magazine issue 4 english

Creativity in the workshops

International trainers meet

What Transpace has meant to participants

This Issue

This project has been funded with support from the Daphne Programme of the European Union.

The content of this publication does not reflect the official opinion of the European Commission. Responsibility for the information and views expressed in the publication lies entirely with the authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which

may be made of the information contained therein.

It has been a real joy to have worked on the TranSpace project for the past two years and to have captured so many experiences and stories from all those in the project.

Production team Editor – Roy Smith Design and Graphics – The MRS Consultancy Illustrations and Editorial assistant – Jack Robert Smith

What next for Transpace? Page 1What Transpace Means to me - Page 2 Eva Galán and Annalisa PellegriniCreativity in the Workshops - Spain “Best Friends?? – Katerina’s Story” Page 5What Transpace Means to me - Page 6 Andrea Viertelmayr and Martin HeimCreativity in the Workshops - Austria Page 7Interview of a Youngster Page 9Profiles of a Trainer - Page 10 Gisela from AustriaCreativity in the Workshops - Bulgaria Page 11What Transpace Means to me - Page 13 Galabina TarashoevaBullying Page14Creativity in the Workshops - Germany Page 15You do not have to be a bully Page 17

What Transpace Means to me - Page 18 CJD-Frechen Profiles of a Trainer - Page 19 Peter from GermanyProfiles of a Trainer - Page 20 Rayna from BulgariaCreativity in the Workshops - Italy Page 21What Transpace Means to me - Page 23 Borgorette

Melissa’s Bulgarian Experience Page 24

Profiles of a Trainer - Page 25 Claudio from Italy

Vallodolid - Much more than just a ride Page 26Open Day in Frechen Page 27What Transpace Means to me - Page 28 Maribor and MRSPartner Profile - MRS Page 29

It is an almost impossible task to pick out the highlights but for the MRS Consultancy team – after much debate – we have particularly enjoyed learning about and seeing how the young people have gone about their visits to other countries in the project: to read of their experiences of the food, the travel and what challenges they have met and perhaps, most importantly, of the friendships and bonds that they have made. “A Space to Speak Out” – has also been the vehicle to show just how creative our youngsters (and even the trainers!!) have been and in this edition we show yet more of the work and also remind you of one or two examples from previous issues.This last magazine also gives you the reflections of participants, trainers and managers from all the

partners. In “What TranSpace has meant to me” they provide an insight as to how the project has helped develop their understanding and, we hope, future actions.All has not quite finished in the project and in the final 2 months of November and December 2014 TranSpace holds its final international conference in the lovely city of Valladolid, Spain whilst other partners celebrate with conferences in their own countries.Finally a big thank you to all the partners, trainers and young people who have supported the magazine with words, photos and even cartoons – but the biggest thanks of all to you our readers. The fight to beat bullying and aggression will continue and we hope the TranSpace has played its part in that effort.

Welcome to the 4th and final edition of “A Space to Speak Up”.

Project Manager Sara Marcos Ispierto of Fundacion Intras looks forward:

What next for Transpace?1 A Space to Speak Up

For two years the objective has been to offer innovative tools to children and young people with mental health issues or learning difficulties so that they will be capable of protecting themselves from the aggressive behaviour of their peers. Since then there have been 120 workshops in five different countries, including group activities, meetings and intense discussions about the best way to achieve this objective. The workshops covered a variety of aspects against bullying, from creating a safe place and personal barriers to articulating the differences between people. All of the workshops have worked on boosting the self-esteem of the

participants, as an integral aspect in the management of social relations. Once the workshops finished, the participants were able to relate to their peers on a completely different level: they improved their social skills, self-confidence and gained knowledge about the dynamic of social relationships. In other words, they are more capable of changing their context to make it more pleasant. There is still a lot to do, but the results of the project and the progress of participants have motivated us to continue onwards, will the next step involve working with parents and teachers? Transpace team thinks so.

Gabi Tarashoeva also has some thoughts:

What’s on after the end?As usual at the end – sadness and hope.

