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Prošlog tjedna, 24.11.2025. volonteri Europskih snaga solidarnosti iz Udruge IKS organizirali su aktivnost „Laura & X(IKS)-perience : Istraži, pitaj, putuju, volontiraj“. Radionica je bila namijenjena mladima željnima novih iskustava, putovanja i učenja. Aktivnost je realizirana u suradnji Udruge IKS i Centra za mlade Laura, u sklopu programa Europskih snaga solidarnosti financiranog sredstvima Europske unije.
Međunarodni volonteri Europskih snaga solidarnosti – Christian, Louna, Lisa, Syria i Nathan – predstavili su različite mogućnosti za mobilnost mladih diljem Europe. Kroz osobne priče, praktične savjete i dinamične aktivnosti približili su sudionicima kako izgleda volontirati, učiti i živjeti u drugim zemljama uz podršku EU programa.
Niže u tekstu pročitajte osvrt našeg volontera Christiana iz Danske;
Refleksija o aktivnosti prezentiranja EU prilika za mlade
Priprema:
U fazi pripreme započeli smo s učenjem o Design Thinking metodologiji s kojom nas je upoznala Nadja. To je strukturirani pristup koji koristimo za planiranje aktivnosti na reflektivan, empatičan i introspektivan način, što u idealnom slučaju rezultira kvalitetno isplaniranom aktivnošću u kojoj su svi elementi i sudionici uzeti u obzir.
Na početku procesa pripreme definirali smo problem koji želimo riješiti, analizirali ga kroz stablo problema i pretvorili smo ga u pitanje na koje ćemo tražiti odgovor planiranjem aktivnosti koja odgovara željenom rješenju. Nakon definiranja pitanja kreirali smo različite persone – zamišljene osobe koje problem pogađa i koje bi mogle imati koristi od aktivnosti. Time smo dobili uvid u različite perspektive problema i bolje razumjeli ciljanu publiku.
Zatim smo pomoću „sticky“ papirića u procesu brainstorminga zapisali brojne ideje koje bismo mogli uključiti u rješenje te odabrali one najpristupačnije i najkorisnije. Nakon odabira ideja izradili smo prototip i pitch za naš projekt. Naše rješenje bilo je održati prezentaciju u centru za mlade o različitim EU prilikama, koristeći i vlastita iskustva i osnovne informacije o tim mogućnostima. Nakon prezentacije planirali smo Kahoot kviz kako bismo provjerili što su zapamtili, a zatim i kartašku/interaktivnu igru u kojoj bi sudionici trebali povezati različite likove s EU prilikama koje im najviše odgovaraju.
Sama prezentacija
Priprema:
Izradili smo zajedničku prezentaciju u kojoj je svatko od nas volontera pripremio dijelove o jednoj prilici u kojoj je sudjelovao. Syria je govorila o ESC-u, Lisa o Erasmus+ razmjeni mladih i timskom volontiranju u sklopu ESC-a, Christian o Interrailu, a Louna o Erasmusu kroz razmjene, treninge i na razini studija.
Završili smo slajdove prije svega ostaloga, što se pokazalo odličnom odlukom jer je zbog nesporazuma događaj pomaknut dan ranije od planiranog. To je značilo da smo ostatak aktivnosti morali pripremiti na sam dan prezentacije. Dolaskom u centar za mlade napravili smo kratku probu prije nego što su sudionici stigli.
Izvedba:
U ponedjeljak 24. studenoga u 12:30 započeli smo s prezentacijom. Nisam imali puno vremena za vježbu prije dolaska publike, pa je za neke od nas to bilo prvo pravo izlaganje, no svi su se snašli vrlo dobro. Publika je bila sastavljena od učenika petog razreda (10–12 godina), dakle nisu bili idealna ciljna skupina (planirali smo 13–18 godina), ali unatoč tome pokazali su zainteresiranost i uključili se u aktivnosti.
Što je dobro funkcioniralo, a što manje:
Faza pripreme funkcionirala je vrlo dobro. Uspjeli smo održati prezentaciju uz minimalne poteškoće unatoč promjeni datuma i potrebi da ostatak pripreme obavimo isti dan. Komunikacija među nama bila je odlična i uglavnom smo uvijek znali na čemu tko radi.
