Strong-Equal workcamp report

The international volunteer workcamp "Strong - equal" on gender sense of justice of youth has passed in Berdyansk since September, 5 till September, 19. All activities in Berdyansk was planned and realized by the members of Project Management Teams - Olga Karelova and Anna Kislyakova with support of local partners :
1. Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, which provided the student camp for living, educational center with technical equipment for carrying out trainings and also the bus for excursion in Zaporozhye;
2. Azov Regional Management Institution also gave lecture-room for presentation;
3. Youth organization “ASIEK” and Student's Union of Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, which rendered information and organizational support;
4. Berdyansk Department For Youth, for information support.
Unfortunately the female organization "Women matter" did not take part owing to a language barrier.

Volunteers from United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, the USA, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden have taken part in workcamp and did the following much work :
1. Presentation of SCI and its branches;
2. 4 trainings on a gender in aspect "Gender discrimination - violation of human rights" were carried out;
3. 1 training for schoolboys and girls of 10-11 classes is carried out;
4. 1 training was lead for students from Zaporozhye, Melitopol, Berdyansk during time of conducting of schools on student's self-management;
5. made up the approximate structure of methodical booklet on a gender topic for volunteer organizations;
6. The huge methodical base by gender informal education was collected;

7. The presentation of “SVIT-Ukraine” and workcamp “Strong-Equal” was made on the international seminar in Berdyansk “Let's discover the Ukraine” organized by European Meeting Center with support of Nowy Staw Foundation, with the aim to meet new partners from Ukraine and to create a program of cooperation.

The total number of young people who took part in trainings was made by 200 persons.

The carried out actions were covered mass-media:
· A local television studio "Mestechko" - 2 video reports in a heading of "news";
· Local television studio "TV-Berdyansk" - 1 video report in a heading of "news";
· Local newspaper "Azov Bulletin" - 3 articles;
· Local newspaper "Berdyansk Business" - 2 articles.

At work of camp there were both positive and negative moments. The following was positive:
1. High activity, initiative and motivation of volunteers;
2. During development of trainings volunteers have developed main principles and the moments about organizing and carrying out of trainings:
· Work in small groups;
· Volunteers acted as facilitators on trainings;
· Special intercultural game for integration of local youth into the educational process was developed by volunteers;
· Consecutive and logic introduction in a context of training of the facts about a gender situation
· in other countries to help the Ukrainian youth to develop an active personal position as for their gender integration into a society.
3. The big organizational support from youth of student's council;
4. A big interest of young people who visited trainings.

Concerns to the negative moments that:
· The place of residing of volunteers was far from a place of carrying out of trainings;
· Too big volume of work, so there were difficulties to find time for preparation of meals;
· A lot of time has been spent for planning timetable for preparatory work to perform trainings.

In the free time volunteers learned about Ukrainian culture, had excursion in Berdyansk, tried national food. It was interesting for international volunteers to meet local young people during schools on student's self-management, play volley-ball with them, and different games on the shore of the Azov Sea. Volunteers could also participate to “Day of the City” in Berdyansk, see exhibitions and concert, and discover what Ukrainians are. The final thing was visit to Zaporozhje and the huge dam there, and to the center of Ukrainian Cossacks the Khortiza island.

An important aspect of the workcamp was, that volunteers spend time together to prepare trainings, and it was important part of work for the group. This was crucial for participants to understand their role and develop themselves. They became more active and took decisions, appointed facilitators for each new training, discovered earlier unknown personal talents. It played positive role in group dynamics, as volunteers went through each training together, worried about it, worked hard, felt responsibility for Ukrainian students, and had feeling of satisfaction at the end, which built great team spirit.