Sadness for separation with some people who

at the beginning were foreigners, and at the end became friends.Hope that our young

creation is enough grown up to continue its

independent life in the large world!

Hope that in our part of the world we will find

some responsible adults who will support

development of this young creation!

The psychodrama workshops for the prevention of bullying have been one of the most relevant aspects for us, directed by two great professionals, Gabi and Martin. We believe that this practical training programme has helped us grow on a personal level with first-hand experience of the dynamics being key to feeling safe and prepared while developing this programme.

In relation to the development of the group sessions, we were pleasantly surprised to find how quickly the effects of the exercises impacted on the behaviour of the participants. In our opinion, the methodology applied was very suitable, being purely existential with little theory involved.

The participants themselves share our opinions. The majority of the group were capable of clearly identifying what bullying is, the types of bullying and how to prevent and deal with the situation.

We are really happy to witness that the intervention has provided the adolescents with the necessary skills to build confidence and cope with struggles of the past.

Finally, we would like to highlight “the encounters in Linz and Valladolid”. Both the participants and professionals have enjoyed these meetings,

sharing ideas and experiences and learning from each other. One of the best aspects of the programme have been the simple things, such as travelling by train, staying at a hotel and meeting new people, which is normal for most people, but something extraordinary for our group. It was a great opportunity to gain experiences and make new friends.

This has definitely been a fantastic experience from start to finish. We hope to participate in similar projects in future.

A big thank you to everyone!!

Eva Galán y Annalisa Pellegrini

A Space to Speak Up 2

The TranSpace Project has been an unforgettable experience for us both on a

personal and professional level.

SpainThroughout this edition of A Space to Speak Up we will be featuring the work being done by participants from every country. Some will be the finished piece but we also want to feature what took place and sometimes who was being creative.The next couple of pages show our group from Valladolid working on their rap, discovering how to feel good, affirming that “You are unique”, asking “What would you like to be when you grow up…?” and learning to trust each other.

3 A Space to Speak Up

Bullying happens all over the world to all kinds

of people. Here is a story from USA.

“Best Friends?? – Katerina’s Story”

I remember when I used to get bullied. It all started in 5th grade with my so called “best friend”. I actually thought she was my friend, I trusted her, & I told her personal stuff. Turns out she wasn’t she ended up telling people my business, made lies & rumors about me, she called me names & turned everyone against me. She always denied the stuff she said. A few months later it stopped she apologized and I said it was fine. She said she wasn’t going to bully me anymore & I believed her. Then like a month later it turns out that she made fun of me & everything behind my back. She also cyberbullied me on social networks such as Facebook. She wrote bad stuff about me & everyone at school saw. They all made fun of me. All the things she did or said made me cry. I always kept it to myself, my parents didn’t know.

My life had become so hard I honestly never thought I was going to get through this. School noticed how I started to change so they made me talk to a counselor. I told her what was happening. It turned out to go really well, it helped. The counselor told my parents, my mum cried because she didn’t know this was happening. After that stuff got a little better I stood up for myself instead of doing nothing about it & she stopped. Bullying is something that people should prevent from happening. We’ve lost many people because of this and it’s honestly sad because people don’t know how much it hurts.


Adventure Trainer

Martin HeimFor 8 years now, I work as a social worker and “Experiential Education Instructor” with young

people with mental health problems. Within the TranSpace project I was honored to develop 3 times the “Day in Space” and spent it with the youngsters

in the nature. Particularly in mind and memorable are the different needs and abilities of the groups.

Despite these differences, however, I was very impressed how the youngsters solved the tasks and

thereby clearly increased their self-esteem.

As we all know that youngsters with mental health problems quite often have difficulties with their self-esteem,

I´m confident that the TranSpace project had a positive impact on them. This may, at first glance just seem as small step, but in the end these are the changes which count and

are important.


As a project coordinator you always deal more with the administrative and financial issues during a project. Within TranSpace, the project schedule allowed me to put quite a lot of effort into actually dealing with the youngsters and implementing what was theoretically developed. This is a big benefit for the project and should be part of these type of enterprises more often, as it showed that the youngsters gained a lot for themselves due to the performed workshops.

