CO.F.F.E.E. the diary!

CO.F.F.E.E. the diary!

CO.F.F.E.E. the diary!

COFFEE (Colorful Fighters For European Empowerment) is a training course about youth workers, youth leaders, members and volunteers of youth organisations who work or willing to work with LGBTI young people. It brought to Paleos Panteleimonas, Greece between 17-25/08/2016, 30 participants from Sweden, Greece, FYR Macedonia, Italy, Turkey, Cyprus, Slovakia, Romania, Lithuania, Spain, Bulgaria and Belgium who wanted to increase their skills and knowledge on LGBTI and gender related issues. Through the activities of this training course which were based on non-formal education methods (such as workshops, theater techniques, discussions, reflection groups, etc.), participants were familiarised and discussed though the whole training about the problems, concerns, the daily experiences of LGBTI young people and their rights and they acquired essential knowledge on human rights and the rights of the European citizen. They also learned how to recognise and how to break the stereotypes related with different types of discrimination and how fight homophobia and transphobia and discrimination in their own organisation and life. Finally they were trained on how to support and integrate LGBTI young people in their activities and organisations and to organise actions for fighting intolerance and hate-speech. During this training course participants from different parts of Europe with very diverse backgrounds came together and worked for a common future; a society without stereotypes, prejudices, full of respect and solidarity.

 

Day 1 (16/08)


Participants came to Thessaloniki through the day and gathered together in the train station where a bus took them to the venue. They arrived in the night and they had a warm soup and snacks and went to rest as a full day was coming tomorrow.

 

Day2 (17/08)


The first day of the training was an introduction day as usual. The objectives of this day were participant to get to know each other more and the group to be bonded. In this direction there were name games, an elevator speech where participants had to say everything about themselves in 30’ and an activity about their 3 milestones of their lives.

After the coffee break, COFFEE challenge took place. Participants had to fulfill some challenges that that they were given by the trainers which weren’t written in English but in other languages. For this purpose they had to use their skills and to collaborate all together. They had to transfer water from one bucket to another without spilling it, to create a dance choreography and others.

In the afternoon session it was time participants to share within the group and in smaller groups their fears, motivations and expectations. Later each participant had to blow a balloon and hang it on a string. The purpose of this activity is that during the training they could break the balloon when their expectations were met or their fears were overcome. Later participants had to create the “Constitution of the group” with the rules that participants, trainers and organizers had to follow in order to create a safe space for everyone. After that the first reflection groups were created with the magic hat of Harry Potter. Through reflection groups participants could reflect on what they liked, what they didn’t, they could bring proposals for the training and evaluate the day.

 

Day 3 (18/08)


The 2nd day of the training started with an energizer, in which participants had to walk to the woods near the venue and to find stones with which they had to be divided in groups for the rest of the activities of the day. Later there was an introduction about the basic human rights, starting from personal reflection leading to theory and a quiz. At a later stage participants were introduced to the “Sexual and Reproductive Rights” and its charter. To conclude with that, they had to play theater in groups on cases with violation of Sexual and Reproductive Rights.

After lunch it was time for a Word Café, where participants divided in groups had to discuss and share information about the situation of the LGBTI rights in their countries, by answering 4 basic questions. Later an interesting activity took place about how women and men are supposed to act according to the society, where those were reflected in gender boxes. In the end of the day participants went to their reflection groups and with the help of the trainers they discussed cases of gender violence and then their reflection of the day.

 

Day 4 (19/08)


The 3rd day of the training started with the Genderbread presentation, which shows the difference among sex, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. The next activity was “Let’s talk about LGBT” where participants had to generate questions related with the LGBTI issues and put them anonymously in a fish ball. At a later stage they had to discuss these questions with the help of the people who knew the answers and the trainers. Roma Boys movie was screened in small groups that shows that a person can be discriminated for because of their different identities, for example because they are roma and gay, etc. A discussion took place. Last activity for the morning session was the YouSoup presentation, a tool that shows that different aspects of our lives and backgrounds with which we build our own “soup”, our own identity.

The afternoon session started with an emotional for most of the people where participants had to generate names and stereotypes about LG people. At a later stage volunteers had to walk in a corridor surrounded by the other participants who were calling those names and stereotypes. Through this activity participants realized the negative effects of bullying and homophobia towards LGBTI people. A discussion was held. Next activity used the method of Forum Theatre. Participants were split in two groups, one of them prepared to play the theatre and the others had an activity about homophobia, feelings, actions and consequences. In the end of the day forum theatre was presented by the participants. The different cases were “Laura being abused by her boss and not supported by her girlfriend”, “George being bullied by other university students and not supported by his friends of the professor”. Spect”actors” could stop the play and change the plot according to their interest. Last session was the reflection groups.

