TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Nerijus Kriauciunas
Appetiser aimes to give a strong positive first experience of international youth work and motivate participants to use Erasmus+ Youth in Action Programme.
“Appetiser” is designed according to the following objectives:
• To taste non-formal and intercultural learning
• To enjoy the first intercultural youth project experience
• To exchange local youth activities in the international context
• To explore possibilities of support available for international youth activities offered by the Erasmus+ Youth in Action Programme
• To analyse examples of qualitative youth projects supported by the Erasmus+ Youth in Action Programme
• To see how to benefit from international context in participants local work practice.
This training course brought together 25 participants from 14 countries.
The group of participants matched well expected profile of participants for Appetiser courses. Majority of participants (88%) had no previous experience of organising international youth project co-funded by Erasmus+: Youth in Action (or previous EU youth programmes) or were in the process of preparing their first project.
Moreover, 60% of participants came from organisations who did not organise an Erasmus+ Youth in Action project before. At the end of the course, majority of participants (92%) expressed their intention to organise youth project in the future.
The core of the programme is comprised by the concepts of non-formal education/learning and intercultural learning. Participants‘ active involvement and participation in the learning process is promoted, encouraged and supported by active learning methods.
A special focus is given to the presentation of good practices; projects of high quality that have been realised with the support of the Erasmus +: Youth in Action Programme and its previous editions. Information sessions offers knowledge and explanations on the details of the programme.
A natural space for the development of cooperation is offered and participants are encouraged to make use of it.
The data from the final evaluation questionnaires shows that impact on learning has been achieved to most extent in the areas of Understanding of the international youth projects supported the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme and Understanding of intercultural learning in international youth projects. At the end of the course, all participants evaluated their understanding in these areas positively (between 4 to 6 in the scale of 1 “No understanding” to 6 “Full understanding”). There as at the beginning only 32% and 48% scored positively in the respective areas of understanding.
Significant learning impact was also achieved in the areas of Readiness and empowerment to present youth activities in an international context and Awareness of quality elements in design and implementation of Erasmus+: Youth in Action projects. Based on the evaluation results, there can be observed positive development in both areas of competence: only 28% of participants indicated positive evaluation of their competences before the course, compared to the 96% of participants indicating positive score in the respective competence areas (between 4 to 6 in the scale of 1 “Not at all/No awareness” to 6 “Very much/Full awareness”).
Trainer