“Virtual Tools for Real Mobilities” in Romania

Virtual tools for real mobilities, was the first face to face training course after 2 and a half years of the pandemic for me, and I couldn’t have chosen a better “come back” to the Erasmus+ world.
Technology and online tools are here to stay, the question is: can we use them in youth work and youth mobilities and if yes how? How can we combine the virtual tools with physical trainings to get the maximum benefit of both? This is what we tried to discover for 8 days in the beautiful village of Sărata-Monteoru in Romania.
15 different countries, almost 35 participants from 19 to 40+ years old… What could have gone wrong?  Of course, nothing… with such a diverse group, only good things could happen! Indeed, the sharing experience was so unique and useful between people from such different background.
During the project we participated in so many activities that I would need a book to describe all of them. We created art; more specific we created a piece of art connected to technology with things we found inside the forest. It always amazes me how many different things and how many stories people can think from the same ingredients. Although y team’s sculpture was the best – haha!
We had the opportunity to discuss many aspects of virtual tools and the usage of them before, during and after the pandemic during the 6 thinking hats and the world café activity. We all felt the need to talk about this topic, especially how pandemic effected our lives the last years.
I could not leave outside of this short story our final activity where we created a full project in only 3 days! Our fish market activity where 5 teams developed 5 different ideas, 5 training courses or youth exchanges using virtual and not only methods that were taught during the first’s days of the project. If You are lucky enough maybe, You will have the chance to attend one of those ideas in the future!
I would lie if I said that all we did in Romania, was workshops, activities and learning. The great food, the interesting games to get to know each other and the parties were not missing, but as we all liked to say: what happens in Sărata-Monteoru stays in Sărata-Monteoru, but you can always visit our Facebook page to find out more

https://www.facebook.com/TCVirtualTools/

Marilda Kotsoni