USE+FUL | How does Erasmus+ help us?

If you are wondering why to participate in an Erasmus+ project and how will that help you in your personal development, this article will answer your questions.

Two of our participants in the YE “Make social inclusion happen” in Costinesti, Romania - Yoana Yakimova and Borislava Ivanova shared with us their expectations from the project prior its start and also their opinion on how Erasmus+ is helping them in life.

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"How “Erasmus+” helps us? Now I will tell you. Erasmus+ projects help us with meeting a lot of new people and maybe new friends. This is new way to improve our English and communication skills. We always can improve our communication skills but Erasmus+ projects give us that chance to meet new people from different countries in one place. When we talk to each other we exchange experience and knowledge. All of these things help us to improve our English and communication skills.

In any type of communication, make sure that you set the right tone. A friendly tone will encourage others to communicate with you. In all interactions confidence (but not over-confidence) is crucial. Demonstrating confidence will give costumers faith in your abilities to deliver what they need, and that you will follow through with what you have promised.

The most important thing is respect. If you respect the ideas and opinions of others, they will be more likely to communicate with you. Active listening or simply using the name of the person you are speaking to can both be effective.

Good communication is all about listening effectively. Take the time to listen to what the other person is saying and practice active listening. Pay attention to what the other person is saying, ask questions and clarify points, and rephrase what they have said so that you know you have understood correctly.

And these are the most important things that Erasmus + projects give to us."

By Borislava Ivanova

Participant in

YE "Make social inclusion happen" in Costinesti, Romania

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"Erasmus+ projects help you to improve your English skills. In my opinion, the projects encourage young people to be more sociable. It can be useful in other projects. I expect to learn from the YE “Make social inclusion happen” how to accept different people and tolerate them. These people are not different from us and they deserve to be tolerated like everyone else. Another important thing is the team working. If you ask me, I’m not good in team working because I’m shy and don’t want to share my ideas. Another thing that I expect to learn is public speaking. Most of the people are not good at public speaking for various reasons, of course (even me) but the project can help me to be better in public speaking."

By Yoana Yakimova

Participant in

YE "Make social inclusion happen" in Costinesti, Romania

USE+FUL | Ecomission 21th century

„Ecomission 21th century“ is an NGO in Lovech that focuses on working with young people to improve their environment. Over the years, short-term and long-term activities are carried out involving young people from the city and the surrounding area. During my years of volunteering, projects have been implemented in Greece, Romania and Bulgaria, but the organization's key activity is at a local level, where it is a unique place gathering youngsters with a spirit and desire for change. From working with kindergartens, through home care and cleaning parks and alleys, the volunteers of Ecomission and the European Voluntary Service make Lovech a better place to live. Some of their activities are:

• Summer activities organized outdoors and in the organization‘s building.

Every summer, children's camps and workshops are organized in which all children learn new things and have fun with their peers.

• Save the kids on the road!

Every year, campaigns are conducted with local law enforcement to reduce student accidents. Flyers are distributed to drivers passing by schools on 15.09. and are advised on safer driving. The youngsters talk to police officers and discuss possible improvements in driving conditions together.

The volunteers of Ecomission 21th century are given the opportunity to ask their questions and voice their opinions to the local government, thus giving publicity to the needs of their peers. Thanks to such meetings, as well as the Mayor for a Day campaign, the youth of the city are immersed in the work of the governors and better understand their daily obstacles.

EVS volunteers actively participate with the help of the Bulgarian volunteers of Ecomission. Each EVS volunteer can come up with ideas and take initiatives with students, children in kindergartens, children in orphanages and etc. Depending on the experience of each volunteer, workshops and discussions are organized for the children, mainly concerned with the protection and improvement of the environment, informing them of problems and solutions.

Meetings are held with students from all high schools in the city, including debates on a variety of topics that are important to them - career guidance, emigration and many more. In addition to the young people, these conversations also allow volunteers to practice their public speaking and improve their reasoning skills.

Meetings are also held with children from at-risk backgrounds to support their integration and improve their learning opportunities. The problems that children face and the differences in cultural and social aspects are discussed, as well as many common features of all people.

For their contribution, the Ecomission volunteers receive honors from the Knight of Goodwill (NARD), Volunteer of the Year, and more. Thanks to their work with children and other risk groups, part of the volunteers are professionally starting work as social workers, psychologists and coordinators of their own organizations.

In addition to young people, the Ecomission works with local orphanages, turning holidays into memorable experience for the residents. Volunteers prepare food, cards and gifts to please people and spend time with them to diversify their daily lives.

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by Pepa Garkova

Participant in

TC Y.W.4.H.R. in Tropea, Italy

USE+FUL | Non-formal education as an university degree

The education is power. It gives you many opportunities in your life and opens doors for you every day. The non-formal education does the same - it gives chances to everybody to study no matter how old you are, where you come from and where you want to be.

There are countries around the world where educational system is not developed enough to provide quality education for everybody. A lot of people are illiterate, and this creates difficulties for them. For sad, many children dream of going to school like normal kids. In such situations the non-formal education takes actions. Non-formal means that you don’t need a classroom with desks and chairs, whiteboard and a teacher in front to learn something new. In non-formal education you can learn from every member of the group, practice in real situations, learning by doing. It is community related, flexible, learner-centered, resource saving, lifelong. Non-formal education not only helps to “fill the gap” in formal education system, but teach you lessons that you can’t learn at school.

That’s way I decided to study “Non-formal education” and to work in the field of education. I believe that everyone deserves to be educated, to learn throughout his whole life so you can change the world around and make it better.

Non-formal education as university degree

Since the academic year 2008/2009 in the Faculty of Education in Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” a new B.A. program in Non-formal Education is opening. Sofia University is the only university in Bulgaria and one of the few in Europe to offer this degree to the students.

It is aimed to prepare higher educated personnel for the needs of the intensive developing extra curriculum and alternative educational services for children and adults, offered by specialized public, private and non-profit organizations outside the formal educational system. During their study students obtain general humanitarian, social and organizational competences, fundamental, specialized and practice-oriented trainings for educational work with children, youths and adults in non-formal, alternative educational field; complex preparation for working in a wide number of educational institutions for extra curriculum and continuing education, free time studies, consultation and mediation in searching and choosing educational services.

After mastering the basic skills and knowledge students, in accordance with their interests and professional plans, can determinate their own professional profile by choosing among following modules and sub-modules:

• Consultation and mediation in the field of non-formal education;

• Organization of educational services and activities;

• European educational network;

• Educational activities in the community.

Depending of their professional specialization graduate students acquire qualification respectively as lecturer, consultant and mediator in the area of non-formal education, or lecturer and administrator of educational services and activities. They can work as educational services administrators in public, private and non-government organization, experts in European educational institutions and networks for non-formal education, as self-employed consultants of vocational and educational orientation and career development, as adult education specialists, experts in the centers for continuing vocational training and qualification of educational staff etc.

As students we have the opportunities to participate in different projects, to collaborate with other universities and to share ideas with students from around the globe. We can participate in Erasmus+ mobility program for students where we can go to study abroad for one academic year and then to go back to your university.

Lastly I want to quote Nelson Mandela who says: Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world. So does the non-formal education.

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by Iliyana Zaharieva

Participant in

YE Save our money in Mezobereny, Hungary