“It was an incredible one year journey full of knowledge, experience and inspiring people. This project gave a lot and I would like to share my top learning points!

First of all, how to interact with people, how to work with people, talk, respect, relay on others, help and support. I think that with daily practice we become better and better at it, and this project taught me a lot about it.

I also learned a lot about myself, about my own behaviour, how I can support and motivate myself, about my strengths and weaknesses and what I want to develop in myself and work on.

During the project I learned a lot about facilitation, public speaking skills and content creation. I’m so glad that I had the chance to practise non-formal learning techniques and interesting exercises. I discovered a lot by trying and doing.

It was during this year that I saw how important it is to provide and create a safe environment for young people in which they can develop themselves, learn and share experience and ideas to create a better world.

I am grateful to my team with whom we have been turning our dreams and ideas into reality for a whole year. I’m grateful to Shokkin Group and European Solidarity Corps for giving me a chance to be a part of a better world.”

Alesja Jagolnik

“Shokkin Kamp” was one of the coolest and biggest experiences in my life. My main five learning points from it would be: firstly, communication is key. It is important to trust and rely on your teammates, to learn to understand and communicate, be empathetic and supportive.

Secondly, I learned to be flexible and available for others. I understood that only us ourselves can set limits, but we can also exceed them and bring our ideas come to life.

Thirdly, how open space can give a push to young people to learn, grow, gain new experience and develop to get new inspiration and feel safe and supported in the environment that we create. I learnt how to organise my time and respect other’s time, to manage finances and support administration.

Finally, how to be open to new experiences myself and not miss opportunities around me, to achieve what I dream and to make myself and the world around me a better place.

I realized that I’m capable of whatever I set my mind to and that the only limitation is myself. I learnt to rely on others and offer my support when needed, to communicate and share my knowledge and experiences.”

Edith-Jane Veri

“I have been organising small events and participating in short-term projects for a while already, but Shokkin Kamp became the first project in which I was involved for more than a year. It is the biggest project for me so far, and at the same time the most interesting and challenging.

I learned so much about teamwork, group dynamics, facilitation, and general project management. Sometimes it was hard to agree on one decision with my team, but we always managed it and these situations became lessons for all of us.

My biggest insight was: communication. It sounds very easy, but in reality I can see that sometimes it was hard to communicate and to actually understand each other. Sometimes it needed more time and more honesty.

I am very grateful for this amazing experience and very proud of myself for using this as an opportunity for growth!“

Jelizaveta Anushkina

“Shokkin Kamp” was a long-term Solidarity Project funded by the #EuropeanSolidarityCorps through Noorteagentuur.