Experiencing warmth below zero (A north south connection in European Youth Care)

Transcription

1 Experiencing warmth below zero (A north south connection in European Youth Care) Activity schedule Date / time Activity Method Aim Tuesday :55 Arrival of the participants Group of Finnish youngsters with educators will pick up Belgians from the airport Quick tour around facilities in Keminmaa. 19:00 Welcome dinner Ice breaker games + discussion about rules, tasks and coming week Bedtime Godfathers and mothers can meet and greet the visitors for the first time. Exercises, games. Work in small and big group. Introduction. Girls from De Wissel feel welcome. Everyone gets a general view where they are. Getting to know one another, loosening the tension between the participants. Confronting with cultural differences in rules about smoking, drinking,... and making compromises. Having clear day structure and rules. Wednesday :00 More discussion about habits in Keminmaa juvenile home, and climate, clothing + other important basics. Differences with the Flemish Wissel. 11:00 Lunch 12:00 Exploring different ways of building, living and transportation. 16:00 Dinner 1 20:00 Importing a Wissel Activity to Finland. Youngsters from Keminmaa explain, with a little help from educators, about life in Finland. The Flemish group tells about differences in life in Belgium, showing pictures, explaining rules. Guided tour around the worlds largest Snow Castle (Kemi) Visiting trail café and igloo in an island nearby. Riding in sleds behind a snowmobile Horseback Riding lesson in neighbouring stable. Flemish youngsters and educator show what they usually do and explain. Expanding the cultural horizon, giving information in safety issues according to low temperatures, inviting the youngsters to take responsibilities. Getting aware of differences and their consequences. Experiencing how climate affects daily life. Find out what can be made out of snow and ice. Getting ideas for the coming weekend and snow activities in Portimo. Exchanging Belgian experiences in working with horses: taking responsibility and exploring personal borders. Stimulating mutual learning. 20:00 Supper Cooking together Teambuilding, working together, learning things over language borders. 21:00 Evaluation/Reflection Give a color to your feelings; make a drawing. Expression in small mixed groups Learning about oneself out of new experiences. How does one react on differences what difficulties arise?

2 22:00 Bedtime (youngsters + educators). Ventilation of emotions. Learning to express non verbal and in English. Thurssday :00 Day in the city The youngsters explore the environment, Kemi, by doing a list of tasks, finding places which are exposed on pictures, where they all (including Finnish youngsters) need help from the local people. They have to collect an amount of points to 'earn' their lunch. 12:00 Lunch in Tornio Over the Finnish Swedish border Dinner 16:30 Snowboarding, slalom, snowsliding, winter games, warming by the fire. Visiting Tornio Haparanda, the Eurocity : in an exceptional cooperation the first European border town is being built. A trip to nearby skiing centre Kallinkangas in Keminmaa 19:30 Reflection Making a graphic about 4 moments of the day: what moments were important, where they good or bad, what do they mean,.. Getting to know the local culture and environment in a pleasant way by doing a game where each individual can show its own qualities. Working together to achieve a collective goal. Feel how a border can be a distinction between differences, but on the other hand it can be a place where differences can meet and something new can emerge. Introducing popular winter activities. Having fun, together. Learning about oneself out of new experiences. Ventilation of emotions. Learning to express in English. 20:00 Sauna Having sauna in multiple ways Making the acquaintance of traditional Finnish sauna day, Wednesday. Relaxing after a hard day. 22:00 Bedtime Friday :00 Visiting the home school of the juvenile home. Confrontation with Belgian schools and the own day spending project Rizsas. Interviewing the teacher. Each group prepares 4 questions. Experiencing differences in own school program of the institutions and the importance given to it. What do we learn from each other in this matter? 11:00 Lunch 12:00 Ice skating Trip to outdoor skating rink. Experiencing ice as a part of daily life of the Finnish youngsters. Just having fun doing an activity together. 15:00 Going to an ice hockey game Going to ice hall, watch a game where Keminmaa juvenile home youngsters meet the educators team. Cheering together with godmothers, other youngsters and spectators. Exploring social side and the fun of

