Learning experiences

It was an unique experience! We started the seminar we didn’t know each other, but everyone had the chance to tell their story through various digital tools we learned to use. After only a week we managed to create a familiar atmosphere. The best thing is that we are all in touch, close to each other, despite the distance and diversity.

As a participant in the  »Tell your story » project I have to say it was an amazing experience. The seminar was well thought off and the aim of the project is for a great cause.

Telling your life story is not something that you can share with everyone but I had no problem to share it with other group members because the energy between us was genuine. I think that we got along great and in this short time we really became friends.

Some of the competences that I have develop during the project were public speaking, overcoming language barriers, learning about cultural differences, listening to others and team work.

I loved the project coordinators as they were really sincere and well prepared. I also loved the place where the project was based, it was big enough and well-spaced for the work we were doing.

it was a great experience and the entire project is excellent! I had an extremely nice time in Palermo and have built new and meaningful friendships that I hope will last a lifetime.

The day that I got the message from David that I had a chance of visiting Palermo I pretty much jumped at the chance. I had some trouble renewing my passport but I was able to get a new passport and next thing I know I’m on my way to Italy. I had no idea what this project was about at first. I didn’t know what to make of it but I was happy just to have the opportunity. David made it clear that it was a digital storytelling workshop. I was able to immediately start a healthy relationship with many of the people attending. The following weeks consisted of getting to know eachother better, this was done through naming exercises where we would learn everyone’s name. We also did many team building projects where we grow closer together. We ending up becoming close friends and heading for the beach, we got to know each other better.

I would say my largest contribution to this workshop was working on the projects with the most effort and even illustrating a digital story. I would say my greatest take away from this was meeting the people there and hearing the many stories that they had to tell. I think I know more about some of these people now than I do about some of my oldest friends. I find myself having a hard time writing about this particular experience as it was by far the most transcendent seminar I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of. I have keep in touch with everyone I meet there and I hope to head back in the future. I really have to thank CESIE and David Garica for this great chance, it really has helped me personally. I’m now in university and I find it much easier to talk to people and make friends quicker now than I did before the trip.

« Where am I ? In Palermo, Italy. »

« What do you do in in the West of Sicily ? », you ask me ?

I’m attending a seminar about storytelling, proposed by the association Pistes Solidaires.

During one week, with my French, Italian, English and Slovenian companions, I discovered what storytelling and cartography are and I created real connections with different persons coming outside of my country. Taking a step back, I know that I was lucky to participate to this unique project.

Using my Frenglish which I have well mastered, I started to divulge some aspects of my personal story, while I learnt about the stories of my companions, thanks to recreational activities (drawings, videos, recordings). The line between laughing and crying is very thin. This week of experimentation provided a lot of new discoveries and  emotional connections. I came back to France with thousands of memories and a growing will to continue exploring our planet Earth.

First of all, this seminar allowed me to meet new people very interesting, from different culture and different life paths. We could meet and exchange our experiences all the week whether it is, by the activities of the training or the outside meetings (diner, city tour…). An experience very rewarding in wish I could have fun to invest myself.

In a second time, especially at the seminar “Tell Your Story”, I could put words on my past experiences, as well as project me on my future. Given that I wish to become an educator, I think the seminar could be a tool that I will use within the structures where I will work. An experience that was useful to me professionally, culturally and humanly.

I was really surprised to hear from Donna out of the blue. When she asked me to go to Palermo with her and a couple of other ex-pupils I was delighted. It was good to see everyone since leaving the Camden Centre for Learning CCfL. The people we met out there were from all different backgrounds and were from all over Europe. Sicily was beautiful and the hotel was good. When I first arrived I didn’t realise exactly what I’d gotten myself into. On the first day we were introduced to the other people involved with the project and they explained what they were doing. We started to do workshops so we could all get to know a bit about each other. Then we went to explore a bit around Sicily. Later on that day we met up with everyone else from the project to have dinner, the next day we went along to a story telling workshops and we started to hear more about each other and the young African boy’s lives.

Their stories left myself and the other shocked and gobsmacked. The journey that the boys had been on to escape from their horrendous time in Africa was nothing that I could have imagined. Some of them had witnessed their families being murdered and some had been imprisoned for trying to escape these conditions. They had been lucky enough to escape on boats. These are the lucky ones. The boys were friendly and funny and strong. It made me feel lucky and privileged to have the life and opportunities I have. It was life changing and very humbling. It made me focused on my future and education. I’m now in college and in the process of joining the army. I myself went off the rails when I was younger and was thrown out of school. I could have followed some of my peers who went into crime. But I have not. I feel lucky to have gone to Palermo and met these kids. I would definitely encourage children to stay on at school and study. The world has many pitfalls. But also there are many good things you can do if you try and apply yourself.

I really enjoy the storytelling method, I also made new friends! I would also like to do it again and again. Never give up.

During one week I had the chance to participate in the European project Tell Your Story. This experience enabled me to understand that each story is different and that not one has more value than the other. Throughout the week, we were presented with different ways to digitalize our stories and to demonstrate their true value. I left, however, with a level of frustrations regarding some of the things I would have liked to have seen or learnt, such as how to highlight a person’s value and how to improve their self-esteem. After all, I think I had that feeling because I was really interested in the training and I really wanted to know more about it. In conclusion, the training was very interesting and sharing it with all the participants made it even better. I look forward to seeing the project finished.

The seminar held by CESIE, has been very important for me, it allowed me to develop and strengthen my competences. During the seminar, I felt comfortable to express myself and it allowed me to know more from people by listening to their stories. It allowed me to speak about my own story and understand the story of the others through their maps, drawing etc. Today, I can share my life story by creating my own StoryMaps!