Erasmus+ Value Europe Workshop 1

Students’ Learning experiences were valuable in the Value Europe Project

Workshop number 1 of the Erasmus+ Value Europe project was held in Helsinki, Finland on 5-10 October 2022.

Checking navigators

There were almost 50 students, teachers and coordinators participating in the workshop. The workshop was held on Haaga campus of Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences to minimize the need for transportation. The project set up a sustainable event in a forest next to the campus and invited two groups of 9th graders from the nearby Pohjois-Haagan yhteiskoulu (PHYK) school.

During the workshop week the participants enjoyed two expert lectures:

Sustainability in events and Baltic Herring Market as a sustainable event – Emma Abendstein / Events Helsinki
How sustainability is reflected in the hotel’s operations – Virpi Vidal / Hotel Haaga.

The lectures were closely connected to the themes of the workshop week as the participants visited the Baltic Herring Market at Helsinki Market Square and the foreign participants stayed at Hotel Haaga, experiencing their sustainability actions live.

Visiting the Baltic Herring Market at Helsinki Market Square

Programme of the Value Europe Project’s Workshop 1:

Programme of the Value Europe Project Workshop 1

Feedbacks of the VEU Workshop 1

Workshop 1: ”CETT Barcelona School of Tourism,Hospitality and Gastronomy ’s students at Junk and Vegan. So happy to be part of the 1st workshop of the Erasmus Value Europe project in Finland!!!!” See the original posting on Instagram: @value_europe

1/ Individual feedbacks

MARTA (Estudis d’Hoteleria i Turisme CETT, Spain):
”My opinion of this experience is that it has been very interesting and rewarding.”

Read the full feedback by Marta

My opinion of this experience is that it has been very interesting and rewarding. I think it was a really good decision to request to participate.

With the online meetings, which were sometimes a bit chaotic at first, I wasn’t sure that it would work this well, but it has.

Even though the Teams meetings were a little challenging (connection problems and such), I enjoyed the video presentations and brainstorming assignments, and I was excited to continue working on it. I think making the video presentations was a smart idea since it can be challenging to present yourself in a video meeting. Also, I felt the brainstorming was very helpful to start thinking about sustainable events. We did it all together with the other CETT students and it was a positive thing for us as we had never worked together before.

Another good point in relation to this project was how frequently we were in contact until we got to Haaga, I sense it hasn’t been too often or too little, this way I didn’t feel too suffocated or forgot about it. Helping to plan the event (online and in class), has been a highlight of this whole experience, in this way, I think everyone could give their ideas and impressions on how to proceed and hear the opinions of others.

Of course, the greater part of this whole experience has been our time here in Finland. I was thrilled to meet other students, visit Helsinki, and learn more about Finland and its traditions and way of life. I am really thankful for this opportunity.

I would like to say that it was very nice working with the group I was assigned to (Group 1). Everybody was working hard and we were in agreement most of the time, I think that’s why it worked so well. Alissa, our team manager has been very kind all the time, always trying to give us information about Helsinki, she said some very interesting things about the market and she worked a lot with us.

I found our activity interesting and well developed. The only thing I would change (apart from the short time we had) is that it would have been useful if we had given them more information about the plants they found, so they could also learn more – I already proposed this idea via campus.

Finally, I would like to thank all the organizers who made this possible, I enjoyed this opportunity and it was really good to do different things:the scape room, going to the Fishermans Market and both of the presentations we had about sustainability.

NICOLA (I.I.S. de Amicis, Italy):
”This project was a great opportunity to get involved in a different environment than I was used to.”

Read the full feedback by Nicola

This project was a great opportunity to get involved in a different environment than I was used to. This project was created to encourage sustainable development and to learn skills for the realisation of events.

The first part of the project was organised through online meetings between the three participating countries Italy, Spain and Finland. The meetings were difficult because having never done things like this I was disoriented, but after a bit of effort I managed to settle in and collaborate with my team mates that I did not know before. The first task was the brainstorming of ideas. I really liked it because I was encouraged by the use of new platforms and in implementing my skills in group work.

We were divided into 4 international groups headed by the students of Haaga-Helia University, each group drew up the plan for the realisation of their idea, dividing it in the various timing, illustrating the budget and the various objects that would be needed.

The last part of the activity was the most fun because it took place in Helsinki in Haaga-Helia, we have always worked in our international groups. We divided roles so that each of us had a task to perform and we prepared the material we needed.

The event took place in the central park of Helsinki, the 4 groups positioned themselves in their positions and each of them presented the activities to the students who were to carry it out. We collected feedback on the whole event with a questionnaire and the guys expressed considerable appreciation for all the activities carried out so I am very satisfied with the work we have done together.

