From the 27th of November until the 2nd of December 2024, our Shokkin PRO members Pavel, Olalla, Nastja and Darina attended the international seminar “Back to the Future” organized in Dresden (Germany) by VILLA Leipzig. Very intense three working days full of experience sharing, project brainstorming, and, why to hide it: unforgettable Christmas markets!
Find below some impressions from our trip:

“Joining this project was an exciting and rewarding experience. My main goal was to connect with partners and gather fresh ideas to improve Shokkin Group, and I’m happy to say I achieved exactly that.

Representing Shokkin as a participant, I felt motivated to learn, brainstorm, and bring back actionable insights to the team. Getting to Dresden, however, was quite the challenge. German trains don’t always run on time, and I ended up arriving five hours later than planned. At first, this really frustrated me, but everything changed the moment I met the group. The positive energy and welcoming atmosphere made me forget about the rough start and set the tone for the rest of the project.

One of the most fulfilling aspects of this experience was the opportunity to brainstorm and collaborate. The flexible program allowed participants to shape workshops based on our interests, which made everything feel more personal and impactful. I dove into graphic facilitation and discovered new tools that I can now use in youth work. Additionally, I was deeply inspired by how Maverick team in Bulgaria is creating their own youth center—it gave me so many ideas for Shokkin.

Analyzing Shokkin with the team was another highlight. Working together, we came up with concrete improvements and initiatives I can’t wait to implement. It’s moments like these that remind me how strong and innovative our team is. Looking back, I feel a sense of accomplishment. I set three goals for this project—connecting with partners, finding ways to improve Shokkin, and buying Christmas gifts for my family—and I achieved all three!

Overall, this experience reinforced how incredible our network is. I’m proud to be part of such a strong team and inspired to take the next steps for Shokkin Group’s growth.“

Anastassija Mašošina

“The SGI seminar was a wonderful meeting of many great minds. The interactive workshops and games encouraged collaboration and allowed us to come up with ideas together.

Learning more about the types of small scale projects was particularly useful for me and I really enjoyed the dedicated time for exchanging knowledge on the topics each of us was most skilled in. It was wonderful to see the process of opening doors for future partnerships and impactful projects. Overall, the seminar was both informative and inspiring, and I am really grateful for getting the chance to participate in it.”

Darina Petrova