IMPLEMENTATION

Once upon a time  in a far away land here in Pissouri, 

lot of people gathered to improvise their lives, 

as if solely strategizing life would work. 

- Naya Antoniou (Team 8, Cultural Competence)

27th of November 2022

FIRST DAY

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

During the morning session, we held an activity about creating our own envelopes. In this activity, participants were walking in the room with a piece of paper with their names and a circle (face). As they were walking with their papers each time and when the trainer said "stop", it was simultaneously suggested to draw a specific feature of the face of the participant whose name was on the paper (e.g., eyebrows, eyes, lips). We continued until we had drawn the whole face. In this way, we had a portrait of each participant which had been drawn by various other participants. Afterwards, we put them up on the wall with an envelope underneath which was used to place some "presents'' and nice words for each person.

We then continued with an introduction to the Training, introducing the six rules of improvisation and discussing how they are linked to social entrepreneurship. Participants were shown how the theatrical methods of improvisation, which are often implemented in Comedy or Image Theatre are needed and can be used in any setting in life. 

EIGHT COMPETENCES AND YOUTH PASS

In this activity, participants have been divided into eight groups. Around the workshop room (as well as outside) they were eight stations. Each station was about one Erasmus Plus Competence (e.g., Literacy, Multilingual, Mathematical, Digital, Personal and Learning to Learn, Citizenship, Entrepreneurship, and Cultural Awareness and Expression Competence). Participants with their teams received their Youth Pass portfolio and they had to go around the stations and complete a particular task out of three. For each task of a particular competence they completed, they were going to the "authorities" to receive confirmation through a stamp. To our surprise, in 40 minutes, most teams completed all the tasks. This was a way for them to understand that Youth Pass is not only about the certificate they receive but about the subjective way in which they develop. It has been given to them space in this way, to reflect on each individual competence through practical learning, collaboration, and fun. 

During the afternoon sessions, participants had the opportunity to explore our hosting village; Pissouri. They had to complete 12 tasks by walking all over the village. See the implementation of this activity here: https://pimpro.webnode.co.uk/tasks-in-pissouri/?_ga=2.182868070.1914740591.1670167896-1322632095.1657366559

28th of November 2022

SECOND DAY

IMPRO CONNECTION TRUST AND ACTIVE LISTENING

During the morning sessions of the second day, participants implemented some activities about trust and active listening outside. During the first session, participants were divided into pairs. One person from each pair got her eyes blindfolded while the other person was guided. They walked in this way, with the purpose of developing trust in the person who guided them. The roles later changed in order for both persons A and B, to feel develop trust in one another to guide them. This activity can be seen in two meanings. 

The meaning related to improvisation is that if we do not trust others (in this case to guide us), being submissive, no work of collaboration can be done. In theatre and improvisation, you have to trust the people you work with for improvisation to work out. In this way, participants successfully trusted their pairs and were guided by the other person. After all, if one does not love oneself, he cannot love others; if one cannot trust himself, he cannot trust others.

The second meaning was that we should be sufficiently confident in both positions; we should, first and foremost, be confident in ourselves in order to evoke trust in others. If we do not trust ourselves, it is more difficult for others to trust us (in this case, to guide them). All of the participants successfully trusted their pairs, which shows how everyone trusts themselves.

Another activity that was done in the first session was one about mimicry in which participants formed two lines (being opposite of their pair). In this way, they had to mimic their partner in whatever he was doing. This activity had a deeper meaning in that as we grow up we constantly mimic our surroundings (i.e., behaviours, attitudes, personality traits, etc.); we constantly develop our minds through mimicking. A good entrepreneur, thus, should be able to live in the present moment like a child; he should be able to absorb all the information he needs to develop himself and his business. Mimicking is not copying; yet it is trying to extend our neural paths to embrace the strange, that which is close to us; that which we can. It is how we develop through life, how we experience life itself; for mimicking is very close to what we call self-development. It is through mimicry that our mind is extended, being able to accept more and more universal perspectives into how we see the world. 