In the evening, “Multi-Kulti COFFEE LGBTI Eurovision night took place, a different intercultural night where each of the countries had to present a song linked with the LGBTI culture of their countries. At the same time, participants who had brought local products could taste from each other. After voting, Sweden won the competition.

 

Day 5 (20/08)


The day started with an activity about skills, knowledge and attitudes that someone can get through a training and non-formal education. Participants had been given the objectives of the training and they had to differentiate them according to skills, knowledge and attitudes. A small presentation of the Youthpass took place and later the 8 key competences through the Octa-Competences tool.

Later participants were split in two groups and they had to follow two different workshops about media and power and religion and power. There were very nice and interesting discussion in each workshop and the conversations went on during the lunch break.

In the afternoon session participants went through a visualization of a cat and a mouse where they had to understand the different levels of power and what they would do in each situation. Later a simulation of the European Court of Human Rights took place, where participants were split in judges, prosecutors, defendants, activists etc. The day concluded with reflection groups and mid-term evaluation with a walk in the nearby forest.

 

Day 6 (21/08)


This day was free according to the programme and we organized a trip to Meteora and Trikala. It was a day full of history, walking and breathtaking views from the Meteora rock pillars. Last stop of the day was in Trikala, a city nearby where participants had a walk and some time to relax. During the evening, the Environmental Centre of the area, offered Greek Music night and participants joined it.

 

Day 7 (22/08)


This day started in a strange way as organizers and trainers showcased invisible theatre in front of the participants without preparing them about what they were going to see. There was a discussion among the trainers and organizers about the upcoming visit of the Greek National TV and that participants should hide the fact that the project is about the LGBTI rights. Trainers and organizers went into a discussion about it when they were suddenly stopped and revealed that it was just a scene of invisible theatre. Later there was a long debriefing about what happened in front of everyone's eyes and ears. Invisible theater tool was presented and then the TV crew came and started taking interviews of some of the participants. Later the group was split into smaller groups where they had to prepare their own invisible theatre play that they had to perform in the nearby beach. The play had to do with the LGBTI topics and also to invite spect”actors” to take part in it without knowing that this was just theater. Later the groups presented in front of the others and received feedback. Reflection groups took place in the end.

 

Day 8 (23/08)


This day was dedicated to the action by the beach. Participants moved to the beach where they found suitable places to perform their plays with the help of the trainers. Each group performed once or twice in different places in order not to be understood. In most of the cases, spect”actors” reacted to what they saw and interesting conclusions were made by the participants. Small reflection groups took place on what went well and what went wrong.

The rest of the day was free for the participants to enjoy the sea, the sun and the Greek sea food.

 

Day 9 (24/08)
The day started with debriefing of the invisible theatre at the beach. Participants were introduced to the Erasmus+ Youth programme and through a quiz they learnt how it works the benefits of it and how they can use it in the future. Later after a demand from the participants, living library activity took place. During that, some of the participants were books and some others readers. Books had to do with the LGBTI experiences. This activity was one of the most successful activities according to the participants.

In the afternoon, the floor was given to the participants where some of them could offer some workshops or discussions about things they know and they can share. There were presentations and workshops by Vladi, Dino, Boba, Katerina, Sofia, Hako and Pietro. In the end the group had mediation time with Geraldine. The last reflection group took place. In the evening some of the participants wanted to continue with the living library and Andreas took the lead and organized it.

 

Day10 (25/08)


That leads us to the last day of the training. The day started with a narrated hourney of the COFFEE training. Later participants were given again instructions about the youthpass and the 8 key competences. Then they were given time to reflect on their learning outcomes and work on the 8 key competences online. After the Youthpass preparation, participants were given the time to think about their potential plans on the personal, local and European/International level after they leave COFFEE, with the competences they acquired during the training. A lot of thoughts coincided and all of the participants agreed on the importance of a follow-up COFFEE training. Some of them also wanted to create together an online platform with online magazine, inspiring interviews etc. and others to work about the sexual education in their countries.

After that, participants were given envelopes and papers to write a letter to themselves, which they will receive during the Christmas/new year period. They could write anything related on their feelings related with the group and the trainer or how they see themselves after some months. Participants closed their envelops and organizers promise to send them to their addresses during that time.

During the last session of the training, participants reflected on their motivations, fears and expectations regarding this training and they had to smash their balloons if they feel like that. After that the whole group had a moving evaluation before the youthpass ceremony started. The Youthpass ceremony started with a dance by the trainers and later each participant, trainer, organizer had to award the youthpass to another person by saying a few words about them. In the last part of the session each participant, organizer and trainer had to share something about the training and the group. A lot of emotions derived through this. In the end participants filled the written evaluation form and the training came to the end.

 

Day 11
Participants left early in the morning for Thessaloniki and later for their home :)

 

Colorful Fighters For European Empowerement was funded by the Swedish National Agency, responsible for the Erasmus+ Youth Programme in Sweden.

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