Some time has already passed... and as it happens and not so rarely at all, the enthusiasm about our meeting and all the benefits in terms of ideas and contacts might have already been lost or is being fading out right now. But... it hasn't been the case and it isn't working with the rules we have got accustomed to.
Why doesn't it astonish me in any way? Because, as one of the Janus participant said, whoever touches the youth project, the Youth in Action idea, they will get influenced with it till the very end.
This issue changes lives, makes people think different, causes the difference. The week has made changes, and I am pretty sure there is not a single person who might deny it. Everybody has started somewhere, somewhen, somehow. And from this starting point we are still on our way, heading to some enhancing prospects, chances and perspectives. And it not only empowers young people, despite the fact they are direct addressees of the actions. It equally well strenghtens youth workers and their personal development. The more experienced people you talk to the stronger impression you have that learning process never ends and that you may expect the moment when you feel you are the one who takes advantage of a lesson which was initiative of yours in the very beginning.

“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis.' One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger--but recognize the opportunity.” 

That perfectly summarizes a discussion I had at my table during the second round of group meetings while the conference. We came up with the powerful statement: DO NOT TICK THE BOX.\

We mentioned that there is a though world outside, no doubts. We are living in the world at the edge of great transformation - nobody knows where it will lead to. The rules change, people change, even space is different. You are being constantly given answers and best solutions. You are being asked for knowingness and clarity pf yourobjectives But where to go if you have a hundred ways and all go into the same direction?

People will always give you a thousand of 'only best advices'. They always know what is better for you than yourself, they know what is behind the corner. They know you better, they understand you better than yourself and they know they are right.
Once, I put myself in such a situation, and everyone knew best - they advised my mother, my family and myself. And then I asked them: If you know all this stuff so well, why you complain about life so much. If you know a solution for my every single problem, why can't you find at least one for yours? - I have no people knowing better ever since :)

There is something more precious than anything else - it is your experience. Billy says: everyone might be clever, everyone might read a book, watch a movie and think he is clever. But to learn a lesson, to tick your box, to know more, you need your experience. And your experience might be totally different than one's next to you. But only then you learn, and then, you might come for a real exchange with others who learn a hard lesson of life.

You know why the JANUS has inspired us so much? Because each one of you who had a voice, shared a personal story, a moment of a real life learning process. And it will always keep amazing us!

Do not tick the box,
unless you want.
There is no a teacher who wants your box,
nobody to know yourself better than you.
You know what you need,
even though you don't know what you want.
Make your box by yourself,
do not ask anyone for permission,
and make it different,
in colour, in shape
and sign it by your name,
and take it out to the world.


Do not take the box,
just because everyone has it,
one says it looks good on you,
because it is funny,
or it is right.
Don't take the box,
unless you have made it by yourself,
and you're proud of it.

The Road not taken by Robert Frost

....and that has made all the difference.

There are lots of issues that are still present in my mind about youth work and its expected impact for my organisation and its every single member. I would like to use ideas that I have learnt form co-participants of Janus Seminar and I am also aware I have to adjust them to the needs of my environmental background. One of the participants told these remarkable words that statistics tell nothing important because what really matters is a real story that marks someone's way, someone's life and changes that arise due to work and adventure in the YiA. I recon this consciousness will influence the way I work, I involve other people as well as my contribution to common actions.
Danuta, Poland

Final Statements- Inclusion

"100 years ago our countries were fighting with each other and now we're finding ways for countries to co operate together. Combined actions for real outcomes!"

"Young people who aren't included are worse off"

"Inclusion is ensuring accessibility and equal opportunities for a diverse range of young people"

"Inclusion equals awareness requires your involvement and making viral"

"Erasmus+ must be an inclusive programme that supports inclusive outcomes"

"We must increase accessibility to provide opportunities for all. How?"

Final Statements - Active Citizenship

"Active citizenship rewards you and your community but you must be involved in the process or someone else will decide for you"

"Provided with opportunities and skills, young people gain awareness and are empowered as active citizens to shape their community/ society"

"Erasmus+ gives people the opportunity for working together to improve the quality of life for all"

"Active citizenship equals enabling young people to be empowered to shape their lives and the society in general"

Final Statements- Education

"Erasmus+ becomes a brand name for recognition on par with a PHD"

"Erasmus+ should build a bridge for young people between their education and world of work"

"Erasmus+ is used as a platform to develop key competencies in order to improve employability!"

