Day One in 2 parts – Part One

After the arrival of participants and first contact makings on Monday, the program of the Contact2Action seminar started on Tuesday in its full capacity. The City Hall of the picturesque French town Laguépie served as a venue of first consultations and group activities.

DSC_0022 DSC_0024Participants on their way from the hosting centre to the City Hall where the working activities take place.

Our hosts suggested to begin in an informal atmosphere, by traditional games from participant’s respective countries. Following the good mood created this way, the participants were motivated to continue in a more serious tone.

DSC_0035Energizer activities to start the first day.

Victoria Lovelock, Director of CCIVS and Kristine Roke from Solidarités Jeunesses took the floor by welcoming the participants, introducing the rules for the following days and presenting the program of the seminar.

DSC_0039 DSC_0040Although the program for the seminar was set, the facilitator team envisaged it as flexible and opened for participants’ propositions.

In order to get to know each other better and facilitate contact making, Valérie Mouton introduced a game giving away papers containing statements that had to be completed with corresponding names. This way the participants had to move around, asking each other questions and finding a person who corresponds to the descriptions.

DSC_0047 DSC_0051 Interactive games enabled participants to establish connections and know each other better.

After the facilitators introduced their expectations and goals for the project, they wanted to hear some brief feedback. The participants were therefore asked to write their motivations, expectations and seminar objectives on colorful pieces of paper. They could express their creativity by giving the paper a unique shape with a final goal to represent a ”seed” of their ideas. The ”seeds” were then put on the wall, in an imaginary garden of expectations, hopefully to grow with time as the conference passes.

DSC_0065 DSC_0073 DSC_0078 DSC_0093 Representatives had an opportunity to be creative when expressing their expectations from the seminar.

Simultaneously with the coffee break, we used our free time for a brief walk in the city in order to better know the surroundings.

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DSC_0098Laguépie proved as a beautiful and welcoming environment for our deliberations.

In the meanwhile, the facilitators created a walking gallery of IVS movement history. After putting papers on the wall and connecting them so to create a timeline, the participants were invited to write some basic facts about their organisations and place them accordingly on the gallery.

DSC_0206 DSC_0131The walking gallery was an interesting way to get better understanding of the historical development of participating organisations.

Passing from this general revision of IVS movement facts to a more concrete approach, the activities were followed by presentations of individual organisations. The program started with Victoria Lovelock from CCIVS, after which we had a chance to learn more about I-Dare, IPYL and JAVVA Belgium. The template was the same for all organisations. After a brief, 5-minute-long presentation, other participants had a chance to pose questions, in order to learn more and get a more interactive overview of participating organisations.

DSC_0137 DSC_0155 Victoria Lovelock presenting Coordinating Committee of International Voluntary Service (CCIVS).

DSC_0166 DSC_0170”The Community” – photo taken during presentation of I-Dare for Sustainable Development appropriately represents the goals of the whole Contact 2 Participation project.

DSC_0174 DSC_0188Majdi Dana talking about the mission of International Palestinian Youth League (IPYL).

DSC_0156 DSC_0192JAVVA Belgium ended the first cycle of organisations presentations.

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This marked the end of our morning programme and time for a common lunch prepared by our hosts in CITRUS.

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