All of the youth workers were engaged in the transfer of knowledge and practices that would later be used in improving the quality of future Erasmus projects and workshops. Among those practices are: handling unexpected problems and situations, handling fears, self-expression, introduction to new topics for later projects and workshops, etc. All of these practices, and many more were introduced during the period of 7 days of active participation, both from the side of youth workers and high-school students. Besides this, present youth workers were introduced to the practices of their colleagues in Switzerland and they had an opportunity to visit youth clubs that were designed and adjusted by the young people, for the other young people in their communities.
This was the first project of this kind made in Children’s Village Pestalozzi, and it attracted lots of attention. The highlights of this Forum were:
– A podcast was filmed on the last day of the Youth Forum and it was broadcasted on radio waves in Switzerland. As a part of the self-expression topic that was covered during the workshop, youth workers have had an opportunity to openly discuss the position of young people and youth workers in their respective countries, and high-school students have had an opportunity to share their opinions on youth involvement in peace-building processes, benefits of non-formal education, life during the times of war, etc.
– A short, but emotional film made by high-school students participating in the project. Even though the film lasts about two minutes, it sends the clear message that even in the toughest times such as war, there is a hope that generations that will come, will lead happy lives in prosperity and peace. For this film, students used characters made out of cupboards, paper, and other available materials. For this film, students took more than 2.000 photos.
Children’s Village Pestalozzi is the first international children’s village in the world. It was built in 1945 and even today they are fulfilling their mission, and even more than that.
“During my stay, I have heard that if you can imagine something that is humanly possible, you did half of your work already. This village was made with the idea of bringing smiles to the faces of people looking for a place to call home. Indeed it brought a smile to my face and I am looking forward to meeting with these wonderful souls again“ – Tarik Dudić (Youth Worker and BRAVO Representative).