"Erasmus+ is a tool for connecting life skills with employment"

Introduction to final statements

When the groups split off into three rooms to talk about Inclusion, Education and Active Participation they were asked to write a final statement. These sum up what Erasmus+ and their topics are all about.

Sophie Bray-Wilkins from CMAP- Charlotte Miller Art Project

"I believe in creative arts, it gives an opportunity to explore. Visual art is really powerful. It is all about identity. "

Alasdair Nicholson from Third Sector Hebrides

Person who has: 1) chocolate factory ; 2) 18 mini buses; 3) a newspaper; 4) a learning centre, etc.  and it is all TO CREATE AN OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE.

Denise Eastwood - British Coucil

I enjoyed event! I learned a lot about program.
I work in the child protection team so I think that we should have implementation of work about child protection in the program.
Kids should feel safe and to know that there is always somebody to assist them.

Paul Davies, Janus Project Team, Contemporary Arts and Learning

I feel knackered... tired.. but still excited and enthusiastic to meet a bunch of new people.. How people try to make everything better for society rather than thinking about them selfs..

Pilar Barcelo Soler - British Council

It' s been great event - full of energy and good ideas which I hope will come true.
I hope also that more people will get involved in Erasmus +. We can see that this kind of programs are life changing possibility. I am also very excited about cross- sectoral cooperation.

Domen Kutosa, EPSA

The conference has been an amazing learning experience... I got inspired by every single human I met here and I wanna share my experience with other young people who didn't have a chance to get this opportunity we got here..

Hustle Bucks

Hustle Bucks, which is a t shirt company, started out as a small pop up shop in Brixton but the designs were so popular and they saw the opportunity that it was a lucrative business that they made it into a real business. This was in large part helped by Rebecca the manager of the company.

The business is run by a collective of young people and teaches them business and creative skills that can help them realise their true potential and help them learn in different ways.

"Erasmus+ is essential for the world. With the economy the way that it is, a lot of people are finding it hard to find work but the programmes are giving young people employable skills, it's training the people of tomorrow and improve their lives. There are now more opportunities than ever for young people." - Paul Davis, worker for Hustle Bucks.

www.hustlebucks.co.uk

Ronald Ligtenberg: Skyways programes CIC

What do you think about the new Erasmus +?

"-It looks very promising and it also have a lots of potential."

Will you join with your association to the Erasmus+? 

"-If we will fit into the condition then YES. "

                                                                               

                                                                                        

Dom Weinberg - National Council for Voluntary Youth Services

"This event is a good opportunity to find out more about European youth. Actually this event is the first one I am really focused in.
We applied in our organisation for Youth in Action recently but we do not know the results yet. But of course there will be more opportunities.
Youth programs as Youth in Action or Erasmus + make definitely difference for young people. Youngsters can learn from themselves, from other people.... any youth-work is beneficial for young people."

Alexis Owusu - Conning Towers

"This event is very informative. Also there is very positive atmosphere here. Young people's stories were really touchy. I hope that Youth in Action' s values and possibilities are sustainable within Erasmus +."

Rebecca Nutley - Soundstudio

"It is nice to have information about Erasmus + since I had no information about it before. I find good to have new possibilities for long term partnerships within Erasmus +"

Nelufar Hedayat - BBC

"Janus conference is amazing event where you can meet people who actually make difference. You can really change people' s lives but you have to go out and go further!"

Ruth Waters

"It's wonderful program, it inspires young people to get in together".

Interviews

All throughout this conference the interviewing team is working very hard in our pop up interviewing area. They're really getting down to the important questions that need to be asked of the special guests.

Work in groups

Discussing Erasmus+ in groups 

Sharing stories

Right now the participants are guests are sharing their stories about their successes and getting to know the stories that others have. Soon they will be split into three rooms which each focus on a different topic, Inclusion, Education or Active Citizenship. This will give them a chance to find out who is involved in the same topics as they are to give a chance for more specific networking

Francesco Bonini- Concordia Volunteer

"EVS gives young people confidence. We can really see the learning process they're going through."

