"Giraffes Go to Theatre” is a TC involving 24 youth workers, leaders, project coordinators coming from 8 different countries - Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Portugal, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia. They gathered together from 24th November 2019 to 2nd December 2019 in the incredibly beautiful Lagodekhi National Park, Georgia. The project was organized by EMINA Career Guidande Foundation (EMINA Pályaorientációs Alapítvány).
The incentive for the realization of the training are the current trends which we encounter on a daily basis involving a plenty of negative factors that are difficult to overcome. We can notice an increased level of violence, radicalization, aggression and lack of tolerance. These all make youngsters more and more vulnerable and therefore Nonviolent Communication is recognized as a more and more needed way to learn and share. For these reasons, all participants have motivated to develop the competences to practice and embrace communication in a nonviolent way, building peaceful relations.
On the first day of the activities we had to get to know each other. Our trainers kept us occupied with a lot of games so that we can remember the first name and some personal details about each participant. The atmosphere was brisk and positive. With the help of soft skills in communication, we quickly became one big family. We had the feeling that we were working for a common cause. The day ended with an Intercultural Evening. Each national group of participants had the opportunity to present their traditional food and culture. Ever since this day, we are friends forever!
Next days we researched Self-Regulation tools. We studied how to get in touch with our emotions and needs, to go through bygone frustrations, and interpret them as a source of learning. Step by step we delved into Non-violent communication which is a method created by psychologist Marshall Rosenberg. We developed an empathic attitude by forming a support group for ourselves. All participants shared their challenges with an open mind and a desire to gather knowledge and develop an understanding of peaceful communication. As a result, we managed to put in practice the skills and tools for coping with situations of conflict, tension and misunderstanding. We learned that proper means of communication and reaching a compromise are essential for the common good, growth and harmonic co-existence.
In a short time, we were able to absorb a large amount of information and to experiment with the things we learned by completing numerous tasks. Our trainers Kety Zhvania - Tyson and Paata Alaverdashvili provided a balanced program of theoretical seminars, outdoor exercise and physical activity. This made the learning process interesting and effortless, and each participant worked actively and successfully.
Being participants in an international project, we were very excited to get to know the local culture and traditions. Our hosts organized an amazing trip to Telavi and Nekresi Monastery.
Our participation in this project has brought us a lot of knowledge, skills, inspiration, many friends and ideas how to improve our work. We are looking forward to Stage 2 of the training in Tata, Hungary!
by Krasimira Drumeva
Participant in
TC "Giraffes go to theatre" in Lagodekhi, Georgia