TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Andrei Popescu
The main objectives of the event were:
- to promote non-formal learning
- to create connections between non-formal learning, formal education and vocational training
- to develop a space for identifying the common needs and challenges of all the stakeholders involved
- to develop solutions for the identified needs and challenges through projects and network activities
- to create a collaborative space for sharing methods, instruments, practices and efficient ideas for learning
- to create future European partnerships, eligible under Erasmus+ programme
CONNECTOR 2014 gathered more 307 youth workers, trainers, youth leaders, project managers, youth policy makers, EVS mentors/tutors, adult education practitioners, teachers, educators, learning facilitators from more than 30 countries such as Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Finland, Georgia, Iceland, Italy, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Sweden, Turkey or United Kingdom.
In facilitation activities there were engaged methods such as animation and open space tehnology.
The methods used in CONNECTOR were the following:
Collaborative Mind-Mapping
Concretization with action methods
Contemporary Dance
Delivering Life
Diversity Learning
Drumming
Ecobatucada
Environmental Art
Forum theatre
Graphic facilitation
Human Centered Design Workshop
Improvisation theater
Juggling
Labyrinth theater
Living Exhibition
Multingual Storytelling
Origami Theater
Socio-Educational Animation for Human Rights
Spokenword
Storytelling
The learning method or instrument selected had to respect the following characteristics:
- it can be applied in a various learning contexts (youth, adults, school, interconnected etc)
- is participatory, creative and interactive
- is based on experiential activities
- contain clear learning objectives
- is innovative
- is transferable in order to be easily replicated by the participants in their communities
- it last two days (each day has foreseen four 90 minutes working sessions)
- to be put in practice in Cluj Napoca community the the last two days of the event.
The 300 participants were trained to use in various real life contexts the learning methods mentioned above though a program as follows:
Day 1 &2 – LAB+, learning stage
The first two days of the event methods and tools presented above were shared by resource persons (experienced professionals) in parallel workshops and training courses.
Days 3– INCUBATOR+
The third day of the event was dedicated to the exchange of ideas, practices, experiences among participants aiming of identify network activities and projects than were developed collaboratively. The INCUBATOR+ used an "unconference" methodology inspired by Open Space Tehnology
Days 4&5– Lab+, experimenting stage
Participants put in practice in the local community of Cluj-Napoca the methods they experienced during days 1&2 through shows, performances or other type of interactive activities.
As a result many of the methods were used in the daily activity of the organizations and schools of the participants presented. Also as follow up several Erasmus+ projects were developed and approved aiming to promote active learning and the methods experimented.
References:
https://www.salto-youth.net/tools/european-training-calendar/training/connector.4424/
http://www.nonformalii.ro/evenimente/connector-a-nonformal-happening
http://www.nonformalii.ro/evenimente/labplus-connector-the-workshop-collection
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6D4K1kuSUs
Coordinator of the event as well as the over-all facilitator of the event managing the big group facilitation.
As facilitator I was in charge with the group dynamics of the 300 participants, introduction of the resource persons and of the workshops, animation of the event and playing the MC role during the performance days.