Simon Chambers- British Council

"I love the venue. I have been around here thousands of times and now I can actually see what's inside. Concerning Erasmus+ I think it brings a huge amount of new opportunity. This will be a huge step up."

Matt Cresswell – British Council

"The future is bright. It's an opportunity as well as a change."  

Kevin Robinson- Ecorys

"Really excellent to hear Maggie Atkinson is so committed to the benefits of international dimensions in education."

 

Emanuela Sotgiu – Eyes Wide Open

"This environment is very nice and positive. I'm feeling empowered. This is my first conference representing my organisation. I have been gaining lots of contacts. I can clearly see this is run by young people for young people. "

Martin Kimber - Cheltenham Twinning Association

"I am not surprised that there is a lot of enthusiasm in this conference, so to come here and see many people from different countries is inspirational, Especially on new funding and proposals, I'm interested to see how it will be implemented"

Gloria Gomez from Alcuco Media

I think this event is wonderful. This is unique possibility for young people. Also I have got a lot of information from here. I am impressed!

Peter Tate- Bradford Youth Development Partnership

"EVS has given young people the opportunity to make a massive impact in their life."

Jill Mann from Together for Peace

I am new in this program. But I understand the value of youth mobility. I am intrigued and want to know more.

Jo Beall- Director of Education at the Britsh Council

"We have great plans for the beginning of Erasmus+ and I believe young people have the skills for changing the world."

Ed Sherry- National volunteer for Police Cadets

"What Youth in Action does for young people is making them face up to day to day life. You can't run away if something goes wrong. You must return, pick up the pieces and carry on, always finding a way to work together."

Victoria Oladele- Prestige Monitoring

"I've worked for the British Council for some time and I've seen some very good projects which have really inspired me, so I'm the lucky one. I think such important programmes like Youth in Action are important and I encourage young people to take part in them, especially youngsters from ethnic minorities."

Andrew Hadley - Momentum

"This event is a result of a week of fun and hard work and learning. It's about young people and everything that will be happening today will be crafted by the young people."

Dmitrijus Bozko- Naughty Cheese

"I am really excited to be here, because I want to learn more about Erasmus+, I want to be aware what's happening with the new programme."

"We inspire young to be creative and active. Empowering the young is the most important part of our organisation."

Maggie Atkinson

"Prejudice comes from from fear. You need to be unafraid."

"Democratic structures are very important."

Mehdi Alizadeh

"As a person who has spent a longtime, from the very start up to now in the PhD level, in the formal education, being introduced and implicated to the non-formal education through the "Youth in Action" is such an amazing discovery. I'm looking definitely forward to proceed more, learn and learn, and then to teach what I have learnt to the other young people."

Kevin Robinson

"Really excellent to hear Maggie Atkinson is so committed to the benefits of the international dimension in education."

Sharing stories with Nelufar Hedayat

In Afghanistan females are seen as second class citizens and they have no access to education. There is no future in a country where women's are not seen as citizens."

Some quotes from Nulufar's inspirational speech about her life and her documentary, 'Shot for going to school'

"Education is necessary in nowadays."

"You can change the world."

"Whowewer you are whatever you choose to do,it's you..." 

" we can change people who we meet."

Beginning of the conference

These are pictures from the panel question time at the start of the conference. Questions were posed from the audience about topics from non formal education to politics.

Some of the quotes that really stuck in our mind were:

"Prejudice comes from fear," "the best trainers are young people." Maggie Atkinson, Children's commissioner for England
 "If you want to know about problems facing young people we have to make sure that we give them the opportunity to speak for themselves," Alexsandra Mircheva, Co-ordinator for young people in Bulgaria

 

Introduction from the blogging team

Hello we are the blogging team, our names are: Giedre R, Giedre J, Egle, Ruben, Kersti, Naomi. We're here at the Mary Ward House for the Janus Conference. We are feeling very excited and nervous about the responsibilities we have been given. It's going to be am interesting challenge and we hope  can take as much as possible from the experience. 

Some expressions from our bloggers. 

"I think it's the best way to organise a conference. The energy of active participation is just fantastic."- Kersti

"I'm a very thankful to be a part of Janus 2013"  -Giedre

So here it is...

The day of the Janus conference has finally arrived. After 1 week of planning and preparation it all comes down to this. 

