orienteering race, mountain bike, ride, rafting, high speed swimming. There aren't unaffordable sports. And not reserved for private or familiar leasure. They are kinds of fashionable physical activities apreciated by members of Youth associations overall in Europe.
Participants are not champions. We don't organize any competition. As Youth leaders and Youth workers, they discovered the necessary preparation, the rules of security, the place of Sport trainers as the French law orders (and the reality of the labour market in the Sport sector). Most of them never practiced these sports before. It was a beautiful opportunity for them to play sports they only see in the TV.
I am very satisfied that nobody was missing during the activities. Even without idoneous training, participants risk themselves to look not so confortable in front of the others. The group waited without any problem the late and clumsy friends. That was essential for a good team spirit. Thanks to it, there was less communication obstacles to exchange with partners from another country and with another language.
In the afternoon, we organized the workshops about the topics freely choosed by the participants themselves. So it was no national group (as it was purposed initially) but always international ones. They used to present the project they brought, and find together the activities, the partners, the best moment in the year... People with more experience in Youth European programs, as the leaders of national delegations, are sollicited for advices and comments. Participants had complete freedom to imagine any project: some are really creative. At the end, some ten (10) projects were orally presented in Plenary Assembly: Sports, Nature, Youth participation, Traditional Dances, Arts vs Pollution, Healthy life, Handicap... All nations were concerned, nobody stayed on one side.
All projects aren't completely developped: maybe we should have higher expectations, for instance distributing forms (I claimed for it in the INFOPACK, but nobody did it!) or building together the budget on computer with large screen.
The European dimension was given by the different films of some mobilities past years, and by the Intercultural nights. Quality was very different between delegations, but everyone enjoyed the touristic views of different countries, some jokes, some famous historical events or popular figures of Literature, Science, Sport... Every night was reserved to one nation. The French delegation offered a professional concert, half international jazz, half French songs, and all participants liked it. The kitchen of the Youth hostel was free for cooking specialties from abroad. No registred problem with vodka, beer nor wine.
We choosed the Château de Fondru as a Youth Hostel because of price. In the INFOPACK we explained that comfort is limited: no lift, two or three people by room, no wi-fi, no shop nor bar for the night life in this small village of Anjou... But personal evaluations were all enthousiastic about the nature, the calm, the birds, the view etc. Of course all participants were happy with the French gastronomy (quality and quantity). Various told us and wrote they want to come back here.