Project Coordinator

Andrea Viertelmayr

Austria

AustriaWe can now have a look at what took place in Austria in and around Linz. Here we see some finished works in Land Art and paintings and some stills from a theatre performance.


Interview of a young person S…, 17 years old by his social worker

He was asked what comes to his mind when he thinks about the TranSpace Workshops? A. What do you remember, what to do in such a situation?

S: For instance to document/record such a situation, that you have a proof.

S: “I absolutely liked the acting, this was great fun…normally I’m to shy to do such things, but in the small group, it got better and better.

A: If there would be a similar project, would you attend it again?

S: YES, I also enjoyed, as during the last workshop, the youngsters from the work.box joined us and told us about the travel to Spain…and then we performed activities together.

A: Is there anything further that comes to your mind…no matter what?

S: When the Spanish guys where here I was pretty nervous if I can make it and cope with it, but in the end it was quite fun.


Hi, I’m Gisela from AustriaAnd I work as a trainer for pro mente Upper Austria.

I was born in a small village near Linz, Upper Austria. I got my general qualification for University Entrance at the commercial academy in Wels, Upper Austria. Afterwards I worked for eight years as a marketing assistant. But being honest, working in the commercial area was never the job I really wanted to do, nevertheless I learnt a lot about marketing strategies and commercials.

Always keen on learning something new I took the opportunity to study sociology and pedagogics at the University of Salzburg. In retrospect, this decision became the best in my life! Studying with the experience of being employed before was a big benefit. And I really enjoyed the time at university. Besides studying I started to work for pro mente Upper Austria. This job gave me the possibility to change my professional life by working in the social field.

In addition to all the learning and working I have indulged my passion for travelling. During University holiday’s trips in a self-rebuilt VW campervan to Sardine and Corse, the Provence (experienced the wonderful smell of flowering lavender) and the Pyrenees – the French as well as the Spanish part were realised. The last term at University I spent in New Zealand finishing my master thesis by interviewing climbers and mountaineers.

As I have already said, I grew up in a small village surrounded by nature (forest, ponds and creeks) my enthusiasm for outdoor activities still lasts. During summertime I’m longing for tramping especially if there is a welcoming hut serving meals or nice cakes. But not just in summertime the mountains are my place to be. Alpine ski-touring (walking uphill with special skins on our skis) in wintertime is the possibility to go to remote places and being the first leaving a downhill trace in virgin snow – gorgeous feeling!

The job at pro mente combines theoretical and practical work in a fabulous way. On one hand research work on social-psychiatric topics and on the other hand side training youngsters in increasing their self-esteem – a very interesting and fulfilling job.


BulgariaMHC Prof. Shipkovenski worked with younger children from the age of 7+. The youngsters were particularly active in creating all kinds of images and situations. Here are some…


Project Co-ordinator - Galabina Tarasho-evaFor me this project was transitional space between:l Clinical practice and social carel Creating methodology and looking for the results of its applicationl Teaching the trainers and learning from childrenl Acceptance and rejectionl Loneliness and togethernessl Challenge and satisfaction.Crossing the boundaries, mixing languages, sharing cultures, exchanging experience gave me feeling of richness and connected with my European brothers.


ParticipantI am Yana, 15 years old. I have a girlfriend who took part in a group with children in MHC prof. N. Shipkovenski. She has some problems. I didn’t expect that something will be changed in good. But this happened and I am very glad for this. She is telling me what they are doing in the group and this is very interesting for me. But the most important is that my girlfriend is changing in front of my eyes. She became more self-confident, more cheerful and more talkative. I am very happy for her and I hope the achieved changes to stay constant. She told me that soon the group will finished because it is from some kind of European project.Now I am writing this, because I want to tell these who take decisions, that these groups have to go on, because I know many children who need such help.Yana

TrainerMy name is Angel Tomov and I am one of the trainers in MHC prof. N. Shipkovensky. The work in the project TranSpace was intensive and fruitful. This unique and multifarious experience enriches me in personal as well as in professional plan. The clear focus and frames gave me the chance to check my adaptive possibility and once again to convince myself in the power of role play, sociometry and psychodrama.I had the chance to participate in one very serious and important lesson –

Thanks to all of you who took part in this project!!

