Skilling You(th) Softly
Skilling You(th) Softly
Imagine attending a youth exchange that captivates you not only with its great theme but also with its beautiful surroundings. This excellent idea became a reality for a group of five Slovaks who participated in the Skilling You(th) Softly project near the Greek town of Litochoro at the end of May.
On the project, we, a group of 30 young people, focused on developing soft skills, which are very important and useful in everyday life. The sunny weather by the sea and mountains motivated us daily, and that's why we had a lot of positive energy when engaging in the project's activities.
On the first day, we spent time getting to know each other, which in itself helped develop our soft skills. In this way, we immediately created a pleasant atmosphere at the beginning, in which we learned and collaborated well until the end of the project. The following days, we focused on developing specific soft skills. These included: communication and presentation skills, teamwork, conflict management, problem-solving, time management, responsibility, proactivity, and empathy. However, first, we defined soft skills in teams, meaning we explained the basic concepts through non-formal education, and then we worked with what we had learned together in our large group.
After the initial meetings, the Greek organizational team had interactive workshops prepared for us, where each of us could try out our soft skills or accept new personal challenges for their development. For example, one of the interesting activities was a simulated debate with a jury and audience, which combined and strengthened many skills at once. On another day, whoever wanted to could present activities or topics they pursue in their life to other participants within the framework of the so-called Open Space Technology. In this way, we dedicated time to developing skills in presenting, listening, and discussing.
Outside of the main educational program, we also had one free day. Our excellent Greek facilitators took us to the mountains, where we swam in a waterfall or took a short hike, each according to their own taste. This way, we also had the opportunity to get to know the surrounding environment and the kind people who live there. We also had a cultural evening every day, where individual participants presented their countries. We had the opportunity to learn more about Spain, Poland, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and they, in turn, learned something about Slovakia and our customs. However, cultural enrichment did not only take place during these evenings, as we spent time together non-stop, we had plenty of opportunities to get to know each other. Collaboration with young people from different parts of Europe also greatly motivated us to improve soft skills and personal development during the project.
Finally, we would like to sincerely thank Youthfully Yours SK for the opportunity to travel to this project. Also, the organizers from Youthfully Yours GR deserve a big thank you for their professional preparedness and friendly approach, with which they led the entire project perfectly. We believe that we have learned a lot and that the skills we have enriched ourselves with or improved upon will be helpful to us in many ways.
Through this, we also want to motivate other young people to get involved in Erasmus+ projects... Great people, an interesting topic, and the beautiful environment of the project contributed to experiences and memories that we will remember with a smile on our faces (and perhaps with tears in our eyes).
Thank you.😊