EVALUATION OF THE CUCKOOS’ EGGS PROJECT - LEARNING TECHNIQUES
FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS OF THE YOUTH
FEEDBACK FROM THE PARTICIPANTS
The following answers represent the impressions of participants gathered on the basis of a
questionnaire distributed after the completion of the project.
Question 1
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROJECT?
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Because I wanted some peace and quiet.
I had already been to a camp organized by Youth Aid Centre Association and I liked
it, which is why I decided to go end see what they had prepared this time.
It was good.
To refill my batteries.
Because I have lots of problems I cannot solve by myself. At the camp I can forget my
everyday problems for a while. I also see that I feel better if I talk to people who have
problems similar to mine.
I was interested to see what problems we have.
I wanted to meet people from a different country and to see Slovenia and to rest a little
bit.
I love meeting new people and I wanted to get away from my everyday environment
for a while.
It was good because of new experiences, meeting people and doing interesting things.
Also, I have never been to Slovenia before.
I needed something like this.
I love getting new experiences and learning new things.
I have never participated in this kind of event and it sounded great and interesting. I
wanted to see another country and meet new people.
Question 2
WHAT NEW THINGS HAVE YOU LEARNT?
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When a person has problems and he/she is in a bad position it is good and important
that he/she stays in a group with other people. I’ve learnt that nobody is perfect.
I’ve learnt to trust people.
I’ve learnt that it is possible for many different people to get along great and feel
positive 24 hours a day.
It is not so bad to talk about one’s feelings. Also, I don’t suffer from stage fright
anymore.
To respect other people opinions and to be patient and listen to others.
I had my first experience with Serbian people. I’ve learnt about tolerance and
communication.
To listen to other people better and to respect their opinions.
Serbian people are great.
Slovenian people are great, I’ve learnt to make »Sataraš« and »Risota«. I’ve also
learnt an important fact: the openness of people starts with opening oneself.
I’ve learnt that some have really difficult and complicated problems.
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I’ve found out that I’m not enjoying my life in my hometown enough, with the people
close to me.
That I’m not in such “shit” that I thought I am.
I’ve learnt how to find my good and positive sides, to respect the differences in
thinking, and I’ve learnt the meaning of tolerance, equality and our rights.
Question 3
WHICH SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES ACQUIRED HERE CAN YOU USE IN YOUR
EVERYDAY LIFE?
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Dealing with conflicts; about group dynamics; how to come up to someone and listen
to him/her; how to face a problem and solve it.
All about social closeness; I will work on letting people closer to me and I will try to
be more open to others.
All experiences about other people’s feelings, which show in very different ways.
How to use the camera, and wash the dishes.
Skills related to solving problems, avoiding conflicts and expressing myself through
my body (body language).
Teambuilding.
How to open my mind and give other people support in difficult situations.
To be organized and precise.
How to respect different opinions and to be patient enough to listen to others.
I have more faith about people getting along fine. It is important to open our hearts to
achieve a positive atmosphere and a feeling of acceptance.
Morning day planning with all members of the group. I will try to read a Slovenian
book when I get home. I will practice playing drums to release bad energy from my
body; I will try to bake the Slovenian national cake, ‘Prekmurska gibanica’.
Question 4
WHAT DID YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT THE WHOLE THING?
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The thing I liked most was the way the whole group managed to live and work
together. We got along very well right from the beginning. I also liked the atmosphere
at the camp and I was enjoying the creative afternoons and especially the camera.
The crazy dinner at the Slovenian evening; I experienced the feeling of platonic love; I
was enjoying playing ‘Secret pen-friend’ game.
The people, the campsite and the workshops.
The relationships between people; social closeness; openness; the whole organisation;
how we organized our everyday schedule, where everybody was doing something.
The contact with others, openness and closeness.
I felt very independent.
A bunch of differences; making up the differences; a lot of honesty in the group;
games which made me think.
Leading and free time.
The presentation of our products.