The TranSpace Project is financed by the DAPHNE programme of the EU which is now in its final stage. The INTRAS foundation coordinated the project together with CJD frechen (Germany), Pro Mente Upper Austria (Austria), Borgorete (Italia) and Mental Health Centre (Bulgaria), these organisations united to take part and intervene against bullying in schools. The programme commenced in November 2013 and ended in December 2014 and has had more than 200 young people as beneficiaries. This programme has been successful in developing and redefining criteria for intervention against bullying. So, what are the keys to detect, prevent and intervene against bullying in schools? Working on the self-esteem

of the participants plays a central role in the intervention process. However, providing young people with tools to help them articulate their feelings, fight against harassment and cope with feelings of guilt all play an important role in the intervention of bullying.If you would like to know more about TranSpace, please visit our website: www.transpace.eu we would also like to remind you that our manual containing all of the necessary information for the application of this programme will be available to download in Spanish from the early November and in the other languages from the end of November.


BullyingA challenge for professionals working with youths with mental health

issues Professionals from six different countries working in the field of education gathered in Linz (Austria) to exchange experiences and define

new tools for the prevention, intervention and treatment for bullying.

GermanyThe youngsters working in CJD in Frechen have used rap to express what they have felt and done. The following shows some of the thinking and creativity behind their performance. To check that out visit www.transpaceproject.eu



I started being a bully one year ago when this girl in my tutor group went and got her hair cut really short and I did not like it. In a way it look like lady gaga so I called her it then I started hitting her and being mean to her.

As this girl explains

I have stopped bullying because you get nothing out of it, you are not pushing others out the way you are pushing

yourself away. You lose friends bullying and you just get

yourself in trouble.

At break and lunch she would come up to meand say so then shall we get this over and

done with, and a week came to two week then to three weeks and I started being really mean and

then one day I followed her home and after that I watched her getting changed in the changing room.

Then I thought to myself and said why I am doing this just because she has short hair, so I stopped. Now we are friends.

Whoever is reading this please stop because it is not nice and I have been bullied

a long time ago when I was nine by the person I bullied please please please stop.

My TranSpace experience: (Co-ordinator)I took over the coordination of the TranSpace-project in January 2014, at the time of the second partners meeting in Frechen, Germany. It was challenging but very interesting to get into a project that was up and running. I was soon overwhelmed by the positive feedback I got from the involved trainers, participants and especially external people about the ideas and aims of the project. Although very little present during the workshops, Days in Space, creative workshops and the international exchange I reviewed all the photos and reports I got and always saw the trainers and participants smiling and having a lot of fun, which makes coordination a very nice job.As we are coming now to an end I agree with the trainers and participants opinions that it is sad that the project officially ends soon, but on the other side we have not let it end and have already started to use the training material with new participants coming to CJD Frechen to give more people a chance to benefit from the work we all put in. And I have to say, that I really liked to work in this partnership with all the international colleagues and their organizations!

My Transpace experience: (One of the trainers)Our project was very interactive and challenging. I’ve known the group before and it was pretty interesting to see the resultant development of each person. Furthermore winning new perspectives could open doors for our participants related to vital issues concerning bullying or harassment at work or school. In my eyes the young people learned playfully how to create a safe climate. One boy of our group seemed in the beginning of our project more or less as a victim, being very reluctant and shy. It was a total success to observe him later transforming into a person who can be loud, “saying NO” and being part of group dynamics. That being said it had an impact on us, the trainers. I feel safer in intergroup communications and speaking my mind. All in all it was a great project and I’m actually sad we finished.

