*scroll down for English translation
Početkom kolovoza naši su sudionici, Ivan i Luka, imali priliku napraviti jedan veliki korak izvan svoje svakodnevice i sudjelovati na međunarodnom Erasmus+ treningu. Od 1. do 9. kolovoza 2026. boravili su u Solunu/Thessalonikiju u Grčkoj, gdje je održan trening „Outside the Box: Creative Methods in Youth Work“, dok je glavni program aktivnosti trajao od 2. do 8. kolovoza. Organizator, odnosno hosting organizacija treninga, bila je grčka organizacija United Societies of Balkans (USB).
Trening je okupio 16 sudionika. Kroz interaktivne radionice, grupni rad, refleksiju i metode neformalnog obrazovanja sudionici su istraživali teme emocija, kreativnosti i samoizražavanja, učili nove načine komunikacije te razvijali samopouzdanje i vještine potrebne za stvaranje sigurnog i uključivog okruženja za mlade. Poseban naglasak treninga bio je na praktičnim i lako primjenjivim kreativnim metodama koje se mogu prenijeti u svakodnevni rad s mladima. Sudionici su tako istraživali kako koristiti umjetnost, glazbu, dramu, pokret i storytelling kao alate kojima se mladima može omogućiti izražavanje i na načine koji nadilaze isključivo verbalnu komunikaciju. Istovremeno su razvijali svoje facilitacijske i komunikacijske vještine te učili kako aktivnosti prilagoditi različitim skupinama i potrebama mladih.
A kako izgleda kada se na svoj prvi Erasmus+ trening zaista spakiraš i odeš? U nastavku svoje iskustvo iz Soluna, dojmove s treninga i sve ono što će ponijeti sa sobom kući dijeli Ivan;
”Putovanje u Grčku, u grad Solun, bilo mi je jako lijepo i zanimljivo iskustvo. Najviše mi se svidjela atmosfera grada, more, lijepo vrijeme i grčka kultura. Solun mi se posebno svidio jer je spoj starog i modernog. U gradu sam vidio mnogo starih građevina, crkava i povijesnih spomenika, ali i mnogo modernih trgovina, restorana i kafića.
Posebno mi se svidjela šetnja uz more i pogled na Egejsko more. Uživao sam u istraživanju grada i upoznavanju novih mjesta. Svidjela mi se i grčka hrana, posebno gyros i grčka salata.
Ovo mi je također bio prvi put da sam putovao avionom. U početku sam se malo bojao jer nisam znao kako će sve izgledati, ali na kraju mi je bilo jako fora i bilo mi je drago što sam imao priliku iskusiti putovanje avionom.
Tijekom putovanja upoznao sam puno različitih ljudi i stekao nova prijateljstva i iskustva. Naučio sam više o grčkoj kulturi, načinu života i povijesti. Bilo mi je zanimljivo upoznati ljude iz različitih mjesta i provoditi vrijeme s njima.
Ovo putovanje ću dugo pamtiti po lijepim trenucima, novim iskustvima i ljudima koje sam upoznao. Volio bih ponovno posjetiti Grčku i Solun. Ponovno bih sudjelovao u ovakvom projektu i bez razmišljanja bih ponovio ovo putovanje jer mi je bilo jako lijepo i zanimljivo.
Bilo mi je jako fora sudjelovati u aktivnostima. Zajedno smo radili na projektu muzeja odbačenih stvari, gdje smo starim i odbačenim predmetima davali novi smisao. Bilo mi je zanimljivo raditi u grupi, zajedno smišljati ideje i vidjeti kako od nečega što je bilo odbačeno možemo napraviti nešto novo i zanimljivo.
Jako mi se svidjelo kako je voditeljica Smaro vodila program. Sve je bilo zanimljivo, opušteno i dobro organizirano. Tijekom projekta upoznao sam mnogo divnih ljudi i bilo mi je lijepo provoditi vrijeme s njima. Ovo iskustvo mi je pokazalo koliko zajedničkim radom možemo napraviti nešto posebno.”
