Second day of training (06.04)

The morning started off chaotically, we were flipping chairs, throwing them into a pile and trying to form a circle of them. Sounds random, doesn't it? It was all a part of an activity to teach us more about communication and how to work more as a team, even when we seem to have different goals in mind. This was the perfect kick off for the day's program which included learning different leadership styles, how groups are formed and how groups come to making a decision. 

Aide and I (Nilgun) have organised an activity to introduce the three different types of leadership styles, Participative Leader, Laissez Faire Leader and Autocratic Leader. All participants were divided into three groups and asked to pick a leader for their team. We gave each leader a role play of one type of leadership style. They had to act according to the type they were allocated.

We asked all teams to build the tallest tower with only materials provided to them ( tape, paper, hanger, scissors etc). In thirty minutes they had to complete their tasks under the leadership styles used by their leaders. We discussed with everyone how they felt under a specific leadership and the pros and cons about each type. And we shared previous experiences from our own life. Overall, we received positive feedback and everyone not just enjoyed the activity but also learnt something new from the activities but mainly from each other. Mission accomplished!

The group decision making activity which I (Frah) have chosen was based on the how making a decision can at times challenge and test the individuals values and attitudes and can make a  difficult for one to make a decision, as individual sometimes making a decision  can be based on our  biased thoughts, however when group makes that same decision, it out ways those thoughts comes with the benefits of having diverse solution. This activity shows that a group decision making is not as much about how we vote on a decision but on the process of hearing and incorporating all sides. 

The day ended with the intercultural evening which included a lot of international food of which some dishes shocked (mämmi from Finland) and others everyone fell in love with (crema di pistacchio from Italy). Everyone joined in when a local group showcased their music skills and their traditional dances.