Wednesday, 1. 5. 2019.

Participants of VIVO.19 Training Course started the 6-day long program in ARS Viva youth hostel in Podcerkev, near Stari  Trg Pri Ložu.

10 Youth leaders from Austrian state Karinthia, Slovenian region Ljubljana and Varaždin County, many of them also officials in their Volunteer Fire Brigades met to exchange their experiences, knowledge and ideas about work with young people. During the workshops we discovered the details of training program knew each other, noticed similarities and differences between the three firefighting  organization systems. After the dinner we visited gallery of Mr Benjamin Beno Žnidaršič. 

Members of teams are:

…Slovenia – Marija, Saša, Tristan and Marko

…Karinthia (Austria) – Claudia, Bernhard, Miguel

…Varaždin (Croatia) – Tihana, Filip, Zvonko

It was quite interesting holiday afternoon and good start for collecting new experience with colleagues from three neighboring countries. 🙂

Zvonko

Thursday, 2. 5. 2019.

First of all Marko started with “Education mentoring”, where he lead us to discuss about the upbringing in firebrigade-youthgroup. It was a very impressed start into the morning. Then it was Sasa time: “How to responsible learning” – we have learned from her experience. Also Tristan, Marija, Zvonko and Filip had their very interesting topics, before the austrian team held their topic: “creative ideas: year-round workshops for young people”. Claudia, Miguel and me (Bernhard) showed some practical examples for working with youth-people in fire station. After all this workshops we had a really interesting debate with Beno Znidaršič about his life and beings still in hostel area. 3 Minutes later we met us in our cars for driving to Croatia – Prezid fire station. It was an very interesting viewing of the old and the new fire station in the very north of Croatia. By having dinner in the new fire station we talked a lot about experiences with defensing fires and other disasters. I wondered about the different organization in the fire brigades of the different countries (I will explain the differences at other time in detail ;-). Of course we had some kind of sit together afterwards in the accommodation and let the day fade away…

Bernhard (AUT)

Friday, 3. 5. 2019.

Our day started in underground. We went into Križna cave (Križna (cross) because of Križna hill above). It is also the graveyard for big extincted cave bears (Ursus spelaeus). In cave we go to a romantic tour in dark on first lake. It is so exiting walking on a path of extincted animals and be guest in natural pearl like this.
After guiding tour we get some insight in work of touristic guide. They must become a half hour before tour to prepare batteries, boots and to clean and prepare surroundings. They have to guide groups of different peoples sometimes more times in a day. After every guiding tour they must clean and dry all boot, go to village to replace boots and recharge batteries. When they don’t guiding they must care for cave, to stay clean and safety but most important natural, because caves offers shelters for wild animals.
At eleven o’clock we are arranged at the radio station Ognjišče. It is the most important national radio station with catholic contents. We were pleasant accepted by Nataša Ličan and we are thankful for her time and sharing with us. Nataša made a tour on radio station with us and made interview with Saša and Zvonko about VIVO.19. For the end Nataša made a live report about our visit on radio.
Radio reporters make some beautiful job, they stay by the side to every audience – they can make our day, every day.
In the noon we were shocked by two fire stations. Same state, same work and a lot of difference in PGD Zadobrova we have seen a big fire station with tradition from 1923. On the other side we met the commander of PGD Spodnja Šiška (1888). They have some serious problem with small place, inappropriate building and denationalization and building activity in the surrounding area.
Even the big different we can feel in both cases, that the size of station don’t mean everything, it is only one piece of puzzle in organization. The biggest piece are humans, their passion to work with youth and in emergency situations helping other citizens. You must be with all heart in your passion to success. We made one quick workshop in Europe house, about creative new ideas, before tour at interactive guide center about Europe, European countries and people and their experience and stories sharing.
We end our socializing in Ljubljana with dinner at the special restaurant Druga violina (Second violin) where are engaged handicapped in service. It was nice experience to see those people in other light. Even in big orchestra there must be second violin.
I hope to meet you in better weather and take a closer look at the beauties of Ljubljana.

Tristan Rome

Saturday, 4. 5. 2019.

Yesterday impressive day had an effect to today’s morning. Tihana prepared some thoughts about volunteers and we couldn’t go around yesterday’s examples. We connected the must but not always achieved – volunteers and management.
Austrians workshop about bonding with the nature was a real treat but it was quite hard for the group to get into it.
Before the big two pizzas we got back to the hard task of the VIVO & me volume and tried to connect the competences and creativity. Also the preparation of the Handbook is giving us a hard time.
Afternoon’s work shop about good training and a team becoming a real team comforted me and I started to believe in our team again.
The wind really changed and the rest of the day with Alenka at Babno Polje connected us and we were then also efficient in the last workshop of the day – preparing the VIVO 19 memory game.
We were also very happy to welcome our cook Marjeta and after dinner played some interesting and funny social games.

Saša

Sunday, 5. 5. 2019.

The rain could not spoil the excitement of the Holy Mass we attended with the firefighters of the Loška Dolina community in honor of our patron saint Florian, that was held in the church of St. George in Stari Trg u Ložu. Later we had a small ceremony in the fire station of  PGD Stari Trg.
In the afternoon we had the ceremony on which we planted the tree of this project. It was bought by an Austrian team and a members of the team “Čmrlj” had deposited it with the message of the participants in small bottle into the soil. It symbolizes life, fertility, progress and peace and it will grow with the growth of our team. Many thanks to our host Beno, the mayor of Loška dolina, the firefighters of this region and the women’s choir Kr’snice who were with us and made this event great. Another nice surprise we experienced before the evening was visit by US scientist James P. Phillips, who is conducting a study of bears in Alaska. We heard great stories about the bears. In the past few days we have seen a call to his lecture, but unfortunately we will not be able to attend it. We want him a great audience and a good look at domestic bears.
The day ended with a delicious dinner prepared by Mary and Erika.

Tihana

Monday, 6. 5. 2019.

Monday brought the latest work and farewell. We made overview the past days’ activities, and Saša has repeated the written down duties by themes which are awaiting for us to finish them at home. We will create a Handbook with examples of good practice, enrich it with photos and personal experiences.
Short questionnaire, cleaning the kitchen, thinking about finishing training and saluting Beno… We exchanged casual gifts, thanking each other for the exchange of experiences and traveling each one at his own place.
Only after a few days we will arrange thoughts, experiences, personal stories, the most curious or instructive moments. We will remember the thoughts of our guests and in what surroundings our life surprises us.
I am grateful for the new experience of international cooperation in creating new learning paths.

Marija