5th Day In Norway ( Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project ):

“Today was an early start for me as I had to be at the farm for 6.30am to milk the cows which took about an hour. I also had to give them fresh food. When I had finished 5 of the cows and feeding them all I went back to Morgan House and had some breakfast, we went to the morning meeting, after the morning meeting we went back down the cows and gave them some fresh bedding and cleaned the cow pat from the stands where the cows stand. After we had done this we went down to the field where we were knocking the fence down and cut some branches and put them on the trailer.”

Shelby Taylor, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

“Yet again another amazing day in Solborg started as usual sitting at the table sharing breakfast with the people in Morgan House. This for me is very important because it is something I never do at home. Then work started, we went down the farm and cleaned out the cow shed, once clean we fed the cows. Then we headed down to the field where we took the fences down. Trees had been cut down to clean up the field boundary. We then persisted in sorting out the wood into 2 piles. One for burning in the village houses, one for the compost pile. I think we sorted 5 trailers full of wood. We worked hard and very efficient, it was really nice when we sat down for diner and there was wood on the fire. It was rewarding thinking there will be a fire keeping people warm thanks to the work we did today.”

Owen Reece, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

“Today we have breakfast at 7.45am in the Morgan House and we left the house at 9.00 to meet the villagers for half an hour and we went to the cows’ house, we cleaned the cows’ houses.”

Samiy Fesahya, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

15th May, Solborg, Norway

Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project

part of Gaining Through Training

and supported by ECORYS UK

and the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission.

Testimonies from our Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainees in Norway about the Fourth day of their project:

“Today we started by having breakfast at 7.45am in Morgan House. After this we went down to the field and finished taking down the fence, when we had finished taking down the fence we went up to the forest workshop and chopped some wood. Then one of the volunteers who works on the farm came down with the tractor and trailer and we put most of the logs into the trailer, when we had finished work we had a nice friendly game of football with the villagers.”

Shelby Taylor, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

“Today was another amazing day, we started off as usual by having breakfast with the people of Morgan House. I really enjoy sitting down as part of a family.
The work started same as the day before, we finished taking down the fences and then we worked on the farm, chopping some wood in the forest. Once that was finished we helped with the animals, cleaning out the cows and feeding them, as well as the sheep and chickens. Once work was finished we had a nice friendly game of football although I don’t really care for the game it was a great chance to bond and have a good time with the villagers and care workers.”

Owen Reece, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

“Today we are doing eating breakfast with the people of Morgan House and we are going to work the same place we worked yesterday, we had a break at 10.30 for half an hour and then we have been chopping wood. We had lunch at 12.00pm and we went back at 2.00pm in the cows’ house. We were feeding the cows and gave them grass. After that we finished at 5.00pm and we had diner at 5.30pm with the people of Morgan House, at 7.00pm we played football with the people in the village.”

Samiy Fesahya, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

14th May, Solborg, Norway

Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project

part of Gaining Through Training

and supported by ECORYS UK

and the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission.

Testimony from our Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainees about their third day in Norway:

“The 3 days that I have been staying on Camphill have been great. I have really enjoyed meeting the people who live and work here. Today we worked on the farm taking down an old rotten fence to get it redone for the cows to graze in.  I really enjoyed doing this because I like doing manual work as I am used to doing it because I’m working with animals at college. Today I also had lunch with one of the other families.”

Shelby Taylor, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

Samiy and Owen pulling down an old fence

“Our third day in Camphill has been great. I really enjoyed socializing with the people who live on the site. But I thought it was even better starting work and showing I am an asset to Camphill. Today we worked on the farm and started pulling down an old fence so it can be replaced, then the cows are able to graze the field. I was really happy to get stuck in and work hard. I already know I am going to learn and gain so much from this training experience. The least I can do in return is make sure I work well. I will take things from this to better my own life. So I would be happy to contribute and help people in their lives.“

Owen Reece, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

“I had a good day today, I did work in the farm where we worked hard. In the morning we worked for 3 hours and we had a half an hour break. After, we went back and worked the same place in the farm. I had lunch in the farm house, we met with the farm people, they are so nice.”

Samiy Fesahy, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

13th May, Solborg, Norway

Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project

part of Gaining Through Training

and supported by ECORYS UK

and the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission.