Izvedba je također bila uspješna – iako je dob sudionika bila nešto niža od željene, djeca su pokazala interes i angažman.
Što smo mogli bolje napraviti u pripremi jest izraditi više persona, kako bismo bolje predvidjeli publiku – jer je prezentacija mogla biti pomalo zbunjujuća ili preopsežna za jedanaestogodišnjake. Prototip je također mogao biti detaljniji. Sljedeći put bi bilo poželjno imati jasniju i potvrđenu informaciju o terminu događaja. Također bismo mogli organizirati događaj izravno u gimnazijama i srednjim školama kako bismo obuhvatili veću publiku i postigli veći utjecaj.
Kahoot kviz
Priprema:
Pripremili smo 16 pitanja s višestrukim izborom temeljenih na sadržaju prezentacije. Cilj je bio učvrstiti ključne informacije na interaktivan i zabavan način. Pitanja su, primjerice, glasila: „S koliko godina možeš ići na Interrail?“ ili „Koliko će mjeseci Syria provesti u Petrinji?“. Svako pitanje sadržavalo je četiri opcije i vremensko ograničenje od 15 sekundi kako bi kviz bio dinamičan.
Izvedba:
Nakon prezentacije pokrenuli smo Kahoot. Sudionici su odmah pokazali entuzijazam. Učiteljica je u stvarnom vremenu prevodila pitanja na hrvatski. Iako je 15 sekundi bilo dosta kratko vrijeme za prevođenje i odgovor, djeca su sve dobro razumjela. Atmosfera je bila natjecateljska i vrlo živahna.
Što je dobro funkcioniralo, a što manje:
Kahoot se pokazao izvrsnim alatom za aktivno uključivanje sudionika i provjeru razumijevanja prezentiranog sadržaja. Natjecateljski element dodatno je motivirao djecu. No, prevođenje u stvarnom vremenu bilo je izazovno, a kratko vrijeme za odgovor stvorilo je pritisak. U budućnosti bi bilo bolje unaprijed pripremiti hrvatsku verziju kviza ili produžiti vrijeme odgovora. Usprkos poteškoćama, aktivnost je postigla svoj cilj. Na kraju smo nagradili tri najbolja sudionika za brzinu i točnost odgovora.
Kartaška/Interaktivna igra za učenje o EU prilikama za mlade
Igra je bila dio prototipa koji smo osmislili i testirali u sklopu ove aktivnosti s ciljem da ju kasnije što kvalitetnije razradimo za različite dobne skupine kako bi ušla u IKS-ov set za edukacije i aktivnosti informiranja mladih. Sastojala se od tri vrste karata:
Karakterne karte/Persone – prikazuju izmišljene mlade osobe (13–18 godina) s hobijima, interesima, socio-demografskim podacima, obrazovnom pozadinom i mogućim (po)teškoćama
Karte ciljeva/motivacije – prikazuju osobne ciljeve mladih koji bi ih mogli potaknuti na odabir vrste mobilnosti najbolje prilagođene njihovim specifičnostima
Karte mobilnosti/prilike – predstavljaju stvarne EU programe i prilike za mobilnost i učenje (npr. ESS individualni kratkoročni/dugoročni/timski, Interrail, E+ razmjena, trening….)
Pravila igre:
Cilj: uspješno povezati karakter/personu s najprikladnijom prilikom za učenje i mobilnost, uzimajući u obzir njihov profil i cilj.
Koraci:
Svaki igrač/grupa dobila je jednu kartu persone i jednu kartu cilja/motiva.
Zatim su iz ponuđenih karata mobilnosti morali odabrati najprikladniju.
Nakon spajanja, svaka grupa trebala je ukratko (20–30 sekundi) objasniti svoj odabir.
Planirano je i glasanje za najlogičnije i najzanimljivije rješenje.
Trajanje: oko 15-20 minuta.
