TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Gisele Evrard
COMETS is a new training for trainers format und above mentioned long-term NA/SALTO cooperation project which will, in the forthcoming years, provide advanced trainers with opportunities to come together to reflect on, discuss and develop further on different competence areas of the ETS competence model. In the context of COMETS, advanced refers to trainer-learner having the capacity to direct his/her own learning and in particular to self-assess his/her competences in this activity with specific regard to Intercultural Competence (ICC).
• To contribute to quality development of youth work and of training practice in the field
• To put the ETS competence model in practice
• To support National Agencies in working with trainers on competence development
• To contribute to the professional development of trainers in the field
22 countries (including SEE, EEAC and EuroMed), 24 participants.
The main target group was trainers training trainers and youth workers.
The team was composed of Peter Hofmann (Austria) and Gisele Evrard Markovic (Belgium-Serbia) with the support of the staff of the hist NA and of SALTO T&C.
The COMETS courses are based on the principles of non formal education and imply a high degree of involvement of the participants in the learning process of themselves and of the group. In addition, a series of principles have been developed fr all COMETS: - Awareness: me – the group – the field – the context: this is not only about my personal development process I work with and in a group I work with, in and for a field, a community I work in a context. I have to be ready to follow this up, ready to take action, ready for the next step;
- Readiness to question, to review [my] practice, to live with the ambiguity of ‘many truths’ and underlying attitudes and assumptions;
- A learning atmosphere where we are ready to stretch boundaries (ready to challenge our comfort zone);
- Being explicit about our choices as trainers (be ready and able to explain why that approach, method, theory, etc.);
- Integrity: Walk [y]our talk! Readiness to regularly check our values: is my practice in line with my values?
- Giving space to the whole person (not only to the trainer but also the individual: body –mind – soul - heart);
- Awareness: I am here as learner in a community of learners (though I am a trainer, I am here to learn space for everyone).
- Giving to Caesar what’s Caesars’: acknowledging sources of practice (theories, etc.) and share the sources of our work.
The first edition of the series COMETS training courses on ‘Intercultural Competence’ was a success.
The depth of reflection and the readiness of participants to review openly their practice was truly impressive. This resulted into a very inspiring and enriching learning atmosphere and a high level of peer learning and support. A lot of emphasis was given to question what it means today to work on culture, intercultural learning and intercultural competence. Some doubts even arose if there is still space for working on intercultural learning after all – at least with culture as entry point - but any way all agreed to practice having many different perspectives and being open for the ambiguity and complexity that might arise from it.
I was involve din the design of the COMETS (for all courses) and of the COMETS ICC in particular. I was one of the two trainers in the activity and I support the elaboration of the final report.