out now: Summer Edition 2007

[Editorial][Finland 06][Exec. Committee] [Interview][Invitation Zürich 07][Games][Romania][ESG Day 06][Handicrafts][Masthead]

ESG Seminar in Finland, September 2006

My teacher agreed to give me the days of for the ESG Seminar, the registration was already sent to Finland and my flight booked to Helsinki. Only didn’t I really know what to expect there in Finland…

Well, it was a first class experience, let me tell you!

A European camp, a little bit outside Helsinki, in a beautiful finish forest in a hundred years old house. There, seven nations were represented for four days: Finland (great hosts!), Sweden, Norway (attention! Crazy singers!), Hungry, Lithuania, Germany and Switzerland.

A full program was waiting for us, that’s true. Four days aren’t a too long time, so we really filled the time we had.

In international groups we discussed topics like membership growth or we listened to a very impressive historical speech about the European YMCA by one of the Y’s men. One day we visited Helsinki and of course the typical Finish Sauna had to be part of the programme (which I unfortunately missed, because I was so busy with my workshop).

On Sunday morning, before leaving, we joined a church service in Finish, which, luckily, was also translated into English.

And then, the joint experience came already to its end. One said goodbye und was already looking forward to the next ESG Seminar 2007, which will by the way take place in Switzerland. A great thing!

Tanja Bertozzi, Switzerland