It was five days of exchange, learning, teaching, and getting to know each other. Around 30 people from partner organizations from Italy, Greece, Belgium and Croatia attended the event and it was a great success. The partnership had the opportunity to test in the field the results achieved so far and in particular to put into practice the learning material produced with the Hi-Ability Toolkit and the mobile app. For five days, from the 16th to the 20th of May, we took part in group activities, face-to-face lessons, outdoor training and visits, cultural and culinary discoveries! We started with some theoretical lessons on outdoor and environmental education and risk management aimed at getting ready and equipped for the following trekking and outdoor activities. The Hi-Ability participants took part in some practical workshops that were an excellent opportunity to test the learning activities designed in the Toolkit and consider any room for improvement. The group was lucky to stay in a facility just outside the city center where we could take advantage of the park and nearby woods thus implementing also the theoretical sessions in the outdoor.
After urban trekking in the city and some training at the city stadium, from day 3 of the training, the real outdoor experience began! We had the chance to visit the Šijana forest and trek among the astonishing nature of the park including cork oaks and Turkish pines that stand out in the forest.
During the five days, project partners had also the change to meeting for the management meeting and plan the last six months of the project. Although the piloting experience it is now over, the Hi-Ability project has still a lot ahead: in October we will officially launch the Hi-Ability App and we will publish the guide of accessible trail. Moreover, the Consortium will elaborate the Policy Recommendations and Guidelines aimed at maximizing the impact of the Hi-Ability experience and transfer it to other fields and contexts.