Posebno nas veseli što su naši sudionici dobili priliku prvi put iskusiti što jedan Erasmus+ međunarodni trening zapravo znači – od putovanja i upoznavanja nove zemlje do zajedničkog učenja, razmjene iskustava i povezivanja s ljudima izvan vlastite lokalne sredine.
Nadamo se da će njihovo iskustvo biti poticaj i drugim mladima iz Petrinje i Sisačko-moslavačke županije da se odvaže napraviti svoj prvi korak. Europski programi mladima nude brojne prilike za putovanja, učenje, volontiranje, razmjene i upoznavanje drugih kultura, a ponekad je najteži upravo onaj prvi – prijaviti se i krenuti. Mi ćemo se zato truditi nastaviti otvarati takve prilike i ohrabrivati mlade da ih iskoriste.
Sadržaj ovog članka isključiva je odgovornost Udruge IKS.
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At the beginning of August, our participants, Ivan and Luka, had the opportunity to take a big step outside their everyday routines and participate in an international Erasmus+ training course. From 1 to 9 August 2026, they stayed in Thessaloniki, Greece, where the training course “Outside the Box: Creative Methods in Youth Work” took place, with the main programme of activities running from 2 to 8 August. The training was hosted by the Greek organisation United Societies of Balkans (USB).
The training brought together 16 participants. Through interactive workshops, group work, reflection and non-formal education methods, participants explored emotions, creativity and self-expression, discovered new ways of communicating, and developed the confidence and skills needed to create safe and inclusive environments for young people.
A special focus of the training was placed on practical and easily applicable creative methods that can be transferred into everyday youth work. Participants explored how art, music, drama, movement and storytelling can be used as tools to help young people express themselves in ways that go beyond verbal communication. At the same time, they developed their facilitation and communication skills and learned how to adapt activities to different groups and the diverse needs of young people.
But what is it actually like to pack your bags and set off on your very first Erasmus+ training course? Below, Ivan shares his experience from Thessaloniki, his impressions of the training and everything he will take home with him from this adventure:
“My trip to Greece, to the city of Thessaloniki, was a really nice and interesting experience. What I liked most was the atmosphere of the city, the sea, the beautiful weather and Greek culture. I especially liked Thessaloniki because it is a combination of old and modern. I saw many old buildings, churches and historical monuments around the city, but also many modern shops, restaurants and cafés.
I especially enjoyed walking along the seafront and looking out over the Aegean Sea. I enjoyed exploring the city and discovering new places. I also liked Greek food, especially gyros and Greek salad.
This was also my first time travelling by plane. At first, I was a little scared because I didn’t know what it would be like, but in the end, I thought it was really cool and I was glad I had the opportunity to experience travelling by plane.
During the trip, I met many different people and made new friendships and gained new experiences. I learned more about Greek culture, lifestyle and history. It was interesting to meet people from different places and spend time with them.
I will remember this trip for a long time because of all the wonderful moments, new experiences and people I met. I would love to visit Greece and Thessaloniki again. I would definitely participate in a project like this again, and I would repeat this trip without hesitation because it was such a great and interesting experience.
I really enjoyed taking part in the activities. Together, we worked on a ‘Museum of Discarded Things’ project, where we gave new meaning to old and discarded objects. I enjoyed working in a group, coming up with ideas together and seeing how we could turn something that had been thrown away into something new and interesting.
I really liked the way our facilitator, Smaro, led the programme. Everything was interesting, relaxed and well organised. During the project, I met many wonderful people and really enjoyed spending time with them. This experience showed me how, by working together, we can create something special.”
We are especially happy that our participants had the opportunity to experience for the first time what an international Erasmus+ training course is really like – from travelling and discovering a new country to learning together, exchanging experiences and connecting with people beyond their own local community.
We hope their experience will inspire other young people from Petrinja and Sisak-Moslavina County to find the courage to take their own first step. European programmes offer young people numerous opportunities to travel, learn, volunteer, take part in exchanges and discover other cultures – and sometimes the hardest part is simply taking that first step: applying and going for it. That is why we will continue working to create and share such opportunities and encourage young people to make the most of them.
The content of this article is the sole responsibility of Association IKS.
