Training course: Transcending the reality and progress

Location: Armenia

Dates: 9-18 October 2017

Number of participants: 30

Participating countries: UK (2 participants), Austria (3), Armenia (4), Netherlands (2), Italy (2), Belarus (2), Georgia (3), Latvia (3), Moldova (3), Poland (3), Ukraine (3)

Organizer: ICIRLD and Austrian Center for Intercultural Dialogue and Development

Apply here: application form

Inquiries about this training course: hello@abroadship.org

Costs: This project is financed by the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme. Participation,  accommodation and meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are all provided. Your travel expenses will be reimbursed up to:

530 euro – United Kingdom, Netherlands
360 euro – Austria, Italy, Latvia, Poland
275 euro – Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine
180 euro – Georgia
0 euro – Armenia

Transcending the reality and progress

Download the infopack here: Transcending the reality and progress – training course – Armenia – abroadship.org

Click to access Info_Pack_Social_Entrepreneurship_Training.pdf

The aim: The training aims on developing a new way of thinking and consciousness on how each of us can serve the world, what positive impact can we have on others, how to think on a global scale and use SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP as a tool for positive social transformation, to provide participants with practical tools they can do the initial steps towards designing and developing their social enterprises.

The Methodology

The methodological framework used will be based on the approaches and values of non-formal education. The course is participants-based and entirely participant-oriented. Experiences and contributions from participants constitute an inherent part of the Training Course.

Promoters jointly discuss the topics of this Training Course, will share their experiences in the field of youth activities, develop new ways, methods and tools addressing this topics and design new projects, and ensure the multiplication of this project while exploiting the results and educational concept of this Training Course.

The Objectives

  • To provide a platform for participants for an in-depth analysis and reflection on current opportunities and challenges in the sphere of social entrepreneurship;
  • To equip participants with social entrepreneurial competences and multiplying skills for further work with young people in their respective communities;
  • To support participants in realizing the distinctive value each of them can bring to society, to better understand their potential and make more informed decisions in their lives;
  • To provide an opportunity for participants to get practical knowledge on how to develop and realize social enterprises (also by meeting with some actors from the sphere in Armenia), to widen their world- views, and explore solutions for current challenges;
  • To equip them with innovative tools and methods, which can be used by them in work with young people to support them to manage self-identification and thus find the way for personal development and self- realization through social entrepreneurial activities;
  • To develop multi-stakeholder cooperation in the sphere of social entrepreneurship for developing mutual strategies to extend their activities;
  • To develop a network between participants for follow-up projects to elaborate further the topics of Social Entrepreneurship, to involve more participants in the study and social transformation processes.

Participant profile

  • The training course is open to youth workers and leaders from various countries, who are interested in challenging their own perceptions and to deeply reflect about topics related to the objectives of the Training Course.
  • The Training Course is open for staff members or active volunteers in the NGOs dealing with projects in the thematic field of the training, who have considerable experience in delivering training modules in the field of entrepreneurship (including social entrepreneurship) to young people.
  • Participants should be committed to take part in the full duration of the project and have a mandate from their sending organizations for the initiation, development and implementation of follow-up projects for young people of their communities in the thematic fields of the Training Course.
  • As the working language of the Training will be English, participants should be able to communicate fluently in English.

Venue

CHECK THE HOTEL HERE

Weather

The weather in summer in Armenia is relatively hot so please make sure you take appropriate clothes with you. Please also keep in mind that the project venue is in the mountains and there might be some sudden weather changes, so you would also need a rainproof jacket.

The rest house is fully equipped to host international projects with appropriate equipment, working spaces and leisure time activities. You will be sharing a double or triple room with another person/s of the same gender, each room has one bathroom. There are towels and bed linen in the hotel. Internet is available in/around the training hall and in most of the rooms.

The chef of the hotel (as well as other representatives) will be informed about the special needs of participants regarding the nutrition (such as vegetarian/vegan food, allergic issues, etc.) beforehand.

Note: The hosting organizations can support you in arranging accommodation for participants who arrive earlier to Armenia or need to stay longer

Traveling Costs

The amounts are set by the European Commission based on the distance to the venue. Please remember that the lump sum will have to cover your transportation from Yerevan to Aghveran and back (20 EUR in total). You will receive a separate document on travel arrangements with a step-by-step instruction.

