TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Gvantsa Mezvrishvili
The project aimed to improve the quality of how youth educators worked by using body movement as a tool for personal development and utilizing coaching to reflect, absorb, and purify information. The project had several objectives, including providing participants with the tools for self-development through body movement, teaching coaching methods for reflection, stimulating the self-development process of youth workers, developing the professional skills of youth workers to increase their efficiency, sharing the best practice in experimental learning, sharing tools of body movement, art, and theater for future use by youth workers, improving the quality of local and international youth work, promoting the idea of social inclusion, creating new local and international projects and partnerships, and building meaningful relations and future cooperation based on the project under Erasmus+.
The participants in this training program were youth workers from six partner organizations from Lithuania, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Poland, Georgia and Latvia. The aim of the program was to improve the quality of their work with youth using self-development techniques, specifically body movement, as a tool for personal development and coaching methods for reflection. The program aimed to reach youngsters from different social backgrounds, encourage tolerance and social cohesion, and promote creativity. At least one participant from each partner organization was involved, with special attention given to those with fewer opportunities, including cultural differences, social obstacles, economic obstacles, geographical obstacles, and refugees with migrant, IDP background, and/or refugee status.
The training methods used in the training course (TC) were primarily focused on sharing best practices and tools with youth educators to support them in developing their professional and personal skills. The tools shared during the TC were based on personal development and coaching, using experimental learning, body movement, art, and theater as new and innovative approaches to help youth educators have better outcomes while working with their target group.
The training course aimed to give participants the tools of self-development through body movement, to learn how to use coaching methods for reflection, and to stimulate the self-development process of youth workers. It also aimed to develop the professional skills of youth workers and increase their efficiency by sharing the best practices in experimental learning, as well as the tools of body movement, art, and theater for use in the future. The training course also aimed to improve the quality of local and international youth work, stimulate the idea of social inclusion, and create new local and international projects and partnerships.
The training methods used in the TC were likely a combination of workshops, interactive discussions, coaching sessions, and experimental learning activities that involved body movement, art, and theater. The trainers likely employed a participatory approach, encouraging active engagement and collaboration among participants, with a focus on developing practical skills and knowledge that can be applied in participants' regular work with young people.
The personal learning outcomes of the training included learning how to develop and trust one's ability to be present empathetically, being able to respond authentically and truthfully, and learning how to translate nonverbal movements into insights that could be used in recovery. The TC highlighted four of the eight key competences from the youthpass, which were learning to learn, creativity and entrepreneurship, social and civil competences, and cultural awareness and expression. Different workshops focused on each competence, and participants developed an open and tolerant attitude towards others, improved creativity in their profession, and learned how to work with and develop youngsters with risks, challenging behavior, and disadvantages.
As a result of the training, the participants acquired knowledge of tools for experimental learning using body movement art and theater for coaching and self-development, different experimental methods of non-formal and in-formal education, skills of facilitation, skills on how to spread information and have a positive influence on the community, information about the ERASMUS+ program, and knowledge of breaking stereotypes, prejudices and promoting equality.
The participants also developed skills such as improving communication skills, developing skills of youth work, social skills, skills of facilitation, realizing their creative ideas and initiatives in their work, improving understanding of experimental approaches in youth work, skills of presentation and self-expression, working in international and intercultural teams, and organizational and moderating skills.
In terms of awareness and attitudes, the training helped participants become more self-confident in their personal and professional life, become more open-minded, develop empathy, think more critically and analyze better before judging by what they were told, accept different opinions, views, realities, and truths, become more tolerant towards diversity, and become more sociable.
I was responsible for designing, implementing, and evaluating training programs for youth workers. I worked collaboratively with other trainers to developed training materials, design training sessions, and deliver content to participants. I was facilitating group discussions and activities, provided feedback, and evaluated the effectiveness of the training program.
As a full-time trainer, My role was involved working closely with other trainers to ensure that the training course meets the needs of the youth workers and achieves the desired learning outcomes. I was responsible for developing and delivering training sessions related body movement and coaching that were engaging, informative, and practical, and that helped participants to develop their professional and personal skills. Additionally, I contributed to the evaluation of the training program to ensure that it is effective and meets the needs of the youth workers.