Here are the testimonies from our 3 trainees about the second day of their Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project in Norway:

“My opinion of Norway is great. Today we asked Adnan questions about Solborg, the work we will be doing and what hours of work we will be doing. Today we also went bowling in Honefoss with the rest of the volunteers and people that live and work in Solborg. I really enjoyed bowling because I got to meet more of the community of Solborg as the people are really nice and polite.”

Shelby Taylor, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

“My over all opinion of Norway is still amazing! Today we asked questions to Adnan about the type of work we are able to do on the farm, such as what time do we start, are we on the farm or are we doing something else. Afterwards we took a drive into Honefosss and enjoyed a nice game of bowling with the full time volunteers and the people who live on Camphill. It was a great opportunity to talk to the people who live here, and plus to introduce ourselves to the ones who we haven’t met yet. I can’t wait to get busy and show I am a reliable and hard working person.”

Owen Reece, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

“I am happy to be here in Norway, today I had a great time when I had breakfast. We went to the farm house, took pictures with the cow and we went to bowling with my mates and the farm, we played bowling, I had nice time.”

Samiy Fesahy, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

12th May, Solborg, Norway

Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project

part of Gaining Through Training

and supported by ECORYS UK

and the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission.

Testimony from our trainees about the first day of their Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project in Norway:

 
 “I have really enjoyed it so far, the hiking was great but exhausting, I’ve never done anything like this before so it’s going to be a great experience for me and it will look great on my CV.”

Shelby Taylor, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

“I have nice time when I come to Norway I meet so nice people. I really enjoyed seeing the farm. The farm is so good, I like to work with them I am so happy.”

Samiy Fesahya, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

“My opinion so far about Norway is excellent, we got introduced to the people who live and work on the farm and everyone was really polite and welcoming. Today we went on a 10 miles hike or thereabouts, it was exhausting but I really enjoyed it. The walk was amazing and the views were fantastic. I’ve never before seen or experienced anything quite like this. I am really looking forward to starting work on Monday and getting busy, I want to show and prove to the people on the farm I can work hard.”

Owen Reece, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee.

11th May, Solborg, Norway

Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project

part of Gaining Through Training

and supported by ECORYS UK

and the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission.

Testimony from Steven Birdsall about his Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project in Link (Altamura, Italy):

I have lived the whole of my life in a modern town, for this reason I wondered if the cultural aspect of Italy would appeal to me. By the end of my first night I wondered why I ever doubted the place !!

 
I arrived at around 8pm. Within the hour I was out with a large group of volunteers and mentors in Altamura centre. The first sights were unusual but spectacular nevertheless. Sitting pretty next to the main square was perhaps the biggest and most beautiful cathedral I have ever come across. Judging by the 100’s of people taking photos I guess it must be slightly famous ! On the night there were 100’s of people celebrating on the square, with a band playing in the middle and fireworks going off close by. I have a strong feeling they all knew I had just arrived a short time ago 🙂

 
In my spare time ( aside from TRYING to get a tan ) I have explored 2 cities – Bari and Matera. Bari was a brilliant experience, however I have to say Matera is on another planet !! When I first arrived in Matera I was thinking “ Seems like a nice place, nothing special “ Was fair to say I couldn’t be more wrong; It was beautiful. Some of the sights are truly breathtaking ! We had a walk around the city and the guys took me to this huge balcony. And beyond that was without doubt the best view my eyes have ever seen ! The villages down below with winding roads going in and out of the little streets that were barely 10 – 15 metres long. And beyond the streets you looked onto the hills and the sunset which made it look 10 times better than it actually was ! It’s fair to say I’m happy I’m doing most of my work in Matera.

 
I’m staying in a fairly spacious flat in Altamura, barely a 5 minute walk from all the major shops and also the office. I live with 3 other guys and a girl who sleeps in a separate room. I enjoy all their company, we eat and do things together and it makes the experience so much more enjoyable when you can get along on a positive note with the people you live with. We spend a lot of time talking about our lives and what it is like in our own countries as well as what we are planning on doing with ourselves once our stray in Italy is over.

