“Domino Effect” Training Course
Sermugnano (VT), Italy, 21st – 28th March 2013
What “Domino Effect” Is?
“Domino Effect” is a training course promoted by Cooperativa Sociale Muovimente on the topic of positive social change towards sustainability. It is funded by the European programme “Youth in Action”.
The course will be a moment to meet, form and join a growing community of learners: young people, trainers, educators and social workers. They will share knowledge, train competences and develop awareness on the course’s topics. Innovative inputs and working methods will be suggested to create the ideal conditions for learning and reflection.
The course will be centred on the concept of “domino workshops“: every day, programme space will be offered to participants to take the initiative and suggest a topic, a method, and lead a workshop. We expect you to take the initiative!
If you have something connected with the theme of the course you would like to share, send us a draft of your session, workshop (or other input) by March 3rd at the latest. Use the form attached to this email. The team will then include your sessions in the general context of the course and give you more information.
A strong emphasis will be put on experiential methods, outdoor education, individual and group reflection and sharing. The course will involve 34 people between trainers, staff and participants from 11 programme countries (Italy, France, Czech Republic, Greece, Belgium, UK, Ireland Hungary, Germany, Austria, Switzerland). It will take place in Sermugnano, a small village located in the central Italy, from the 21st (arrivals) till the 28th (departures) of March 2013.
Aims and Objectives
The main topic of “Domino Effect” is positive social change towards sustainability, a theme that will be examined with a holistic approach on various levels using different learning tools.
The main objectives of this training course are:
- To discuss the concept of “positive social change” and the role we can have as agents of change;
- To learn and share tools, skills and competences connected with positive social change;
- To develop a non-hierarchical organic community of learners, who will share several days of life and experience a sustainable environment;
- To provide a space for participants to brainstorm and develop future actions.
Accommodation, Map and Area Informations
The area where the project is gonna take place is near to the border between the regions of Lazio and Umbria, in the center of Italy.
The accommodation of the course will be in Sermugnano, a small village in the centre of Italy between the cities of Viterbo and Orvieto. Sermugnano is a medieval very small village (80 residents!) surronded by rolling hills, immersed in an inspiring landscape ideal for reflection and education. There is just one general shop in the village, open 6 hours a day (more or less…) where you can find most everyday goods, tobacco, drinks, snacks. Anything fancier, we might need to organise a trip to the local supermarket to get it.
The hostel is managed by “Cooperativa Sociale Muovimente”, a small social enterprise born in 2007 with the aim to promote social awareness, sustainability and active citizenship, through non formal education.
The place has got a large kitchen, a common room used for meals and social time, and an activity room. Bedrooms will be shared: there will be 8 rooms, from 3 to 6 beds, each with a private toilet and shower. Let us know in advance if you have special accommodation needs and we will try to address every situation (within reason).
All meals will be prepared fresh and catered by two local ladies who cook traditional Italian cousine, with an eye to seasonal, local and bio products. Wi-fi internet will be available all the time.
Reimbursement
You will get 70% of your travel expenses reimbursed. We can reimburse only the cheapest transportation possible, so use only public transportation, 2nd class and no taxis.
In order to make the reimbursement, we need:
- An invoice where it’s declared the itinerary of your trip, the names of the passengers and, very important, the price of the ticket. For the groups who are going to book plane tickets, it’s enough for us to have the confirmation e-mail that you should get from the flight carrier;
- All your travel tickets (train and bus tickets, boarding passes, etc.). The boarding pass is very important, because it’s the evidence that you actually travelled, so we will really need them for our report. No boarding passes, no reimbursement!
The following lists shows how much we calculated for every country per person for the full round tickets, so please try to NOT spend more than this:
- AIP e V., GERMANY, 3 participants, 300 €
- Jizni Vitr, CZECH REPUBLIC, 2 participants, 250 €
- LPCS, SWITZERLAND, 2 participants, 250 €
- Children & Youth in Community, UK, 4 participants, 450 €
- Pandora Group, HUNGARY, 2 participants, 250 €
- Cultural Triangle of Prespes, GREECE, 2 participants, 250 €
- Development Perspectives, IRELAND, 2 participants, 350 €
- Institut International Social et Culturel Europeén, FRANCE, 3 participants, 400 €
- Butterlfly Effect Austria, AUSTRIA, 3 participants, 266 €
- Tetra, BELGIUM, 2 participants, 250 €
- Environmental Group of Kessariani, GREECE, 2 participants, 250 €
The reimbursement will be done after the end of the project via bank transfers, when we’ll get back all your tickets and boarding passes from the trip back. All the informations about when and where to send the tickets will be given during the training course.
IMPORTANT: A partecipation fee of 30 € per participant is expected and will be paid in cash during the project.
Travel information
Arrival to Rome
Rome is the best airport destination to fly to. Both airports (Ciampino and Fiumicino) will be fine. We gently ask you to organise your travels in order to land in Rome not later than 16:00 p.m. on the arrival day (21st of March), so you can be at the seminar place for dinner time. For the same reason, on the 28th of March, the departure of your plane shouldn’t be earlier than 10:00 a.m.
Let us know about your flight details to and we’ll send you all the informations about how to reach the meeting point, which is at the train station of Orvieto. Orvieto is on the main railway track, halfway Roma and Firenze, and most regional and intercity trains leaving from Rome will stop there. We reccommend regional trains, you can buy tickets at the automatic machines in the station or at the ticket offices, at the price of 7,50 € (one way). More info on trains: www.trenitalia.com (then “tickets”).
In Orvieto there is no possibility to get lost, the station is pretty small and once you’ll get there, we will come to pick you up by car for bring you to the accommodation place (15 minutes by car). Wait outside the station and somebody will arrive!
IMPORTANT: Make sure to have some money (euro) for the return tickets, because it won’t be easy to find a cash point in Sermugnano!
What to Bring
There will be a “council of stories”, in which people will be asked to share stories connected to change – in their lives, community, society, other people’s lives… Be prepared by bringing one personal object that will help you to tell the story.
Outdoor gear: we plan at least one hike in the surrounding areas, and some other activities will probably take place outdoors. In Italy weather can be really nice and warm at the end of March, but you want to be prepared in the event of mud, rain and walking through bushes: a waterproof jacket, good hiking shoes or boots, hat, your personal water bottle, a small backpack, pocket knife, and the like.
Insurance: the organisers will NOT be responsible for any injury, accident or loss of personal property that should unfortunately happen during your stay with us. It is your responsibility to think about your own travel and / or health insurance.