Partner meetings

European Approach – Partner meetings

Summary of the partner meetings through Finnish eyes

During the project seven partner meetings were arranged, one in each country.  The partners took it in turns to host a meeting, each partner in their own country. In each meeting there was a presentation about things which had been learned during the previous period. The idea was that the partners (except for the hosting country) worked in pairs and studied topics about each other’s country and presented their work (portfolios) to other participants.

Connected to each meeting there was an International Fair and Cultural visits where the partners presented their own organisation, their home region and culture as well as themes of the meeting.  Naturally the program also included Staff meetings where the process of the project was evaluated and the future activities were planned.

In November 2010 the series of meetings started in Lisbon, Portugal.  The common theme was the History of Portugal, and especially the Age of Discovery.  We also had the opportunity to listen to Fado music and to try typical Portuguese cuisine.  History became familiar to us at some impressive destinations during the study visits.  With our Greek partner we also discussed the refugee problem of the Mediterranean region.

The second partner meeting was in Athens, Greece, in February 2011.  The theme was Art.  The many cultural destinations in Athens and the Peloponnesus were really apt for this purpose.  Also the discussion about illegal immigration continued among the participants.  The trip to the partner meeting was quite something else than just a tourist trip.  This was partly due to the critical situation in Greece, demonstrations, strikes and symptoms of the economical crisis.

In May 2011 it was the Polish partner's turn to be host for the third meeting.  The meeting was held in Białystok.  The common theme was Gastronomy, but in addition the participants were provided with a comprehensive presentation about the multicultural history and rich natural environment of Northeastern Poland.  The bus trip from Warsaw to Białystok lasting several hours also gave a good picture of the Polish countryside with its small towns and villages. 

At the shift of July-August 2011 the fourth partner meeting was arranged in Palamuse, Estonia.  The common theme, dance and music, could be experienced also in practice.  The Estonian countryside, the natural environment, folktales as well as the biggest cities Tallinn and Tartu were presented from aspects which were new even to Finnish participants. The Finish study group returned to the Tartu region again in October for a weekend when we visited new places and also met our Estonian partners for a quiz about Estonia and Finland.

To the fifth meeting we travelled as far as Konya in Turkey in November 2011. The common theme was handicraft, but we also had the opportunity to acquaint ourselves with Mevlana culture, Sema performance and places of some very early settlements in the known human history.  Some of them can still be seen in Konya region.  The difference between the Turkish and the North European cultures was inspiring and gave reason to new thinking and rechecking of our attitudes.

The Finnish people's sixth and the last trip was to Naples, Italy, in March 2012.  The future of Europe is very much under public debate, and so it was discussed also at this meeting.  Also here the difference in the way of action compared with our ways enabled us to learn something new about the European integration and the problems connected to it.

The seventh meeting was held in Kouvola in June 2012.  The theme was Nature and Environment.

The topic had been prepared by different partners by collecting pictures of the photographers' favorite places and also places where the human activities are not in harmony with the natural environment. The photographer also had to give reasons for why he or she had taken this particular picture.  A large number of our own members took part in the hosting and in various events of the meeting.

Evaluation of the meetings

At all the meetings feedback was collected from the participants. The evaluation includes the program, organisation and interaction. The evaluation of the Palamuse meeting is not available. The participants used the scale: ”very good” - ”good” - ”fair” - ”poor” - ”not enough information”.  At all points of evaluation the answers accumulated to the levels”very good” and”good”.  There were differences between different meetings.  These were due to e.g. different program, organisation, or the combination of the participants.

As regards content, objectives and methods, the highest points were given to”Interest of the subject” and”Cultural visits related to the subject”.  A clear majority gave the mark”Very good”.  The clear need for improvement was in ”Time management”.  Here the most common answer was”Good”, but”Fair” answers were more frequent than in other cases.

In the evaluations concerning”Interaction” the best marks were given to”General atmosphere of the meeting” for which the majority gave the mark ”Very good”. ”Communication/cooperation between participants” and”Possibility to take part as an active participant” gathered the most”Good” answers.