Creative media; evening chats; the trip to Piran; the Serbian night.
The creative video workshop; the Serbian and Slovenian evenings; the trip to Piran.
I loved the workshop on expressing our feelings with our bodies.
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The Getting to know each other workshop; Creative afternoons.
The leaders.
Talking about our rights; the workshop on learning assertiveness skills; the workshop
on dealing with conflicts; the presentation of our products.
Question 5
DID YOUR OUTLOOK/PERSPECTIVE ABOUT OF THE PROBLEM THAT SURFACED
THROUGH CREATIVE ACTIVITIES CHANGE IN ANY WAY?
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My comprehension of my problem changed a little bit. I found out that other people
besides me are important as well.
I have found the essence.
More than I can think.
I found out that my problem should not have such an impact on my life, I have to
move on.
I found out that creativity makes lots of things easier.
It helped me a lot that to have a chance to talk about my problem within the group.
I have learnt to listen to myself, this is a good skill.
Something has changed, I love people around me more, I accept them more easily.
Others gave me some answers by behaving in their own way; the good combination of
everything at the camp had a great impact on my problem.
People at the camp have no idea how much they helped me. I can easily say that my
problem is now solved.
I believe more in myself, I am more confident and I feel that I am holding my life in
my hands.
I found out that we all have problems but there are ways for them to be solved.
My problems are a part of me, and I should not reject them. You have to live what you
feel, and turn your caprices into something more positive, and give them as much
stress as to your good side; Yeah!
I experienced a great tolerance between people although we were so different; that
gave me strength for the future.
Question 6
WHAT WOULD YOU ADD TO THE PROGRAM OR CHANGE ABOUT IT? WHAT
ARE YOUR SUGGESTIONS ABOUT THE PROJECT FOR THE FUTURE?
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It should last longer.
More days; more frequently; next year in Serbia.
I feel complete and happy.
It should last longer and Slovenians should come to Serbia.
The same group should come to Belgrade, it would be a big mistake not to continue
our gathering and it should last longer.
The program should last longer. A similar project should take place in Belgrade with
all those wonderful people. I want more!
More time and twice a year.
More free time and some more days. As for the future, I believe in your creativity, I
am sure anything you do will be number one.
The people who are doing the workshops should be on the camp from the beginning.
Cuckoos’ eggs – part 2!
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More activities in the outdoors and the program should last longer. »Cuckoos’ eggs
2« - maybe in Serbia
More games and relaxation.
More time.
The campsite should be in the countryside – in the mountains or near the sea where
there is no noise.
Question 7
WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY TO US?
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You are great; you’ve put a big effort into the project, just go on that way!
So much positive energy in one place, I’ve never seen something like this in my life;
I’ll probably have difficulties coming back to real life.
It was really cool for me; I do not want to go home yet. I’ve never let people in my life
as fast as that happened with the people at the camp.
That was something unforgettable, a fantastic experience, ‘full cool’!
I love you all very much!
I would like to stay in contact with the people from the camp. Someday I want to be a
member of such a leading team and prepare projects like this. Egon had a great impact
on my way of thinking, and I am very, very happy to have experienced and been a part
of something like this.
I’ve had a really great time here, and I’m very sad because we are leaving; the camp
should last longer. I don’t know how to thank you all, people, this is the most
interesting thing that has ever happened to me.
Thank you my dearest friends!
You are the best!
I’d love more camps like this in the future.
Love ya!
The program meant a lot to me.
Cuckoos’ eggs 2 on Tahiti!
I love you all!
I want to tell you that you are great!
Judging from the answers we received from the participants, we can see that the objectives of
the program were achieved in many ways. The participants gained lots of concrete
experiences that made a lasting impression on them. Also, they now have the experience of
many different individuals living together, accepting each other and being honest.
Communication is an important way to achieve this: start saying what you mean to say. The
participating youngsters got the feeling that they are not alone with their problem. It is true the
problems originate from relationships with others, however, it is much easier to deal with
them when you have the support of people who are willing to listen and not only judge.
