The First ever EIL EXPLORE welcome back day took place this weekend (17 Sep) at the Carmelite Centre in Dublin.
Winners from the 2016 Awards attended the day to talk about their experience abroad: the group was able to meet again after the pre-departure weekend they had in May and some of them got to meet their mentors as well.
The day was packed with discussions, debates, games and memories about the trips… Stories were shared from different parts of the world: Thailand, Mexico, South Africa, Japan, Ecuador and USA. The atmosphere was that of of a big reunion, with lunch and afterward drinks shared together.
The morning activities focused on reflecting about the challenges of the time abroad, as well as the best memories and what they have gained from it; some of the participants mentioned the difficulty to adjust to a different weather, the language barrier and being in a new group among the challenges; while the best moments were linked with the new friends and people met during the weeks abroad, connecting with local people and being immersed in a different culture!
In the afternoon, with the help of ex participant and mentors, the group was immersed in a discussion about their action projects, final step of their Explore award. Everybody had clear and original ideas on how to share their learnings with the local community, through presentations, surveys, involvement in local groups etc and we look forward to see the results of their projects here on the Explore website.
All the winners are now back to their “regular” life and to their studies… best of luck to everyone of them! in particular to the one commencing a new journey in college or finishing their final year in school! We are sure they will all have a fantastic year and will be do their best to honour their new status of global citizens!
Next appointment is for the EIL Network weekend in Cork on the 19th and 20th of November!
See you all really soon!
