Location: Nova Gradiška, Croatia Dates: 19–27 April 2026 Participants: 26 youth workers from 8 countries Partner countries: Croatia, North Macedonia, Spain, Türkiye, Italy, Serbia, Germany, Estonia
“It was very exciting” – what 26 youth workers said about From Conflict to Connection in Nova Gradiška
When you run an international training course, the evaluation forms are the moment of truth. You can feel the energy in the room on the last day, you can read the goodbye hugs and the swapped phone numbers but the forms are where you actually find out what worked. We’ve just gone through evaluation responses we got back from the 26 youth workers who took part in From Conflict to Connection: Non-Violent Communication for Youth Workers, held in Nova Gradiška from 19 to 27 April 2026. And we wanted to share what came back.
The short version? It went really well.
100% would come back
Every single participant who filled in the form said yes when asked whether they’d come back for another project run by our organisation and trainers. Not “maybe”, not “depends” = yes. That’s the result we care about most, because it’s the result that actually predicts what happens next: which of these people stay in the network, which ones bring their colleagues into future projects, which ones become long-term partners. Twenty-four out of twenty-four says the relationships built in that week are going somewhere.
On the headline question: what’s your general opinion about the Training Course? fifteen people picked “It was very exciting!” and the other nine picked “It was very good.” Nobody picked anything else. And when asked whether they were satisfied with the programme and activities, twenty-four said Very satisfied.
The trainers and the hosting team got the highest scores in the whole evaluation
The facilitation team came out with an average of 9.62 out of 10.
The hosting organisation scored 9.50 out of 10 on logistics and coordination.
Both averages are above 9.5, which in evaluation terms is exceptional and the comments back it up.
“The trainers were amazing. They took a very balanced approach, the activities they planned were very well thought out, which maintained a two way interactive street throughout. We all learned something meanwhile having a great time. Although sleep deprived, we were still so motivated everyday to get up and come to the sessions. So kudos to the team, they designed this program in a very professional and fun manner.” — Muhammad Asfar Sheikh
“Very prepared and attentive, I loved the way they lead us and how patient they were. I could feel their passion and I loved it. They put a lot of effort into everything and they were very enjoyable!!” — Alessia Crisonà
“They were all so kind, nice and safe people. They really took care of us, I’m grateful to be a part of these.” — Rüveyda Eker
“Funny, spirited and joyful, always a support and much to learn, all the best about everyone.” — Lazar Kostic
“The trainers were quite good, they are nice, close and professional. I consider that they helped some shy participants to feel confident to talk and share their ideas.” — Jesus Ramirez Melendez
“The best moment” — where the real takeaways live
The form asked everyone to describe their best moment from the project. The answers were a goldmine, because they tell you what people actually remember a week later and it’s almost always something different from what trainers might predict.
“The new connections I have made, the nights I have spent with people from so many different parts of the world, and the fact that although unexpectedly, I have met some people that I want to be friends for the rest of my life.” — Muhammad Asfar Sheikh
“Discovering a lot about the way I communicate, and the energizers were AMAZING.” — Teodora Cvetkovska
“The moment I had is when I got to learn more about myself. I have realised that I am not perfect at communicating emotions. I enjoyed the activities I have done, where we did what felt impossible and we managed to achieve it.” — Omi Hossain
“When we were doing the handbook — even though it was hard and we were all tired, we took that long mostly because we always want something to say and just to talk to each other more, and when we finally finished it felt very good. And also many inside jokes came from that basement :)” — Anonymous participant
“Active listening, card games, acting and the nights together. It was amazing.” — Alessia Crisonà
“I loved energizers, group activities and the time we spent all together. Basically everything was amazing for me.” — Seren Bozkurt
“When we had activities in the park and played games.” — Angela Temkova
The three things people gained
We asked participants to name three concrete things they gained from the week. The answers cluster around three themes skills, relationships, and self-awareness which is exactly what a training course on non-violent communication is supposed to deliver.
“Skills about how to resolve conflict, new friends and networking, great time and memories.”
“1. How to be more confident in social talking. 2. How to believe in myself. 3. How to comfort someone else.” — Natalija Nedanovska
“I have learned to respect other points of view, to discuss working in groups, and how to express myself being assertive.” — Jesus Ramirez Melendez
“New friends, knowledges, communication skills.” — Suzanna Nevar
“More confidence, more knowledge about the topic.”
The group itself
One of the most striking results: every single respondent said they got along with the other participants either Very well (twelve people) or Perfect (twelve people). Nobody picked anything lower. With 26 people in the room from eight different countries, that’s a kind of group chemistry you can’t manufacture but you can set the conditions for, and clearly the conditions in Nova Gradiška worked.
“Meeting all of the people and getting to know each other’s cultures and traditions.” — Yuliya Nevar on her best moment
“I talked with everyone and was interested all time to have conversations.” — Seren Bozkurt, on her own contribution
Messages left for the organisers and the chef
The form gave participants space to leave free-text messages for the organising team and the chef. We won’t list them all, but here are some of the warmest:
“You guys rocked :)” “Best organizers.” “Stay strong guys with such active work.” “You are so nice and optimistic people.” “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” “A M A Z I N G.” “Thank You very much for organising and keeping things neat.”
And for the chef:
“Give him a gold medal, it was super.” — Anonymous “I love soup ❤️” (who also wrote: “I’m not from a country where we love soup, nonetheless the food, especially the soup, was actually delicious and I have discovered new flavours.”) “Thank you for all these meals, we really enjoyed and felt healthy.” “Food was awesome.”
What participants said about themselves
One of the quietest but most important parts of the evaluation is the self-assessment where participants rate their own attitude, involvement, and learning. The average came out at 8.42 / 10, and the comments revealed something we love to see: people pushing themselves, leaving comfort zones, and noticing it.
Honest reflections, honestly received
No training course is ever 100% smooth, and we always read the constructive feedback carefully that’s how the next one gets better. A few participants noted small logistical points around accommodation routines and meal variety, and one or two suggested they would have liked slightly different pacing on certain workshops. We’ve taken all of it on board for future editions, and we’re grateful to everyone who took the time to write thoughtfully rather than just tick a box. Even the more critical comments came wrapped in warmth which says everything about the group that came together that week.
When asked what would you do differently if you could start the Training Course again?, the most common answer was striking: “Nothing.” Several participants said they’d just be more active, more social, less shy at the beginning, or stay longer.
Closing thoughts
Twenty-six youth workers. Eight countries. Eight days. Twenty-four evaluation forms returned and a unanimous “yes” on coming back for the next project.
The numbers tell a clear story: the facilitation was outstanding, the hosting was outstanding, the group bonded completely, and every single respondent came away feeling they had developed personally and professionally. The comments tell the deeper story underneath that what people are really walking home with isn’t just techniques for active listening or conflict transformation (although they’ve got those too). They’re walking home with friends from countries they’d never visited, with a clearer sense of who they are, and with the confidence that comes from being seen and heard in a group that genuinely cared.
That’s what Erasmus+ is supposed to do. That’s what From Conflict to Connection did.
