Re.Connection – Trainer Training in Galyatető (HU)
Already on our way back from the first ReConnection retreat in Gombasek, in June, we had a feeling that our second meeting at the high-altitude recreational center in Galyatető, Hungary, would in all likelihood be an equally valuable and profound experience. Trainers and professionals are grateful to have time and space for self-reflection, connection at the level of identity, and recharging their energy. Forest. Close contact with nature. Play. Inspiring topics and pulsating questions, decades of experience, heartfelt approach, open communication, a dose of humor and self-irony. And even more play.
The TANDEM team did not attend the professional workshop titled “Experiential Educational Tools and Trauma-Sensitive Approach”, held in mid-September at Galyatető without purpose. In fact, we are intensively preparing to launch our own groups for disadvantaged youth, an area where Élményakadémia Közhasznú Egyesület, as our partner, has extensive experience. We considered it important that our professionals also receive professional support and space for growth.
At the same time, we knew we were entering a community where we would spend meaningful time with colleagues working with an approach very similar to ours.
We knew we would get to experience the methods of outdoor experiential education firsthand — this was exactly the kind of training we expected.
However, it’s impossible to truly prepare for just how far outside our comfort zone we stepped multiple times during those five days. We climbed a seven-meter-high special wooden post. We balanced on an incredibly high V-shaped slackline. We hiked through hills and valleys for more than seven hours in difficult conditions. Throughout it all, we secured and supported each other, and sometimes carried various burdens together. This controlled loss of control is an unforgettable experience—even though part of your mind knows that everything is completely safe, your body still shivers.
Thanks to the work and dedicated attention of Élményakadémia Közhasznú Egyesület, the TANDEM team went through experiences of feeling lost, building trust, mutual reliance, and free-spirited childlike play — all coming together like a professional autumn cleaning and a vitamin boost in one.
It is amazing to have such partners and playmates. We are already looking forward to the next opportunity!
