On 22-24 November, we visited Larissa as part of the "Train the Trainers" workshops, a specially designed training seminar for the trainers of the "New Agriculture for a New Generation" program.
The workshops were organized for the 5th time since the "New Agriculture for a New Generation" program’s launch and were once again a huge success. The program aims to strengthen the hard and soft skills of the program's trainers in order to respond to the specificities of adult education and also be able to work from a new perspective, overcoming older attitudes and behaviors.
The “Gaiopolis Campus” of the University of Thessaly, welcomed the trainers, who this time took on the role of pupils and attended a series of thematics, by specialized lecturers and educators. Elisabeth Papadopoulou, Adult Trainer and Psychologist, helped participants develop role-playing skills and get in touch with the personal characteristics of themselves and their team, while Yannis Mavrokoridis, Business Director Cross Training, through an interactive discussion focused on the management of various working groups as well as on the necessity of sound decision-making processes.
Participants also followed up with Konstantinos Karavasilis, Food Scientist and Quality & Innovation Expert, learning valuable information about the global nutrition system and the current situation of the modern food industry, while learning about current consumer trends, the process of innovation and the development of new products in the agri-food sector. Furthermore, Dimitris Koutoulas, Assistant Professor of Tourism Management at the University of Patras, through the "Destination Marketing Bootcamp" introduced the participating trainers to the basic principles of marketing and management of places and tourist destinations while also discussing about the importance of branding and market research and analysis in the tourism industry.
On the last day of the seminar, trainers and participants left the classrooms and visited Dimitris Miga's Wine Estate, on an educational trip to the beautiful “Paleos Abelos” Valley just outside Larissa. There, they had the chance to see one of the most modern and impressive wineries in Greece, while Dimitris Migas, the owner, made a special tour of all the venues. At the end of the tour, a special surprise awaited all the participants, as there was a special wine tasting of 3 wine labels, each accompanied by matching dishes.
“Train the Trainers” workshops aim to strengthen the skills of the "New Agriculture for a New Generation" program trainers, who in turn will train and support young people who choose to work and support the agri-food sector. Eleni Garefalakis, local representative of the Alternative Tourism training program in Volos and also a trainer for the “New Agriculture for a New Generation” beneficiaries, attended the workshops and quoted, "Adult education is a challenge for all of us educators.Therefore, training seminars and workshops such as the “Train the Trainers”, are valuable tools for us as they give us the opportunity to get in touch with new practices, specialized scientists and professionals as well as other trainers. We have a chance to learn from each other and evolve. "
