Beyond the Limits! conclusion

Beyond the limits! conclusion

The "Beyond the limits" training took place from August 8-17 in Slovakia. Its goal was to develop the leadership skills of youth workers, social workers, and youth leaders. The educational activities also strengthened their competencies for better cooperation, communication, and problem-solving related to youth work.

After the previous intensive day of Beyond the limits training, the weekend arrived. As part of the "Saturday relaxation," participants were introduced to rope obstacles, known as Highropes, at the Steamfactory rope park in Košice. After initial trust-building activities and safety briefings, participants could try climbing and completing group tasks at heights under the supervision of certified instructors from HK UPJS. Participants were thus able to utilize the knowledge and experience gained during the previous days, this time outside their comfort zone. Each experiential activity was followed by a brief reflection dedicated to questions such as how to adapt the activity for youth, how to simplify it, or how to implement it using low rope obstacles, or even without ropes. Activities involving climbing on an artificial wall were chosen for overcoming personal limits and deepening self-confidence.

The beginning of the seventh day of the Beyond the limits training was dedicated to so-called follow-up activities. The trainers summarized the activities carried out so far with the question of how to translate the acquired competencies into local activities. Participants were provided with basic knowledge of project management. They learned to design SMART educational goals, adapt their activities to the direct target group, and estimate possible risks associated with their implementation. Through group work, participants could design the basic framework of their follow-up activity and discuss it with the whole group. Support from the trainers was provided throughout the activity. In the next block, participants shared their knowledge of the Erasmus+ program and the European Solidarity Corps. The facilitator focused the group's attention mainly on training – mobility of youth workers, youth exchanges, small partnerships, and solidarity projects. After a rich discussion and exchange of experiences, participants began designing joint projects. The group was divided according to themes and problems that the new activities were to address. After identifying the needs of individual partners, participants tried to choose a suitable program to support the proposed activities. The provided theory on the so-called problem tree and solution tree, which provides a basic strategy for structuring an educational project for youth, proved to be very useful. When selecting activities, participants were invited to incorporate methods and techniques that were presented to them during the training.

The final day of the Beyond the Limits training was dedicated to finalizing project proposals and their presentation. Participants could thus receive feedback on their project idea so far, not only from the trainers but also from the entire group. This feedback showed many the general setting of their current goals, the frequent need to narrow down the target group, or to temper their ambitions. After the final project management activity, participants engaged in a deeper reflection on the concluding training. After evaluating their educational achievements to date, participants began to evaluate the organizers, trainers, and the program so far. Various evaluation methods were used, with an emphasis on participants experiencing verbal, graphic, kinetic, and written evaluations. The evaluation concluded with a festive ceremony during which participants received their Youthpasses.

Beyond the Limits is funded by the Erasmus+ program, administered by Iuventa – Slovak Youth Institute.