Activities

Ice Breakers

Every morning, before starting the activities of the day, we did some energizers. The idea was to help the participants leaving behind their fears, talking in English and starting to know each others better. They really enjoyed these short games because they allowed them to mix and talk to all the other participants and permitted them to get in touch better with each others.

Activity 1 – Introduction

Leaders presented their organizations and local communities they are working in. Then also the participants presented themselves.

Activity 2 – “Walking Tour Of Madrid”

MAD for Europe offered a walking tour around the city, so the participants had the occasion to see and know better the venue of the project.

Activity 3 – “Fears and Expectation”

Each participant received post-its (yellow and blue) and they wrote their expectations on the yellow post-its and their fears on the blue ones (as many as they wanted).
They sticked them on a big flip chart.
On the last day, we saw all these papers and talk about them

Activity 4 – “Let's Introduce The Theme”

It was a group discussion on the topic «Very Important Youth». Participants had to imagine the influential youths they know. Then they have been divided into groups and each group will have to think of one of these young people and research them.

Activity 5 – “Listen and Ask”

Participants have been able to listen to a presentation by three people who are involved in activist actions in the Municipality of Madrid, specifically the program VIOLENCIA CERO. They were María Rosalía Lajara, Alex Garcés and Belen Llorente, equality agents of the Transversality Service of the municipality. They told them their experience. This way, the participants met someone who has created some initiative first hand.

Activity 6 – “Presentation of the Project in the Context of ERASMUS+ Programme”

Participants learnt how the Erasmus+ program works and which opportunities it offers especially to young people. They listened to a presentation made by MAD for Europe, showing every important aspect of these opportunities. Also a detailed presentation of the YOUTHPASS Certificate has been done and all doubts and questions of participants clarified.

Activity 7 – “Do You Have a Voice?”

Participants discussed what it means to them to have a voice and how they can use it, as youngsters, to improve their local communities. Sitting in circle, everyone had the possibility to express his/her idea.

Activity 8 – “Quiz About Europe”

A volunteer of MAD for Europe held a handkerchief in the center. Participants, divided in two opposite teams, had to run for him, the team that got the handkerchief first had to answer a question about Europe. Answering right they won a point, if not, they passed the question directly to the opposite team, who had the possibility to win the point.

Activity 9 – “Dear Future”

Participants wrote a letter openly about their dream for the future and how this experience gave them the opportunity to express their ideas. They wrote the same letter in two different languages: in their own and in the one of the partner with whom they made this activity. It was a good way also to get in touch with different languages

Activity 10 – “Create Our Emblem”

Participants, divided in groups, created the logo of the project. They had to use their imagination, and create ideas related to the “Very Important Youth” project. At the end, after an explanation of every one of them, they voted the best one, that will be used as official logo of the project.

Activity 11 – “Imagine Your Idea”

Participants made a project, draw in some flip charts, about their circumstances and the options they have to make a change. They thought, for example, how to say no to radicalism, how to avoid gender violence, and woman’s rights related to work and pregnancy

At the end, after an explanation of every one of them, they voted the best one, that will be used as official logo of the project.

Activity 12 – “GYMKHANA”

Participants, divided into groups with mixed nationalities, had to pass some tests, getting the answers among some of the monuments and icons in the Retiro Park.

Activity 13 – “Let's Show the Project”

Participants showed the projects the created the previous day to people in Retiro park, so let them know about their ideas and their activities in the project VIY.

Activity 14 – “Final Evaluation of the Project”

With this activity, the participants had been able to evaluate the project, putting post its in a big flip chart divided in 2 parts: one for the positive things, the other one for the negative things.