Ice-breakers – iSEX

Ice breakers

When starting a workshop or a training session, it is essential to welcome participants and provide them with a safe space: there might be participants who feel a little embarrassment or discomfort at the beginning of a session. Ice breaking or relaxing activities can be a step to overcome this issue. Such activities can reduce the stress of participants and help them feel and relax their bodies: indeed, people learn better when they are calm and in a positive state of mind. Nevertheless, we would suggest not to skip a formal introduction telling participants the goal and structure of the workshop and introduce briefly non-formal methodology and its aims. That might give a feeling of security to participants new to non-formal learning.

We dedicated this first chapter to present a list of introductory activities that can be used at the beginning of the workshop or to introduce a specific topic.

Proposed activities are based on non-formal education which carries several advantages by developing team spirit and collaboration between people, stimulating creativity, fostering a friendly atmosphere, and renewing the energy.

Such activities aim at establishing a friendly informal climate for the formal learning to follow, facilitating the getting-acquainted process, and encouraging self-disclosure and self-discovery.

We also propose specific activities related to sexuality, intimacy, and relationships: introducing these topics may be challenging, so let’s start from here!

Activities

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The Eastern- Hungarian Community Service Foundation was founded more than 20 years ago with the aim to serve and represent communities. Since then, the foundation initiates and supports various community development processes particularly to solve social, cultural and environment protection questions that occurred in the region. Pays emphasized attention to youth and unemployment issues. In the last 20 years the foundation promoted mapping, exploiting and developing the human resources of the settlements in the region and helped the birth and operation of many smaller and bigger local communities.

The foundation supported the strengthening of the civil sphere by counseling and building networks. The organization popularized the good practices of the national and international community building through professional forums, guidance, experience sharing, training and disputes. Published professional brochures and books that can help communities to operate, to get to know good practices, ideas and to build connections locally, at national level and internationally.
The Foundation ran an Information and Counseling Office and Community Database for more than a decade. Organized professional consultancy for civil organizations and non- formal groups. Organized countless professional trainings and workshops, community development programs, Civil Disputes, Community weekends and Community Surveying. Published settlement calendars and booklets presenting the local history and exploring local values and resources, bringing back forgotten local traditions and treasures, giving new options and motivating community development or simply revive „sleeping” villages.
The Foundation established the István Koppány Award to reward civil excellence. For many years, since 1997, ran the Civil Academy Workshop series.
In 2019, the original Board of Trustees and the founder of EHCSF (KMKA) decided to retire and give place for new initiatives within the organization. Beyond promoting community development further in the region, the new leadership mainly focuses on issues related to women and young people. We would like to promote and take part in local, national and international programs and initiatives that are aiming to support these aim groups to ensure acceptance, understanding, cooperation and high quality, hearty measures.