As a training facilitator and a member of the organising team I ask myself should we put such an important event in the hands of young people (many of which English is not their 1st language) and the answer I always come to is a resounding yes. 

For me I've never put much stock on the final result, I believe that the process many of our participants have gone through this week is the important bit. 

I feel we have had an amazing week, the stories have moves me to tears at times and lets face it with this much trust in what people have shared there is too much invested in the event for it not to be a success.

I wish all our participants well today, you have very little to prove to anyone about your abilities, go out there and impress this conference as much as you've impressed the training team. Watch this space for more updates... 

Aspiring for tomorrow

After partnerships were formed with the footprints the participants chose the jobs that they wanted to do for the conference tomorrow then they split off in groups to work on the briefs for their chosen job. The jobs included everything from welcome desk to the interviewing team.

There will be a lot of VIP guests and important decision makers at the conference tomorrow and everyone is very excited to see how the afternoon goes and meet new people.

Blog Post from Ingrid - Footprints to success

Today is the last working day before the conference. The weather is great and we have had a walk around in pairs. During the walk we shared our thoughts about the possibilities that Erasmus+ will be offering us.
When we came back to the campus we made footprints, on which we wrote down more concrete plans for the future. We used these footprints to share our ideas and everyone had the opportunity to leave their name and contact on the footprints that were made by other participants, so that we could start building partnerships. The footprints showed there are many ideas for all the different key actions, for example job shadowing, hosting and long and short term EVS programmes.
At the end all of the participants had loads of new possible partners!
This means that all the people that are here are eager to work within the new programme and that is very motivating!
It will be great to meet even more people that are supporting the new youth programme tomorrow, I'm looking forward to it.

Alexandre - Bulgaria

I've been most inspired by the personal stories of the young people. It's amazing to see the impact that this program has had on people's lives and you get to realise how much you, as a youth worker, can change lives. I love how this is such a sharing experience.

Noni - Cyprus

I think the program is really great I feel inspired and I will be keeping the contacts that I've created. I can't wait for the next few days.

Trevor - Momentum

It's a wonderful sunny day today and I'm so happy that we can be outside in England. Everyone has such good energy it's very positive.

Dorota- Poland

I've learnt to realise that these projects are going on and I now have concrete examples of solutions to problems which may arise which will improve new projects and organisations.

John - England

I find the whole experience very useful and I've found many new partners. I've learnt that a lot of the programmes that are running now are still continuing, which I was pleased to hear.

Alberto- Spain

I have found really professional youth workers on this programme who are proactive. I like meeting new people and making contacts. I have been happy to learn about the future Erasmus+ programme. I have also found the Janus staff team very good and efficient.

Harry - Scotland

I've learnt about the willingness of young people to help the disadvantaged and improve disadvantage inclusion. They want to help others and narrow the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged, which will help them to realise their potential. I feel youth problems like unemployment can be solved by bridging this gap through entrepreneurship can help improve social and business problems within the economy.

In the spotlight- Wild Cherry

Wild Cherry's focus in on education, both formal learning of language skills and non formal learning of developing employability and personal growth. Led by Sue Dudill, a brilliant director who works above and beyond the call of duty to help young people to be empowered.

They take young people who never would've believed they could achieve and help to realise their potential success by sending them on youth exchanges to different countries.
They offer training through the 'LICK' scheme which teaches people skills for employment and languages.

They believe in diversity and openness that helps them to include many different young people from many countries in and around Europe, with the help of Youth in Action, they have been able to grow their organisation and help it blossom.

For more information visit: Wild Cherry

In the spotlight - EuroDEMOS

EuroDemos is a Romanian based organisation that focuses on human rights and non formal education. One of the main parts of the basis when the EU was set up was making sure that everyone in Europe has equal human rights but still in some parts of Europe and around the world there's still breaches of these rights.

Human trafficking is still a big problem facing young European people, they're lured into it by the promise of a new life in a better country but are forced into prostitution for little or no money and poor living conditions.
In 2009 EuroDemos ran a 'how to forstall human traffic' training session with the help of Youth in Action, this was to create awareness within 12 different countries and help them to stop this terrible crime.

