TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Milena (Lazic) Nikolic
The training course aims at developing the intercultural competencies of teachers and trainers in organizing international projects through exploration of cultural diversity beyond simulations:from a perspective of real everyday life and use of it as a tool to discover identity (become aware of your own culture so that you can open to others who are different).
Approaching Cultural Diversity from perspective of differences in day to day life in this specific training course will mean discovery of food culture, clothing culture, time culture, music and dances culture, traditions and customs, jokes, personal culture, communication patterns, power, gender and sex, roles and all the other things that shape our every day life (behaviour, identity, beliefs, values and rules) and all of them are deeply rooted in our culture.
Furthermore the focus will be to comprehend the importance of culture in every day life, but also to understand that these set of regulations differ from group to group that one belongs to because these topics are essence of intercultural learning and are important part of becoming sensitive to differences that other cultures bring.
Additionally for the sake of recognizing and dealing with obstacles (stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination and violence) that occur during intercultural dialogue and finding possibilities for overcoming these problems, one first has to understand one’s own culture.
12 teachers, head-teachers, educators in formal and non-formal setting coming from Italy, Cyprus, Romania, Germany, Slovenia, UK, Lichtenstein, Poland.
Team of Trainers
Panayiotis Theodorou - Cyprus
Salvi Greco - Italy
Milena Lazic - Serbia
The methodology used is specific to non‐formal education and learning, both individual and group methods, taking into consideration participants’ learning needs with a creative approach, meaning methods specific to non-formal education and learning, both individual and group methods, taking into consideration participants’ learning needs. Creativity and creative methods were used for digging, exploring, phenomena of culture and cultural diversity from the perspective of everyday life.
Specific methods used were:
“Photovoice “ as a basic tool trough out the training course offering exploration and interaction with local culture, as well as method called “CookLab” (food and cooking) designed “to touch and feel ” cultural diversity, mostly from the personal identity perspective.
Teachers'& trainers had:
-Developed knowledge and competence in key concepts of intercultural learning through exploration of cultural diversity from a perspective of everyday life;
-Enhanced ability to use very different cultural environment as a tool, integrating it within their educational activities to discover identity;
-Acknowledged the importance that influence of culture has on person’s perception of reality, everyday behaviour and identity;
-Been introduced with the approaches and activities of intercultural learning and possibilities to adapt them to their local contexts/pupils/learners and realities;
-Reflected about the importance of cultural diversity when organizing international projects;
-Developed an informal network of teachers & trainers, in EU.
I had a role of a trainer, meaning that I was responsible for design, implementation and evaluation of the training program. The training program was reviewed and evaluated every day and adjusted according to the learning needs of participants.
Confirmed