Izvedba:
Sudionici su se podijelili u četiri grupe od 3–4 osobe. Svaka je grupa povezivala persone s odgovarajućim ciljevima i mobilnostima na temelju dobi, interesa i ciljeva likova. Za prvo testiranje prototipa igra je funkcionirala vrlo dobro. Djeca su brzo shvatila kako pravilno povezivati karte, iako je raspoloživo vrijeme bilo skraćeno na svega 10 minuta zbog nužnog povratka na nastavu. Zbog toga smo morali preskočiti dijelove s prezentacijom i glasanjem – umjesto toga proveli smo kratku provjeru jesu li odabiri bili logični. Djeca su ponovno bila aktivna i usredotočena te su pokazala zanimanje za koncept igre.
Što je dobro funkcioniralo, a što manje:
Temeljna ideja igre bila je učinkovita i zanimljiva za uzrast, iako je publika bila mlađa od planirane. Djeca su zadatak shvatila bez teškoća. Međutim, zbog prekratkog vremena nismo uspjeli provesti sve faze aktivnosti – posebice prezentaciju i glasanje, koje bi dodatno pridonijele učenju. U sljedećoj verziji predložili bismo korištenje različitih boja za tipove karata (npr. jedna boja za ciljeve, druga za mobilnosti) kako bi se ubrzalo i olakšalo sparivanje. Iako je vrijeme bilo ograničeno, prototip se pokazao uspješnim, privlačnim i interaktivnim alatom za upoznavanje mladih s EU prilikama.
- Christian
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Last week, on November 24th, 2025, the European Solidarity Corps volunteers from Association IKS organized an activity under the name “Laura & X(IKS)-perience: Explore, Ask, Travel, Volunteer.” The workshop was intended for young people eager for new experiences, travel, and learning. The activity was carried out in cooperation between Association IKS and the Youth Center Laura, within the European Solidarity Corps programme funded by the European Union.
The international European Solidarity Corps volunteers — Christian, Louna, Lisa, Syria and Nathan — presented different mobility opportunities for young people across Europe. Through personal stories, practical tips and engaging activities, they helped participants understand what it’s like to volunteer, learn and live in other countries with the support of EU programmes.
Below, you can read a reflection from our volunteer Christian from Denmark:
Reflection on EU Opportunities presentation
Preparation:
In the preparation phase, we started with learning about “Design Thinking methodology”. This is a structural program that we use for planning activities in a reflective and introspective way which, if done correctly, will result in a more well-planned activity where everything and every person involved is accounted for.
In the starting part of the preparation process, we defined our problem we wanted to solve, into a question we would then have to solve by planning an activity which corresponds to the issue. After defining our question, we then made different personas who could be positively affected by the activity. We did this to get every possible angle on the issue and have a better understanding of our audience. We then made sticky notes with a bunch of different ideas we could incorporate into our solution and chose accordingly which were the best and most accessible ideas. After we decided on which ideas would be chosen, we made a prototype and a pitch for our project solution. Our project solution was to hold a presentation in the youth center about different EU Opportunities through both our own experiences and the basic understanding of the opportunities. After the presentation we would do a Kahoot to see how much they could remember. Finally, we would do a card game where the participants would have to match different characters with the opportunities that matched them the best.
The actual presentation
Preparation:
We made a shared presentation where each of us would make slides about one opportunity that the person had participated in. Syria talked about the ESC, Lisa about Youth Exchange, Christian about Interrail and Louna about Erasmus.
We finished our slides before doing anything else, which would prove to be very smart as a miscommunication moved the event a day before it was scheduled which meant we would have to do the rest of the planned activities on the day of the actual event. When we arrived at the youth center, we did a quick practice run before the participants arrived.
Execution/Implementation:
At 12:30 on Monday the 24th of November, we started holding our presentation. We hadn’t had too much time to practice before the audience arrived, so the presentation itself was the first time talking for some of us but this didn’t seem to be a problem as everyone did their part very nicely. The audience consisted of a 5th grade class who were 10-12 years old, so not quite the age group we had hoped for as our aim was 13-18 year olds, but the engagement was still there from the younglings.
What worked and what worked less:
The preparation phase worked very well. We managed to hold the presentation with minor mishaps even though the event was moved a day earlier and we had to do the rest of the planning on the day of the actual event. There was good communication between us and we almost always knew what the others were working on and had already done.
The execution also went really great as the children, despite their age not exactly being optimised, seemed interested and engaged in the different opportunities.
