Rope it! was a 7-days long training course, which has taken place in Slovakia (May 2017) and involved 7 partner organisations from Slovakia, Hungary, Czech republic, Latvia, Romania and Portugal.The training course answered to the needs for capacity-building (acquiring new techniques) of involved youth organisations and networking and building long-term partnerships between organizations specializing in outdoor education and experiential learningin the field of youth work. The methods used were based on experiential learning including high/low ropes activities (theory&practice), using art as tool for expression, solution focused coaching and self-experience.The objectives of the training course were:- to learn how to use ropes and other outdoor methods for personal development;- to gain technical knowledge and practical skills in building and using low rope-elements;- to gain experience how to handle challenging situations during outdoor trainings;- to encourage international cooperation and build long term partnerships between organizations specializing in outdoor education in the field of youth work.The training involved a total number of 26 participants, who are youth workers, volunteers and junior instructors, plus a team of organisers (trainers + support staff).Highlight of course was a challenging day when participants created complex programme for external group of local youth.Skills of our participants were therefore tested in practical level and participants were leaving with ready-to-use new abilities for following home-based activities in experiential learning.

Game ON was a project that focuses on encouraging the active participation of youngsters through outdoor games and activities. During Game ON we created a playground for young people with no working experience in which they can explore the dynamics of working with others and exchange different forms and methods of inclusion. The project itself consisted of two main activities: APV: 4-5 May, 2019, Ommen, the Netherlands YE: 23rd August - 3 September, 2019, Ommen, the NetherlandsOur target group was youngsters between the age of 16-21 years. Based on our selection criteria 80% of the participants had no working experience from before and they found it difficult to interact within an international context. Both participants and Group Leaders were people who are interested in group dynamics, nature and games and were curious to learn and exchange different forms of inclusion within a group. The countries involved were: the Netherlands, Romania, Latvia, Macedonia, Greece, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania and Italy. The objectives of the project were the following: - to bring together 50 youngsters (between the age of 16-21) from which 80% have no working experience - to improve the cooperation skills of these participants through outdoor games, activities and field trips - to create situations in which these youngsters have the chance to communicate, exchange and create within a group, thus discovering simple ways of working with others - to encourage their active participation through simple tasks such as preparing meals or taking care of the accommodation, as well as designing and implementing at least 20 outdoor games or activities for each other - to create and disseminate 10 articles about the project (1 per partner) - to promote non-formal learning opportunities in the surroundings of hosting and sending organization with promotional materials (articles and visuals) created by us and the participants - to interact and find different ways of working with the local Dutch community through assignments - to organize 10 game events (1 per partner) in the local communities of the participants before the exchange activity - to ensure that the evaluation of the learning happens during the project through 50 Youthpasses and 50 questionnaires. The APV was focused on creating a connection with the topic of inclusion and active citizenship, as well as experiencing a demo version of the exchange activity, practicing the activities designed by our participants in order to measure their impact in this specific context and creating common working agreements that would support us and the participants throughout the project. During the YE the participants got familiar with the topic of the project by exchanging their own knowledge, by getting in touch with the local community, by arranging simple tasks (such as preparing meals, taking care of the accommodation), by playing and organizing various outdoor games and activities in order to improve their skill of cooperation and discover different ways of working within a group and by facing different situations in which they could see the impact that their active participation can bring. We worked with games in a natural context in order to create a new and playful approach towards social inclusion. This working method came from our vision and experience that learning can only happen when excitement and fun are included, playing games is a simple way to invite people to learn and discover. Through team-building games, practical tasks and other activities happening outside we created a space for personal and professional growth, meaning that the participants had the chance to work with each other in different settings, create games together, complete different assignments, include each other in the process of creation and discover various aspects of working in a team, while improving the skill of cooperation, communication, initiation, etc. All this led to improved self-confidence, higher confidence in working and communicating with other people, realizing different ideas in a productive way and including different points of view in the process of creation. After the YE our main focus was spreading the dissemination materials (visuals and articles) in the local communities. Together with our partners we evaluated the whole process and its results and spread them along with other learning opportunities within Erasmus+. Game ON created impact on multiple levels: our partners (including us) discovered new and easily applicable ways of inclusion, while our participants and their close environment got more experience and awareness regarding Erasmus+ opportunities.

"Project ""T4T of experiential learning"" is training co-organized by organizations from Czech republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania, Lithuania, Netherlands and Germany active in the field experiential education. 24 participants will follow 6-day training on experiential learning in youth work. Group of participants will consist of teachers, lectors, instructors and other youth workers.The goal of this training is to build capacity of organizations and develop competences of participants in experiential education. Participants will learn about roles and competeneces of trainer, as well as about ones trainer`s style. They will practise work with group dynamics and analyze development of group in time. After the training, they will be able to choose suitable acitivity according to actual group phase. With help of dramaturgy, they will be able toto incorporate activities in longer programme with set learning goals.Methods used during the training include dramaturgy, review, supervision, work in small groups, participated learning, self directed learning, feedback and peer learning.This project will result in educational activities conducted in participating organizations using outcomes of this training.Common outcome of this project will be development of experiential learning method and implementation of the same methodology in all organizations."

