Himmeli kit - course for teachers and youth workers in Kocani, 2-6.06.2025

As part of the project, a 5-day training session was conducted on the methodology of collecting, gathering, and drying reeds and grasses remaining in agricultural fields after the harvest season, and then creating Himmeli kits from them. The training also included a series of study visits to local farms, during which participants learned how to collect and select reed shoots for the preparation of Himmeli kits. The training was conducted from June 2nd to 6th, 2025, in Kocani. Five employees from each partner organization from Poland, Greece, and North Macedonia participated in the training. The training objectives specified in the funding application were met.

On the first day of the training, participants learned the theory behind reed and grass harvesting and the principles of drying. On the second and third days, study visits were held at local farms, where harvests were just finishing. Local farmers and employees of the Pavel Satev Kocani Association demonstrated how to harvest reeds and grasses to avoid damaging them and to ensure they were suitable for creating Himmeli sets. Participants, along with local youth, were tasked with collecting enough reeds to each produce one Himmeli set. On the fourth day of the training, participants received dried reed bundles from the previous season and learned how to select them for quality and how to properly prune them. Participants also made their own packaging for Himmeli sets. The fifth day of the training was devoted to methodological workshops on how to properly mentor youth throughout the entire process of preparing Himmeli sets, and which methods to use when conducting outdoor activities with young people as part of school classes or activities run by NGOs. As a result of the training, the project team developed a guide for teachers and youth workers, presenting the methodology for creating Himmeli educational kits, step-by-step instructions for making Himmeli kits, and lesson plans for making Himmeli from dried reeds. The guide was published on the project website and on the Erasmus+ Results Platform.

Each of the three partner organizations also conducted a series of workshops in their local communities promoting the handmade production of Himmeli kits from scratch.