Our OnArrival training took place in small town Orahovica where 18 other volunteers from Croatia came to spent 5 days there. We had two leaders who are members of National Agency. During five days we went through a lot of activities, lectures, workshops and games. Every day had a main topic and schedule with which we were known in advance.
First day we introduced ourselves and define rules of working in group. We got to know a basic organizational information about the training and also with programme of whole training. Below you can see the main topics of the training.
Day 1
· Learning & Cooperation skills
· Solidarity & ESC priorities
· Exploring needs & making a change in local communities
Day 2
· ESC: Main roles & responsibilities
· ESC: Rules & First experiences
Day 3
· Project management
· Dunford Fling activity
Day 4
· Intercultural learning
· (Organizational) culture
· Understanding conflict
· Problem solving
Day 5
· Learning & Group planning for the future
· Youthpass
· Evaluation
Each day leaders helped us to understand better and better to our purpose in ESC projects and the purpose of volunteering in general. We got a lot of useful knowledge and skills and during a final evaluation and my own self-reflection I noted the main ideas which I would like to keep in mind as long as possible. Here is a short summarization of them:
Try to see the situation from the point of view of others. You never can say that only your point of view is the correct one. Try to explain your one but listen others as well.
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
Let's learn things for which we don't get grades or diplomas. Although we cannot evaluate some of the knowledge and skills in spreadsheets, it can be of great importance to our lives.
Don't try to help people at all costs who don't really ask for help, just because it seems like a good idea.
Even if you are on the right way you will get run over if you just sit there.
Look for a new challenges every day. that gives you a chance to keep shifting.
There is no planet B. Let's protect our planet and take care of it.
Let's look out of the box!
Tell the truth even if your voice is shaking.
Turn words and ideas into action.
I am grateful for this week. I met a new people who made me calmer because they experience the similar situations and trying to resolve the same problems. With a few of them I had a really good talk and with two of them we have already planned our meetings in Split and in Zagreb. Thanks to this training I found a new friends and got a lot of inspiration.
Klára Boštíková