 
I have to say though aside from the beautiful cities, the cheap food and drink, and the interesting culture there is nothing I have enjoyed more than the work. My work so far has been based on children. My first activity was working in Matera up in the hills. The children were on a adventure with the teacher and I was there to help the teacher with her activities. It doesn’t seem like much but when you are talking to the children it feels like you’re one of them, sharing the same jokes and taking the mickey out of each other’s football teams ( None of them knew who Middlesbrough were though haha ) At the end they all wanted a photo with me, and now just looking at that photo puts a huge smile on my face, knowing that I put the smiles on their faces that day.

 
Shortly afterwards I arrived at my first school in Altamura where I was to help out in a lesson teaching 4-5 year old children English. It was therefore a little surprising when I got to the class to discover there was only 3 children in the lesson !! Consequences of the Italian recession I guess. We were going through basic topics, such as colours, months of the years and numbers. It was fascinating watching them learning these things, going from not being able to pronounce a certain word to memorising the word and saying it to perfection.

 
The 2 days after that consisted of 2 schools in Matera in which I was a guest in 4 different classes. On the first day I was in 3 different classes, all of which the children were around 13-14 years old. They seemed really interested at having an English guy in the class ( They too were learning English ) And I must have had around 382949394 different questions fired at me that morning. Half of them were based around football though, which isn’t too bad at all ! This was perhaps my favourite day so far. The children were so kind, full of manners and respect, but also funny and interesting at the same time. At the end of the classes they all wanted photos with me and were asking if I was to come back to the school again ! And even some of the girls and boys were asking me to put my Facebook name on the blackboard. The several friend requests at the end of the day were no surprise !

 
The second class I was in were a little younger ( 11-12 ) However I was amazed by how intelligent they were, and how far they had come in their English speaking skills. They were asking me questions in a way that any fluent English speaking person would ask them. They were the loudest out of the groups, but in a good way ! When I asked one of the children which football team he supported he said Juventus and asked me if I supported them. My reply was “ Noooooooooooooo “ Instantly around 2 / 3’s of the class jumped up out of their seats and started clapping their hands and cheering. I guess football is quite popular amongst these children ?

 
On the day of writing this testimony I have been here for exactly 2 weeks to the hour. It is fair to say this is an experience that is changing my life. In the future part of my plans is to hopefully work with children, and help those who are in need of it. Being able to interact with these children, help them learn and to make them smile is something I am very proud of. I only have 12 days left here but hopefully these next 12 days – along with the 14 I have been here for – turn into one of the best months of my life !

I would also like to thank the guys at Everything Is Possible ( especially Aurelie and Godfrey ) for giving me this opportunity. It is not something every person has the chance to do, and I’m glad I was lucky enough to receive this chance. This is a brilliant experience for me and holds many stories for me to tell when I get back to England. I will be celebrating my 21st birthday on the 24th May ( 6 days before I leave ) and I can safely say this is the best present I have received in my life !!

Steven Birdsall, Leonardo Da Vinci trainee.

Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project

part of Gaining Through Training

and supported by ECORYS UK

and the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission.

We’re very excited to present to you the 1st episode of a comic book we are creating about our current Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility application Empowered From Within : ”Eva’s Leonardo project in Aruba”
To be continued!

 
Supported by ECORYS UK and the Lifelong Learning programme of the European Union.

Testimony from Andrew Ritchie, Everything Is Possible trainee, about his Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project in Aruba.

“This is the life”, I tell myself while on a small, tropical, desert island clearing pooh from my hairy little ass!
My early morning commute by bicycle to volunteer at the Arikok National Park is comparable to cycling towards an over-sized hand-dryer, but I wouldn’t like to imagine how this windy little country would feel without that strong breeze.

I help the Park Rangers with their daily chores. Beach clear-ups, general upkeep of the surrounding area and as much as I do appreciate advice on poisonous plants I do, however feel that we could work a little on our timing with such issues now that my face resembles a ruptured scrotum. Everything my venom-smeared little fingers touched that day became a hideous mass of rash and swelling. After an ill timed toilet break I took on the appearance of a porn-star Popeye!

My afternoons are spent volunteering at the Donkey Sanctuary where I’m kept amused by 64 cheeky little fellows Hell-bent on making life difficult, getting in my way and commandeering the wheelbarrow. I am getting pretty good at giving the speech to tourists about our work here and exactly how a guy from Scotland wound up in Aruba with possibly the coolest job on Earth. You could say I can talk the hind-legs off a donkey -sorry-!

