“Community Impact in Practice” in Vienna

In the framework of transnational training activities, known as NET activities, I had the opportunity to participate in the seminar ‘’ Community Impact in Practice’’ which was organized under the auspices of SALTO Resource Center European Solidarity Corps, and the Austrian National Agency of European Solidarity Corps. After the calling of the Greek National Agency for Projects Erasmus+ / Youth and European Solidarity Corps, I was selected in order to represent Greece in that seminar in Vienna in October 2021. I feel lucky and grateful about that because it was so strong an experience.

Although we are in the middle of a really peculiar period at a worldwide level due to covid-19, we managed to meet around 15 people from different countries, not only, around Europe and interact about many issues. Each one of us with his own presence either as a Youth worker, Trainer, Researcher or Project Manager, we tried to delve into the subject of the seminar and express our thoughts or ideas and talk about Community Impact. We had the opportunity to attend the hybrid presentation of the renewed Practical Guide regarding Community Impact in learning mobility projects, expand our already knowledge on it and participate in very interesting and constructive dialogue.

Moreover, due to the tasks that we had during the seminar, we understood better the basic structure of the Guide and the ‘’philosophy’’ around the European Solidarity Corps Programs. Also, we gave much importance to how we can support and create a bigger impact on our community at different levels and talk about some methodology tips.

Of course, it was really helpful and challenging that we collaborated so nicely with the authors of the Guide and the organizers. As a result, we had direct contact and everything was analyzed or discussed and that made the whole procedure much more productive and we discovered every point of the subject. Due to that, we could give immediately our feedback to them, so they were both benefited from that, in order to optimize any possible vulnerable point. I feel satisfied and for sure it is an experience that will accompany me for a long time because it also offered to us much food for thought and urged us to be more active and get involved day by day in that field.

I am looking forward to the next step and for more action.
It is a very useful tool that we have to start and implement it more and more people, as soon
as possible. It is good and necessary to understand the impact that each one of us creates
every single day and what a greater one we can achieve if we collaborate.

Tsiaousi Georgia