Jenny, 17 years old: (Member of the job orientation class in the CJD-Frechen)I enjoyed the workshops about bullying very much. That was action and fun on one hand and on the other we really learnt a lot, but not in the traditional school routine with worksheets and biros.I can feel the topic now. I am able to imagine, what it means to be an outsider.But what I liked best was our rap performance. I never thought to be capable to produce a text. And not at all I could imagine to sing a song in front of my class mates. But I did. I am really proud of myself.I would love to do all the program again!!!!


Nature Educator

Peter Schallenberg from Germany

My motto: “We all are part of nature, we only have to recognize and to experience this!”

We all, but particularly young people

with and without disabilities, may

gain a lot from it.

I was born in the well-known city of

Cologne on the river Rhine in 1955.

Although I never liked school that much,

I always enjoyed it when teachers

managed to get me enthusiastic about

certain things.

Instead of doing my military service, I

did community service and organized

youth work programmes.

When I graduated in Geology at Bonn

University, prospects for geologists were

quite bad. Nor did I want to contribute

to a society which is highly lavish

with natural resources and recklessly

exploits these.

Following some steps in journalism, I

came back to one of my former special

areas of interest: local and regional

history. I started to work as a city guide

in the city of Cologne, something I did

very passionately. I thus kept in touch

with people and are able to explain how

one of the most important medieval

cities developed. Both tourists and

guide, however, Fun, however, has got

to be part of the show! These days I do

tours in three different cities, sometimes

even dressed as a night watchman in his

typical gown. Here in the Rhineland, my

“Brauhaus-Tour” during which we visit

several old-established breweries where

I explain the culture of beer on a both

theoretical and practical basis, is very

popular. Cheers!!!

For four years now I have been pursuing

another passion: I increasingly discover

nature and make it accessible to school

classes by organizing nature and

wilderness programs! These programs

take us back to our roots: making fire

using wood and flints. I show what can

be found in forests which we can eat and

show survival strategies.

In summer I sometimes sleep outdoors,

under the starry sky, enjoying the

encounter with animals and adventure

linked to it. I lure young people away

from their two-dimensional illusory

world (mobile phone, computer, TV) and

get them enthusiastic about this real

and exciting nature, our true home!



In recent years in Bulgaria there are many projects aiming aggression prevention and here I’ll mention the names and web addresses where all the information may be obtained:

In 2007 – Project named “School without violence”. - http://www.unicef.bg/kampanii/Uchilishte-bez-nasilie/16

In 2009 Bulgarian National Help-line for Children - http://www.animusassociation.org/?page_id=146&lang=en

In 2012 – Project named “Success” which includes total amount of 1307 schools with the same aim: prevent and/or decrease violence between teenagers offering extracurricular activities through workshops. http://uspeh.mon.bg/

In 2012 - Boot Sector Program “Komenski- steps towards school environment free of violence” including students, parents and teachers in project activities at national and European level. http://issuu.com/lafrikanov/docs/comenius_aggression_2012

In 2013 - Project “Training of educational professionals on the prevention of school

violence, aggression and other negative events “ - goals adequate training on issues related to aggression at school. http://uchitel.mon.bg/

Of course there are similar projects aiming prevention of school violence, and each has contributed to the improvement of the school environment.

The difference that Transpace brings is that it uses psychotherapeutic techniques of psychodrama and psychodramatic scene. Provides a protected space for young people in which they can freely experiment with oneself, to know themselves better, to face their weaknesses.

A place to discover they have hidden potential and find the inner strength to say “No” to violence in a secure and supportive environment.

I hope in future the TranSpace methodology to be widely used not only within Bulgaria.

My name is Rayna Markova.

I am psychologist and speech and language therapist. I see the way children participating in TranSpace project change after our meetings. They are getting stronger, and seem to

find new ways to react in daily basis situations.

ItalyBorgorete based in Perugia, Italyworked with a range of younger childrenusing a repetoire of creative andphysically active exercises to help theyoungsters understand and developmechanisms and tools.



Impressions of a “TranSpace Trainer”......It was one year ago that I followed the very interesting workshop of the TranSpace methodology to become one of the trainers (Italian partner).

