Implementation PDA 1

SUCCOMINO part 1 took place in Kotlina Kłodzka, in the County area of Kłodzko, in Poland, where we were hosted in Bolko Osrodek Turystyczny (https://osrodekbolko.pl/).

Below you can find what activities took place during the first implementation

Day 1 – Friday January 3 - Introductions

During the morning session, participants took part in a series of icebreaking, name-game activities as well as team-building activities.

First, a simple name game based on repetition took place using a tennis ball. Participants, in 3 circles were given a tennis ball, and were asked to say their own name, throw the ball to a new participant, learn their name and so and so forth. The twist was that participants were asked to remember who they received the ball from, and who they sent it to. After all participants received the ball, the activity went backwards.

Upon mixing the groups, participants were asked to add an adjective to the beginning of their name, such as "Beautiful Bobbie" or "Nice Nikolas."

Afterwards, participants, gathered in a circle, were asked to come to the middle and say what they found important about them. Those who identified with this trait were asked to join the circle. Examples included "I'm Bobbie, and I've been to more than 10 countries." This led participants to understand the likes, dislikes, and skills of each other easily and in an efficient manner.

Participants then engaged in human bingo, where they were given a piece of paper with 16 statements, such as "this person has a tattoo" or "this person has travelled outside of Europe." The first 3 participants received a prize.

Lastly, participants engaged in the self-portrait activity. Every minute or so, after switching portraits around, were asked to fill in parts of the other participants' face

These sets of activities were undoubtedly important, since most of the program focuses on the creation of green projects or businesses, all in intercultural groups. This proved to be extremely successful in setting up the dynamic between the groups.

After the first coffee break, Nikolas engaged the participants in a large-scale introduction to the topic, including updated and recent examples of the circular economy and green enterprises. A short introduction from each organization was also made, as well as the understanding of green terms.

During the afternoon, participants expressed their fears, expectations and contributions about the topic. As such, the trainers, and all representative members of both ACPELIA and Open Soul were ready to switch things around, to accommodate for participants' needs, in order for them to get the best possible experience in this project.

After setting the rules of the project, participants also took part in a Youthpass competition game, where they were tasked to complete mini-tasks based on each of the 8 competencies. As such, participants were prepared to be able to track their own learning progress in the following workshops. The first team received a sweet prize.

For the last activity of the day, participants were tasked to use the SDGIndex tool at (https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/)

Lastly, the Polish team hosted the first cultural night, teaching participants all about the history of Poland, as well as the city of Wroclaw which they visited the following day

Day 2 – Saturday January 4 - Cultural Trip to Wrocław

On the second day, participants visited the city of Wrocław, where Open Soul is based from. Wrocław, a vibrant city in southwestern Poland full of historical landmarks, cultural sites, and unique attractions. Examples include the Market Square (Rynek) which happens to be one of the largest medieval squares in Europe, as well as the Cathedral Island (Ostrów Tumski). This place is characterized by cobblestone streets, historic churches and curiously the gas lamps which are lit by hand in the evening.

A last important attraction are Wrocław's Dwarfs, which are scattered throughout the city. Currently, it is said that there are more than 350+ such dwarf statues around the city, with no public official map where all of them all. Curiously, this serves as almost an ARG (alternate reality game) meaning a sustainable attraction where tourists can use to explore the city.

During their trip to and from Wrocław, participants also learned about the unfortunate flood that took place in the Kłodzko region, where this very project is taking place.

This flood took place in September 2024, only 4 months prior to the implementation of this project. Heavy rains caused the Biała Lądecka River to swell rapidly, leading to the destruction of homes and infrastructure. These flooding events have had profound impacts on the Kłodzko region, highlighting the area's vulnerability to natural disasters and the resilience of its communities in the face of such challenges. The last time such an event happened was in July of 1997.

On a lighter note, upon their return back to the accommodation participants celebrated the birthdays of Marta Sosna from Poland and Stavroula Chatzigianni from Greece!

