An online database of training activities is available to help applicants identify training that best meets their needs; http://ec.europa.eu/education/trainingdatabase/. Applicants may also source a suitable course outside of this database. Additional informationThe deadlines for these actions for 2012 are the 16th January (for activities starting on or after the 1st May, 2012), 30th April (for activities starting on or after the 1st September, 2012) and 17th September (for activities starting on or after the 1st January, 2013). Please check the Léargas website www.leargas.ie or contact dshannon@leargas.ie for further information on how to apply. CLICK toLINKAll of the guest speakers addressed this issue from different angles whether it was the future of adult guidance in England, changes which have already come about in other parts of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, the guidance professional of the future, motivating clients and supporting ourselves as practitioners in adult guidance.Unlike any other conference I have been to, which tends to cram everything in to one day, this conference ran over two days so I was able to attend four different workshops. The first looked at adult guidance as a profession for the 21st century, the second looked at a model for addressing the issue of unemployment in a rural county (very useful I thought for working in areas such as South West Kerry), the third addressed the issue of sustaining change through emotional intelligence and lastly, was an experiential workshop on mindfulness and mindful living. While all of these workshops are of great benefit to adult guidance counsellors dealing with so many issues in their work, two in particular i.e. emotional intelligence and mindfulness can also be used in working with clients either individually or in groups.All of the presentations, seminars and workshops are available to read or download from the NAEGA website www.naega.org.uk and I would highly recommend visiting this site for a more detailed look at all that was on offer. Case Study 1 - Grundtvig Ita Lane from Kerry Adult Guidance Service attended a conference run by the National Association for Educational Guidance for Adults (NAEGA) entitled 'Changing Times, Changing Adults, Changing Guidance' held in Darlington, in the North East of England. Her attendance was supported by the Grundtvig Visits and Exchanges action of the Grundtvig Programme. 'Two years ago, I went to the UK National Association for Educational Guidance for Adults (NAEGA) annual conference in England. I successfully applied for a grant under the Grundtvig Visits and Exchanges Action of the Grundtvig Programme to attend the conference. The purpose of my trip was to hear at first-hand how adult guidance works in the UK, see what learning I could bring back to my and Kerry Adult Guidance Service practice and also to share some of our learning and good practice with our British counterparts. This was my first time to attend this event and I must say I was very impressed by every aspect of it. As you might expect the current economic situation is affecting the UK as well as us and this was reflected in the theme of the conference 'Changing Times, Changing Adults, Changing Guidance'. CLICK toLINKEuroguidanceSupporting Professional Development across Europe continuedNCGE NEWS Winter 201133

34Case Study 2 - ComeniusDavid O' Grady is a guidance counsellor working in St. Paul's Community College in Waterford. He was successful in applying for a Comenius In Service Training grant to participate on a course entitled 'Effective Teams and Group Dynamics' which took place in Riga, Latvia. 'Even though I was giving up a week of my summer holidays, I was interested in undertaking the course which I felt could help me in my work. I was delighted to get approval for funding which helped pay for the course cost, subsistence and travel expenses.The course was over five days and covered areas such as . causes and types of conflict and destructive behaviour in groups . constructive conflict resolution skills . effective group dynamics . emotion and stress management and communication with various workshops and group work in these areas. It was very interesting to get to know teachers from many different countries and to gain an understanding of how the education system worked in their countries. Everyone was very helpful and the course was both enjoyable and educational.I have made an effort to bring some of the learning to my job as a guidance counsellor. The area of group dynamics is one that a teacher faces in every class they have and some of the tips I learned on this course have been useful in my work. I have also given advice on stress management and conflict resolution to my students which are useful to them.I would recommend attending a course in Europe to any guidance practitioner as it is an excellent professional development opportunity. It is a challenging experience at the same time and a person has to be prepared to work hard in the training week as there are a lot of group workshops and discussions. The sharing of experience in the process is great. EuroguidanceSupporting the professional development of guidance practitioners across Europe continuedNCGE NEWS Winter 2011