From May 16th to 23rd, the Fundació Catalunya Voluntaria (FCV) hosted a very special activity, led by seven educators and managers from EDUQ Association, a partner organization of the FCV for decades, who traveled from the Pomeramia region to Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona).
The activity, "Learning from Nature - The Vilanova Experience," facilitated the exchange of experiences and provided an opportunity to learn about new educational and sociocultural methods, practices, and activities to be carried out outdoors to learn from nature and improve the socio-professional skills of unemployed young people.
Despite language barriers, the group learned about some of the tools of the FCV's educational strategy (which has over 25 years of experience working with young people) and explored some of the spaces where the organization holds outdoor activities in the beautiful Baixamar neighborhood.
We took advantage of the good weather to plant irises in the Ortoll forest, in a joint activity with volunteers from the 'Defend Ortoll' platform. We hiked to Sitges. We also dedicated a morning to a Chi Kung workshop on Republic Beach.
At the Hotel César, where the group stayed, we held three sessions exploring collage techniques, the power of informal learning methodologies, and the capabilities of thinking.
According to the final evaluations, translated from Polish, the best-rated activities were precisely those carried out outdoors and in contact with nature, and the visit to Barcelona, as well as those focused on the power of thinking. The diversity and accessibility of the program were also highly praised.
We hope to host another activity next year, this time featuring the young people at risk of social exclusion with whom the organization works.
We would like to thank the EDUQ Association for their trust, the FCV team members Marcin, Mario, and Tereza, and the volunteers from Ortoll for their invaluable help.
For more information about the activity, done with the support of the Erasmus+ program of the European Commission, please send a message to projectes@catalunyavoluntaria.cat
