Preparatory Activities
Each partner has organised preparatory activities with the selected participants before the mobility:
- linguistic preparation in English needed for ensuring a proper level of speaking and understanding English was delivered by the teacher of English from Colegiul Tehnic "Edmond Nicolau" Focsani. Audio and video documents in English were used by the participants who could also get familiar with thematic vocabulary related to health and inclusion. Participants prepared for prepared written material in English about the Cheile Tisitei natural reservation, Lepsa village, the 2 towns planned for the thematic visit to discover the local community and interact with local people recording interviews in the street of Brasov and Bran
- thematic preparation concerning the budget, timetable of APV and Youth Exchange, rules to follow during the mobility and travelling in order to design a code of common behaviour and prevent risk situations, project description, planning interactive activities such as City Games, How Much Sugar Is It In It? by the Romanian team, energizers and cultural activities for the Romanian night. The preparatory activities included discussions about inclusion, cultural aspects of Spain/Romania, various intercultural activities meant to overcome any difficulties in meeting new people with different backgrounds, facilitate the integration into a large group and become aware of the cultural stereotypes. The Spanish group prepared the workshop Mediterranean Diet for its benefits on health, Rural Olympiad/Olympics for showing typical games from Spain; beside the energizers and name games, the Spanish team prepared typical dances and songs which they performed during the Spanish night
drive.google.com/file/d/134dItMxby--WXCDI54kmkQLrGy1nvHOi/view?usp=sharing
drive.google.com/open?id=134dItMxby--WXCDI54kmkQLrGy1nvHOi
Advance Planning Visit : 6-7 September 2019
Location: Motel Flora (touristic complex) situated in Lepsa village, Vrancea county
2 group leaders and 2 youngsters
Very excited to meet for the first time, the Romanian and Spanish participants had the opportunity to discuss about the project, participants' profile, learning goals and expectations, planning the final activities for the Youth Exchange. They also spent time to get familiar with main activities implemented by the partner organisations (mission of the school, projects of Wubira), the surroundings exploring Putna waterfall and Cheile Tisitei natural preserved area, meeting local community.
Location: Motel Flora (touristic complex) situated in Lepsa village, Vrancea county
2 group leaders and 2 youngsters
Very excited to meet for the first time, the Romanian and Spanish participants had the opportunity to discuss about the project, participants' profile, learning goals and expectations, planning the final activities for the Youth Exchange. They also spent time to get familiar with main activities implemented by the partner organisations (mission of the school, projects of Wubira), the surroundings exploring Putna waterfall and Cheile Tisitei natural preserved area, meeting local community.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D0QYTjNO47URTv1_XUe0AVICqahkzjJh/view?usp=drive_web
Youth exchange: 6-12 October 2019
Location: Motel Flora (touristic complex) situated in Lepsa village, Vrancea county
drive.google.com/file/d/1D0QYTjNO47URTv1_XUe0AVICqahkzjJh/view?usp=drive_web
About the young participants:
The 17 students from Colegiul Tehnic "Edmond Nicolau" Focsani and 17 students from Olvera, members of Asociacion Juvenil Wubira, Spain were motivated to take part in this Erasmus+ Youth Exchange project where they could share their hobbies as they are very dynamic, but having few opportunities for developing their native potential. They were eager to participate in non formal activities, showing particular interest to physical activity, sports, determined to overcome their shy and cultural stereotypes. All of them expressed their willing to apply healthy life principles through a healthy diet, sport, spending time in the open. They were interested both in learning assertive communication techniques and, as well, in stress release techniques. During the youth exchange, the participants had the opportunity to practise cultural and intercultural dialogue, to get accustomed to different Erasmus+ actions, which provides attractive opportunities for education, training and volunteering; they socialised and interacted with students and teachers from Colegiul Tehnic "Edmond Nicolau", Scoala Postliceala "Vasile Alexandri" ("Vasile Alexandri" Medical College), Centrul Scolar pentru Educatie Incluziva "Elena Doamna" ("Elena Doamna" School Centre for Inclusive Education), trainers and local authorities representatives. The thematic visit on the topic of eating disorders, metabolic diseases, first aid techniques and social inclusion enable Romanian and Spanish young people and group leaders to discover local community while becoming more tolerant and getting knowledge through non formal learning methods and activities.
