The Last Week of the BFTF

Monday (WS´s and a model of the EU)

In the morning we had a set of three workshops. We started with Aaron´s Optimism in the World of Dystopia. We tried to figure out how to make haters engaged and enthusiastic for our projects and ideas. Aaron had also the next workshop called Conducting Meaningful Research. It was basically about the way how to use the most appropriate and relevant information. In the workshop Atrracting Volunteers to Your Project Carren explained us t different ways of manipulating with people willing to help.

After lunch we had the model of the EU. We divided into two groups: European Council and European Parliament. We were concerned about refugees usually fleeing from the Middle East and Africa to Europe. I represented Greece as its prime minister Alexis Tsipras in the council. My position was pretty bad. Nobody respects Greece and I again needed money to deal with the huge number of refugees. At least we managed to push through a dispersion of few dozens migrants from the Southern Europe to other European countries. even though Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic were strongly against. I convinced many states about the reform of Dublin 3 Agreement, but there was no time to vote about about it finally. Our resolution was approved, even though it was a piece of .... as is usual on a similar kind of models.

Vivat Greece!

Tuesday (Data and Metrics and Authoring Action)

We started by a three hours workshop Data and Metrics. We were trying to find different ways of measuring success, mostly in terms of our final projects. Emily always introduced us basic facts as some improvisations and then we got some time to think techniques we are going to use up (for example different kinds of surveys, control tests). When we were done, she discussed with us individually their effectiveness etc.

You may still remember Nathan Freeman who had a workshop on creative writing the last Tuesday. So, today about fifty young people from his organization Authoring Action came to have a pizza lunch with us. We had some informal talks and got to know some people from Winston-Sale, who were usually excited to meet some foreigners. When all pizza was eaten, we started presenting of our pieces we were supposed to write during the last session. Some people from Authoring Action prepared pieces on the same titles (street, around the corner and once upon a time). Everybody just came in front of the audience and read his usually short piece. For us, Europeans, it was difficult to write something with artistic value in English, I am not very proud of my piece, but I surprisingly did not get bored during the reading, which took about 3 hours. Some pieces from Authoring Action people were very strong and moving. The social problems, racism and repressing of human rights still exist in the U.S., so they precisely addressed real problems (see the video below).

Wednesday (Final workshops, farewell dinner)
The Nathan´s workshop Ever, never, never........vote was based on a discussion why we should vote and why not. The fundamental were the argument that if people do not want, they cannot complain and counterargument that voting is just promoting and enforcing the power of the existing system, considered as wrong. Nobody won, but I supported the first statement, as I am not really a kind of a couch revolutionist. Mads and Sarah had a workshop about successful BFTF follow-up projects. There are dozens of them, usually focused on working with youths.

Tomorrow we are presenting our final projects, so they gave us a free afternoon to get prepared. At 7 pm the farewell official dinner started. Our host families came as well, while we were eating some kind of pretty bad food, there was some performance like singing, reciting or beatboxing. Mr. Allan Louden, nestor of the whole BFTF, had an impressive speech about main ideas of the program. Then we said thank you and good bye to the families and a big part of the BFTF was over.

When we came back from the dinner, most of the people just started working on their presentations. My roomie Gabin turned out as a master of procrastination. He said it did not matter if he started few hours later, as he would sleep bad anyway. So he started about 1 or 2 am, nonetheless he managed to finish it successfully.

The final picture from the dinner

Thursday (presentations)
On Thursday we were supposed present our projects. We were divided into few blocks (environment, tourism, communities in need etc.) according to what our project was focused on. Every presentation could not be longer than 10 minutes, there was a place for questions and answers after all people from the block were done.  On this link is a record of every presentation.
http://media.business.wfu.edu/Mediasite/Play/f11a3a375da84cfb98a6474eb94687521d

My project is on education, so I presented it in the morning. I was one of the first and then could enjoy watching the others. I enjoyed that, every project was good and was professionally introduced (see the video on the link).

Presenting...

Friday - the final day of the BFTF

We did two thirds of the presentations yesterday, in today´s morning we did the rest of them. There were blocks on environment, education and equality and equity.

When we finished all the presentations, we had a final ceremonial, where we were given some diplomas confirming our participation in a program funded by the U.S. Government, which should be something prestigious according to what we were told. 

Graduation - I was holding a someone´s diploma in cyrillic as they had forgotten mine somewhere

In the evening we had farewell party in a place called Barn (it really was something like a pseudo barn). We had a lot of coke which was probably supposed to make up beer (many Europeans could not get over it)  and a lot of food. There was also some music and most of the people were dancing. It could be quite fun.

Dancing

There was no curfew this evening. We are departing soon morning tomorrow, so the sleeping would not be worth it either. I was enjoying the environment of a beautiful university´s campus and had some last deeper night talks with few people. Then I wrote some farewell letters and about 4 am went to sleep for two hours. 

Saturday

Of course, I overslept, I packed all the things in ten minutes, then gave back the keys of my room. Pathetic goodbyes could start. It was hard to leave great mentors and great people I spent an unforgettable month with. I never cry, but I was near to it that time. If I could I would. 

Most of the people from Europe were flying at the approximately same time from Greensboro, so I experienced same again and then got on the plane to Chicago, where I spent 4 hours waiting for my next flight to Frankfurt.