Finding your inspiration was an Erasmus+ funded training course. Organised by our Italian partners Madiba, it ran between 29th March and 4th April 2018, in Pragelato, Italy.
What was FYI?
When we received the notification that our Italian partner had been successful in their application, after 10 years of trying, we were excited. Madiba has been alongside LLG on almost all of the Eramus+ projects we have partnered on. Every year they apply, and every year they are unsuccessful. So, to hear that this time they had been awarded the project, and the theme was Finding Your Inspiration, our excitement went into overdrive.
The training course was for youth workers and those working in youth-related fields. With the aim of developing new methodologies and best practice resources for inspirational learning. Helping young people discover their inspiration and use that to build employability and community skills for communities back home.
What did we learn?
The training course was a rigorous program of long days. Initially, we looked at ways of discovering new inspiration and identifying what inspires us on a daily basis. We then looked at our own skills and how to share those with others for mutual benefit. Finally, we brought it all together to learn how to help young people find their inspirations and building skills to support that growth.
When all the elements came together, the training helped us develop new workshops and practical activities. Living up to the promise we have been inspired ourselves and have taken a lot away from this training. We’re now working to build a new program that combines the inspirational themes with practical activities and workshops.
A core component of the learning was taken from the writings and lectures of NAME and NAME. Their work in the fields of education and critical thinking were foundational to the theme of the training course. Their books are available online and we recommend you read at least this (link) book.
Where was it?
The course was sold as taking place in Turin, Northern Italy. This was not entirely true. On arrival in Turin, we had to take a bus that took us 2.5 hours into the Italian Alps, yes the ALPS. Along the border with France, we settled just outside a small village called Pragelato. A small hotel that caters to nearby ski resorts was our base. Here we learned, slept, and socialised. Plus a healthy dose of intercultural and intergenerational learning.
30 participants from Greece, Italy, UK, Netherlands, Portugal, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Ireland, and Cyprus all took part. Every day was a whirl of multi-lingual sound and music. Portuguese speaking German, Greeks speaking Italian, Maltese speaking Spanish, and English speaking Maltese.
One night was dedicated to intercultural experiences. Food, drink, music, and art from all over Europe was on display. Participant countries gave a short presentation and shared some local favourites. (Images).
Were we inspired?
This training course caught you twice. The inspiration from the programme was enough to keep most people busy for weeks. There was a second, constant source of inspiration. The surroundings. Every field of view offered ancient mountains climbing to 3,000 meters. Occasional snow showers gave a winter wonderland feel to the training course at times. The same snow would cap all the mountains in sheets of white, that would slowly melt away in the following days.
This cycle of natural beauty and comfort zone pushing training was inspirational by design and by nature. Every break gave you new time to reflect and embrace the imposing and ancient location for a training course that was all about inspiration.
How you can get involved?
Being part of this training course was a pleasure and an honour. Our best wishes go out to Madiba in Italy for their report and future applications. We’d be proud to support them again. However, that’s not easy. Every month we receive new invitations to join training courses across Europe and we’re not always able to fill all the spaces.
If you think learning new skills in the Italian Mountains, Greek Beaches, or in Slovakian Mountains is the future for you, we’d love to hear from you. Add your email below and we will send you info on training courses.
