First Erasmus+ Mobility: AVP Ireland Volunteers Travel to Poland
This marks the first step in AVP Ireland’s Erasmus+ journey. Following the confirmation of our Erasmus+ Adult Education mobility funding, three of our volunteer facilitators have now taken part in our first mobility: a training on trauma-informed facilitation in prison settings in Warsaw, Poland.
It was a valuable opportunity for our volunteers to step away from their busy lives and take time to reflect deeply on the power of nonviolent communication, the importance of being fully present, and the practice of listening with empathy and attention. There was also strong emphasis on the role of movement and creative inputs, such as poetry and music, as alternative ways of accessing learning and embodied experience. The experiential methodology of the training aligned closely with the AVP workshop approach, and it was especially meaningful for our experienced facilitators to participate as learners and reflect on their own practice.
This mobility marks an exciting milestone for AVP. Erasmus+ mobilities not only allow our volunteers to further develop their facilitation skills, but also bring fresh ideas and perspectives back to the community. The learning from this first mobility will be shared internally and will contribute to strengthening our practice more broadly.
Being a volunteer-driven organisation, the Erasmus+ programme gives us the opportunity to strengthen our practice, offer further learning opportunities for our volunteers, and build connections with organisations across Europe working in related fields. As we continue to expand our work, these opportunities are key for nurturing our community and promoting its sustainable growth.
This is the first of several planned mobilities. Future activities will focus on empowering mentorship, intercultural dialogue, and community-based facilitation, helping us expand our work and continue building connections across Europe.
We look forward to sharing more updates as our Erasmus+ journey continues.
If you want to get involved with AVP, we would love to hear from you!
Email us at [email protected] and join one of our upcoming information sessions to learn more about our work.