English was the common language in the meetings, but what we can gather from the feedback shows that there have been gaps in the command of English and the communication between the participants has partly relied on expressions and gestures and partly on the interpretation of those who speak English better.

In evaluations connected to”Logistics” the”Accommodation” and the”Transport” gathered the most”Very Good” marks. The biggest need for improvement was in”Support equipment”, although in this question the level was above”Good”. Poor compatibility of the equipment and programs caused also problems in time management in some cases.

The hosting organisation was responsible for the program but the head coordinator composed the agendas of the staff meetings.  The evaluation forms differed from each other on”Meeting Program”.  Generally the best marks ”Very good” were given to some cultural visits, like the culture program in Lisbon (including Fado), the Cappadoccia tour in Turkey, the Peloponnesus tour in Greece and all events organised in Finland.  In Poland the highest marks were given to the ”International Fair” with a big selection of food, musical program and active participation of the members of the project. Unfortunately, the Italian partner did not ask for evaluations of the specific items of their program.

For the”Overall assessment” of all meetings was accumulated on the scale ”Very good” -”Good.

”Very good” gathered most answers.  ”Overall assessment” was given by 137 participants.  The answers of Palamuse are missing from this figure.  All in all the number of foreign participants in the partner meetings was more than 160.  In addition there were the participants of the hosting organisations, which is estimated to be almost the same as the number of foreign participants.  Therefore we can be very satisfied with the mobility part of our project, both for numbers and outputs.  Text: Seppo Tahvanainen

Naples Meeting - PhotoReport by Portuguese participants

CULTURES MET IN KONYA

The 5th Project meeting of European Approach was held in Konya between the dates 9th-14th November,2011.30 participants from six different countries and 11 participants from the host country attended the meeting during these days.

On the first day they visited some cultural places in Konya such as Zazadın Han,Sille and Meram  and after the lunch in Meram they returned the city.In the evening they exhibited their cultural products in Meram Halk Eğitim Merkezi.They offered their food and drinks to the guests and to each other.

Ali Kemal Dönmez,the headmaster of Meram Halk Eğitim Merkezi,said” We intend to share and exchange our cultures with our partners and get experienced.And he added “People will get to know each other better through this Project  and one of our biggest aim is to eliminate the prejudice among people in Nations.

During the process of our Project all the partners are visiting each other in their homes and they are observing the lifestyle,cultures of the host country.

The next day they are going to visit Kapadokya region.On Saturday they will have a chance to visit Mevlana Museum and they will be able to see Sema Show.

By Journalist Metin Oralöz

Italian participants’ impressions

Italian participants’ impressions about Turkey

 “It was the second time that the programme LLP took me to Konya. After four years found the city in full development: there are open building yards and I sow public works made with great taste and with the respect for places and for tradition. I think that if Turkey wants, it will be fully part of our shaky Europe (from the financial, political and administrative point of view), even because the peace philosophy, that has found in Mevlana a great supporter, is very current and it has been and it is the reason for the existence itself of Europe (don’t forget that when the European Economic Community CEE was born in 1957, with the Treaty of Rome, Europe was getting out of the world War) and it is my personal approach to Europe and to my work”.

Giovanna Romaniello

 “It was a very beautiful experience thanks to the wonderful hospitality of the Turkish friends. We had the knowledge of wonderful places and works, showed by a learned person. Even if we were of different ethnicities and even without knowing the language very well, I came back to Italy full of knowledge. Thank you to the wonderful opportunity and I hope to repeat it with you as guests”.

Wanda Cunzo

 “I didn’t think to see and to live for four days in a country of fairy tales. You are exquisite people, thanks for having let me visit, explained in a wonderful way, monuments and places that I didn’t know – your hospitality exceeded all imagination. Again thanks to you and to other nations participating in the meeting”.

Gabriella Cunzo

Project meeting in Konya

EUROPEAN APPROACH   - Project meeting in Konya

9 - 14 November 2011

Notes by the Finnish group

Wednesday 9 November

The Finnish group travelled via Istanbul to Konya on Turkish Airlines flights.  To start with we were pleased to notice that TK offered a very good service in the way of food and drinks. During our stay in Konya we stayed at Hotel Selçuk. The groups from other countries stayed there, too.