About the activities:
During 7 days, participants contributed to their personal development improving an developing their key competences as they took part in the following activities:
1. Healthy eating habits and healthy lifestyle: using non formal methods such as games, brainstorming, presentations, observation, group talk, pair work, teamwork, participants gained raised awareness about healthy habits related to nutrition, physical activity, emotional or mental health and the importance of managing stress and having proper communication. They realised the danger of the hidden sugar content in different types of supermarket food and beverages, understanding the importance of a correct diet and the Mediterranean diet. Over all, they have learnt about healthy habits and their importance in maintaining physical and mental health.
Activities and workshops were dynamic, interactive and encouraging creativity, team work, public speaking, research of information: TASTY BUT UNHEALTHY; YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT; LIFESTYLE AND MENTAL HEALTH; MEDITERRANEAN DIET.
2. Activities related to social inclusion: the thematic visit took place in Focsani on the 8th of October 2019 and allowed youngsters and group leaders to get involved in the activities prepared by students with special needs and teachers of the „Elena Doamna” School Center for Inclusive Education situated in Focsani. Visiting this school center, the 40 participants received information about Romanian inclusive education, interacted with the students with disabilities and assisted to the artistic show performed by those students. Very touching, the activities held by "Elena Doamna" School Center also included dances and songs performed by students with special needs in partnership with students from Colegiul Tehnic "Edmond Nicolau" within the S.N.A.C. "Stategia Nationala de Actiune Comunitara" (Romanian National Strategy for Community Action).
The workshop SOCIAL EXCLUSION held at Lepsa on the tennis court of motel Flora was designed as a role-playing game in mixed groups, to illustrate social exclusion according to social or financial factors, race, health, physical appearance, ethnicity or orientation. Facing a new identity which was kept secret till the end of the game, each participant moved forward, backward or even stayed at the same place according to the each situation, trying to be in the shoes of the new person and adapting to various situations from real life. Debriefing and summarizing the situations and issues related to social exclusion and especially various possibilities of doing social inclusion, participants declared that they became more aware of the topic and willing to easily integrate people with disabilities, special needs, facing poverty or just having different background.
3. Activities of knowing each other, socialising, group cohesion, team building, integration: name games, miming moods and attitudes, STRING OF LAUNDRY for discussion about expectations, fear, contribution to the project, DIXIT board game which is very easy to adapt to any type of activity from expressing fears and expectations to developing oral proficiency in English and building a team, SECRET FRIEND, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, two intercultural evenings, karaoke and Latino dance night, YOU&US - a workshop for partners’ presentation (goals, mission, projects)
4. ANTI-STRESS and ECO-FRIENDLY activities: ECO HANDMADE Workshop (participants will learn to make handicraft products using eco, natural, recyclable materials) and DRAMA IMPROVISATION Workshop.
5. Reflection Hour: group evaluation, filling in the non formal learning diary, group discussions about Youthpass and Erasmus+ opportunities. Each young participant received a Learning Diary for writing down personal feeling related to his/her learning process, new words learnt during the day. The group leader offered a true support to the participants in understanding which competences were improved and developed as well as offering support for any learning difficulty.
6. Open-air activities: HIKING&TREKKING on Cheile Tisitei Natural Reservation; CITY GAME in Focsani; one day THEMATIC VISIT to Brasov and Bran, in order to take interviews to local people on the topic of healthy food versus junk food, living a healthy lifestyle, improve the group cohesion, to encourage physical exercise in the open, to get them familiarized to Romanian cultural values.
TEAM GAMES: MINI EXATLON and RURAL OLYMPICS – obstacles courses and skill tasks. Besides encouraging physical exercise and fighting sedentary life and obesity, these games improved the team spirit, the sense of responsibility, helping participants identify, negociate and manage their own position within the group while providing them with healthy alternatives of spending their free time in the future.
The group of 40 people who participated in the Youth Exchange was accommodated in Motel Flora which offers double and triple rooms with private bathrooms, free internet, conference room, outdoor swimming pool, table tennis and tennis court and a beautiful view from the balcony over the Vrancea Mountains.
About the venue of the project
Lepsa is one of the most popular resorts in Vrancea county, preferred by tourists looking for peace and relaxation. Located in the heart of the Vrancea mountains, it benefits from a favorable relief for the development of mountain tourism. Functional throughout the year, Lepsa usually gather families or groups who want to escape from crowded and noisy resorts.