In the preparation phase for the project we were mostly interested in what changes this
initiative would bring about. No doubt, we succeeded in stimulating the dialog between
youngsters from Slovenia and Serbia. Their answers also show that they learnt some new
skills regarding the problem solving process. They discovered that creativity makes life
easier. They believe more in themselves, they are more confident and feel they are holding
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their lives in their hands. Additionally, they now know how important it is for them to open
their hearts to create a positive atmosphere and a feeling of acceptance in a group.
An important answer, as far as the project objectives go, is the one referring to tolerance.
Namely, one of the participants replied that tolerance between people gave them more
strength for the future. The participants have thus learnt to respect different opinions and to be
patient enough to listen to one another.
The great majority have discovered new ways of dealing with problems, which is evident in
many of the answers to Question 5 (Did your outlook/perspective about of the problem that
surfaced through creative activities change in any way?). One of the answers is very
representative for the whole group: » I believe more in myself, I am more confident and I feel
that I am holding my life in my hands. «
The methods and techniques used for the project were all meant to stimulate the youngsters to
express their points of view and to encourage their creativity. The participants felt good
because they were taking an active role in the program, and they also felt responsible to do
their part for the whole group. The active participation at the camp made them feel more
independent. There is no doubt that we overcame some stereotypes and prejudice among
youngsters. They discovered that it is important to get to know people personally, and not to
jump to conclusions based on prejudice acquired from parents, friends or at school.
We will see if we also empowered them to assume a more active role in dealing with their
future problems when the same group gets together again, hopefully in Serbia.
FEEDBACK FROM THE ORGANIZERS
On the whole the project was successful, our goals were achieved. At the evaluation meeting
we discussed all four phases of the project in order to decide what to change and what not.
The first phase involved contacting social work centres, schools and youth clubs to find ten
participants, which was easily accomplished. While doing this, we discovered that it is
necessary to define in more detail the roles of individual organizers, the tasks that need to be
carried out and the ways to do this. That is very important because we co-operate with
volunteers who usually take over just some of the tasks during the project, and since we did
not do this very precisely, some members of the leading group were more occupied than
others.
The preparatory meeting of all partners in Slovenia was successful, however, since we were in
a hurry most of the time, it should have lasted a little bit longer. This meeting included
adjusting individual interests and expectations about the program, going through the program,
practicing workshops, defining our roles in each part of the project in detail, etc. We believe
that we need more than two days for this phase.
The third phase and the final phase, i.e. the youth camp and the final presentation, were quite
intensive. At the evaluation meeting we went through all parts of these two phases and detail,
and came the following conclusions:
Good points:
- Technical aspects of the organisation were successful.
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We carried out all our plans and were also very flexible as far as wishes, ideas and
needs of youngsters were concerned. We added a trip to Piran to the program, which
proved to be a good idea.
We chose a perfect campsite, the energy there was great.
Living together at the camp and active participation of all participants is the best way
to learn and accept differences and to promote tolerance.
Changes:
- The camp should last longer, at least seven to ten days.
- We should add one or two topic workshops to the program discussing relationships,
values and society.
- The workshop on dealing with conflict should precede the workshop on assertiveness
training.
- The afternoon creative workshops could take place outside; we could also leave the
campsite. However, four days are not enough to accomplish this.
- Daily meetings of the leaders should be longer.
- There should be more free time at the camp.
- People running the workshops at the camp should be at the camp the whole time from
the beginning.
- There should be a concert and same dancing after the final presentation.
- More effort should be invested into promoting the final presentation, so that more
people come to see it.
Ideas for the future:
- To do an advanced but similar project with the same group in Serbia.
- To do the project twice a year.
- To stay in contact with all partners of the project and to do more projects together
because this was a great sharing of experiences and learning from each other.
- To co-operate with other former Yugoslav countries.
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