TC Ability 2013 Portugal

Objectives and achievements

The training in Bragança, from 13 to 18 May 2013 (4 working days) aimed to:

• Give youth workers a better understanding of disability (key concepts in the field of disability, human rights, respect & responsibilities) and create a disability-friendly concept of youth work (mainstreaming).
• Develop youth worker competencies, tools and confidence to involve young people with disabilities in their activities. Create professional skills to work with people with disability and do active outreach to young people with disability.
• Focus on abilities rather than disabilities to improve the interaction between young people (with and without disabilities) but also with the adults around them.

The participants evaluated the course as follows (average scores between 0=none and 5=totally):

• Did the course raise your understanding of disability?  4,09/5
• Did the course give you confidence to work with disability?  4,18/5
• Did you get tools (methods, resources, info) to work with disability?  4,06/5
• Did you develop competences to work on disability?  4,12/5

Participants at the training course

23 youth and social workers from 12 different countries (HR, CZ, EE, FR, DE, NO, PL, PT, RO, SI, ES, TR) travelled to Bragança for an interactive programme that was prepared by SALTO Inclusion and 2 trainers.

Together the participants discussed disability rights, but also many practical issues about working in a respectful and joyful way with people with a disability (e.g. outreach, active participation, theatre, sports, adapting methods, combatting stereotypes, resources,…).

Programme

• 13 May: Arrival, welcome dinner, ice-breaking & get to know each other
• 14 May: Expectations, group dynamics, disability in your country, intro to youthpass, intercultural evening
• 15 May: Reflections about key concepts (disability, inclusion, rights,...), prepare yourself and your group to work with disability, reach out to young people with disability, free evening (optional activities by participants)
• 16 May: How to adapt your activities to make them accessible for young people with disabilities, adapting methods, combating disability discrimination, disability project visits and dinner in town
• 17 May: Shift from disability to abilities, resources to work with disability, action planning, youthpass, evaluation, farewell party
• 18 May: Departure of participants

Partners

The TC Ability was organised by the SALTO Inclusion resource centre and co-funded by the Portuguese National Agency and  the Spanish National Agency for the Youth in Action programme. Two experienced international trainers (Borislava Daskalova and Antonio Saccone) took the group through an interactive learning process. The connection to the local reality and practicalities were taken care of by the regional delegation of the Portuguese Institute for Youth and Sports (IDPJ).

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