Thursday 10 November

We walked through the city centre to our host School called Meram Halk Egitimi Merkezi Ve A.S.O. Müdürlügü - Meram Education Centre.  We were taken by bus outside the city centre.  There was a guided visit at Zazadinhan Caravansherai, a guest house/fortress from 13th century.  Then the bus took us to Sille, a place where early Christians had had dwellings inside caves and also a church.  There was also a mosque and a synagogue in the area and people of different religions lived in peace with each other at that time.

In the afternoon we visited Meram Park and river area, Ince Minare mosque (from outside) and Karatya Medrese museum.

In the evening there was the meeting and exhibition customary to our project. The groups from different countries had exhibition tables plus typical products for tasting.  The theme of the exhibition and the meeting was handicraft, although delicacies from each country played a considerable part.  The food table of the hosts was really abundant.  The most outstanding product on it was the typical Turkish desert Baklava - sweet and fatty but very delicious.  A group of young people performed a traditional wedding dance. It was an impressive performance.

Friday 11 November

We made a day-tour to Cappadocia region. On the way we visited Sultanhani Caravancherai, another guest house/fortress from 13th century.

In Cappadocia, in the Uchisar valley, there are mountain peaks of different sizes caused by a volcano eruption and erosion, and an ancient castle.  In the old times people made caves inside the mountains as dwellings for themselves and for their animals. Caves were also used for storing food etc.

Nowadays, especially in the town of Göreme many of the caves are enlarged and hotels are built partly inside the caves.  Some of the hotels are so expensive that only world-famous celebrities and other rich people can stay in them. The area is also suitable for air balloon flying.  This service is profitable for the local entrepreneurs. Our bus ride continued via Göreme to the village of Avanos.

On the way we visited a jewelry factory which makes e.g. vases and other products of local onyx. Avanos is the handicraft centre of Cappadocia.  We visited a 350-years-old pottery workshop located in a cave. We followed pottery making with traditional methods.  The clay for the products comes from the surrounding area.

Saturday 12 November

There was a lecture about the history of Konya at the school.  Afterwards we walked through a big bazaar area to a restaurant where we were served a traditional Konyan wedding meal.  Especially the ocra soup, wine leave rolls and the dessert were very delicious.  The main dish was lamb stew which had been cooked for three hours.  Good but rather heavy.  After the five-course meal it was appropriate to do some walking.  We visited the Mevlana Museum 

In the evening we watched a "Whirling Dervish" dance performance at Mevlana Cultural Centre. Both the building (over 2000 seats) and the performance were a unique experience.

Sunday 13 November

There was the presentation of the portfolios at the school.  Each country presented what they had learned and done during the previous course period.  The Estonian group showed a DVD on Finnish music, Poland had a presentation on Greece, Portugal on Finland, Greece on Polish Christmas and Italy on Estonia.  The Italians also showed some handicraft - how to make paper flowers and decorations of "magic dough".  The Greeks showed us how to make ceramic products without a wheel.

We were reminded of the fragility of life as we learned that one of our hosts had perished quite unexpectedly. We honor his memory.

In the afternoon there was the coordinators' meeting and in the meantime the others had an opportunity to go to Turkish bath. - And indeed we did have several refreshed ladies with rosy cheeks to company us for dinner, which was served in the Stadyum Restaurant. There was Turkish classical and also modern music performed by a band and a singer. 

Monday 14 November

No good things last forever and nor did our stay.  We had to leave the hotel and our host Tahir at 07.15, pack ourselves and our luggage in a bus and head for the airport for a flight to Istanbul and on to Helsinki.

We extend our sincere thanks to our hosts Tahir, Nazir, Kemal, Azis and others, the names of whom I don't have.  (Unfortunately, the Turkish family names are beyond my capacity).  We also thank our good guides who gave us a lot of interesting information at the places we visited.  The hosts had really done great work in preparing the meeting and other programme.  We keep the good memories for a long time to come.

