Empowerment through coaching within Erasmus+: Youth in Action

‘Coaching is a way to effectively empower people to find their own answers and encourage and support them on their path to make live-giving and life-changing choices.’ The general objective of the ’empowerment through coaching’ training is to train and empower educators (youth workers, youth leaders, EVS mentors,...) in using coaching techniques and competences in an Erasmus+/Youth in Action context (grassroots youthwork, youth exchanges, EVS framework etc.) Why coaching? „Coaching is a development process in which an individual is supported while achieving a specific professional or personal competence, result or goal„ (source Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaching). Coaching as a method for personal and professional development has become increasingly important and valued in different areas of society and many professionals either have their personal coach and/or coach themselves as part of their own professional role. In European youthwork, the importance of being able to support ‚learners’ individually – whether at the grassroots, everyday level or within a European youth exchange or the EVS framework - has become more and more evident. With the 'Empowerment through coaching’ training, we want to offer people, active within E+/Youth in Action, the opportunity to practice coaching skills and techniques they can use in their own work and projects to empower the individuals they work with to take more ownership of their life paths and choices. The process of the training will start with empowering participants themselves! This will happen through practicing coaching techniques directly with each other - using real life issues and choices participants are facing either on a professional or personal level. Methodology The training methodology will be: • Based on non-formal education principles
, • Encourage self-directed learning
 and learning-by-doing, • Include individual and group reflection, • 
Rely on peer-to-peer learning and experience sharing
 Objectives You, as a participant, will • Learn how to use coaching techniques to support learning and growth in non-formal learning activities • Learn some of the basics of coaching in terms of coaching skills and techniques • Reflect about what coaching really is - and where it can be used • Practice coaching and experience being coached • Exchange about the opportunities and challenges there are for you in your youth work context to empower the young people you work with through coaching techniques • Get ready to empower young people and colleagues back home using coaching techniques to support their non-formal learning Your profile as a participant You are a a supporter or facilitator of non-formal learning (youth leader, youth worker, EVS-mentor, ... ) who is ready to explore coaching techniques as an empowering tool within the E+/Youth in Action context and are ready to use it further after the training in your (voluntary or professional) work with young people. You have a sufficient level of English as a working language (no need for specific jargon, just for basic English) and • You are willing to explore coaching as an empowering tool with topics that are real and important to you • You are ready to take a leap into the unknown and are willing to trust the process • You are courageous and not afraid of making mistakes for the sake of your own and others’ learning • You are committed to being active during the whole process of the training (preparation before, the course itself and evaluation afterwards), Facilitators Facilitators of learning are Hazel Low (UK and France) and Ann Daniels (Belgium). Hazel Low - Scottish, living in France, is a freelance trainer. From a grassroots youth work background, she has specialised in issues of inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities, volunteering, participation and empowerment. Active in the European training field for more than twenty-five years, she was a team member of the NA network of SALTO long-term training course “Training of Trainers” (ToT) for 8 years. She has, herself, been in professional coaching training and has extensive practice in one-to-one support. Ann Daniels – Belgian member oft he Dutch trainers pool is a freelance trainer. She has been active in the European training field for 12 years and has specialised in self-directed learning, ‚Failing forward’ (giving yourself permission to make mistakes and learning from it), empowerment, coaching and ‚Daring greatly’ (based on the teachings of Brené Brown). She is also a fully trained co-active coach (www.thecoaches.com) and practices coaching both with individuals and in trainings as a way to support learning.