Day 3 – Sunday January 5 – Current Realities and Brainstorming new Green projects

Before arriving in Poland, each group was tasked with preparing some material showcasing green innovations in their own country, all of which were presented after breakfast on day 3. The materials included presentations, posters, and websites that were created in cooperation between the participants and their sending organizations. This activity seemed to have given the opportunity to each national group to bring attention to issues that affect their country, but also, the steps that the government and NGOs have taken to mitigate them.

Later on, participants were given a presentation on the SWOT analysis, and discussed its pros and cons. Participants were then split into groups. Their next task was to apply the aforementioned analysis on famous entrepreneurs i.e. Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs et al. and present them in front of their peers.

The morning continued with a presentation on the Erasmus+ opportunities (Youth Exchange, Training Courses, KA210, KA220), which the participants took a real interest in. They were informed where they can find these opportunities, how to apply for them, and how to get in contact with organizations that create and facilitate them.

After lunch break, a speed dating session took place. Participants were split in groups of 2, and discussed various topics such as "Do my choices change based on my carbon footprint (e.g. bus instead of car)" or "What do I know about the circular economy?". The activity focused on creating the groups from different countries and organizations, to promote cultural exchange and a better European cohesion.

Following the above, a brainstorming for project ideas was in session. 5 different topics were created in advance, to make the ideas of the participants converge. This will later help so they can form teams based on the ideas they proposed. The topics were: Environment and Healthy Lifestyle, Environment and Art, Environment and Psychology, Environment and Renewable Energy Sources, and Circular Economy and Waste Management. After the participants were split into their respective groups, they were given a summary on what it is that they will have to do for the days ahead. They had to write and present the name of their team, name of their project, main aims of the project, and a small description of their plans. In total, 8 teams were created, with 5 participants each. 4 of them wanted to implement Youth Exchanges, 1 of them a Training Course, 1 Business proposal, 1 KA210, and 1 KA220. The teams were purposely designed to be as diverse as possible, to ensure better variety.

Closing the day, 2 countries hosted their intercultural night, Lithuania and Portugal. Lithuania prepared a wonderful performance for us, with a guitar, singers, and a breakdancer. Portugal split us in groups of 5, and prepared a multiple choice questionnaire, which they quizzed us on.

Day 4 – Monday January 6 - Creating Green Projects

In came day 4, and with that, the main activities of the project began. Participants were given the option of changing the topic of their group project, and most of them did minor changes to the direction they wanted their project to take. They then performed a SWOT analysis on their project, and presented it to the rest of the participants, while taking in feedback. Objectives and Goals of their projects were also laid out, to create a better understanding of what their creation is going to be about. Moving on, participants had to fill in some documents, helping them better frame their project i.e. outputs, budgeting, monthly planning.

The next session was about creating an eye-catching newspaper front page. Participants were shown several examples of famous events from their countries, in an effort to help them relate better to this activity. The front pages were created on large, A2 papers, in the form of collage, with big, shocking titles, and smaller, related articles scattered around the front page. All of the front pages were related to the environment in some way.

The night closed with the intercultural night of Cyprus and Greece. Both countries showed traditional dances, traditions, and common habits that you can know only if you've visited the countries.

ALSO Cyprus team cooking video

Day 5 – Tuesday January 7 - Creating Green Projects, with media

January 7 had one major task to complete - promote your project. That had to be done in a variety of ways:

• 1 minute - A song/poem about their program/business/project

• 1:30 minute minimum - A video advertisement, horizontal

• 3 minutes - A poster about their program. Digital or physical

• 5 minutes - A presentation on canva/google slides or webpage

For a total of 10 minutes, each group had to present all of the above to help us understand their vision, and advertise their project.

You can see the full scale of all the content participants created here: 

Green Projects from the participants of SUCOMINNO I: https://sucominno.webnode.page/green-projects/

The day closed with the participants getting access to the sauna, for a steamy night.

Day 6 – Wednesday January 8 - Final Reflections, Evaluations and Youthpass

On the last day of the project, participants were asked to create a theatrical play of around 2 minutes, satirizing the management team, and the project as a whole.

You may see this activity, in its entirety, in the video below

Participants also represented their follow-up activities they will conduct upon their return, and in-between the time between this and the second PDA in Cyprus

And of course, the Youthpass ceremony!