Interview 3 - Katie Robinson and Izzy Pickles

What is your name and where are you from?

Katie & Izzy from Sheffield

What have you learned this week?

How to communicate with Germans.

Why are projects like this important?

Learn about different cultures.

What have been your favourite 3 things (not just the activities)

1. The water park

2. Meeting new people

3. Speaking a new language

What are your plans for the future and how has this project helped

This has helped boost our confidence to go out the and communicate with people!

Any other comments

We want to come back next year!

Interview 2 - Olivia Brierley

What is your name and where are you from?

Olivia Brierley, Chesterfield

What have you learnt this week?

That German is a very difficult language to pick up.

Why are projects like this important?

Because they give you lifelong friends.

What have been your favourite 3 things (not just the activities)

1. Meeting the people

2. The culture evening

3. The location

What are your plans for the future and how has this project helped?

It has made me more confident in myself.

Any other comments

Make this happen next year!!

Interview 1 - Dennis Donix

What is your name and where are you from?

Dennis Donix, Brandenberg

What have you learned this week?

Much new words.

Why are projects like this important?

Because you make new friendships.

What have been your favourite 3 things (not just the activities)

1. Swimming

2. Movie night

3. Having fun with friends

What do you want to do in the future and how has this project helped?

 

I don't know what I want to do but will recommend projects like this to my friends and my family.

Our movie night!

So tonight we sat down as a group and watched a few films. Turns out that we were very shocked to understand that the Austrians had never seen The Sound of Music! A film based in and around Austria - Salzburg, and only the English had seen it. But I'm sure we sang along loud enough to count for both groups..

We also watched a very short film called 'Dinner for one.' This is based on an older woman and her butler. They are sat around a dinner table having a meal, they have done this every year. One minor problem is the fact that all of her guests have died meaning that the butler has to act out each of their characteristics. It is a very funny clip. 

Swimming day!

Today was the day everyone was most looking forward to. Swimming at the water park! It was amazing. 

Some of the girls went on the worlds first double loop di loop waterside. Scary yes? No that's just the start. They had to stand on a platform that dropped them down a huge drop and through the loops. 

By the time you got over the shock of how big the drop was you were out of the slide. It went So fast!  Amazing right? 

The difference between Austrian & English Schools

*** CULTURAL NEWSFLASH ***

In Austria some of our new friends start school at between 7:30 & 8:00, they get to go home for dinner and finish school between 1:00pm & 2:00pm!! They also have 8 weeks off school for summer holidays! We are well Jel!!! - (Translation~ Jel = jealous!) 

Katie & Izzy!!! :)

Swimming - great day out

What a brilliant day out in Wörgl - more to come later

Smiles in the morning

Group Development

It always amazes me just how powerful a tool for learning and development an international youth exchange can be.

2 days ago the group were strangers unable to look each other in the eyes. Last night some great friendships had been built and without help participants were teaching each other words from their languages, laughing and joking but really starting to understand differences and explore each others cultures.

As an educationalist I ask myself why isn't this approach embedded into mainstream education. I believe more is learnt on projects like this in 5 days than 3-4 months of sitting at a desk in a classroom. I also believe I could back this up with evidence gathered over 20 years of international work. Some of this includes:

Language skills

Citizenship

Geography skills

Personal development

Careers

Independence 

Leadership

Listening skills

Taking responsibility

Problem solving

Maths

The list could go on.

What is important is these young people have starting their international journey and whilst ever there are organisations like Momentum World, AK and programmes like Youth In Action participants are being prepared for life in the real world and developing skills that 21st century employers are looking for.

Museum part 2

After lunch we had a short walk back up to the museum to have our second part of the museum tour.  We saw 2 beautiful Stuben (parlour/living room) all made out of wood.   We saw artefacts from the old times in Austria.  Also We saw a spoon made out of animal bones. Imagine eating your cereals with a spoon made out of bones?