What we could have done in the preparation phase was make more personas to get a better idea of the audience, as our presentation could be a bit confusing and overwhelming for an 11-year-old child. Our prototype could thus also have been more detailed. Of course it was out of our control, but next time it would be great to have a common understanding of when the event takes place so we can plan accordingly. We could as well, hold the event directly at the gymnasiums, high schools etc. in order to get a larger audience and thus a bigger impact on the youth.
The Kahoot
Preparation:
In the preparation phase for the Kahoot, we developed a series of 16 multiple-choice questions based on the content presented in the slides. The goal was to reinforce the key concepts in an interactive and engaging way. The questions ranged from “At what age can you do an Interrail?” to “How many months will Syria be in Petrinja?”. We structured the quiz with four answer options for each question and a time limit of 15 seconds to respond, to maintain a lively pace.
Execution/Implementation:
Following the presentation, we launched the Kahoot. The participants immediately showed enthusiasm for the activity. The translation of the questions into Croatian was handled in real-time with the assistance of the class teacher. Although the short time available (15 seconds per question) made simultaneous translation challenging, the children still understood the content well. The atmosphere became increasingly competitive and engaging as the quiz progressed.
What worked and what worked less
Using Kahoot proved to be an effective choice for actively engaging the audience and testing their understanding of the presented content. The competitive aspect motivated participants to stay focused. However, the need for real-time translation was stressful, and the 15-second response time proved to be a bit too tight when combined with translation. For similar future activities, it would be preferable to prepare the version in the participants’ language in advance, or to opt for a slightly longer time per question. Despite these difficulties, the activity achieved its educational goal. At the end, we awarded three prizes to the top three scorers, recognizing both the correctness of their answers and their response speed.
The card game
The card game activity was a prototype we designed and tested. It featured three distinct types of cards: Character Cards, which depicted a fictional young person aged 13-18 with specific hobbies, educational background, and potential disabilities; Objective Cards, which outlined a personal goal for mobility; and Mobility Cards, which represented various real EU opportunity programs.
Game Rules
- Goal: To successfully match a Character card with the most suitable Mobility option, considering their profile and a given Objective.
- Steps:
- Each player or small group received one Character Card and one Objective Card.
- Players then had to discuss and select the most appropriate Mobility Card from the available deck for their assigned character.
- Following the matching phase, a short presentation (20-30 seconds) from each group was planned to explain their reasoning.
- Finally, a voting session was intended, where participants would vote for the project match they found most coherent or interesting, with votes tallied to determine a winner.
- Duration: The activity was designed to last approximately 15 minutes.
Execution
The participants divided into four small groups of 3-4 people. Each group worked on matching the personas with suitable objectives and mobility options based on the characters’ ages, interests, and objectives. For a first test of this prototype, the game functioned quite well. The young participants understood the core mechanic of matching the cards correctly, even though the available time was shortened to only about 10 minutes. This time constraint meant we had to skip the planned presentation and voting phases. Instead, we facilitated a quick review to verify that the matches made were logical and correct. Once again, the children were attentive and engaged, showing genuine interest in the game’s concept and demonstrating a good understanding of how to connect the characters’ profiles with potential opportunities.
What worked and what worked less
The core concept of the matching game was effective and engaging for the age group, even if it was younger than intended. The children quickly grasped the task. However, the session was too short to implement the full activity, including the crucial presentation and voting phases which would have deepened the learning experience. For a future iteration, using distinct colors for the different card types (e.g., one color for Objectives, another for Mobility) would significantly improve usability and speed up the matching process. While the compressed timeline was not ideal, the prototype ultimately proved successful as a engaging, interactive tool for introducing the concept of EU opportunities.
„Financirano sredstvima Europske unije. Iznesena mišljenja i stavovi odražavaju isključivo stav autora i ne moraju se podudarati sa stavovima Europske unije i Agencije za mobilnost i programe EU. Ni Europska unija ni tijelo koje dodjeljuje bespovratna sredstva ne mogu se smatrati odgovornima za njih.”
Sadržaj ovog članka isključiva je odgovornost Udruge IKS.
The contents of this article is the sole responsibility of Association IKS.