During the second session, participants performed some activities about active listening. In one of these activities, half of the participants were instructed to say something important about their lives in their pairs while the other half was instructed to pretend that they were not listening. In this way, one understands how important it is to listen with your body and be open and accepting to another's voice, as your bodily movements, eye contact, and other facial gestures play an important role in your partner to trust you and respect you. 

Another activity that was implemented is called the Three monkeys. In this activity, participants got divided into pairs of three. Triads had one particular task. Person A was representing someone that cannot see, person B, something that cannot hear, and person C someone that cannot speak. Being divided in this way, they had to complete particular tasks. The meaning of this activity was that we do not only hear with our eyes, but we do also not only see with our eyes, and we do not only speak by using language. We should be energetically open to receiving information in whatever setting; we should be accepting and embracing other people's inner voices. Only, in this way, can any work follow smoothly with the maximum impact and result.  

29th of November

THIRD DAY

IMPRO CREATIVITY

During the morning sessions of the Third Day, participants implemented a series of activities about creativity in relation to improvisation. They first implemented the activity with Galaxies, in which they had to stick papers on the floor outside in order to walk on them. Teams quickly got the point. Later, they were been divided into groups and given the instruction to construct as many planes as they could with paper for the purpose of flying them as far as they could. The purpose of the activity was for the participants to let their imagination and use whatever they wanted as a plane and fly it as far as they could. Yet, most participants did not understand that this was the point and they constructed aeroplanes in the most creative ways. For example, the engineers of the team came up with some brilliant designs have taken into the account the direction of the air flowing, and tried to be more creative with the functionality of the plane. The activity with the planes was also a competition as the team that would have the most aeroplanes beyond a fixed line would win. Participants had certainly a lot of fun.

In the second session of the Third Day, participants were been given circles on paper, with the purpose of thinking out of the box and designing 12 items with those circles. Being in teams, after they drew the items from the circles, they should come up with a narrative. 

The purpose of creative sessions was for participants to understand that once we trust, actively listen, and accept others a lot of new and creative ideas can come into any entrepreneurial business. 

IMPRO MISTAKES, RISKS, AND FEARS

Afternoon sessions began with the Alphabet Improv Game. In fact, they formed a circle outside and they had to continue a scenario one by one by starting the sentence alphabetically. For example, the first person should start the sentence with the letter A, the second with the letter B, etc. Whoever was making a mistake, was strictly rejected from the game and was going inside. The first eight people that made a mistake went inside the workshop room and were instructed to write a poem about mistakes, the second eight people were instructed to create a journal, and the third eight people to draw something creative. The purpose of this game was that the sooner we make a particular mistake, the more time we have to create something meaningful and learn from it. 

The session continued by dividing participants into pairs. Half of the pairs were instructed to create a beautiful and creative present for their partners. When they would receive the gift for their pairs, they had to react in a beautiful way, trying to find meaning and functionality in what they received. The other half of the pairs were instructed to give the worst present to their partner they could think of. Their reaction should have been equally bad, finding the creative present they received unfunctional and unthoughtful. The meaning of this activity was to understand that there is no right and wrong way of thinking about things. We might sometimes think that something may be the "right" thing for someone, yet the other person may not be satisfied or we may misunderstand this person. Equally, if we think that something is "wrong" with someone. Setting aside the terms "wrong" and "right" allows us to break the walls of the norms and stereotypes of society. We all speak our own language, perceiving the world in a different way and we can only become successful, have a successful business if we let ourselves define our reality instead of adapting to a constructed reality, which is not ours. 

We continued with a light version of pantomima in which participants were divided into three groups. Each person received a quirky character card. One by one they had to enact this role in front of their group and others had to understand what their card was saying. The person who found the card was taking it. This activity was mainly about taking risks and unravelling any implicit biases and stereotypes. It was about acting out of the box and thinking in a more creative way by receiving characters that were often out of the ordinary. It was about putting ourselves in other people's shoes, as only in this way, we can become unique and stop acting like everybody else. 