For me it was a very rich experience: from one side to learn about this methodology and from the other side to work together with the foreign partners and to share ideas and opinions. This all in a really positive atmosphere!It was nice to visit the partner countries and to see places where I had never been before...to freshen up my English and to eat the foreign food. It was a real exchange of uses, organizations and traditions.From the other part the methodology acquired in Sofia functioned really well with our groups in Italy. The children liked the games and the theatre techniques, like the expressive drawing activities. They could experience their personal space and how to relate with the others in the Safe Place and the safe group that we created using this methodology.My colleagues and I were very satisfied about our first TranSpace year.And now …let’s go on !!!!Sabine (Borgorete, Italy)

Project Co-ordinatorMy name is Michela and I work as a project co-ordinator with

Borgorete in Italy. Transpace was a really positive working experience for me.

I enjoyed the work and collaboration with the partners, their knowledge and expertise in the area of violence and bullying and their professional approach to the work, but also the good humour. I learnt very much about issues of violence and bullying, particularly directed at young

people with special needs. It was great to see our trainers get familiar with the methodology developed for the project and then put it into practice with three groups of children in Perugia. The response was very positive, as the children enjoyed the workshops – and, while they were “playing”, they learnt very important skills about themselves and others and their own personal safe space. Some of the children’s quotes during the workshops are real eye openers: some very sweet, some very sad and some really positive.We have had very good feedback and many requests to continue with the work with schools here in Perugia, and that is an important indication for us that the work has been positive and was understood to be useful. Hopefully we will be able to carry on!Michela (Borgorete, Italy)

Melissa’s Bulgarian Experience


When Claudio asked me to go in Bulgaria I immediately said “yes!!” because I loved the idea of going to a new place! Before our departure, I was unwell with a sore stomach and I was anxious because I thought

that I wouldn’t be able to make it... The trip lasted two hours.. a bit boring because I couldn’t look out the window on the plane as I was sitting on the aisle. A lady offered me her seat near the window but I

refused because I felt shy.When we left the airport I asked myself: “where am I?”

When we arrived at the hotel I was impressed by how nice it was!! On the stairs, there was a red carpet! And there were a lot of mirrors and a lot of chandeliers. In the evening we walked around the city centre and there were magnificent fountains with coloured water

like in a fairy-tail! Then I took a chocolate milkshake in a very nice bar outdoors.Then we went to bed and I dimmed the lights to make a cosy atmosphere in the room. I

shared the room with Sabine and before going to sleep we talked a lot: she told me about her country and I told her about all my family. The morning after when I woke up I thought I

was at home… Breakfast was very good, just like at home. I saw someone eating eggs and sausages and I

couldn’t believe my eyes!!After breakfast, on the way to the meeting, we visited a beautiful church and then we

went to a market place where I bought the famous Bulgarian rose water for my family. The meeting was a bit boring for me because they were speaking Bulgarian all the time!!! And I didn’t understand a word. Gabi and the others gave me paper and pencils and I made

three drawings for my mother. Gabi hung them on the blackboard and took a picture of me. At lunchtime, people drank yogurt and it was very strange for me. The food was different and to be safe I always had pizza. In the afternoon, we played together with the Bulgarian

boys and girls. It was strange to play together without speaking the same language... Now I can imagine how difficult it was for Alex when he was with us.

The last morning we prepared our bags and said goodbye to our room and the hotel.Returning home, I told everything to my mother. I said to her that it was all nice and fun. It

was a nice experience.

Melissa

Hello everybody. My name is Claudio Marinangeli and I live in the lovely town of Foligno, near Perugia, in Italy – which locals call “the centre of the world”.

I live with my family, which means my wife and a wonderful, funny little girl,

Gloria, who is 2 years old.

Among my hobbies, I love playing football with friends, but also enjoy my

passion for music and culture in general. I often go for long walks with my two

dogs and enjoy being on my own, discovering the beautiful nature around me.

I am a Psychologist, specialised in group psycho-therapy and I chose to study

psychology because I wanted to understand human behaviour and study the

complexities of the human mind. I went to University in Rome, a city that I fell

in love with.