European Voluntary Service in social facilities in Berlin is a project of the Internationale Jugendgemeinschaftsdienste (ijgd), which is the coordinating and supporting voluntary organisation in the EVS. A group of all together 17 volunteers from all over Europe are active in hosting NGOs who work in the social field. The focus of the engagment is work with children, social work and homeless care. The EVS-projectpartners in Berlin are non-profit organistions: Kindergartens, churches, a facility for sociatherapie, day-cares, a free school, a circus for children. The acitivities are: work with children, social work and homeless care. Most of the facilities are located in districts with social problems (Neukölln, Kreuzberg, Wedding).The aim is to improve the living conditions of the local people and to make a contribution to intercultural understanding, European awareness, against discrimination and social exclusion. The volunteers are invited bring in their cultural background and interests into the project. They experience the everyday life and the role of smaller local social NGOs in civil society in Berlin. The European volunteers live together and independently in shared flats and will be supported by ijgd throughout the year.ijgd is contact point and offers shared activities, networking, workshops, help and support to the volunteers.

Nature connection - experienced connection to oneself, to others and to nature - is presently assumed as a precondition for responsible and future oriented living (c.f. Quartier, pg. 16) and hence considered to be the overall objective of the project. That is why three organisations active in sectors vocational training (D), adult education (S), community education (RO) exchange their approaches in nature experiential education in their typical landscapes. In each of the 3 short term learning experiences a total of 24 beneficiaries (staff and students) of BSH der Hoffbauer gGmbH, Sjöviks Folkhögskola and Outward Bound Romania will live the Swedish concept Friluftsliv, the commonly in Germany practiced concept of Coyote Mentoring as well as adventure educational activities at Outward Bound Romania. The activities are going to be prepared during a project meeting in Romania in October 2019. Project outcomes are going to be shared with a broad public during a project meeting in Germany in May 2022. The duration of the project is scheduled for 36 months. The exchange will focus on 3 main objectives:-Getting to know approaches of the partners on outdoor expriential learning, the landscapes as well as regional characteristics. For that every partner is preparing a 10 day learning experience for the other partners. -Complementary to each partner´s educational profile the international experiences of those exchanges will be assured in form of a concluding companion with guidelines as a didactic and professional review by the other partners.-A practically oriented transfer of international experiences shall result in a Coyote Camp as a unique form of inservice training at Internationaler Spielmarkt 2022 which is visited by a broad range of professionals of all sectors of education. Hence the results could effect not only a whole region but also spread around Europe. Besides intercultural exchange, ecologic education and personal development the applied project is about-initiating different forms of learning by practical and playbased activity under professional guidance -the common establishing of the basics (methods, learning places in the wilderness, safety precautions, outdoor gear) so that beneficiaries will be able to feel safe and at home in nature-teaching and acquiring of so called primitive skills (putting up a camp, making fire, building shelters, etc.), practicing mentoring tools and core routines of nature connection (art of questioning, awareness raising techniques, sitspot, animal forms, story of the day, etc.), making own outdoor gear (snow shoes, foldable saw, cooking utensils) as well as methods of reflexion (e.g. talking circle, ...). For German, Swedish and Romanian outdoor mentors for experiential learning the focus is on practicing, attempting and reconsidering professional competences and developing language skills, social and organisational competences.For Swedish full-time Friluftsliv/Hantverk/Ledarskap students, German future childcare practitioners and youth workers as well as for customers of OB Romania the main objectives are self development, acquiring practical wilderness skills, expressing their needs and wishes in English, getting to know representatives of other cultures. Because of the encounter of representatives of three nations all partcipants share a common culture in which appreciation rather than competition have priority. Concerning communication using the English language will create connection. By close contact with the wilderness and the group partcipants will get into touch with their roots and their own rythm. So they will develop an understanding for their needs, they will set priorities and overcome fears. That will change their routines in the long run. They will connect their senses, their thinking and their imagination with the world around them and hence they will care for it. No matter where based in the future participants will be able to implement acquired competences by exhibiting appropriate attitudes and routines when collaborating with others and the greater community of life. As an innovative element all participants will keep and feed a personal Nature Connection Learning Journal that is being developed before the project activities are taking place. The most valuable outcomes that participants are willing to share will find their way into the European Companion of Outdoor Experiental Learning. It is considered to be one of the final outcomes of the project.By organising Coyote Camp as an inservice training for a broad professional public and spreading innovative didactic materials to support experiential learning outdoors the partners will have gone a pioneering step disseminating project results. This will foster development for sustainable education not only within participants of the project but the whole community. Quartier, Ulrike et.al.: Weltsprache Natur. Die Naturwerkstatt der Laborschule Bielefeld.Bad Heilbrunn 2013