16 - 29 November 2006 Vicken Major, HUNGARY

Training for visually impaired people (Climbing Blind II) took place from 16 – 29 November 2006 in Vicken Major – Hungary. Participants from 4 European countries – namely Bulgaria, Hungary Romania and Italy took part in the sports event. The youths had two week training on wall-climbing, accompanied by a number of energizing exercises and various handicraft workshops.

6 youngsters from Bulgaria had the opportunity of participating in the youth exchange, since they were sent to Hungary by ‘Open Youth’ Organization – Vidin. The training was conducted in Vicken Major – 10 km. away from the town of Debrecen. The travel expenses, the food and accommodation of the participants were almost thoroughly covered by the host organization. The trainees were actively involved in wall-climbing – a sport, which constituted a completely new experience for them. Owing to the expert skills and the devotion on the part of the trainers, the youths were challenged to master the subtleties of wall-climbing, so that by the end of the training each of them was able to reach the top of the 8 meter wall quite skillfully, without much strain and difficulties. A week after the beginning of the education, a wall-climbing competition was organized in Budapest, where the Bulgarian team won 2 first prices, 2 second; and 1 third. Apart from the sports events, the participants were able to acquire some additional skills in the specially organized handicraft workshops. Furthermore, the youths were challenged to learn more about the cultures, life-style and habits of their foreign partners, as well as to develop their personal language skills.

The pleasant atmosphere, as well as the warm attitude and faithfulness of the organizers contributed to the successful results of the event. Only the language barrier appeared to put some strain and confusion among some of the participants at times, and nevertheless, it seemed to increase the participants’ motivation and concentration to reach the final goals – accomplishing remarkable sports results, gaining cultural knowledge, and making new friendships.