When we finished with the pantomima - individual roleplaying activity, we continued with the flip-flop activity, in which participants should write on the "flip" side a mistake they made in their lives and in the "flop" side what they learned from it. The meaning of this activity is obvious and it worked as a conclusion of the IMPRO sessions about mistakes, risks, and fears. A lot of participants reported that they did not feel they made a real mistake in their lives and that their mistakes were simply past selves who acted in the best way possible for them. After all, if they did not make the "mistakes" they made, we would not be able to be there all together in this training. 

3Oth of November 2022

FOURTH DAY

ROLEPLAYING IN KOUREION & TRIP IN LIMASSOL 

On the fourth day, we started in the morning with a relaxed activity and energizer and we proceeded by distributing scenarios about entrepreneurship to pairs. The purpose was for participants in pairs to create a scenario of two minutes which they would implement in Kourion. 

The city-kingdom of Kourion was built on the hills of the area and overlooked and controlled the fertile valley of the river Kouris. According to archaeological finds, evidence suggests that Kourion was associated with the Greek legend of Argos of Peloponnese and that its inhabitants believed they were descendants of Argean immigrants. The once-flourishing kingdom was eventually destroyed in a severe earthquake in 365 AD.

There, participants could present their roleplaying in the magnificent Greco-Roman theatre - the site's centrepiece, which was built in the 2nd century BC and extended in the 2nd century AD. The theatre has been restored and is now used for open-air musical and theatrical performances - mainly during the summer months - making it one of the most popular settings for high-calibre cultural events.

The setting, the sun, and the wonderful view allowed participants to experience how it is to act in a more complete way. The fact that they've seen this place for the first time allowed them to improvise, but at the same time have fun and get out of the bubble of the workshops. 

After the roleplaying in the archaeological theatre of Kourion, we went into the centre of Limassol, where participants could explore the area, get some rest, and get to know each other better. The multifunctional seaside Park; Molos, which is at the centre of Limassol is considered one of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean basin. Currently, Molos Limassol is a wide promenade framed on both sides with delicate palm trees, where part of the boardwalk is made in the form of small pools. On the Seaside are several wooden piers, which are also places for walking.

1st of December 2022

FIFTH DAY

FROM IMPRO TO SOCIAL ENTERPRENEURSHIP 

In this activity, participants were introduced to the difference between knowledge, skills, and attitudes. They've been divided into five groups with each group taking a worksheet and a concept related to the things done the previous days. The topics were: (1) Active Listening, (2) Trust, (3) Yes and..., (4) Creativity, (5) Mistakes, Risks and Fears. The participants had to work in groups to create a three minutes presentation about what they learned in the form of knowledge, skills, and attitudes from a particular concept. This helped them retrospectively think of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes gained in the previous days, and how they can apply them in entrepreneurship. 

HOMEWORK PRESENTATIONS

In the second session, participants had time to present their homework activity about best practices for social entrepreneurship in their countries. See their work here: https://pimpro.webnode.co.uk/pre-activities/

MEET WITH LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS

In the afternoon sessions, we welcomed three guests to walk us through a discussion about their entrepreneurial implementations, and companies. We first welcomed the president of ACPELIA, Nikolas Nikolaou for a short speech about how he first initiated the yearly scientific conference taking place in Cyprus: https://pasythe.org.cy/. He talked about how he went through a lot of obstacles and mistakes to ultimately implement the initiative. 

We then had two guests, Orfeas and Orestis Kritikos who talked about how they managing their 3 initiatives/ companies. They talked about their historical process of managing them, how they divided responsibilities according to their personalities and skills, and how one of the most important things (if not the most important) is having a website of a company as this is what records the process of the company itself and attracts consumers. They proceeded in talking about how they take into consideration the needs of their customers after trial and error and how they started making money out of nothing. 

