a few team 94 photos....
Saturday 23 May 2009
Tuesday 19 May 2009
Mid Phrase Review
On the weekend of the 8th-10th May, team 94 ventured out onto the beautiful Gower Peninsula, to a little village called Llamadoc, for our Mid-Phrase Review (MPR).
The purpose of the MPR was to have fun, have a break from our host community, get to know each other and trust each other more, review all that's happened so far (the challenges, the highs, the lows, the group dynamics, the relationships between counterpart pairs etc) and think how we can improve it for the rest our exchange.
On the Friday afternoon before we left Swansea we did the ‘Charity Shop Challenge’ around Swansea city centre. The aim of the game was to get the craziest outfit possible (to wear at the party the following night) using a maximum of £5, in the space of 45 minutes ad only buying from charity shops. Each volunteer also had to tell at least 3 members of the public what GX is and make people happy, while we were running around town and we all wore our green GX t-shirts to get noticed a bit more.
The purpose of the challenge was to promote recylcing and reusing as part of the wider global issue of eco-friendly, ethical shopping and the impact of consumerism on the environment,spread the message of GX to the wider public and have fun...which we did :-)
We arrived in Llamadoc later that evening and walked to our venue which was St Madoc Christian Youth Camp - a hostel type centre with dorms, self-catering facilities, football pitch, beach volleyball, woods, and amazing views over long sandy beaches. On the Friday night we had a big BBQ, cooked mainly by head chef Eliot (thank youuuu!) and watched the sun setting over the beautiful Welsh countryside, ahhhh!
Saturday we were up bright and early to start our first session at 9am. We played lots of games during the day and did sessions on group dynamics and the different roles we play within the group, what a team needs to succeed, counterpart relationships and how they can be improved adn the cross-cultural differences and issues and hpw they can be dealt with. It was a very intense day as lots of issues were brought up, but we all felt it was good to be open with each other so we can keep building on our relationships and make team 94 the best team it can possibly be. Highlights of the day were.... drawing a big picture of Swansea all together and the places within our community that are special to us. We also enjoyed the Mr and Mrs Quiz - a fun gameshow where each counterpart pair had to come to the front and were asked questions about each other to see how well we all know each other.
On Saturday night it was the big party, so we got into our costumes (bought during the charity shop challenge). Seeing everyone dressed up was HILARIOUS and interesting that every single one of the guys dressed up as a woman. We particulary liked Eliot's silky pink nightie, the underpants Mwata wore on her head and of course Christina and Naomi for fitting into the same dress!! First off at the party was the big fashion show where we paraded our outfits and judged which was best...the winner was MWATA!!!
Next we had a yummy dinner of pasta, couscous, salad, rice, potato wedges and other yummy things. Followed by the TALENT SHOW! Frank was our compere for the talent show and each of us went up and showed a talent. We had beautiful singing, music and dancing from Ngawa, Fatness, Mwata, Jessy, Frank, Paul, Mwansa, Prudence, Jackson, Naomi, Christina and Henry. We had an awesome GX song written by Charlotte (who was the also the winner of the competition - well done!). Matt 'the genuis' Goldup told us the capital city of every country, Ness told everyone their birthday, we had an invisible juggling lesson from Tommy, a traditional Welsh story told by Dom and acted out by Eliot and Luchembe. And last by not least we had the INCREDIBLE human bed, performed by Maggie, Vally, Eliot and Jessy - WOWWWW! It was amazing to see how much talent there is in team 94.
The party finished off with the legendary chocoloate game which quickly descended into us all turning on each other to get as much chocolate as possible (team players? HA!) and then dancing the night away and watching a very interesting video about recyling (rock on).
Sunday morning began with another session on host homes and volunteer placements and we did lots of role plays to show the problems we've faced, funny moments and what we can do to improve. For 2 hours in the morning we all got stuck in doing some physical voluntary work at the camp (gardening, weeding, making drains, making a path). Then after another yummy picnic lunch we finished up the weekend with some games and an award ceremony lead by Matt.
We said goodbye to the beautiful Llamadoc and piled onto a tiny bus to head back to Swansea (literally piled into the bus - poor locals). We had an awesome weekend and learnt lots about each other, developed our relationships, tackled the ups and the downs, challenged ourselves to be open and honest and came out of it the other end with big beaming smiles. A big thank you to the MPR committee for organising the weekend and to the rest of the team for being so receptive and hard working during it. It really made us see what a special team we are :-)
The purpose of the MPR was to have fun, have a break from our host community, get to know each other and trust each other more, review all that's happened so far (the challenges, the highs, the lows, the group dynamics, the relationships between counterpart pairs etc) and think how we can improve it for the rest our exchange.
On the Friday afternoon before we left Swansea we did the ‘Charity Shop Challenge’ around Swansea city centre. The aim of the game was to get the craziest outfit possible (to wear at the party the following night) using a maximum of £5, in the space of 45 minutes ad only buying from charity shops. Each volunteer also had to tell at least 3 members of the public what GX is and make people happy, while we were running around town and we all wore our green GX t-shirts to get noticed a bit more.