To find out more visit: EuroDemos

In the spotlight - Lewisham Young Mayor

A big problem in our society is that people are becoming unaware about politics and therefore not voting or just voting for the first name they see, this is especially a problem in young people. Less and less 18-25 year olds are voting or even registering to vote.

The Lewisham young mayor scheme aims to stress the importance of democracy to the younger generation and help them to be more involved in the learning about the process of politics and decision making. It starts with people in secondary schools so even before they get to eighteen the youth of Lewisham can contribute to their local council and get involved.

The current young mayor is 16 year old Jamal Higgins, he will run for the year and campaigned very hard to over 2,000 first and second preference votes and has been in charge since October 2012.

If you would more information please go to Lewisham Coucil or B-involved

Graphics and Rest

Yesterday was day five, so we're more than half way through the seminar and everyone has been pretty tired so far so this was only a half day.

After briefing the groups split into youth workers and young people. The young people split off and had a session with  Chris Shipton, a graphic designer and the youth workers had a presentation telling more about the logistics of Eramus+

Graphics are important for helping people to understand concepts more clearly. If some of the participants are visual learners or can't understand English too well then visual images can be extremely helpful, this is why Chris Shipton's young people session was very important. His easy to follow template will be used as a visual aid for when the young people and youth workers convene today to talk about future ideas. They could also be used on future conferences and sessions.

After lunch the participants were given some much needed free time to go into London or just relax and recharge. This is an important part of the programme to make sure that the participants don't get too tired and get to see more of the environment around them.

The programme is not perfect but...

as I reflect on my last 7 years of Youth In Action I realise there is a great deal that could be improved. It is a difficult process accessing funds, good partners can be hard to find, you have great difficulties wading through the rules and filling in reports etc. etc. 

But having said all of this does Youth In Action make a difference  ??? Hell yes, it transforms lives and as a youth worker I have seen this happen countless times. So for me the positives far outweigh the negatives. 

This conference is about celebrating the positives this was an aim from the beginning and if people want to be negative feel free to do so but not at the expense of the next generation of young people who will transform 1000's of lives in the future. Chose a different arena to vent your anger

Thank you Youth in Action as my life was transformed by your programme. It has shaped me into a greater professional and someone who is more tolerant, caring and interested in the world around me. I owe you a big big thank you, so here it is

THANK YOU

Paul (UK)

It apparently never ends...

I have considered myself a well experienced person both on account of my achievements and my...age. However participation in Janus Seminar has changed my approach to this issue for good. It has come out to be the very true when people here say and proove that Youth in Action events make the difference for those who are lucky to take part in them. You feel neither a better one or worse than the others. You are just one of them and the more your acquisition is the more valuable "source" you become to the newcomers to the YiA. I have a feeling to be on the edge of something so I will either fall down or see the other way to go forward. Thanks to this meeting in London I definitely opt for the second!!! Danuta from Poland

Taking in the sights at the Achievement Marketplace

Another day and another amazing opportunity to learn about the other organisations. The morning started with the groups splitting into youth workers and young people.

The young people started with a "Making Meetings' activity in which the young people had to go around arranging meetings for a certain time and putting them on a clock face, this taught them about time management but also helped them
use their socialising and questioning skills.

They had to find the next person to talk to along their clock system. There was a range of questions to be discussed from greatest points to barriers. This was a great opportunity to find out about the work that other young people on the seminar are doing.

The youth worker group work on a similar format but they sat down and discussed the work that they were involved in and also created posters about their work.

After a break the groups came back together to prepare for the Achievement Marketplace. Each organisation had a table and spent time up to lunch glueing, painting and colouring posters to make their area look vibrant and informative.
There were many things for the participants to look at and learn about including LGBT rights to lots of information about the different European Volunteering Scheme. There are a lot of problems facing young people today and these displays showcased how we're working to help them and thus help to change the future.

Then began the celebration of organisations in the marketplace. All groups had to give a one minute presentation about what were the successes of their projects. Everyone was allowed to speak a share their stories.

The highlight of the day was the spotlight, where young people got a chance to tell their personal stories about how Youth in Action has changed their lives. This was very inspirational for all involved and it was so fascinating and motivational to see how the young people's international projects have shaped and moulded their lives for the better.

Because after all that's what this programme is all about real people telling real stories about how they have achieved and made a difference to the lives of many.

