The seminar lasted 8 days and took place in stunning Balestrand, a tiny village in the middle of Sognefjord in western southern Norway (https://www.ciderhuset.no/). The seminar, made possible thanks to Erasmus+ funding, was led by three trainers from Romania, North Macedonia, and Turkey, who guided us through all our sessions and took great care of us.
The main topics we explored in the artistic part were creative writing and ebru painting. We also spent a lot of time learning different methods of taking care of our emotional health and expressing our emotions, mainly in non-verbal ways through art.
When I arrived, I tried not to have any — or at least not too high — expectations. I came with an open mind, ready to absorb any new knowledge I possibly could. My only expectation was that I would bring back new methods and ideas for working with our YFU students.
I must admit, out of everything I learned, not much of it will be directly useful in YFU, simply because our work in YFU doesn’t quite create space for these methods. I have to say I was a little sad about that, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t take away a lot of useful knowledge — I definitely did!
In the past few weeks, I’ve started leading educational and creative workshops with children, and the knowledge and skills I gained during this week in Norway fit perfectly into this new work! :)
Of course, the seminar wasn’t just about sessions — we also explored local culture and got to know the cultures of the other participants.
On the second day, we had an international evening, where everyone brought snacks from their home countries. We created a shared playlist where everyone could add songs in their own language, and we spent the evening dancing and chatting.
I am incredibly grateful that I had such an amazing opportunity — the memories and experiences I brought back from this seminar are simply unforgettable. I definitely recommend everyone to apply for a seminar like this if the opportunity arises — it’s truly an experience you won’t forget!
With love to all the wonderful people I spent an amazing time with in Balestrand <3
Lots of love,
Leo