This week in Helsinki was very useful and I learned many things. I got to know two new cultures, one similar to mine, the Spanish one, but another totally different, Finnish one. I had fun walking around the city looking at the buildings and talking to the locals and being able to discuss with them the diversity of our cultures.

MATILDE (I.I.S. de Amicis, Italy):
”I enjoyed working in a team even if not in the same place and far apart.”

Read the full feedback by Matilde

I had the opportunity to participate in the Erasmus project ”Value Europe” by collaborating with schools from Finland, Italy and Spain. The organizing country was Finland.

The aim of the project was to create a sustainable event for guys of 15-year-olds.
The event took place on Friday 7 October 2022 in the Helsinki forest.

Before going to Finland, in Helsinki, from 5 to 9 October 2022, we had online meetings with all the schools to prepare the event.

I enjoyed working in a team even if not in the same place and far apart. The thing I liked the most was meeting people that I met during the organization of the event. I liked the interest of all participants in completing the tasks assigned on the iPerho website. The site was simple, intuitive and well organized.

To organize the event everyone was asked to give some ideas for the activities to do during the event. The activities had to be about sustainability.

Four multinational groups were created and planned the activities. I was part of group number 4 and my team leader was Aleksi. in my group there were Italian, Spanish and Finnish guys and I enjoyed working and speaking using English and Spanish.

The activity proposed in our group was to: let the children collect the objects found in the forest, such as pine cones and sticks, and then divided into two groups throw as many objects as possible into bins. Whoever threw the most objects won a prize.

On the day of the event, the guys participated in the activities proposed by each group in an interested and dynamic way. I and my group mates were very pleased that our activity was the most appreciated.
In general the event was much appreciated by the students and we saw it both in their faces and with the answers they gave in the questionnaire prepared in class.

During the event my task was to welcome the guys and accompany them to the forest to carry out the activities and then give the prizes to the winners.

During all the preparatory activities for the event and later I saw participation and interest not only in the activities, but also and above all in the main theme of this event: sustainability.

I liked that not only in the classroom there was attention to sustainability, but also in the hotel chosen for us. In fact the Hotel Haaga Helia Central Park, where we stayed, is careful to the needs of customers but also to the environment. This can be seen from the materials used in the rooms and in the fact that the food used is organic and that what remains is used in the coffee buffets in the city center.

I liked being part of this project because it gave me the opportunity to meet new people and cultures, to speak in different languages and to be part of a group eager to create something beautiful for the environment, for the guys and for the future generations.

During the workshop I would have liked to deepen the economic part of the event.
I come home with the awareness of having lived a beautiful educational experience where we have given value to what we live and that surrounds us by creating an event with the importance of sustainability at its center, a theme that affects us all, future generations and the world.

2/ Group and inquiry feedbacks

GROUP 1: ”We learned a lot!”

GROUP 1: Aliisa, Jaro, Alex, Josefina, Chiara, Gaia and Marta (in mixed order) have some tasks for you

Read the full feedback by group 1 (Canva)

***

GROUP 2: ”Than you all for this beautiful experience!”

Grop 2: Onna, Martina, Alice, Netta, Raquel, Pol and Jim (in mixed order).

Read the full feedback by group 2 (pdf)

***

GROUP 3: ”The event was a success – average rating 4,22/5.”

GROUP 3: Monna, Laura, Noa, Livia, Ilenia, Santtu, Joona and Kenneth (clearly not in this order!) looking for herrings

Study the full results of the group 3 Kahoot inquiry (pdf)

***

GROUP 4: ”Analysis of feedback – average rating 4,7/5.”

GROUP 4: Matias, Antti, Kiia, Arnau, Anna, Matilde, Riccardo, Nicola and Aleksi (in mixed order) by the edge of the Gulf of Finland in Helsinki downtown

Read the full feedback by group 4

Feedback by group 4 (inquiry)

Our activity was ”Throw into bucket” -game
We got the best average rating out of all of the checkpoints
The customers would have wanted more sporty games and activities
Overall the customers enjoyed the event

Analysis of feedback – average rating 4,7/5

Learnings and improvements

What we learned:

responsibility and sustainability when it comes to planning events
working in a multinational team
gathering information from the customers before the event
wow to fulfil the needs of the target group.

Improvements:

the activity should have had a educational purpose
we should have asked in the questionnaire what the customers learned
ask the customers about their sustainable habits and the topic overall.

Students’ learning experiences in the Value Europe Project

On Instagram: @value_europe >>