TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Milena (Lazic) Nikolic
Main aims of the training course are to learn how to deal with cultural diversity, to use cultural diversity as a tool to discover identity, to work with concrete aspects of cultural diversity and integration in youth work.
Objectives of TC Captain Culture are:
- Promoting awareness of the importance that influence of culture has on person’s behaviour and identity.
- Ensuring recognition and sensitivity for differences that other cultures bring.
- Pointing out the importance of cultural issues in Youth in Action Programme.
- Supporting development of tools, activities, strategies for improvement of youth work on local level focused on cultural diversity.
- Promoting multiplying effect of youth workers in local participation.
28 Youth Workers and Youth Leaders active in local and international youth field, interested in using alternative approach in intercultural learning, coming from Slovenia, Portugal, Romania, Italy, Spain, Austria, Cyprus, Turkey and Sweden.
Team of trainers:
Rosario Rossi, Italy
Panayiotis Theodorou, Cyprus
Rodrigo Vilarinho, Portugal
Milena Lazic, Serbia
The training course followed non-formal educational methodology based on experiential learning using a participative and learner-centred approach with a special focus on innovative and alternative approaches towards intercultural learning.
Specific feature of the training was that in certain moment it consisted of two parallel working groups in one TC called: Exploring Daily Day Activities and Outdoor Activities. Participants were able to benefit from one of it based on their learning style and needs, regarding the choice made prior to the course. Meaning that participants who are more focused on learning by doing were following Outdoor group and the ones that are more oriented on reflective learning style were following the Daily Day group. Participants were able to experience Captain Culture from any of the two angels, with the shared sessions at the end of every working day; where they were building common learning experience through sharing, evaluation, discussion and integration of both groups’ experiences.
Also, another specific quality of this training course is focus on tools and concrete use of learning products, therefore participants were supported and guided on development, implementation and evaluation of their own tools for intercultural learning and dialogue.
Participants developed 4 education tools around intercultural learning using outdoor and daily day elements related directly with their own daily work.
There was a constant feedback towards the relevance and innovative approach of the training that led to follow up training courses in the following years.
At the same time 8 different international project ideas (mainly youth exchanges and initiatives) were developed by participants during the training course.
I had a role of a trainer, meaning that I was responsible for design, implementation and evaluation of the training program in common sessions with the whole group. Having in mind specific design of this training course I was also responsible for the Daily Day working group together with Panayiotis Theodorou from Cyprus.