The CMS experience

Fifth week.
The CMS is over. The time has literally flown away.
I feel like I have been in a blender..I really got so many informations last week that I need to put all of them in order, find a "folder" in my head where I will save them forever..
ok just kidding my dears! Of course I won't keep them only in my mind!!! (I bet somebody had already thought something like: "great idea Fede!") well, for those of them who do not rely on my memory I ensure them I have written a lot on my block-notes so..do not worry!!!

First: comments.
I could actually write out the evaluation we found in the CMS's folder, so that I will be quick and clear!
First impression of this training: really positive, astounding! Why? It's easy to say.. It's been something totally new for me and I have been very impressed as regards the activities, the people who participated and how the whole seminar has been organized. Everything very well-groomed in every single detail.

I knew what the non-formal education was but through this training I have experienced it in person! it was amazing to see how quick you can assimilate new tips when you are involved in a project!
Then people! I didn't imagine I found such nice and friendly people. I guess it depends on the fact that most of them had already been to some trainings like this so they knew how to socialize so easily and fastly, or simply because they work in this field! Well, what really surprised me was how friendly and open they were and also very sensitive to all the participants. That's why in fact we got closer to each other very quickly and after only 2 days I felt like I knew some of them for years!

The CMS has started Wednesday evening and that was the first chance for the participants to get to know something about each other by playing a game based on a sort of questionnaire. I think it has been really useful cuz we just got to know very basic information on our "colleagus" such as "who likes chinese food, who can speak French, who has been in another continent and so on". The best one was: "who was born in March?", somebody might wonder what is wrong or special with this question and actually he would be right..but for nobody was born in March and people went mad going around the room asking to everybody if he/she was born in March!!! and sometimes asking if they were really sure of being born in another month!!!!! it's been very funny!

Then during the next days we have attended some conferences from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (Croatia), from the Croatian Youth Network and another one from the National Agency for Youth in Austria.
I liked them, in particular the one with the National Agency from Austria as they gave us some interesting news and tips about the YouthNet Programme and how to get info about or get in contact with other NGOs.

But the part of the seminar I loved has been the one of working on a project! After the "brainstorming" and after we put out some ideas for future projects we really had the chance to try to write down that.
I personally joined the project thought by Jelena, a girl from Sarajevo, whom I really got close to.
I liked her project as it's about media (radio, tv and internet) and specifically on how media can influence youngsters. I have been immediately caught by her idea as it's near to one of the courses I would have attended in Italy if I enrolled University for the Master degree this year.

To be more precise the main aim of the project is to give youth workers and youth leaders some knowledge about how to create and work with media so that they can spread in the local communities what they will learn form this training. All in all, the main point is to help people to be critical when they listen to, watch or read something because unluckily we are very bad informed at the present days.

I am very proud of our work at the training because, even though my knowledge about this things is very little, I gave my contribution and I saw that people who have worked with me appreciated it a lot. Moreover it has been a great, huge, amazing opportunity to learn something very useful for my future and also to come into touch with very "on the ball" people! lots of them were younger then me but..believe me: much more expert and mature! I really do think it has been very useful from a human point of you too for myself.But the CMS has not been only work!! even though it was such a"tour de force" as we (Magdalena, Madara and I and the boys and the girls from the CnC) had to get up at 7 o'clock approximately to be at the hotel at 9 (at the latest!!!!), we had fun and rest too!
Actually, the staff (Danijela, Damjan and all of us from the CnC) had a huge room in the hotel, a sort of apartment, where we could put our stuff and have a rest during the breaks..and after lunch Magdalena and I really enjoyed Danijela's bed in the apartment..more than once!!! :-P Thank you very much Danijela for your open heart! (she couldn't move us actually!! I don't want to think about how many Kg are the two of us together!!)

And then the fun! We had great time when we went to Ruža, a typical restaurant in Tvrđa where they cook traditional Croatian food. We had already been there the first sunday I was here and I had been very happy with the meal so..I was definitely enthusiastic to go there again! And once again we ate lots of delicious things! Then we move to Bastion for "digesting" our dinner!
Fun n.2 was the last night at the hotel, Sunday night.
First we have been awarded by Danijela who gave us the certificates attesting our participation at the training and then..we danced and had karaoke and it was really really funny, everybody sang something and we had a great time together!

In conclusion this CMS has been a beautiful experience! stressing and demanding somehow but really useful for a person like me who have always heard about "projects for youth", "exchanges", "NGOs", and so on and so on, but who had never had the chance before now to live them!