Forward Together

2024-05-12 The stories

Forward Together

The theme of the project we participated in was the use of digital transformation for inclusive and sustainable non-formal education, and the project gave us much more than just new theoretical knowledge. In addition to the topic being very interesting, the program quite diverse and unusual, and the organization that organized this project being composed of the best possible people in the right place, the greatest benefit came from the people who participated in this project with us. They made this project a unique and very beneficial experience for life. Although almost none of us knew each other before this week, we became almost a family during that week, functioning together without any difficulties or problems. We helped each other, formed diverse teams regardless of likes or dislikes, and were able to cooperate on various program activities. The organizers Fotini and Panagiota from the Culti Multi organization are amazing trainers and never had a problem explaining anything to us multiple times if needed or slightly changing the pre-prepared program due to the requests of other participants.

We learned the main differences between formal education, non-formal education, and informal learning, for example, through YouTube videos. We also learned how to use digital technologies and the conveniences of modern times to create various tools for non-formal education. The first was the ActionBound application, where we were divided into teams and allowed to walk the streets of Kalamata, following a GPS arrow on our phones to complete individual tasks such as finding the tourist information center, a monument in the square, or a historic church. It was great fun and an ideal way to use gamification to explore a place in the form of a game. Another great tool was Kahoot for creating online quizzes, where people can participate directly from their phones and compete to see who clicks the correct answer faster. The most fun, however, was with the Bamboozle application, where you can create a quiz in which you can also lose points or steal them from another team. In short, we gained very valuable information on how to informally educate youth using gamification.

Organizational matters and accommodation were also handled excellently. From the beginning, we were adequately informed about everything necessary – where the hotel was located, how to get there from Athens airport, which bus to take, where to get off, which bus to choose to Kalamata, and then the journey from Kalamata station to the hotel. All our questions and requests were promptly answered and fulfilled, if possible. In Kalamata, we tasted authentic Greek cuisine, and the food was very tasty and prepared from quality local ingredients. We even managed to get to a local wine tasting where we had the opportunity to taste almost all types of wine that Kalamata and the surrounding area produce.

This project could be summarized as not only meeting our expectations but even significantly exceeding them. We learned many useful things. We had a lot of fun during the program and also after it. We understood what it's like to belong to a marginalized group that doesn't have the same opportunities as us. We met amazing people and enjoyed Greece to the fullest. We made new friends and are already looking forward to meeting these people again somewhere.