3 17:00 Dinner 1 Leaving to camp centre Portimo Making the trip by minibuses, organizing accommodation. 20:00 Tour the camp center. Finding out what has to be taken care of in Portimo. 21:00 Evaluation Informal discussion in the cottage by the fire: talk about the last few days, sharing feelings, thoughts and ponder what still can be achieved. A big white paper or cotton is placed on the floor. Each individual can put something on it with paint. This something has to give expression to their feelings on this moment. When everyone has put something on it we discuss about the result. sport Also the Finnish youngsters leave their daily environment. Stimulating the awareness of being in this together. Taking responsibility in organizing food and activity. Reflection: learning out of new experiences and transfer to usual habits. Express oneself in English 24:00 Bedtime Saturday :00 Planning Discussion about atmosphere and the weekend. Finding out what has to be done and taken into account. Sharing expectations, fears, raise motivation, experiencing that contribution of everybody is crucial Building an igloo Brainstorming on how to succeed. Dividing tasks and action! Getting new experiences for all of the youngsters, truly focusing on teamwork 14:00 Lunch Cooking together Teamwork, learning your way in the kitchen 15:00 Igloo project continues 1 Intercultural evening part one The Flemish group has prepared a typical activity, food, show, dance 20:30 Sauna Having sauna in multiple ways; heating a log sauna (with wood), carrying water 24:00 Bedtime Youngsters who are willing have a possibility to sleep in the igloo with an educator. Share culture and traditions. The youngsters organize, build up planning skills. Getting aware of the own perspective, building perseverance. Let go luxury, feeling tradition. Getting new adventurous experiences in extreme conditions Sunday

4 11:00 Ice fishing on the nearby lake, a popular pastime in Finland Making a hole in the ice and learn how to fish in winter. Enjoy the open air, catch fish, spend time together 14:00 Lunch Cooking and dining in a cottage Clean, prepare and cook the caught fish. Free time Options: Sauna, wander, sports Giving youngsters chances to cool off from a busy week and absorb experiences 17:00 Dinner 1 Intercultural evening part two The Finnish group has prepared a typical activity, food, show, dance, Santa Claus? 21:00 Evaluation/Reflection Take some time to write down, draw what you have experienced: - on personal level - in the group - important intercultural differences 24:00 Bedtime Share culture and traditions. The youngsters organize, build up planning skills. Getting aware of the own perspective, building perseverance. Reflection: learning out of new experiences and transfer to usual habits. Express oneself in various ways. Monday :00 Cleaning Discussion, dividing tasks Everyone takes care of their share 12:00 Back to Keminmaa Trip by minibuses. 14:00 Lunch 15:00 End Evaluation Evaluation of the camp with concentric circles (organisation, project, food, activities, free time...): every participant has to take a place in the circle; close to the middle means very good, far from the middle means bad, not satisfied. Communication in the group about the different positions. 16:00 Preparation of the end happening. Work in small mixed groups. Making collages showing images of the past week. Alternative: Creating a snowman/figure in the snow, which tells something about the feelings through the past week. 1 Grande Finale Presentation of the collages/snowman. Music (maybe a life performance) Dancing. 23:00 Bedtime Getting an idea of What do I take with me in my backpack to the future? Making future plans. Expressing experiences in a nonverbal way. Trying to bring the experiences of a whole week together. Creating a shared communal experience. Tuesday and having a Belgian Finnish Brunch.

5 11:30 Making bags, preparing for traveling 12:30 Last reflections and saying goodbye. Formulating ideas of keeping contact in the future To the airport 14:15 Takeoff In preparing the camp we prefer to make a strongly structured schedule because of the specific needs of the youngsters participating. If everything is running smoothly during the camp, free moments can be a bit prolonged or added. This activity schedule is filled in with all ideas living at this moment in the two participating teams of educators. During the coming months it will be discussed with the groups of youngsters as a result of which it will be changed in an interactive way. Also working on the introduction movies of the two countries will bring new ideas. During the Advanced Planning Visit teams and youngsters will meet and discuss about the definitive activity schedule.