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Between 1-9 July 2024, three of us had the chance to participate in a training course in Vinci (Italy), called The Unarmoured Warrior. Visiting the native village of Leonardo da Vinci in itself is an exciting opportunity, but the training and the community of the young participants coming from 7 countries also exceeded all of our expectations.
We started the first day with getting to know each other and laying down the common rules. Then, during the afternoon sessions we started to delve into the various aspects of the main topic of the training – vulnerability – through words, but also physical exercises. One of the highlights of the day was the “impossible challenge” game, with which we proved both to ourselves and the trainers how well we can work together as a team. This extraordinary teamwork then accompanied our entire weekly activity.
On the second day, we listened to a presentation on transactional analysis, and we put the acquired knowledge into practice by presenting short, small-group scenes. In the afternoon, our creativity played the key role, as we had to capture the topic of the training and our related emotions and thoughts in the form of a visual collage and a poem. The day ended with the intercultural evening, where we got to know each other’s cultures and dances in a great atmosphere.
The next morning, the story of David and Goliath was at the center of our sessions. We talked about the “giants” of our lives, the problems that concern us all, and the ways we can face them. In the second half of the day, we visited Vinci’s speciality museum exhibiting models of machines based on Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings, and we also had the chance to enter the church where the famous polymath was baptized as a child. The day was crowned with an evening walk and a picnic, during which we enjoyed perfect views of the magical Tuscan sunset.
On the last day of the programs led by the trainers, we once again had the opportunity to push the limits of our creativity using the works of photographer Vivian Maier. Through the task, we were able to try out what it’s like to put ourselves in another point of view, which tuned us very well for the afternoon sessions. Practicing active listening, we all tried to direct our attention fully to each other, to really see and listen to those with us.
On Saturday, we took part in an organized trip to Florence, which provided unforgettable memories for everyone. The city is a true cultural and artistic center, which is not only contributed by the numerous museums operating here, but also by the rich built heritage. Everywhere we looked, we were surrounded by buildings, churches and squares of historical importance. The informal activities during the day served as a great opportunity for all participants to learn more from and about each other.
As the final chord of the training, on Sunday, as a result of our whole day’s teamwork, we performed a play for a group of local schoolchildren. The theme of the piece was inspired by the name of the training (The Unarmoured Warrior) and the topics covered during the week. During the preparation, everyone got the chance to contribute to the play in their own way, be it acting, providing music, or making the sets and props. And our hard work did not go unrecognized: by the end of the evening, we celebrated our joint success, tired but amidst the applause of the spectators.
The programs of the last day were about reflection, evaluation and feedback. During the week, we formed a very close-knit team, who spent a lot of time together not only within the organized sessions, but also in their free time. The walks we took together, the sunsets we admired together, and the group picnics on the hilltop were all breeding grounds for friendships that will stay with us even after the program is over.