REVIEWS
With participants from 27 countries, our courses have inspired hundreds.
Here’s what some of them shared about their journey.
Course: Teachers First!
Barbara from Germany
I already knew that mindfulness is an important skill, but it is not easy to realize it every day. During the course I learned that it is possible to be mindful almost everywhere. Being in nature makes it easy to be mindful. You do not need much. You only need your senses. I experienced this in the jungle of Guadeloupe. At home I can practise this every day when I go for a walk with my dog. Being in nature also meant being in the water. The warm and unbelievable blue water I swam in, together with the blue sky touched my mind and made me calm and content.
Another skill I got to know was using music as a therapy. I am not very musical but in the course I succeeded in making music together with the other participants and it was a lot of fun and made me a little bit proud – as well as producing little baskets. At first I didn’t believe that I would be able to do that but with a little bit of help it was possible: simply don’t think too much whether you can do something or not. Just do it and in the end you will have success – with help or without.
The course clearly showed me that mindfulness is not just a word. You have to live it every day and only very small things or actions are necessary on the way to a mindful life.
Course: A Classroom with a Door to the World
Johanna from Italy
A particularly formative aspect of this training was the immersion in the history of Guadeloupe, especially in the deep traces that the time of slavery left in society. The wounds of this past can still be felt today. This is expressed, among other things, in the Gwo-Ka drum rhythms, which once served as a secret form of communication for enslaved people and are now an important part of Guadeloupean identity. The traditional carnival parades, which have their roots in this period, are also an important cultural heritage of the island.
Another major topic of our training was the concept of global citizenship. Together, we worked out which key topics are particularly important for the education of the next generation. I also learned a lot about the school systems in France, Germany, Spain and Slovenia and deepened my knowledge of the Key Competences for Lifelong Learning. I was able to take away valuable ideas for my own lesson planning through concrete examples and suggestions. I also drafted the International Policy for my school as part of the training.
Course: Digital Dynamic Cultural Dialogue
Barbara from Poland
Participating in the training “Digital Dynamic Cultural Dialogue” in French Guadalupe was an extraordinary experience for me as a teacher, but also as a human being. It allowed me to broaden my horizons both on a personal and professional level.
Cultural heritage, traditions, nature and, above all, the people I met during my visit allowed me to discover what is most beautiful and important – diversity. There are no two the same places, elements, existences, everything and everyone is different, but they are elements of the whole.
A very useful and important part of the training was learning simple applications that would make the lessons more attractive for my students and engage them in the process of acquiring knowledge.
Course: Mosaic of Communication
Demetris from Cyprus
I discovered how important the communication between people from other cultures is. It is very difficult to communicate with and there are many different barriers such as language differences, stereotypes, nonverbal misinterpretations and so many others. To reduce these barriers and maximize our cross cultural communication we have to separate our questions, write down some information, check the meanings and always be supportive.
Generally the course was very helpful for me. I learned many new ways to approach people and especially my students in order to achieve a better communication. I was listening very carefully and trying to understand my mistakes or something I was doing that didn’t help me.
I am very proud about the mosaic I made and the improvement I had during the course. I was always thinking about the similarities that a perfect mosaic has with a perfect communication. All pieces assemble together and give you an excellent result.
Another major topic of our training was the concept of global citizenship. Together, we worked out which key topics are particularly important for the education of the next generation. I also learned a lot about the school systems in France, Germany, Spain and Slovenia and deepened my knowledge of the Key Competences for Lifelong Learning. I was able to take away valuable ideas for my own lesson planning through concrete examples and suggestions. I also drafted the International Policy for my school as part of the training.