Liisa Nyqvist

KONYA IN BRIEF

* Konya is situated in Central Turkey, appr. 200 km south of Ankara. The city of Konya has 1.2 million inhabitants. The Konya province has about 2.5 million people.

Konya lays over 1000 meters above sea level.  The actual Konya area is very flat but surrounded by mountains. The climate is continental.

* The general impression of the city is dominated by several mosques and the call for prayer coming from the minarets five times a day. Otherwise a visitor cannot notice a big difference compared eg. with a West-European city. In many places in the city one can see new and handsome apartment buildings. Many are also under construction.

* Economic life is brisk.  There is a big bazaar area, shops owned by international companies, but also a lot of small private businesses. Konya also has considerable industry.  Outside the city there are three industrial areas where the factories produce eg. spare parts for cars, electric and electronic equipment, tractors, textile products and food products, eg. dairy products and sugar. Making bricks is a traditional industry. As source of energy coal, natural gas and oil coming eg. from Russia and Iran are used. There are some hot springs in Turkey.  They have also been used for heating.  In the countryside many people use wood and straws.  

* Agriculture is important.  Eg. turnips, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat, barley, corn, apples, plums   and pears are grown in Konya region. The farmers also keep Cattle and sheep.

* Education system in Turkey in general is the same as in the countries of Central Europe. May be one difference is that high school last for four years.  There are two state universities and two private ones in Konya. 

* Vacation: People who have permanent employment have 30 days holiday a year. Nowadays also many women with family go to work. Depending on the economy of the family people like to spend at least a part of their holiday on the seaside.

* The culture in the Konya region is very old.  The recent excavations show that there have been people in the area as early as 6800 BC. Konya, as other areas of Turkey, have in the course of the centuries been concurred and ruled by different tribes and nations. The most outstanding period of history from which buildings and data has been preserved seems to be the Selçuk period. On 11th, 12th and 13th centuries Konya was the capital of the Selçuk Sultanate. From that period are preserved eg. Zazadinhan and Sultanhani "Caravansherais" - Guest houses.

* Caravansherai was a combined accommodation building and fortress guarded by soldiers.  Such buildings were built in 13th century.  The region was on the Silk Road and there had to be caravansherais at every 40 km distance, so that travelers could get shelter for themselves and their animals. Normally, there were two different areas in the building: one to be used in winter and one in summer.

* Karatay Medrese museum is one of Konya's many museums.  Originally it was a school where Koran, Islamic law and astronomy was thought. Now it includes a collection of ancient ceramics.

* Mevlana (Rumi) was a great poet and humanist, the most esteemed representative in the history of Islamic thought. He was born in Belkh in 1207.  He arrived in Anatolia with his father and settled in Konya. Mevlana had many students and connections to other teachers. He has written several famous books.  In his works, the predominant themes are love, the Universal meaning of Islam, and the mystical soul.  Mevlana died in Konya on 17 December 1273.  His life and his work is presented in the Mevlana museum, which also comprises his mausoleum.

* Whirling Dervish:  Mevlana founded the Sufi Mevlevi order which became famous for a specific dance of its members.  The dancers repeat a whirling movement and thus reach different stages of mind.  This "whirling monks" dance tradition has been preserved until today.  The performances can be watched eg. in the Mevlana Cultural Centre in Konya. The performance consists of five different parts.  These parts together form a unity called SEMA  



Partakers’ experiences and opinions in Finland

Partakers’ experiences and opinions of the project European Approach

Gathered at the meeting 20 September, 2011

The partakers (24 persons) were divided into six small groups (3 – 5 members) to discuss the project European Approach. Each group wrote short comments on their common experiences, with regard to the studies of partner countries in the study group in Kuusankoski and the visits to partner countries.  

What has been good about the project?

Group A thought that the good atmosphere and continuing enthusiasm in the study group show that the project has been successful. Language studies, music from partner countries, cultural studies and discussions as well as visitors (from Greece, Poland and Turkey and the coordinator of Kouvola EU information centre) were interesting and informative.  

In Group B’s opinion, they have got a lot of information from the good presentations in the study group. At the same time, they have met new interesting people.

