TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Carolina Caspa
The BeComm training course aimed to give participants a space to reflect on identity, diversity and perception of interculturality. We explored different tools to build an engaged community where youth feel a sense of belonging and actively participate in the democratic processes in their community.
Areas of action of YOCOMO:
- Displaying intercultural sensitivity and understanding your own identity and the identity of the members of your community.
- Networking and advocating - how to reach and engage all members of the community/different relevant stakeholders/actors in the community.
The project was designed for:
- Youth workers engaged in community-building activities within their local contexts.
- Youth workers involved in international learning mobility projects under Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps.
- Trainers, Youth leaders, Youth project managers, Youth policy makers, Volunteering mentors participating in Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps.
The team of facilitators consisted of three persons from Iceland, Germany and Slovakia.
The group of participants included 17 persons from: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
The training course adopted a learner-centred methodology that places participants' experiences, needs, and potential at the core of the learning process.
It created an interactive, participatory environment that encouraged active engagement, mutual learning, and personal reflection.
The course used a combination of: Learning Space Dynamics (LSD) for immersive, non-linear learning experiences; experiential methods (storytelling, journaling, visualisation, social dreaming); co-creation, participatory planning, and self-directed learning; and competence-based frameworks like the YOCOMO model, and Youthpass.
The BeComm training successfully created a deep, participatory learning space where youth workers strengthened their competences in community building, interculturality, power awareness, identity, and active participation.
Specifically, the training:
- Increased participants’ awareness of identity, culture, diversity, and intercultural sensitivity, supporting more inclusive community work.
- Equipped participants with practical tools for community building, such as 1-on-1 interviews, community mapping (ABCD), participatory decision-making, storytelling, and dialogue-based methods.
- Empowered participants to understand and navigate power dynamics, ambiguity, and belonging in youth communities.
- Promoted peer learning, trust, and networking, encouraging long-term collaboration and mutual support beyond the training.
The success of the training was evidenced through both participant feedback and observable outcomes throughout the programme:
- Participants consistently reported feeling a strong atmosphere of trust, openness, and psychological safety, particularly through methods such as 1-on-1 interviews, sharing circles, storytelling, and small-group reflections.
- High levels of active engagement were observed, including participants voluntarily extending sessions, continuing evening activities beyond scheduled times, and taking initiative in co-creating sessions.
- Participants successfully shifted from learners to co-creators, especially during Open Space and open methods-planning sessions, demonstrating ownership of the learning process.
- Many participants expressed new perspectives on power, identity, and community, noting concrete “shifts” in how they understand their role as youth workers.
The final reflections and evaluations showed strong alignment with Youthpass and YOCOMO competences, confirming learning outcomes across civic engagement, intercultural sensitivity, participation, and community organising.
SALTO Training Calendar call:
https://www.salto-youth.net/tools/european-training-calendar/training/becomm-building-active-youth-communities.13032/
Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLHxmSSNUoS/
As a co-developer and facilitator, I was actively involved in all stages of the training cycle. My responsibilities included contributing to topic selection and overall programme design, coordinating logistics and preparation, and co-creating learning objectives and methodologies. During the implementation phase, I facilitated training sessions and group processes, supported participant engagement, and ensured a safe and inclusive learning environment. I also contributed to evaluation, reporting, and dissemination, documenting learning outcomes and supporting follow-up activities.