Another sunny day

For England the weather has been surprisingly consistent and warm. This has led to a even better atmosphere between participants.

The event is going well with some amazing filmed interviews. 

Hearing these amazing stories Erasmus+ has a lot to live up to!

Sharing is caring

Sharing is caring...

I have heard this expression a lot. Never really fully understood the whole meaning behind it.


Until today.

Every organisation got the chance to present it self today. JANUS team, as usual, did great job with providing everything we needed. Computers, printer machines, coloured papers and much more. Artistically gifted people, there was a lot of them by the way, used everything amazingly well. In a matter of hours our pale and a empty conference room, transferred into colourful and interesting room. Room full of people eager to present their organisation and talk about their projects. The diversity and creativity of which was amazing.

I could have just end my post with that, but there was other things happening during the organisation fair as well.
Participants got the opportunity to share their stories. Stories about how Youth Projects influenced their lives. Things and stories that were said, touched every single person in side the room. I have no doubt in my mind that they will touch a lot more, when they are uploaded.

Personally today was an amazing learning experience. I am realising how many possibilities are waiting for me to be discovered.

So sharing is caring... I would say it is true. Today we all shared our experiences and stories with the same reason. Because we care!!! We care about young people and we care about projects being organised.

Today made me realise something as well. You can not connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards.
That was what our day was all about. Looking backwards, so tomorrow we can look into the future with clear picture in our heads.

Future is waiting to be created.

Janus is on Facebook!

You can now join the Janus Facebook page by searching 'Janus 2013' in the search bar
Here you can find the friends you've made on the seminar and keep in touch for the future.

Reflections from Day 3

At the end of every day the participants split into teams and reflect on the day's progress. These are a few of the points they made.

Positive:
Everything is well organised, the team is very helpful
There was freedom of choice at the intercultural fair on whether to join in or not
A sense of active participation
Everyone had a fantastic afternoon of food and dancing

Things to point out:
Openness of the team members to help and join in
Great cultural diversity and multiculturalism
Rich experience of people
Learning new tools from trainers
Everyone has a similar mindset and goal

Things to improve:
More free time in the evening
Longer breaks
More information about the Erasmus+ programme

Relationships:
They like the change in teams all the time to give them a chance to meet new people

One word to sum up the day:
Positive, Diversity, Fun
Active, Inspired, Friendly
United

As you can see everyone benefited from travelling around the Intercultural Fair and getting to know other cultures better and of course are looking forward to what the next few days will bring.

Why didn't I know that?

I am asking that question over and over again. What went wrong? I am active on European level and I did not know about European Volunteering Service.

Listening to stories of people who have done it fills me with mixed fillings. I am completely blown away with some stories and on the other hand I am sad because I can't share the same experience. Why? Because I was not aware if its existence earlier.

Thankfully I am still young enough and I can say I will be volunteering in the future. But what concerns me is, if I was not aware of it and I am quite active, how many young people still don't know about it?

We should definitely make a group effort and start spreading the word. Volunteering is something everybody should experience. Lets make it easier for people and start to promote it more. May that be on you face book profile, twitter or any social media. Volunteering will always be around. Lets make sure everybody knows that.

Travelling Europe for the Intercultural Fair

So day three of the project was here and it was time for getting to know each other's cultures really well and learning what the project stands for.
The day started with outlining the main objectives for the week so that the participants had a better understanding of the structure of the overall seminar. There was also a morning energiser to get people motivated and ready for the rest of the day.
During the day the participants were split up into teams to make jigsaw puzzles, these jigsaws contained the words that Erasmus+ stands for.

After lunch it was time to prepare for this afternoon's Intercultural Fair, which would showcase all the different European countries being represented and give the rest of the participants more knowledge about other countries. The groups split into their country teams and started working hard to make informative posters, flags and maps to make their table stand out.

As part of the fair there was a presentation from each country. Most of them brought their national dances to show off to the group. A lot of them were traditional to the countries and came with interesting stories and heritage.
Everyone joined in and enjoyed learning new dances and having fun being active and bonding with other members.
Those countries who didn't bring dance, brought local customs or traditional clothing.

