TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Eranyak Oganova
Our objective was to prepare a programme to provide the participants with the opportunity to acquire new knowledge which they could implement during the work with youngsters, activating, emancipating, helping and motivating them in self-expression, activating and emancipating them, self-representation, problem-solving and decision-making. In order to do so we made a program with a logical order of theory, practice and production.
During the theoretical part we challenged the participants to discuss on topics and concepts such as ‘diversity’ and ‘migrant’ in order to explore different significations and connotations and become aware of some self-evident ways of thinking and latent stereotypes.
The practical part was used for for teaching, exploring and experimenting with non-verbal and artistic methods to address issues of social and cultural vulnerability and exclusion.
During the production phase the participants were asked to develop a creative action, in group, based on the methods they’ve been exploring or exchanging, with the discussions in mind concerning a topic related to diversity or interculturality.
In general the participants were active, shared their experiences and opinions and experimented, some
interesting ideas and insights were generated. After experimenting in the safe group environment the participants performed the self-developed creative actions in a public space and managed to get the by passers attention, get their message through and interact with some of them. The overall after the action was positive. We can conclude that the participants became more self-aware of the way they bring their message and gained self-confidence to do so by this positive experience.
By working with people who work and interact with socially excluded youth and youth at risk we aimed to empower these youngsters to have better access to the European society by involving them; encouraging and supporting them to take responsibilities, making decisions, unleashing their talents and helping them to gain self-confidence. To encourage these youth by proxy to develop a critical view of social issues in Europe, help them overcome their stereotypes, and encourage them to draw their own conclusions based on personal encounters and experiences instead.
We were targeting for the following categories of participants:
-Young people who actively participate in the society and want to lift the discussion on cultural diversity and inclusion to the next and more constructive level in order to promote a more openness and inclusion. - Trainers, educators and facilitators working in different contexts and situations, with various target groups such as migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, (young) people with fewer opportunities, minorities or other characteristics which place them in a less favourable position in society. There was no maximum age limit for the participants of our seminar (18+).
The participants were from the following countries:
Belgium, Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain
During the practical part we explored and experimented with a variety of non-verbal methods which can also be used with youngsters for discussions, exploration of ideas and expression. Further we discussed and practiced a number of creative methods such as visual and perforce art: impro-theatre, Theatre of the Oppressed, collage, rap, dance, installation, music and video.
As mentioned in the evaluation one month after the training quit some of the participants were already using a number of methods, tools and techniques with their target groups and colleagues so we can conclude that through our participants we did reach some of the socially excluded youth and other people working with this target group which makes us hope for a divergent effect.
We worked four people. I was one of the two trainers, facilitators. But beside that we wrote together the project application and the report of it.