In the second session, they proceed with a workshop in which participants were divided into groups and they had to design their own company, addressing a particular problem by finding a solution, deciding their company's name or slogan, and distributing responsibilities according to the skills of each member of the team. They had to accumulate their ideas in a poster to sell their company. The setting was very well designed with participants ultimately competing with one another about their companies.

2nd of December 2022

SIXTH DAY

ENTERPRENEURSHIP COMPETENCE (ENTRECOMP)

In this activity, participants have been introduced to ENTRECOMP, which under the Erasmus Framework describes entrepreneurship as a transversal competence, which can be applied by citizens to all spheres of life from nurturing personal development, to actively participating in society, too (re)entering the job market as an employee or as a self-employed person, and to start up ventures (cultural, social or commercial). ENTRECOMP can include green entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, digital, or social entrepreneurship. It consists of 3 sections with 5 competences each (i.e., in sum 15 competences). 

Participants have been divided into groups and have been instructed to create a scenario (not roleplaying) in which one person in the group would be the perfect entrepreneur. The purpose of the activity was for participants to get into the position of successful entrepreneurs and understand what it takes personality-wise to be like that. Most participants came up with a roleplaying scenario due to the subconscious influence of misrepresenting improvisation with theatre, yet they successfully implemented the activity and applied a lot of competences to a perfect entrepreneur. 

JOURNALING 

In the second session, we continued with journaling, in which participants were divided in pairs and sat outside to go through a series of tasks. The tasks included: Identifying your own Why; your deepest drive in doing everything you do in your life; identifying the five core values of your character, identify the top 3 qualities of your ideal self, making a list of all the things you want to achieve in life and the start removing things, etc.). Such questions are quite important in all areas of life. By understanding why we do everything that we do, we gain a sense of purpose without the danger of following a path that won't help us achieve this purpose. On a similar wise, identifying the core values of our character helps us align what we do with our values. For example, it is quite important if we value honesty to not fall into diplomacy but into transparency and genuineness. This is inseparably linked with how well we will do things in life. If our life is not consistent with what we value the most, then it means we are doing something wrong, or we are still in the process. No matter what we believe, need and want, it is our lives and our surroundings that dictate the truth of what we are. We create our reality and if want to have an entrepreneurial mindset and create our own dreams and ambitions, we should, first and foremost, change our surroundings, be in environments that are consistent with what we value, or create these environments. 

DESIGN THINKING

This activity started with a brief brainstorming on design thinking (in fact, on the five steps of empathising with the customer, defining the problem, ideating, prototyping and testing). Participants were then broken up into teams. Each team was assigned to come up with the worst possible idea about a product. To complete this task, participants had 20 minutes. After all the groups had finished, we asked participants to pass their ideas to the next table, while they had one minute to explain to the other group why their product is the worst. Now each group was asked to design the circumstances within which the previously bad idea would become the best idea possible. 

After designing the best idea possible, participants were given 15 minutes to create a pitch in order to sell their idea. The pitch functioned as a competition with all the teams voting whether the designed product addresses a particular social problem, whether it finds a solution if the pitch presenter was clear and precise, or whether they would buy the product itself. 

In this context, the worst possible idea functioned as an improvisation tool as it allowed participants to relax without the fear of making mistakes and they later could ideate and prototype their best possible ideas in a more efficient and creative way. 

3rd of December 2022

SEVENTH DAY

MEDITATION AND LETTER TO A FUTURE SELF

On the morning of the last day, participants did not have to go through educational or kinesthetic activities related to improvisation. They had time to relax through a guided meditation and they later spend some time writing a letter to their future selves to give to another participant and receive it after one year. 

OPEN SPACE

On the morning second session of the last day, participants were been given time to explore different stations and spend their time how they liked. We had drawing, hugging, dancing, karaoke, and writing station. They could also come up with their own station and spend time with the people they wanted, writing letters to other person's envelopes.