Participants, who will have considerable difficulties for pre-paying their flight tickets, will have opportunity to collaborate (with mediation of organizers) with a local travel agency in Armenia, who will arrange the travel ticket for them.

Your travel expenses will be reimbursed up to:

530 euro – United Kingdom, Netherlands
360 euro – Austria, Italy, Latvia, Poland
275 euro – Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine
180 euro – Georgia
0 euro – Armenia

Traveling to the Venue

As a participant you are obliged to arrive no later than 1st of June, 2017 to Yerevan and leave not earlier than 10th of June, 2017. You are allowed to arrive 3 days earlier or leave 3 days later, but the total number of days off the project must be not higher than 3 days. For instance, you can arrive on 29th of May (you will be compensated for traveling expenses), explore Yerevan for few days on your own expense (accommodation and food are not compensated) and then from 1st of June join the programme and leave no later than 10th of June (in this case you are not allowed to leave later, because 3 days are already used). In other scenario, you can arrive on 1st of June and leave on 13th of June, your traveling expenses will be compensated, but your other expenses (accommodation and food) will not be covered for 3 days after the project.

There are two options to arrive to Armenia. First, take a flight to Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport from all the countries except Georgia; from Georgia you can either take a train or a minibus. Second, and usually cheaper option, is to arrive to Tbilisi International airport (Georgia) or Kutaisi airport (Georgia) and travel to Yerevan from there.

No matter of time, all participants will be picked up from the Airport, Train or Bus Station and we will arrange your transportation to the Airport, Train or Bus Station after the project. You will receive more detailed information regarding picking you up and transportation to the project venue once we receive your travel information. Please look at the Airport, Train/Bus Station for the volunteer with a paper with the name of our project. In emergency cases contact our project coordinators.

If selected, you will receive step-by-step instructions and additional information on travel arrangements in a separate document.

Visa

Most of the participating countries do not need visa to enter Armenia. In case you have a different nationality then your country of residency please inform us immediately to check if additional procedures need to be done. Please, take your PASSPORTS with you. You have to have a valid passport to enter Armenia.

Preparation

NGO Fair: As one of the assumption of the activity is to give participants a chance to establish a network of like-minded organizations active in the field of working with youth, we reserved a session for you to present your sending organizations and make some professional connections for the future project development. For this, please bring some informational materials, pictures, reports from the previous projects and anything else you will find useful during your presentations. As we have many participating organizations, the session will be organized as an NGO Fair, which means you will be given some time to prepare a good old analogue poster and which also means that there will be no space for individual Power Point presentations.

International Sweet Box: During the coffee breaks at the hotel where the project is organized only tea and coffee will be provided. That is why we would like to ask you to bring some sweets (candies, cookies etc.) from your country and contribute to the international sweet box that will be additionally served during the breaks.

Intercultural Night: We will have an evening for country presentations. You will have a chance to present your country with drinks and food, however, we ask to bring only home-made or made by small local shops (not factories) drinks and food to celebrate variety. We ask to bring something really special and authentic, best of all what you individually love. Perhaps something made by yourself (using grandmother’s recipe?) or father (mother, sister?). We would also love to see how your country celebrates diversity and multiculturality. We would love to see presentations done in a non-formal / informal / interactive way, involving participants, addressing multiple senses (dance, game, quiz, story, song).

Before arrival to Training Course: Prepare a short video, movie, presentation, take pictures, write a creative text (or anything that comes to your mind) on the social entrepreneurship ecosystem situation or issues in your country and post it in the Facebook group so that other participants would get to know the realities of other European countries. You are welcome to do it in national groups or individually – your choice.

Special Needs

Health insurance is not provided by the organizers. All participants are required to purchase health insurance individually. In general, it is very important to have health insurance cards (travel insurance).

In case of having special needs, whatever kind they are of, please feel free to communicate these needs to us (allergies, disability, vegetarian, vegan etc.).

And we strongly advise to acquire for the dates to be spent in Armenia (in case unforeseen incidents occur).