At the moment, I work privately with patients with different mental health

problems, but the most demanding ones are people fighting cancer in hospital.

To lift myself up a bit, I also work with children and adolescents in a daily care

centre, managed by the Cooperative Borgorete. It is with this group that we

carried out workshops with the Transpace project. We realised that there is

a real need to increase relational competences of these kids to protect them

from violence and bullying.

Arrivederci…… Claudio!!


Despite these adversities we landed safely in Madrid and continued our journey to Valladolid by train passing snow-capped peaks on the way. Valladolid lies 100 miles north of the capital and is a beautiful city with sunny weather which shines on many great building facades and inviting places. We arrived ready to enjoy a great programme of four amazing days with young people and trainers from Austria and Spain.Of course it is not so easy if you speak only little English and no Spanish - and Austrian German is not always a help. However, despite the language barrier the participants understand each other very well. How is that possible?The Spanish organization “Intras” had prepared great exercises in cooperation that could be implemented with the minimum of words.The focus of the activities was on creating self-awareness and strengthening the team building. To realise that goal the focus was on action not words. Here are just two significant examples of what went on.In the first, participants and trainers formed a wall of people in a meadow. One of us had

to run blindfolded at this from a distance of 10m. Although nothing could happen, we all showed a anxious behaviour in one way or another. Our first steps were very fast but as we approached the wall we slowed and slowed. Some of us even came to standstill before the wall of people.The second example set another task for the team: We all stood behind a rope lying on the grass. We could not touch it with our hands but we all had to crawl under the rope. As the task developed you had to follow your own ideas. There was no Spanish or German or Austrian solution – it is down to cooperation and creative thinking.The solution is fun, promoting the courage to work together and is a fine example of successful international cooperation. All these experiences were reinforced and intensified by our visit to a crag the next day. Any anxieties there had not chance of winning faced by the encouragement of the group with their cheers and songs.Of course all these emotional und physical challenges made hungry. Numerous visits to typical “Tapas” restaurants helped against this feeling. “Calamares” (fried squid) were the undisputed favourite. Rarely have so many squids been eaten in Valladolid in such a short time. It would be no surprise if they are still swimming around in the stomachs of the students.The four days passed in no time at all and on the return flight the many great experiences and events far outweighed any fear of flying.Struggling for photos from my stock – perhaps a general shot or two of Valladolid and a plane given the story

Much more than just a ride


ValladolidRight on time at 12.15 pm the Iberia flight took off from Düsseldorf via Madrid. On board were Yussuf, Mike, Dennis (participants of the Daphne Programme) and, supervisor and trainer, Ms. Brandt and Ms Kroeber. Alas there was a stowaway – Yussuf’s fear of flying – but this was fought off with many songs.


Open Day in FrechenStudents, trainers and the local community relax at the

Open Day in September 2014 held at CJD, Frechenat which the TranSpace project was presented.

University of Maribor, Slovenia – Karin Bakracevic Vukman


Two partners the University of Maribor and The MRS Consultancy did not take part in the piloting and workshops. However, the project still had an impact on the organisation and the people who worked for it and in the project.

The MRS Consultancy, UK – Roy Smith

Two partners the University of Maribor and The MRS Consultancy did not take part in the piloting and workshops. However, the project still had an impact on the organisation and the people who worked for it and in the project.With the help of the TranSpace project, we enhanced our knowledge about the problems of violence among youngsters, especially children and youngsters with special needs. We advanced our understanding of measuring violence and created a framework

for understanding causes and effects of violent behaviors as well as characteristic features of the victims. Through the project, we established valuable contacts with foreign partners and created fruitful cooperation with institutions from this field in our country. We gained valuable experiences in working with children and young people with special needs and insights in ways of empowering disabled and disadvantaged youngsters to protect themselves from community–based violence.