The apartment I’m living in for the next six months is owned by Deseree, the woman who runs the Sanctuary. It’s perfect! I have lived in a variety of conditions during my travels but I have to say that this is the best set up by far. It’s my own little house with everything I need and I do find my cooking/cleaning skills improving dramatically.

Overall I am a very happy man here even though the visa people are trying their best (by not trying at all) to make it difficult to extend my stay here. I’ve had painkillers work faster than these people and I honestly think if I took some of our donkeys, stuck a tie on them and put them in that office they would not do any worse than those employed right now. The words ‘get your ass in gear’ have never seemed more appropriate!

On one of my days off I strolled down to one of the many great beaches that surround this Caribbean island and got talking with an old local about island life and the donkeys of Aruba:

“These days its all cars,cars,cars. Cars bumping into each-other , people getting hurt..I remember not so long ago when it was all donkeys. Donkeys,donkeys, donkeys. Everywhere donkeys and what happens when a donkey bumps into another donkey? You get more damned donkeys”!

Andrew Ritchie, Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility trainee

Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project

part of Empowered From Within

and supported by ECORYS UK

and the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission.

What are you doing in your European Voluntary Service (EVS) project?

I am providing social support to asylum seekers facing destitution (homeless and without financial resources). That is to say :
– providing them with emotional support, and emergency provisions, as food, and hygiene packs,
– guiding them in their legal applications (asylum seekers aim to get the refugee status in UK, giving them the same rights as any other British citizen, for example the right to work and to have an accommodation), through assisting them in their relationship with amongst others, the Home office and their solicitor.
– helping them to familiarize themselves with their new environment, to find an emergency accommodation if necessary, but also food places, friendships, education, leisure, volunteering opportunities, etc.

I am meeting the asylum seekers twice a week in two centres, into which they come to receive the British Red Cross’ support. The rest of the time, I am doing follow up work in the office.

What have you done in your free time?…

During my free time, I have amongst other things visited the surroundings of Bradford and made the most of the nightlife of both Bradford and Leeds.

What have you learn yet personally and professionally through your European Voluntary Service (EVS) project?

I have learnt :
– the basis of social work,
– to provide emotional support to people in need, and to deal with difficult situations (some asylum seekers have lost their families, are likely to be killed if the UK government removes them to their country, or have no place to sleep in…)
– to do practical work to organize social work sessions (appointments with asylum seekers),
– to live and work in an intercultural environment, to express myself in English,
– to share a flat with two girls, and forget my single’s habits…!

Pierre Beretti, EVS (European Voluntary Service) volunteers at the Red Cross in the UK.

Project supported by the British Council

and the Youth In Action programme

of the European Commission.

Testimony from Marcus Hylton about his Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project:

It was my first time in Italy and I had no idea of what it would be like. I had a faint idea of the Italian language which was only a few words. The first day when I arrived in Italy I was shocked by the weather, I thought that it would be a bit hotter than it really was. Although the weather was not bitterly cold like England my home of residence I could still feel the chilly breezes. One of the attractions that took my mind when I first saw it was the city of Sassi this is in the region of Matera which is twenty kilometers away from where I was staying, Altamura. Sassi was a old city which was made of limestone and held up to 50 thousand people also this city was where the film The Passion Of The Christ was filmed. Also in my first week I visited a old church high in the mountains of Matera where a cave was used as a church by the monks that came from Greece, so that they could have a place of worship for their religious beliefs which Christianity. In this cave they told me about the first story of Genisis which is recorded in any bible they had to come from Greece to Italy due to the laws that were in place back in the middle ages. I found the whole city of Matera a very interesting city and also historical.

Also in my first week of my Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project I was doing some work in a school in Matera helping out children when doing orienteering skills. These children that I worked with were very lively and willing to learn and interested in many things, this was a primary school where the children were around the age of twelve years old. During my first week in Altamura where I was staying I visited Matera again to give a presentation about Youth In Action and the Everything’s Possible to a group of high school teenagers who were interested in going abroad and travelling through Youth In Action to gain a different experiences and to get to know about different lifestyle and cultures. I found that this was very interesting in my first week in Italy.

Marcus Hylton, Leonardo Da Vinci trainee

Leonardo Da Vinci Mobility project

part of Gaining Through Training

and supported by ECORYS UK

and the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission.