A moment from the Training Program, July 2022
Nuno:
”It was a very nice experience where I was able to meet many wonderful people from the collective. I have a lot of nice memories in my mind, but above all, I know that the knowledge I have about this community is greater than what I had before I went to Latvia. And among the lessons learned, for example, there is the use of a gender neutral language (They/them).”
Dora:
”Participating in Elevate Youth Work taught me a lot. I learned how to be more in tune of my body. I connected with people and also myself. I learned many techniques how to talk to youth and how to care for myself. I learned how to share my voice and hear others. It was a great experience.”
”While participating in the first phase of the Active Rainbow Elevating youth work course, I learned a lot. First of all it was a great experience to hear and see what other people from the community need too feel safe and accepted. Talking about safe language, what for them is a space where they are open to be themselves. Ut is a great reference point for my future work in my chosen profession.
The second thing is, how amazing it was for a lot of people to be able to express themselves with movement. Many times people (including me) are scared or not comfortable enough to move and express with their bodies. However here, it was a space where many people feelt like it was okay to do so. For me it was still very hard. Movement in front of people is a big task. However, I saw how much it meant to some people. How they were able to open up. And also how important it was for people to have the option. No one was “forced” to do anything. It was said multiple times that if one does not feel comfortable withjumping that it is also okay to just sit (example). That way, a person was free to do what feels best with their body at the moment.”
Nina:
”This travel was my first Erasmus project. Going on this trip, I was nervous. Traveling alone and visiting a new country were new challenges for me. However, I was anxious for nothing as soon as I met the crew, meaning our coaches and other volunteers, I was able to relax. Everyone accepted me with open arms and showed interest in getting to know me.
During the course, I learned a lot. Firstly, I learned a lot of new things about the LGBTQ+ community. More specifically, what language should I use to make other individuals feel safe and accepted and what do I need to do to create a safe space for everyone, regardless of their sexuality, gender identity, etc. I was able to learn new things about myself too for which I am very grateful. In short, this project was very eye-opening for me. I was able to realize what I still need to work on, but I was also surprised by how much information I had already known (as I learned about it at university) and how many methods (that we talked about during this project) I have already been using during my internship or in everyday life. Moreover, I was also able to get out of my comfort zone and meet a lot of new, different people. For that, I am extremely grateful. I was able to create new friendships and bond with people I had already known.”