Location
Located on DN 2D, along the Putna river, about 75 kilometers from the city of Focsani, the village of Lepsa, part of comuna Tulnici is an old settlement of forests and farmers. Developing due to the ideal location for tourism is gradually rising to the top of the holiday preferences in Vrancea county.
Tourist attractions in Lepsa
Lepsa is one dedicated to relaxation, but there is no lack of tourist attractions. Besides the picturesque landscapes and the delicious food specific to the area, Lepsa resort boasts numerous routes arranged for hiking, monasteries, waterfalls and the Tisita Natural Reserve.
The main tourist route chosen by those who arrive in the area is the one that leads to Putna Waterfall. Of a rapacious beauty, the waterfall is 80 meters long and pours its waters into a 12-meter deep lake. Another route known to the locals is the one that leads to Tisaru Peak. The route is accessible all year and has the final point at an altitude of 1280 meters.
The most famous monastery in the area is the Lepsa Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in Vrancea county. The settlement that bears the dedication of the Virgin Mary was initially built by the locals in 1789, and later demolished in 1927. The church was rebuilt 9 years later, in 1936. During the communist regime, the monastery was closed, but at the fall of the regime it was reopened and today represents one of the most important tourist attractions of the area.
Location: Motel Flora (touristic complex) situated in Lepsa village, Vrancea county
drive.google.com/file/d/1D0QYTjNO47URTv1_XUe0AVICqahkzjJh/view?usp=drive_web
About the young participants:
The 17 students from Colegiul Tehnic "Edmond Nicolau" Focsani and 17 students from Olvera, members of Asociacion Juvenil Wubira, Spain were motivated to take part in this Erasmus+ Youth Exchange project where they could share their hobbies as they are very dynamic, but having few opportunities for developing their native potential. They were eager to participate in non formal activities, showing particular interest to physical activity, sports, determined to overcome their shy and cultural stereotypes. All of them expressed their willing to apply healthy life principles through a healthy diet, sport, spending time in the open. They were interested both in learning assertive communication techniques and, as well, in stress release techniques. During the youth exchange, the participants had the opportunity to practise cultural and intercultural dialogue, to get accustomed to different Erasmus+ actions, which provides attractive opportunities for education, training and volunteering; they socialised and interacted with students and teachers from Colegiul Tehnic "Edmond Nicolau", Scoala Postliceala "Vasile Alexandri" ("Vasile Alexandri" Medical College), Centrul Scolar pentru Educatie Incluziva "Elena Doamna" ("Elena Doamna" School Centre for Inclusive Education), trainers and local authorities representatives. The thematic visit on the topic of eating disorders, metabolic diseases, first aid techniques and social inclusion enable Romanian and Spanish young people and group leaders to discover local community while becoming more tolerant and getting knowledge through non formal learning methods and activities.
About the activities:
During 7 days, participants contributed to their personal development improving an developing their key competences as they took part in the following activities:
1. Healthy eating habits and healthy lifestyle: using non formal methods such as games, brainstorming, presentations, observation, group talk, pair work, teamwork, participants gained raised awareness about healthy habits related to nutrition, physical activity, emotional or mental health and the importance of managing stress and having proper communication. They realised the danger of the hidden sugar content in different types of supermarket food and beverages, understanding the importance of a correct diet and the Mediterranean diet. Over all, they have learnt about healthy habits and their importance in maintaining physical and mental health.
Activities and workshops were dynamic, interactive and encouraging creativity, team work, public speaking, research of information: TASTY BUT UNHEALTHY; YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT; LIFESTYLE AND MENTAL HEALTH; MEDITERRANEAN DIET.
2. Activities related to social inclusion: the thematic visit took place in Focsani on the 8th of October 2019 and allowed youngsters and group leaders to get involved in the activities prepared by students with special needs and teachers of the „Elena Doamna” School Center for Inclusive Education situated in Focsani. Visiting this school center, the 40 participants received information about Romanian inclusive education, interacted with the students with disabilities and assisted to the artistic show performed by those students. Very touching, the activities held by "Elena Doamna" School Center also included dances and songs performed by students with special needs in partnership with students from Colegiul Tehnic "Edmond Nicolau" within the S.N.A.C. "Stategia Nationala de Actiune Comunitara" (Romanian National Strategy for Community Action).
