Erasmus + Key Action 1 Mobility Program 2015
Nine educators from Ireland specializing in the adult education field arrived to Barcellona on Wednesday (the 9th of September) for an Adult Management Training Course that lasted the whole week. Full of expectations and excitement the group started the course the following day.
It is important to mention that the group was formed of teachers coming from two different regions in Ireland: five of the participants came all the way from the County Kerry which is located in the South-West Region of Ireland and other four participants came from Donegal Town which is in the region of northwestern Ireland. Therefore, the participants had to start off with getting to know each other, learning about each others professional backgrounds and their personal expectations of the united project. All participants had an opportunity to get to know each other and the EProjectConsult staff better during an Aperitivo that took place on the first day of the course.
After the presentation of the course agenda and some general information about EU projects and Sicily, the participants started the course with an extremely competent and inspiring trainer from Germany Natalia Seriakova. The program of the training course was tailored based on the participants’ needs and touched upon the topics that the adult educators most frequently have to deal with.
The group wanted to learn and discuss the pressures faced when working in an intercultural environment and communication challenges related to multicultural students, they also discussed motivation at work and learnt about the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. The course was highly interactive and full of various non-formal learning activities: the participants had to work in groups, play games and complete individual tasks. The atmosphere of the training course was extremely positive, all participants eagerly engaged in heated discussions on variety of pressing issues in the education field.
Moreover, the Irish educators had a cultural program planned next to the intensive training course. Some of the participants took a Sicilian cooking course, where they learnt to cook some of the most typical Sicilian dishes: Parmigiana and Pasta in Salsa Eoliana. Also, on the last day of the training course, the entire group went for a short excursion to one of the most popular tourist destinations in Sicily – Taormina. The group walked around the beautiful old town of the city, admired the wonderful Giardini della Villa Comunale and the Ancient Theatre of Taormina. Beach lovers decided to visit the Isola Bella, which is one of the most gorgeous in Sicily.
Having had an enriching week both professionally and culturally, the group of the Irish educators left Sicily on Sunday morning. We hope that this training experience will not only facilitate their professional growth but also will leave them an unforgettable memory of Sicily, of our team and the great time spent with amazing people!
