“To harmonise E+ volunteer training and evaluation, the Commission has designed a ‘Training and Evaluation Cycle’ (TEC) for which the National Agencies (NA) or regional SALTOs are responsible. /…/ This TEC also facilitates contact between volunteers, participating organisations and NAs /…/.”
(source: E+ VOLUNTEERING TRAINING AND EVALUATION CYCLE GUIDELINES AND MINIMUM QUALITY STANDARDS)
Below you can read aboutNovember’s meet-up from the perspective of our volunteer Mathilda.
As she puts it, it was a chance to “meet fellow ESC volunteers, bond through games, fog, food, and laughter, and learn who’ll be sharing this volunteering journey together.”
If you’re curious about how it went, keep reading ..
“Our On Arrival Training took place in the beautiful town of Laško, Slovenia — known for its thermal spa, fog-covered mornings, and, as we soon discovered, an endless amount of food.
We arrived by car, excited but tired, and were immediately welcomed by the impressive Laško Thermal Spa Hotel — a place so fancy it seemed to have more plants than people.
A Dazzling Start (and Buffet)
From day one, we were dazzled by the sheer amount of food the all-you-can-eat buffet offered. Every meal turned into a small celebration — and maybe a small mistake too. As we say in Germany, “Da wurden die Augen größer als der Magen” — our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. The first evening ended with us rolling into bed, completely full and happy.
Getting to Know Each Other (and the Paper)
We kicked off the week with name games, tossing a ball and introducing ourselves — the perfect icebreaker before diving into what would soon become a paper storm. We drew, discussed, planned, and did group work like crazy.
Every morning, as we woke up, a mystical fog hovered over the Laško river, almost making the town disappear. But our thermal spa fought back bravely — with its own fog rising from the hot outdoor pools.
Midweek, we took a trip to Celje, which was supposed to be a scavenger hunt. Instead, it became an adventure of its own: trying on traditional German trousers in a second-hand shop, stumbling into a sex museum, sipping coffee in a café, and buying a Jesus sticker — because why not?
In the evenings, after all our activities, we played the game “Shit Happens.” Each card showed a misfortune with a “shittiness” score, like “getting your leg amputated — but the wrong one” (98.7 on the scale, by the way). You had to guess where each disaster ranked. It was ridiculous, chaotic, and surprisingly fun. After all that shit, we finally went to bed — brains tired, hearts full.
Swimming, Volunteering, and Mushy Brain.
The next day was all about volunteering — reasons, motivations, and responsibilities. By the end, my ears were wobbly and my brain had turned to mush. So I took my wobbly brain to the pool. From that evening on, swimming became my nightly ritual — the whirlpools didn’t fix my brain, but they gave me peace from all the talking.
Later in the week, we worked on project management, inventing events and activities we could implement in our youth centers. Somewhere in that creative chaos, Frederique le Chameleon was born — our group mascot and symbol of adaptability.
Mountains, Naps, and Reflections
When free time arrived, some of us recharged in our rooms (hi, introverts), while others — the extroverted non-plus-ultras — went on a chatty hike up the mountain beside the spa, living their best Slovene life. Naps were, of course, essential parts of the process.
As the week came to an end, we reflected: How do we feel now? Tired, yes — but connected, inspired, and definitely well-fed.
Overall, the On Arrival Training in Laško was an incredible experience. We met fellow ESC volunteers, bonded through games, fog, food, and laughter, and learned who we’ll be sharing this volunteering journey with.
It wasn’t just a week of training — it was the beginning of something truly special.
Best, Mathilda ”
photo credits: Mathilda