The workshop SOCIAL EXCLUSION held at Lepsa on the tennis court of motel Flora was designed as a role-playing game in mixed groups, to illustrate social exclusion according to social or financial factors, race, health, physical appearance, ethnicity or orientation. Facing a new identity which was kept secret till the end of the game, each participant moved forward, backward or even stayed at the same place according to the each situation, trying to be in the shoes of the new person and adapting to various situations from real life. Debriefing and summarizing the situations and issues related to social exclusion and especially various possibilities of doing social inclusion, participants declared that they became more aware of the topic and willing to easily integrate people with disabilities, special needs, facing poverty or just having different background.
3. Activities of knowing each other, socialising, group cohesion, team building, integration: name games, miming moods and attitudes, STRING OF LAUNDRY for discussion about expectations, fear, contribution to the project, DIXIT board game which is very easy to adapt to any type of activity from expressing fears and expectations to developing oral proficiency in English and building a team, SECRET FRIEND, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, two intercultural evenings, karaoke and Latino dance night, YOU&US - a workshop for partners’ presentation (goals, mission, projects)
4. ANTI-STRESS and ECO-FRIENDLY activities: ECO HANDMADE Workshop (participants will learn to make handicraft products using eco, natural, recyclable materials) and DRAMA IMPROVISATION Workshop.
5. Reflection Hour: group evaluation, filling in the non formal learning diary, group discussions about Youthpass and Erasmus+ opportunities. Each young participant received a Learning Diary for writing down personal feeling related to his/her learning process, new words learnt during the day. The group leader offered a true support to the participants in understanding which competences were improved and developed as well as offering support for any learning difficulty.
6. Open-air activities: HIKING&TREKKING on Cheile Tisitei Natural Reservation; CITY GAME in Focsani; one day THEMATIC VISIT to Brasov and Bran, in order to take interviews to local people on the topic of healthy food versus junk food, living a healthy lifestyle, improve the group cohesion, to encourage physical exercise in the open, to get them familiarized to Romanian cultural values.
TEAM GAMES: MINI EXATLON and RURAL OLYMPICS – obstacles courses and skill tasks. Besides encouraging physical exercise and fighting sedentary life and obesity, these games improved the team spirit, the sense of responsibility, helping participants identify, negociate and manage their own position within the group while providing them with healthy alternatives of spending their free time in the future.
The group of 40 people who participated in the Youth Exchange was accommodated in Motel Flora which offers double and triple rooms with private bathrooms, free internet, conference room, outdoor swimming pool, table tennis and tennis court and a beautiful view from the balcony over the Vrancea Mountains.
About the venue of the project
Lepsa is one of the most popular resorts in Vrancea county, preferred by tourists looking for peace and relaxation. Located in the heart of the Vrancea mountains, it benefits from a favorable relief for the development of mountain tourism. Functional throughout the year, Lepsa usually gather families or groups who want to escape from crowded and noisy resorts.
Location
Located on DN 2D, along the Putna river, about 75 kilometers from the city of Focsani, the village of Lepsa, part of comuna Tulnici is an old settlement of forests and farmers. Developing due to the ideal location for tourism is gradually rising to the top of the holiday preferences in Vrancea county.
Tourist attractions in Lepsa
Lepsa is one dedicated to relaxation, but there is no lack of tourist attractions. Besides the picturesque landscapes and the delicious food specific to the area, Lepsa resort boasts numerous routes arranged for hiking, monasteries, waterfalls and the Tisita Natural Reserve.
The main tourist route chosen by those who arrive in the area is the one that leads to Putna Waterfall. Of a rapacious beauty, the waterfall is 80 meters long and pours its waters into a 12-meter deep lake. Another route known to the locals is the one that leads to Tisaru Peak. The route is accessible all year and has the final point at an altitude of 1280 meters.
The most famous monastery in the area is the Lepsa Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in Vrancea county. The settlement that bears the dedication of the Virgin Mary was initially built by the locals in 1789, and later demolished in 1927. The church was rebuilt 9 years later, in 1936. During the communist regime, the monastery was closed, but at the fall of the regime it was reopened and today represents one of the most important tourist attractions of the area.