Transnational Training Activity in Murcia Municipality
The First Transnational Training Activity was planned for the beginning of the project (September
2018) but only occurred at the beginning of May 2019. The reason for that is the same explained
before in the Transnational Project Meetings item, which led to a delay in starting up the entire
project: the withdrawal of two partners (Agia Varvara Municipality and Almada Municipality) and
their replacement to other new two partners (Murcia Municipality and Torres Vedras Municipality),
and, mainly, the late decision to withdraw of Almada Municipality and consequently the late
integration of Torres Vedras Municipality in the partnership. We planned and developed this activity
accordingly to what is in the approved application form. Murcia Municipality hosted the First
Transnational Training Activity about the online educational games on May 7-9, 2019. So, we had
two days to specific training sessions, half-day to visit the two preschools that are participating in
the project and the other half-day to work on learning methodology for gender equality and to do a
brief coordination meeting about the next project steps. At the beginning of the working programme,
we had a formal reception by the City Hall Counsellor responsible for the European Projects. All the
training activity was very well organised: we had identification cards; we always had meals together
– lunch and dinner – in different and previously booked restaurants; during the training sessions, we
had nice coffee breaks; we had a minibus reserved for the study visits to the two preschools; all the
speakers used the same presentation PowerPoint template with the city hall, project and Erasmus+
logos; the Spanish team video recorded all the activity. About the specific training sessions, it was
half-day to learn about gender equality – main concepts –, and a day and a half to learn about how
to do an online educational game, specifically about how to do a GDD (Game Design Document –
the document where we define everything about a game). We did group exercises during the
training sessions, to practice and to critically think about what we were learning. So, in groups, we
answered different questions about gender equality, and we practised different moments and steps
about how to do a GDD. The speakers were experts, having Mirta Sánchez Carrera a master in
gender equality and being Eduardo Saldaño the owner of “Sons of a Bit” – a Spanish company that
created a very famous online game in Spain “Isla Bomba”. What the kindergarten teachers
participants liked the most was the study visits to the two preschools that are participating in the
project. We had a full guided tour in each preschool, we saw the dynamics of classrooms with
children, and we had in each preschool a beautiful musical presentation powered by children.
Regarding the learning methodology for gender equality, Härryda Municipality did a presentation
about the main and common concepts (gender equality, gender mainstreaming and critical thinking)
and explained the next steps to build the learning methodology. To finish, Associação igualdade.pt
presented the three evaluation questionnaires to be validated by the participants, explained the next
steps of the project, mostly the dynamic of the local workshops and remembered the deadlines to
create the online educational game. In the end, all the participants filled an evaluation
questionnaire. With a brief analysis, we can say that the evaluation of the transnational training
activity and the project are extremely positives. It was a profitable moment of learning and sharing
teaching experiences. Everybody that participated in that training activity is excited to energise the
local workshops and to start designing/creating the online educational games.