2nd Training Course

2nd Training Course

2nd Training Course 150 150 Sports Together

During the summer time second training course where taking place on 22 – 28th of July in Kaunas, Lithuania. This training course was created for refugees/migrants/mentors to become capoeira teachers. The 7-day training course provided participants with the knowledge about anatomy, capoeira’s training programme and theory, injuries which can happen during the training and how to prevent that to happen. 16 participants where participating in this training. This training course was a real success for us, as participants got fully involved during this project (check the post – Capoeira Workshops in/ event).

TESTIMONIAL from one of the participants

“Capoeira Connects Community”

Another dream has come true and all thanks to the initiative of #activeyouth. Just in June I was participating in a dance camp where I met someone who is practicing capoeira for many years, then a month later I am training capoeira with #Kaunascapoeira for an entire week! Falling in love with capoeira as an art form has fortified my passion for all things related to the culture of Brazil in addition to Zouk dance and Portuguese music. The training has gifted me with another hands – on methodology of how to connect community members by active learning in the form of social sports. Just as I believe in social dance between men and women as a beautiful vehicle to encourage people to engage with each other through physical movement in unison, so have I found the same to be true about capoeira… and I can’t wait to introduce and adapt it to our community as well!

While the training was intense (which I was hoping it would be), even I was caught by surprise when at the end of the week during reflection I realised that this project accomplished exactly what it sought out to do in the first place – to connect people and integrate them into a community through a common activity. The participants were people of varying ages, of different levels of physical preparation and exposure to martial arts, however what bonded us more than anything was our dedication to work as a team despite our differences and in spite of the obstacles – within or without. The fact that the daily training was physically, emotionally and/or mentally challenging created an environment which was explosive at times, in terms of interpersonal relationships, yet at the end of the week it led to the development of a truly cohesive team that was unstoppable in spirit.

When the last day of the project came and we were coming together for the final time as a group to share Capoeira in Vilnius Vingio park, many were tired and even intimidated about the idea of openly displaying ones individual skills in front of the public. Yet more than anything, what was driving us to be there was each other- we felt empowered by each others presence, by our unique trialling experience we had underwent, sharing everything from sweat to laughter! We had a common goal and the unique core principles of capoeira – UNITY- as our main driving force and we felt connected as ONE. Our moves may have not been perfect, our Portuguese – less than ideal, our bodies – fatigued but we were singing our hearts out, teaching new people with openness and compassion and feeling the silent solidarity amongst each other.

By Giedrė Kotryna Kazragytė

Additional Information

  • Promotion of training course;
  • More pictures from the training course;
  • Video from Capoeira training course;
  • Capoeira Community Facebook group;
  • Info pack of the training course, with all the information for project participants;
  • Schedule of the training course;
  • Training Course was promoted through @active.youth Instagram stories;
  • A lot of the participants shared their experience on their personal Facebook or Instagram accounts (e.g experience).