Members’ Weekend: We are all lifelong learners
We decided to explore this concept together during the Members’ Weekend in a charming city of Lviv.
During those two days, we have met old friends, shared our experience, evaluated our present and made some the big and inspiring plans for the future.
Our participants shared some thoughts on lifelong learning, the effects of being an EYPer, and their impression from Members’ Weekend.
Oles Galchuk: I believe people should start learning at the age they start reading and continue until they can not do it anymore. Lifelong learning for me is a method that I use to achieve my goals. It includes reading books, attending seminars, lectures, and events like Members’ Weekend. You should learn to achieve more, to know more, and to share your knowledge with others.
Oles Galchuk: This was my first EYP event. The first thing that I noticed was that everyone was smiling and hugging. At that moment I understood that I could not only meet new people here but find good friends for life. EYP is like a camp. You get the opportunity to both work and rest while being a part of such a progressive community. It is also an opportunity for self-development because EYP is a place where you need to think. This event helped me to understand that I want to be a part of this story, communicate with these people, go to other countries, and take part in EYP events.
Martha Yakovenko: Lifelong learning is a process when a person`s focus is not limited to professional growth only. It is about broad development and setting small goals you want to achieve. That could be pretty much everything. For example, learning how to drive a car or improving photoshop skills. That is when you get to learn a lot of different things that you may later use in your life.
Martha Yakovenko: EYP as an organisation taught me to communicate with people better and consider others’ opinions. I have gained a lot of hard skills such as media production, academic English and writing. The thing I enjoyed the most as an organiser of Members’ Weekend is seeing how people who have years of experience share their knowledge with those who are new to the organisation. It is impressive because participants were able to not only look at EYP from the session’s perspective but understand what you could gain afterward and what benefits it could bring.
My advice to those who are starting EYP would be the words of the former President of EYP Ukraine Tania Lavrichenko: “If you did not like EYP for the first time, try again.”
Olia Lenkivska: Lifelong learning is a continuous development of your skills. It is like learning a new language. For instance, if you start learning German, you know you should be consistent because language is just like any other thing — you have to train and practice to succeed.
EYP gave me a lot of things. I was a delegate two times and both were very different. The first one was pretty intense. People in my group were friendly but at the same time, we all were stubborn as everyone had their own opinion. It taught me to communicate better and understand that everyone has their background. I grew as a person and met many good friends.
Olia Lenkivska: I knew that EYP can help me a lot in the future but at Members’ Weekend I got to learn very practical things. I saw how I can implement in the future the skills that I learn in EYP. At this event, I have learned how to balance work, social life, and health. It also helped me to understand the structure of EYP better and determine which roles I would like to fulfill.
Yulia Matviychuk: Lifelong learning is a constant process of development when you value all the opportunities to grow and become better. It is using all the time you have constructively. For example, planning the day thinking about your goals and the ways to achieve them.
It is about studying every day. There are a lot of situations when you can learn something new, and that is why you need to have this constant desire to learn, get new information, and process it correctly.
Yulia Matviychuk: I joined EYP for the first time because it was a lot of fun. When I learned more about the organisation I understood how many opportunities are here: traveling, getting to know new people, growing and developing yourself. When I look back at that experience, I understand that the skills I use in my everyday job come from EYP. I manage a huge team, and the majority of people I hire are from EYP. I believe that this organisation allows people to learn how to communicate, manage crises, and be empathetic. These people are always very motivated, and they know what they want from their lives. I joined this event because I am a maniac when it comes to lifelong learning and self-development. I was very happy to finally share this knowledge with young EYPers.
Yulia Matviychuk: If you want to benefit from your time in EYP, use every single opportunity and travel a lot. Communicate with people from different countries because this intercultural experience gives you a broad vision of what is going on in the world and how people may be different based on their culture and personal experience. Develop in the sphere you like. If you like capturing moments, join the session as a Media Team member and you will have a good portfolio as well as the necessary skills to get a good job. Communicate with people. EYP is all about communication which helps you to have useful connections even after you stopped being an active member.
So let’s learn life together during future EYP Ukraine sessions!
Interview by Tonia Mambyk and Marichka Nadvernyuk