Group C had also experienced the good atmosphere; getting acquainted with the culture of other countries has been rewarding.

Group D had also found enthusiasm in the study group. Common knowledge, cultural and language studies have been useful. Two members had made a tour of Italy on their own and had been able to use their knowledge in practice. The EU information coordinator’s presentation was also good.

Group E paid attention to both working in the study group and the journeys, on which it has been possible to learn more about the country’s history, culture and language by meeting people. One important form of everyday culture for them was traditional food. This group also mentioned the EU information coordinator’s visit.

Group F mentioned that getting more knowledge of the partner countries has widened horizons and given impetus to finding out more about the countries. Readiness to travel has increased. Those who have taken part in the partnership meetings have dedicated a lot of time and energy to the assignments given. Enthusiasm in the study group has prevailed and the visitors have been interesting.

What could have been done better/ otherwise?

Group A thought that a longer summer pause would have been ok (the writer’s comment: it was now six weeks), and the programme could have been less tight (the writer’s comment: there were on an average two meetings a month during each three-month study period).

Group F thought that the tasks in the study group could have been allocated to more people. (The writer’s comment: Each study period has been led by a different voluntary tutor.)

The members of Group B thought that they missed a lot of what was told in the study group, thus handouts of the contents would have been useful and a summary of the lessons could have been put in the net. (The writer’s comment: a number of handouts have been dealt to the participants and the material has mostly been taken from the net). They would prefer shorter language studies. The group would also like to have more contact with the partners before and after the journeys.

Both Group C and Group D would have liked the study period of the country where the next meeting was held to be immediately before the journey (the writer’s comment: because studies were planned to go on with the partners in pairs, it was not always possible to have the ”right” partner).   Keeping to the timetables on the journeys did not always succeed and, on the other hand, tight timetables were a weakness, thought Group C. There should be more interpretation during the visits to partners, otherwise those who don’t understand the language miss a lot.

Group E’s wish was to have more visits to people’s homes.

Group F suggested more versatile activities in the study group to enliven the lessons.

What has been done wrong?

Group C and Group E mentioned that the study timetable had been too tight (the writer’s comment: carrying out the project needed this timetable, with six partners a period of about three months had to be reserved for each of them).

Other ideas

Groups B and C thanked the tutors of the study group. Group E wished some kind of continuation to this activity.
Group F said that the project has been well planned and managed. Travelling arrangements have been reliable.

The groups:

A: Helvi, Jaana, Miikka and Ulla

B: Arja, Eira, Marja and Terttu

C: Irma, Maire, Risto and Teuvo

D: Eero, Meeri, Mervi and Pirkko

E: Marjatta, Sirpa, Tauno, Tuulikki I. and Tuulikki S.

F: Maini, Pirjo and Sirkka-Liisa

Comments: Seppo

Experiences in Estonia

I had the possibility to take part in an EU-project meeting “European Approach” in Estonia 27.-31.7.2011. The meeting was a part of Grundtvig learning partnership project. We were nine participants together from Finland. The main theme of the meeting was this time dance culture. The other participants in this meeting, which was held in Palamuse, were from Greece, Turkey, Italy, Estonia, Poland and Portugal, 30 persons altogether.

The beautiful Estonian landscape and people who in spite of the different cultures and inadequate language skills were able to communicate and cooperate so well together made a big impression on me. The most important aim of the EU is to create contacts at grass roots level between people living in different circumstances and in this way promote the understanding of different cultures.

Especially rewarding were the verbal and illustrated presentations of the participants on the culture, life, political situation and particularly on the perspectives of each country. The international get-together with product exhibitions, dance performances and entertainment programme gave a god opportunity to discussions between the participants.  

 Because of my inadequate language skills I got help from my kind English speaking fellow travellers, when we drove around in Palamuse, Tartu and Tallinn and their sights which in many ways were related to traditional landscape, past and culture of Estonia which the Estonians want to cherish and sustain.

To sum up all the participants got pleasant memories from the seminar. Our special thanks go to the Estonian project coordinator Ivar Vinkmann for his efforts for our comfort and entertainment.

Teuvo Nurmi