Building Bridges of Tolerance

Aims & objectives

The main objectives of the Training were designed to equip youth workers with skills and tools to enable them to broaden the resources of their respective organizations and can be summarized as follows:
1. Redefining 3 terms that are confusing because of their relative linking points: migrant, refugee and asylum seeker. Aim is to start from common and shared definitions and properly use them at their work with young people
2. Analyze the different perspectives on migration, taking into account the nationality of migrants, the hosting country and the specific conditions of each context, in order to deepen the knowledge about different realities
3. Emphasize the unfair treatment that migrants are often subjected to, examining the underlying reasons for youth workers to subsequently be able to put in practice appropriate strategies for dealing with them into their respective communities
4. Create fertile ground for the development of integration and inclusion concepts, tolerance and respect, to spread the awareness that migrants and refugees are not just people seeking help and asylum, but individuals who are able to contribute to improving the environment they live in
5. Use group activities and workshops to provide solutions, methods and techniques that can help migrants express their knowledge and skills so that they can become active and productive members of the new communities hosting them, as integrated part of the society where they live in

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

The Training course included the participation of 27 youth workers from the following Countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey

Training methods used & main activities

Non-formal and informal learning methods were used throughout the duration of the Training. Focus was given on teambuilding and group dynamics, resolution of challenges, critical and creative thinking activities, sharing of cultural elements, exchange of best practices and NGO fair, as well as individual and group reflection moments

Outcomes of the activity

Thanks to the activities carried out throughout the project, participants had the opportunity to improve their key competences, as defined in the Youthpass and specific in relation to the topics of the Training.
In particular, main outcomes were related to:
- Information and knowledge about migrants/refugees and ethnic minorities in general, focusing on their rights and opportunities
-Discovering of diverse perceptions and concrete realities of youth work and young people in European communities that work on the topic of migration
- Tools and methods to foster solidarity and social cohesion, especially among youngsters
- Tools and methods for effective development of active citizenship initiatives among youngsters

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

As freelance trainer, after an initial phase of contacts with the organizations promoting the project and after finalizing the design of the activities, I was in charge to facilitate and train the group of participants taking part to the Training, from the welcoming part to the team building activities, from the thematic workshops, role plays and simulations to the individual learning activities and reflection moments

I worked on this training for 9 days as a full time trainer.