Project Name: Youth Exchange “Dual Career in COVID Environment" (DCCE)”
Activity: Youth Exchange in Bulgaria. The "Dual Career in COVID Environment" (DCCE) project will involve 21 participants from Bulgaria, Turkey and Cyprus in Montana, Bulgaria in August 2022.
Youth Exchange: 22 to 30 of September (including travelling days)
Accommodation: The accommodation for the participants will be announced later
Food: The venue of the training will serve the participants with 3- times-a-day meals and snacks and beverages for the coffee breaks.
Final Report from our project manager
On our first day in Bulgaria the organizators came to the airport to drive us to the hotel. We had time to explore the mall of Sofia and some shops. We have visit a park that looks like a mountain we have in our country. We went to a supermarket to get anything we needed for the hotel room and we went back to the hotel. At night we went for walking in the city center to explore more the city and then we get back to the hotel to rest for the next upcoming days.
Second day we wake up eat a delicious breakfast and start the activities at 10 o clock. We meet in the conference room where the organizats explain to us about their organization and the programs they offer. Continuing each of the country representative share some information about the organization that represents. Then we set the rules and wrote about the fears and expectations we have from this program and we together speak about it. We had an energizing exercise with music and dance. Also we had an exercise with our names, which it helps us to remember the names of the participants. We did also an exercise with drawing, we have started drawing th face of each other and then we change the drawings and each one of us continue from where it left. We continue with the exercise of 3 questions, having a specific time to answer. We try to meet with us much participants we could in a group of 2 and we had a kind of interview with each other to meet better. Additionaly we continue with some exercises regarding the subject of the program. We split in teams and each team seperately was responsible to answer a question regarding Dual Career in Covid 19. After, each of the team present their findings, justifying them. Finally the organizers gave us 4 reflection questions to answer.
Below you can see on the example of the reflection questions we had each end of the day:
1. How you feel today? (3 emotions)
2. What did you like the most?
3. What would you improve?
4. What is one thing you take with you today?
On Third day we meet again at 10 o clock and we spoke generally about Dual Career. We had the exercise of ‘The wheel of Life’, where we draw the wheel of life with different stages and we wrote each one of us, 3 roles of our lifes (ex. sister, mother, student etc.), and we describe why they are important. We carried out the role playing by making a small 'drama role playing'. Then we answered some questions about each role. The next exercise we did was the 'river of life' where we explored the ups and downs of our lives and then we split into groups of 2 people to discuss. At night we had the intercultural night where we tried the different products of each country.
On the Fourth day we started doing an energizing exercise which was suggested by a member of the team ‘Ninja exercise’. Then each one of us answer on a paper some questions about 'personal visualization', on how we see ourselves without limitations. Then we all closed our eyes and the organizer asked some questions about how we were feeling. We then split into groups of 2 and discussed our personal visualization. Then we stood in a circle and someone volunteered to enter the circle and discuss with the others about their personal visualization. In the afternoon we all met outside the hotel and started climbing the mountain for hiking. As we climbed the mountain we split into groups of 2 and talked about various topics that the organizer provide us. When we reached the top of the mountain we found the monastery and went inside to see it. We then proceeded to a spot with benches and had a picnic. After enjoying our time in nature we did the SMART GOALS exercise. After we finished the exercise, we went down the mountain and on the way down we split into groups again to do the reflection.
Fifth day was free day.
On the sixth day we wake up from the mornign to go to the sports academy which we participate in a conference room regarding European Eunion. When we return back to the hotel we went to rest because of the many hours of the conference and then we meet again in the afternoon for some group activities.
What our participants told us in their reports:
The trip to Bulgaria was an unforgettable experience that taught me many things. Firstly, I learned the culture of a foreign country, but I also met different people from other countries. The trip to Bulgaria had a rich program with various activities. On one of the days, there was an activity about racism where we were divided into groups, and we all exchanged opinions on this topic. In addition, another very interesting job was the one whereby, we had to talk about our career and we had to describe, what we will do in our lives after 10 years. Furthermore, what we would change in this life but also what we would like to build up our future and afterwards to make a presentation. Another task was the one with covid where I had to describe the positive points and the negative points and the effect it had on us. Everyone had to describe their own personal experiences that covid had on us. In addition, another funny activity was to paint each other’s faces, where many of them did not succeed. In addition, they set us a quiz activity that was like a game, there was a time when we gave it to the other person, and I asked various questions. One of the nicest activities was the presentation of the traditional food of each country, and we sat at a table full of traditional foods, from different countries where we tried them and then we danced traditional dances. Everything was very interesting and we sang various songs.
What impressed me the most was the greenery that this country has, the rivers that were full of water, its huge churches its sunny squares, which are overrun with people its huge malls, which cross a large area of land but also its strange bays, and its amazing soups. In the end , it was an unfrorgettable experience where we learned many things such as the culture, the Bulgarian cuisine, and we met new people. I wish I could have more beautiful experiences again, such as this, because they are unfrorgettable.
Travelling food and accommodation all are paid from the program (For an application you must be member of our organization, if you want to apply for membership you can go for the application to the link: https://www.acpelia.org/be-a-member
6 youngsters and one leader will be selected from our organisation. The profile of the participants is youth 15-29 years old who are active in the field of sports, semi-professional or professional athletes as well as participants with fewer opportunities who are facing social, economical, cultural and geographical challenges.
Project summary:
The "Dual Career in COVID Environment" (DCCE) is a 7-month Youth Exchange initiated from SPORTSROOM (Bulgaria) with the support of Active Cypriot Programs and European Learning Into Acceptance (Cyprus) and IZMIR PERFORMANCE YOUTH AND SPORTS CLUB ASSOCIATION (Turkey) with the mission to help solve the 21 young people from 3 countries who are actively involved in the sports activities, semi-professional and professional athletes the three main problems that are of great importance to us and that we are currently going through. The first one is about the lack of knowledge about Dual Career, which leads to the second problem which is the high youth unemployment rate in Europe and the third one is the negative impact of COVID-19 and how we can turn it into an opportunity.
The "DCCE" activity will take place in 22 to 30 of September 2022 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The project objectives are:
- Provide the participants ’understanding of the key principles of dual career planning and help to find a balance between sports and educational careers.
- Developing a common understanding of dual-career implementation already at a young age.
- To raise awareness about the real-time opportunities to have a good place to implement dual-career even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Educate athletes to have more than one action plan adapted if there will be another or something similar like the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the world.
Aplication for Interest of Participation: https://forms.gle/ZzhNdY5NMAMbaRzA9
If you want to be a candidate of our program please complete the application form and don't forget to complete the membership form if you are not a member of our organisation. Link for completing the application of membership: https://www.acpelia.org/be-a-member