The purpose of the challenge was to promote recylcing and reusing as part of the wider global issue of eco-friendly, ethical shopping and the impact of consumerism on the environment,spread the message of GX to the wider public and have fun...which we did :-)
We arrived in Llamadoc later that evening and walked to our venue which was St Madoc Christian Youth Camp - a hostel type centre with dorms, self-catering facilities, football pitch, beach volleyball, woods, and amazing views over long sandy beaches. On the Friday night we had a big BBQ, cooked mainly by head chef Eliot (thank youuuu!) and watched the sun setting over the beautiful Welsh countryside, ahhhh!
Saturday we were up bright and early to start our first session at 9am. We played lots of games during the day and did sessions on group dynamics and the different roles we play within the group, what a team needs to succeed, counterpart relationships and how they can be improved adn the cross-cultural differences and issues and hpw they can be dealt with. It was a very intense day as lots of issues were brought up, but we all felt it was good to be open with each other so we can keep building on our relationships and make team 94 the best team it can possibly be. Highlights of the day were.... drawing a big picture of Swansea all together and the places within our community that are special to us. We also enjoyed the Mr and Mrs Quiz - a fun gameshow where each counterpart pair had to come to the front and were asked questions about each other to see how well we all know each other.
On Saturday night it was the big party, so we got into our costumes (bought during the charity shop challenge). Seeing everyone dressed up was HILARIOUS and interesting that every single one of the guys dressed up as a woman. We particulary liked Eliot's silky pink nightie, the underpants Mwata wore on her head and of course Christina and Naomi for fitting into the same dress!! First off at the party was the big fashion show where we paraded our outfits and judged which was best...the winner was MWATA!!!
Next we had a yummy dinner of pasta, couscous, salad, rice, potato wedges and other yummy things. Followed by the TALENT SHOW! Frank was our compere for the talent show and each of us went up and showed a talent. We had beautiful singing, music and dancing from Ngawa, Fatness, Mwata, Jessy, Frank, Paul, Mwansa, Prudence, Jackson, Naomi, Christina and Henry. We had an awesome GX song written by Charlotte (who was the also the winner of the competition - well done!). Matt 'the genuis' Goldup told us the capital city of every country, Ness told everyone their birthday, we had an invisible juggling lesson from Tommy, a traditional Welsh story told by Dom and acted out by Eliot and Luchembe. And last by not least we had the INCREDIBLE human bed, performed by Maggie, Vally, Eliot and Jessy - WOWWWW! It was amazing to see how much talent there is in team 94.
The party finished off with the legendary chocoloate game which quickly descended into us all turning on each other to get as much chocolate as possible (team players? HA!) and then dancing the night away and watching a very interesting video about recyling (rock on).
Sunday morning began with another session on host homes and volunteer placements and we did lots of role plays to show the problems we've faced, funny moments and what we can do to improve. For 2 hours in the morning we all got stuck in doing some physical voluntary work at the camp (gardening, weeding, making drains, making a path). Then after another yummy picnic lunch we finished up the weekend with some games and an award ceremony lead by Matt.
We said goodbye to the beautiful Llamadoc and piled onto a tiny bus to head back to Swansea (literally piled into the bus - poor locals). We had an awesome weekend and learnt lots about each other, developed our relationships, tackled the ups and the downs, challenged ourselves to be open and honest and came out of it the other end with big beaming smiles. A big thank you to the MPR committee for organising the weekend and to the rest of the team for being so receptive and hard working during it. It really made us see what a special team we are :-)
Friday 15 May 2009
Brief overview of life at SPARK!
Ok so Frank and I (Christina) have the privilege to be volunteering at a certain youth centre/club and even organise our very own Cultural session. A slightly ironic part to this session is that the young people we invite have difficulty understanding the concept of culture but...we persevere!
Anyway, what have we been up to...Well every tuesday fom 6pm till 9pm the Bleanymaes youths are welcomed into the local community centre to have some fun and do some activities such as creating a papier mache volcano. Frank and I initially just loitered around but soon we we're chatting, playing and doodling with anyone who was around. It's been so rewarding to see a progression in relationships such as Marc (11 year old boy who comes to every youth club activity EVER) casually leaning on me or insisting I come play pool with him. These little details make me feel like I blend in to the surroundings and can flutter into different games or activities freely and welcomed. That is what is so great about the youth club nights. Nothing is set in stone: it is purely an informal place for young people to gather, to talk between themselves or talk to us youth workers, no pressure but always an invitation.
The most rewarding aspect of life at Spark has been the Cultural sessions that we plan, organise and perform at our leisure. The responsibility on us to communicate clearly and correctly our ideas is sizeable but the set up is as always informal and encouraging. Our supervisor Ioan has been amazing at supplying us with the right amount of freedom (we have no set budget and any ideas are welcome) whilst discreetly feeding us advice and criticism in the form of a friday review that keeps us on our toes! The first thursday we led was an introduction and as any introduction we presented the main theme: Culture. We have a map ( Frank and I spent a whole day making it so it represents our first achievment with pride) around which we commence every thursday. On the Culture day we had a string illustrating Frank's travel from Zambia to the U.K.
