While there are more than two people writing for this blog and much more people who have, sometimes knowingly and sometimes unknowingly, shaped it throughout many discussions and exchanges — thanks again to all our friends — so while this is true, there had to be some people to actually do the work and put thinking into practice. So here we are, Yael and Andreas — aka “Frankly Speaking”:

Yael

My name is Yael and I am the other part of the desperate duo behind this weblog, although being a technological dunce, I cannot take too much credit for anything but aesthetic improvements…

I live in Bratislava in Slovakia and work as a freelance trainer and writer, mostly working in the NGO capacity building and youth fields, although increasingly branching out into fields such as poverty eradication and development.

In a not so distant and previous life, I worked for the Council of Europe’s Directorate of Youth and Sport as an educational advisor, based in the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg, where I developed a keen interest in everything non-formal and intercultural.

Andreas

The need for a blog like nonformality is something I have felt for a long time. While it is a very subjective and personal impression, I am not the only one who feels that way… I was just the one intrigued by it long and strong enough to set up a blog about it. Is now the time to introduce myself?

Well then, here you go:

This is me during a surprise celebration of my 30th birthday. Don’t ask about the outfit, it is a long story and not entirely my fault — just believe me when I say that normally I do not have a sunflower on my head. I live in Berlin together with a crazy and wonderful woman and work as a freelance trainer, author and consultant, mostly in the sphere of non-formal education. One day I might set up a personal blog and you might have a chance to find out more — or not, let’s see.

(The day was there. Go have a look — if you feel like…)

On this blog you won’t only meet me but a number of other people, and most importantly, their thinking and not merely my own. Some of them and some others deserve mentioning because without them I would have never managed:

Peter, Antje, Mark and Lynne for sharing their texts and thoughts with me, Theron for a wonderful design and endless patience with so many nitty-gritty coding issues, Josie for being proud on my behalf, Yael for highly appreciated feedback on design and concept, Lene and Yvor for asking tricky but important questions, Arjen and Georges for their constructive criticism which has set me on the right path, Tobias for many gin-tonic-flooded discussions during long nights all over Europe, and many others for all the encouragement and support.