INNER AND OUTER JOURNEY

Outward Round Romania owns the Erasmus+ Accreditation in the field of Youth since 2020. We created an action plan for the period 2021-2027 for the following target groups: disadvantaged and mainstream young persons, youth workers and youth NGOs.

During the 7 years we are going to:

  • create a strong local and international network of youth NGOs in order to share best practices and working methods.
  • develop the soft and hard skills of the youth workers, enlarge their toolkits and theoretical/practical knowledge about working with groups using non-formal methods
  • develop the key competences, raise the awareness of the young persons about environmental sustainability and contribute to their inclusion

During the second year we implemented the following Mobilities in order to contribute to the set objectives:

  1. Heartland: 08-16.09.2023
  2. Green Changemakers: 26.10-06.11.2023
  3. Solution Focus in Youth work: 20-28.11.2023
  4. Adventure and Learning Conference: 06-11.12.2023
  5. Reset: 26.01-06.02.2024
  6. Cooperation Well: 21-30.03.2024

All the Mobilities are co-financed by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union

outh Exchange period: 3 – 12. 09. 2024.

Location: Sovata – Outward Bound Romania Youth Center, Via Transilvanica hiking route

Participants: 18 

Participating countries: Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania.

Partner organizations:

  • Legambiente Lecco – Italy
  • Novo Mundo – Portugal
  • L`Alzina -Spain
  • Carretera – Greece
  • Élményakadémia Egyesület – Hungary
  • Via Civitas – Bulgaria
  • Outward Bound Romania – Romania

Info letter: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16yr66ViowVz1uiQgSepZKJkU-fjXynoq/view?usp=drive_link

About the project:

Inner and Outer Journey is a 10-day personal development training with a hike-pilgrimage in the Romanian mountains on Via Transilvanica – “The path that unites”. 

Our main goal:

The project`s main goal is to explore inner and outer dimensions of the art of journeying through life.

Specific objectives of the project are:

  • self-discovery, co-creation, and learning with and through nature
  • zooming in and out of life: reflecting on the past, living the present moment, and sensing the future steps of your life’s path
  • developing resilience, compassion for oneself, others and the natural world, decision-making, responsibility, leadership skills

The elements of the program:

Icebreakers, ropes course, hiking, preparation process of the hike-pilgrimage, 6 days of hiking on the Via Transilvanica trail, nature-, self-exploration and connection activities, introspection and reflection processes, exploring artistic ways of working with burning questions.

Results:

  • Increased self-awareness: Participants gained a deeper understanding of their own values, beliefs, and motivations. They became more aware of their strengths and areas for growth, which helps in self-improvement.
  • Emotional resilience: Through challenging situations, participants built emotional resilience, learning how to manage stress, overcome fear, and adapt to new circumstances.
  • Mindfulness and reflection: Self-reflection encourages participants to develop mindfulness, becoming more present and aware of their thoughts and feelings. This fosters personal growth and mental well-being.
  • Improved confidence: Pushing beyond the comfort zone often leads to greater self-confidence. Participants developed trust in their abilities to tackle challenges and embrace uncertainty.
  • Clarity of purpose: Engaging in various activities designed for introspection helped participants discover or reaffirm their life goals, values, and personal vision.
  • Emotional intelligence: Participants reported improved emotional intelligence, which helps them understand and manage their own emotions and empathize with others more effectively.

Feedback from the participants:

My expectations were to learn useful skills for my professional journey and to explore the world of self-development through contact with nature. I feel like my expectations were fully met and I learned even more than I thought I would.”

My expectations have been greatly exceeded by the incredible experience I have had.”

I had an idea of time in the mountains with new people and this expectation came true. I had no expectation for the inward journey exercises and they were more than useful to me – the biography reconstruction, the decision-making and accountability tools, and one-on-one reflections. “

“All I really hoped for was something to move me. The course gave me much more than what I came for.”

“My expectations have been greatly exceeded by the incredible experience I have had.”

“My expectation was to be able to come closer to the answer of my great question that has been weighing me down for a long time, and the course indeed has helped me to move forward towards my answer and lessen the weight on my shoulders. I also expected from a professional standpoint to learn new facilitation techniques both about outdoor education and experiential education and my expectations were met perfectly: I feel so much more knowledgeable with new techniques. I also expected to see the beautiful nature of Transylvania and have the true experience of an expedition, which I for sure had!”

Photos and videos about the program: 

https://fb.watch/v65JgN5Gea/

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.954307036741949&type=3