'You came all the way from Africa to be here with us?' They (7 young people) asked inquisitively.
'Um...'
I can safely say Frank and I have been dedicated to our thursday session which have included drumming, drawing, cooking nshima and banoffee pie, human bingo, making cup phones, quizzes and supplying snippets of valuable information such as how many languages they speak in India (we did a session on communication so this was relevant)...
But it would be wrong for me to let you see the world (Spark) through rose tinted glasses. Now I will expose our challenges. Number 1 is the difficulty in getting young people to come. Yesterday was our most disheartening experience when no one except Marc came (I told you he always comes)! It was a real shame as it was probably the topic most useful and relevant to them: Sexual Health. However we now have a greater incentive to spread the word and get those young people participating! I will not surrender!
Another challenge has been maintaining their attention. One of our considerations in planning the sessions is ensuring they are always kept busy as relying on them patiently listening is not an option! This applies to all young people as even Team 94 needs nurturing in the form of regular energisers and fun!
So thats the story so far...but maybe Frank can share another side to it...
Anyway, what have we been up to...Well every tuesday fom 6pm till 9pm the Bleanymaes youths are welcomed into the local community centre to have some fun and do some activities such as creating a papier mache volcano. Frank and I initially just loitered around but soon we we're chatting, playing and doodling with anyone who was around. It's been so rewarding to see a progression in relationships such as Marc (11 year old boy who comes to every youth club activity EVER) casually leaning on me or insisting I come play pool with him. These little details make me feel like I blend in to the surroundings and can flutter into different games or activities freely and welcomed. That is what is so great about the youth club nights. Nothing is set in stone: it is purely an informal place for young people to gather, to talk between themselves or talk to us youth workers, no pressure but always an invitation.
The most rewarding aspect of life at Spark has been the Cultural sessions that we plan, organise and perform at our leisure. The responsibility on us to communicate clearly and correctly our ideas is sizeable but the set up is as always informal and encouraging. Our supervisor Ioan has been amazing at supplying us with the right amount of freedom (we have no set budget and any ideas are welcome) whilst discreetly feeding us advice and criticism in the form of a friday review that keeps us on our toes! The first thursday we led was an introduction and as any introduction we presented the main theme: Culture. We have a map ( Frank and I spent a whole day making it so it represents our first achievment with pride) around which we commence every thursday. On the Culture day we had a string illustrating Frank's travel from Zambia to the U.K.
'You came all the way from Africa to be here with us?' They (7 young people) asked inquisitively.
'Um...'
I can safely say Frank and I have been dedicated to our thursday session which have included drumming, drawing, cooking nshima and banoffee pie, human bingo, making cup phones, quizzes and supplying snippets of valuable information such as how many languages they speak in India (we did a session on communication so this was relevant)...
But it would be wrong for me to let you see the world (Spark) through rose tinted glasses. Now I will expose our challenges. Number 1 is the difficulty in getting young people to come. Yesterday was our most disheartening experience when no one except Marc came (I told you he always comes)! It was a real shame as it was probably the topic most useful and relevant to them: Sexual Health. However we now have a greater incentive to spread the word and get those young people participating! I will not surrender!
Another challenge has been maintaining their attention. One of our considerations in planning the sessions is ensuring they are always kept busy as relying on them patiently listening is not an option! This applies to all young people as even Team 94 needs nurturing in the form of regular energisers and fun!
So thats the story so far...but maybe Frank can share another side to it...
Monday 11 May 2009
GX Factor
Last Wednesday saw the first event organised fully by Team 94. I was an amazing a really amazing night with everyone contributing. I have to say when we were running through the order, I was not sure we were going to be able to pull it off, but then everyone pulled together and with some great Welsh singing and brilliant Zambian dancing I think we managed to pull off a great night all round.
Christine and Luchembe hosted the night running through the line up and introducing each section. We started with a brilliant slide show of what we have been doing so far as a team. Which went down really well and people have been commenting on how great the pictures were ever since. Good work Ness!. This was followed by a fun Welsh song to let everyone know we have been getting to know the local culture. Eliot led this session and hats off to him to just going for it and making it so much fun.
The African Community Centres young peoples dance group then did some Hip Hop and African dancing. As ever this was a great success and so inspiring to see young people really showing off their talents. We then took time to enjoy the wonderful food cooked by Miranda, one of our host parents. The food looked and tasted gorgeous. Deserts were made be the whole global exchange team and went down a treat.
After food Ngawa and Matt did a quiz, which really got the audience talking and shouting by the end of it. But we had some happy winners in the end. The last part of the evening was all about the dancing . It started with a fantastic traditional Zambian dance lead by Mwansa and the girls, but was ambushed by Frank and Luchembe. This was followed up by a Zambian style dance called 'two by two'. It was taught by Frank and Mwata and
involved the whole group. It even had live drumming by Henry and Jackson. It was great fun perform and I think the audience enjoyed it as well.I just wanted to to say thank you so much to everyone. It was an amazing night and I was so proud to be part of the team. You are all amazing!!
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