Come and fly (UNIPO)

Come and Fly Away

On Monday, February 25, 2019, we held a quick course on Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programs at Prešov University. In cooperation with the student organization AZU (Activity Increases Success), we introduced participants to non-formal education and its benefits. After a short warm-up and an ice-breaking activity, we looked at the main differences between non-formal, informal, and formal education, and together we considered their strengths and potential shortcomings. We then divided the students into two smaller groups, where we introduced them to the possibilities of the mentioned E+ and ESC programs through so-called "living books." Wait, what or who exactly are these living books? Imagine that instead of paper pages, you get information from a person who shares it with you based on their experiences. Imagine that you don't have to look for various links to further information in the library or online. If a part of the story interested you more, just ask the living book. Sorry, this article is not actually dedicated to living books; if you want to learn more about them, click on the more detailed description of this methodological tool from IUVENTA.

Our books were none other than volunteers from the Youthfully Yours organization, who themselves had experienced many youth exchanges, trainings, and seminars. During "Come and Fly Away," they shared their experiences on how to apply for these mobilities and what to expect from them. The second group of our books focused on long-term volunteering and internships abroad. We introduced the participants to the concept of volunteering itself, the benefits of volunteering activities within the European Solidarity Corps, and the potential of graduate internships. In this case, we also interspersed a lot of information about the benefits with real experiences from these mobilities, possible pitfalls, and advice. We thank the proactive students who asked us many interesting questions, AZU Prešov for their support in organizing, and Prešov University for providing the premises. We look forward to further "readings."

You can read what UNIPOpress wrote about the seminar here.