Each one of the country groups got a chance to visit the other country's tables and see what they had brought.
There was a collection of different food and drink from each country to try. So the participants got the chance to have a cultured stomach and try many different flavours that they perhaps wouldn't have tried before.
For example the delights of English mustard or branston pickle.
Aside from the food and drink this was, of course, a chance to learn more about other cultures and practices and for the participants to show off their countries knowledge and learn about others.
The fair was a great success and it's inspiring to see the amount of countries that are represented and to think about how we can all work together to make this transition a success.

Safaa Jelassi - France

So far I've learnt to work in teams of people I don't know and met a lot of people and get active right away and how to have a goal and work together to get there. I've met lots of people from different countries and learnt about their cultures.

Peter Orszagh- Hungary

I realised doing the London challenge yesterday that the minority can pressure the majority. I did enjoy going round and seeing the sights of London but I feel that we still have a lot to learn about being a team and how to handle conflicts that arise.

Arslan Ismail- Denmark

During my stay so far I've met tons of people from around the world- I think it's a fantastic opportunity for me to learn about different cultures and to gain skills that I can benefit from. I still haven't met my future wife yet, but luckily I've still got a few days left.
Thanks for the opportunity!

Is this the best seminar I have attended so far?

It is becoming more and more obvious that people organising this seminar put a lot of effort into it. Everything is known at least few hours in advance, team is awesome and people who are attending are really inspiring.

Through out this last days we got to know each other better. People are more relaxed and prepared to share their knowledge about youth in general. I can not put in words how happy I am to be surrounded by people that posses that amount of knowledge about youth and different cultures.
All I can say is my eyes and ears will be open, trying not to miss anything.

I have to go and prepare for the intercultural fair now. Judging from the experience I have had last days, it is going to be FUN.

I guess answering my question will not be hard at all. I can already tell that this is definitely the best seminar I have attended so far.

Thank you JANUS team!

Michael Krenn- Austria

I have met a lot of kind and lovely people and have had a lot of fun so far. We got to see London and it was great, I've seen a lot of new things and many met many different people. Overall the University is great too.

Germaine Doelen- Netherlands

I've learnt to speak better English and met all different people mostly young. But I'd like to learn more about Youth in Action and its programs.

Views from the Thames Boat Party

   At 6pm we boarded the 'Thames Princess' for the boat party. 

 We made our way up the Thames to a soundtrack of music and party spirit.
The smells form the buffet filled the air as we watched the sun setting over the beautiful London skyline.

 This was a time to relax and continue to get to know all the participants on the programme and share stories about our days.



When the sun set it was time to party!
After letting our food go down and turning around to go back down the Thames we gazed in awe at the glittering sights of London at night, a sight which most visitors don't get to see especially by private boat.
If the wind picked up too much there was space inside to warm up and get to know everyone's stories even better and bond more as group.
There was a good atmosphere as people drank and danced the night away.

After a long day of sight seeing and travelling we were all happy to find our beds and reflect on how the city of London can inspire us to dream big and look forward to the future.

Afternoon sights and delights

Horse Guard

The groups continue to travel around London, using the tube system and learning to work together as they complete challenges and see the sights. Our media team gathered interviews and pictures while wandering around the city. The challenge came to its conclusion at The British council where the groups met up and got changed for this evenings boat party.

London Eye

The clock strikes as the challenge continues

More pictures from Parliament Square

The groups converge on Big Ben

The weather is beautiful as 3 of the 8 teams arrive together outside Big Ben. A chance to team build, socialise and soak up the unusually good atmosphere as 50,000 cyclists ride past.

The London Challenge is in full swing.

The London Challenge Has started

8 international teams head off from Brunel university to compete in the Janus Project London Challenge

Planning in progress...

The Build Up

After a day of preparation the participants started to arrive from all corners of Europe. 

Over the next few hours we are proud to welcome participants from the whole of the UK and over 20 countries.

Despite being tired travellers there are lots of smiles and people want to have some fun. It get the feeling this is going to be an amazing week!

Start talking

The first evening brought together strangers from over 20 countries - with an obvious interest in getting things moving. All in all a great start to an important project.

All Systems Go

On the hottest day of the year the team arrived at Brunel University and were met by the wonderful Kimberley. This morning some rain has cooled things down butit hasn't  dampened the team's energy and total commitment to making this project a success.