MRS has worked with disadvantaged communities in the UK and Europe for many years. Many of our projects have been about communication in one form or another – whether that was learning, advertising, skills audits, research or reporting. TranSpace has given us a wonderful opportunity to focus on and develop that part of our work through a regular magazine for a diverse range of readers from our young people to trainers to national and European policy makers. We have also developed and provided content for a web site that is used by all kinds of stakeholders and is supported with social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

For our part we have really enjoyed understanding the needs of the young people for whom the project was devised and of learning how the innovative methodology of the project was designed to meet those diverse needs. We have learnt so much about aggression, its causes and effects and how it can be combatted. Our team of graphic designers & illustrators, writers and web developers have relished the challenges of communicating those particular situations and experiences.

www.facebook.com/Transpaceproject and www.transpaceproject.eu/

The MRS Consultancy

The MRS Consultancy (MRS) is a small

organisation based in the countryside

in North Yorkshire which is in the

North of England about 60 kilometres

from York – but not quite in Scotland –

and definitely not in London. You may

have seen the area as it was where

the Tour de France started in July

2014.MRS has been working in European projects

for the past 17 years mainly supporting

disadvantaged communities such migrant

women, those with learning difficulties, older

workers, unemployed people and those with

physical and sensory impairments. We have

also worked with small and micro enterprises

to make them more competitive through

developing learning, especially e-learning,

that improves their “bottom line”.

We have supported learning all types of

different groups from introducing basic

digital skills for the “hard to reach”, to

learning English for migrant women, to

training Community Reporters how to tell

their stories through the media, to helping

the over 50s learn some employability and

community skills.

How we work and what we do in developing

learning for our target groups and

communities is based on understanding

what “makes them tick”: what is it that they

are interested in and what is it that would

motivate them to learn or become active. Our

approach is to find out these basics and then

to develop the appropriate methodology.

If you want to see more of what we do and

see the projects and results in more detail

check out

www.mrsconsultancy.com and www.facebook.com/TheMrsConsultancyLtd


Partner Profile

November 2014

11th November 2014Final project Conference in Valladolid, Spain

18th November 2014Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria - “European project TranSpace and Bulgar-ian experience in working with children and youths with special needs for overcoming violence”

18th November 2014Dissemination Conference in Linz, AustriaLocal Conference “Project presentation” - by the group who went to Valladolid - their experiences and what they gained from them.


Other EventsDissemination conference in Frechen Germany – to be arranged between 24 November and 12 December 2014.Dissemination workshops in Perugia, Italy to be arranged during December 2014“Education and School Inclusion” Conference 28-29 November that is held in Bolzano (northern Italy) every two years, organised by the University of Bolzano and GRIS (Research Group for Integration and Inclusion in Schools). It is a Conference aimed primarily at school teachers with the purpose of supporting school integration of children with special educational needs.

“Beat Bullying” Conference in Harrogate, UK – 4 December 2014“Capability Oriented Activity” Conference in Gmunden, Austria - 4 December 2014 “Youngsters and Violence” Conference in Maribor, Slovenia - 5 December 2014

Varied and amazing magazine, good place to express

your opinion if you’ve participated in the

project. Furthermore, an outstanding design.

Laura, Spain


Readers’ Comments

Very friendly style and useful

to reflect the point of view of

participants. Maria, Spain

An attractive magazine! Good balance between text and pictures; I love the participatory style of all numbers. It tells us about activities, as if Transpace was a big

family. Rosa, Spain

A great chance to empower

young people!

Irene, Spain

Very appealing design with all the pictures for young people

Trainer, Austria

I like to see what is happening in other

countries. Wish I could take part

Katerina a support worker from

Thessalonika, Greece

The Rap sessions looked great! I had a look at the German

one on the web site. Awesome!

Dieter, German student studying

in UK

Great mag. Wish it came out more

often Anonymous from Italy

More cartoons please.

Make me smileFranky, 14 years old from Poland

This project has been funded with support from the Daphne Programme of the European Union.The content of this publication does not reflect the official opinion of the European Commission. Responsibility for the information and views expressed in the publication lies entirely with the authors and the Commission cannot be held

responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

magazine issue 4 english

Documents

trainer page

frechen page

youngster page

ride page

bully page

workshops spain page

workshops austria page

workshops germany page