Three countries that have been working closely for the last months, ESN Czech Republic, ESN Lithuania and ESN Poland, decided to provide something unique and beneficial not only for their National Boards or associations, but directly for their sections and local active members. That is how, as part of cooperation boost, they organised the first ESN Summer Camp.
Text by Robert Banet
The first edition took place between 24 and 27 July in Wilkasy, situated in Masuria region of north-eastern Poland. The event, mainly focused on sharing the best practices, was basically a combination of a summer camp, Eduk8 and small CEP. The participants stayed in both chalets and in the hotel, where in terms of nationalities they were mixed up to get more familiar with other ESNers. The plan was to keep the balance between fun and work, to have a nice chillout environment, outdoor sessions and feel the summer spirit, while following the agenda divided into various blocks and social activities at the same time. It was also a great opportunity for the outgoing and future NB members to get to know each other, which is very important for the future cooperation. The OC consisted of members from all 3 countries, including two people from ESN Olsztyn, the closest section to Wilkasy, so the most familiar with the area.
The event started on Thursday with ice-breaking and team-building games, since for most of the participants it was their first international event (they had been active only on the local level before). Worth including that two games were actually introduced by the participants at the spot. During the first night those who still had the energy after a long journey went to a local tavern with the music and atmosphere typical for the region to enjoy unforgettable experience.
On Friday and Saturday the best practices sessions and other knowledge sharing activities took place. In the very beginning, during the introduction the agenda along with different expectations and plans for the future were largely presented. Some blocks of best practices and workshops were held by more experienced participants. During the Meet Your Colleagues session the partakers were divided according to the positions they held in their sections to share how the things work in their countries, and to help find some solutions or give a piece of advice to the other ESNers about the problems or concerns they might have. The participants had a long discussion about ESNcard, the flagship project of the network, and other matters connected with both international and local level. Obviously, the participants had a chance to get more familiar with the Eduk8 techniques such as speed dating, walking debate and using flipcharts and markers in any possible way. In the afternoon there was spare time for playing some sport games, sightseeing Giżycko, sunbathing, swimming and other water sports. The first football game finished with a great result of 5:5.
Although the expectations were very diverse and organizing the event from scratch was a great challenge, everyone was very happy with the outcome of the first meeting. Afterwards the event underwent an online feedback session to discover the improvements that could be made to the next edition.
To learn more about the event and check out the post and photos of the participants use the hashtags #ESNsummercamp #SCniegocin.
See you during the next edition!
