The second kamp in our Shokkin Kamp series took place in one of our favourite venues – Paunküla Heaolukeskus, which is located by a beautiful lake and surrounded with stunning nature. Shokkin Kamp, in short, is a youth event where young people come together in a non-formal learning environment with sessions on a specific topic, group building activities and socialising as the main goals.
The emphasis of this Kamp was on self-expression and discovering art in ourselves and in everything around us.
We spent a total of 3 days with 17 very open and creative participants, one of whom joined us even all the way from Narva. After settling, unpacking and familiarising ourselves with each other, we started our session on the topic of art in our lives. The most important insight we got was that art is not a thing – it is a way!
Following lunch we did a little self-exploring with beautiful metaphorical cards and tried meditation as a way of relaxing and to boost creativity. Participants expressed their feelings and emotions in the next session by drawing amazing pictures on each other’s bodies.
Sauna evenings are slowly becoming an inseparable part of Shokkin Kamp and of course we couldn’t let this opportunity pass us this time around either! We played board games, watched a movie, enjoyed free time in nature, walked, talked and expressed ourselves.
We began the second day of our Kamp with a bit of creative storytelling – the participants were tasked with finding things such as rocks, feathers, leaves or sticks near the venue and making little characters with them. Through these characters they got to tell fun stories and present them to other groups.
For our second session we invited a guest speaker, wonderful Ljuba, who gave us a sneak peak into art therapy through body sized drawings of ourselves and our feelings.
Later we explored a bit further on what are the different forms of self-expression and tried to understand more about emotional intelligence (EQ) and what exactly that entails. It is something you can develop to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in positive ways. In the last session participants got creative with plasticine and brought their creations to life after a deep and peaceful meditation.
After all the sessions and a yummy dinner, some of the participants joined the facilitators in the lion and gazelles game while others were walking by the lake, playing volleyball, taking pictures and enjoying their time in the surrounding nature. When it got a bit darker outside and the sun wasn’t shining so bright, we dimmed the lights, turned on the lasers and had a super cool disco night with all the best music and even some snacks.
On the third day we kickstarted the morning with some great energizers and talked about different tools for our everyday life to help improve creativity. We learnt how to use a graphic design platform called Canva, discussed brainstorming and blind drawings. The Kamp ended with a time capsule of the past three days and an evaluation. Soon after the bus picked us up to take us back home.
We are super grateful for everyone who joined us on this 3-day adventure of art, self-discovery and good energy. Next Shokkin Kamp will take place in August and we hope to see you there!
#StayShokkin
“Shokkin Kamp” is a long-term solidarity project funded by the #EuropeanSolidarityCorps through Noorteagentuur.