TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Hermine Papikyan
The aim with this training course was to give space for youth workers and youth leaders to be introduced a range of new innovative digital and online tools to be used in youth work as well as practice on spot those opportunities to enrich their learning and working processes, having direct impact on youth workers daily work with young people.
Objectives:
-Identifying soft skills competency gaps firstly in youth work and youth workers and then among young people for their literate and aware utilisation of online tools as learning pathway and development of critical thinking,
-Experiencing and going through various up-to-date digital and online learning tools of self-assessment, evaluation, team-building, research and search, intercultural learning, reaching marginalised youth, promoting diversity, to master their effective utilisation while working with youth,
-Sharing best practices of youth workers and leaders towards effective youth work of digital and online self-assessment and learning tools already established in certain educational projects of partner organisations,
-Replenishing non-formal education toolbox with new sets of tools related to digital youth work, used within the project, promoting diversity and reaching young people(marginalised youth, youth with fewer opportunities, etc)
-Coming up with follow-up activities in the principle of multiplication fostering quality improvements in digital youth work enhancing soft skills of youth workers on the one hand and promoting media literacy and critical thinking of young people on the other hand.
The target group was for their experience and engagement in youth work, promotion and practice of youth participation, active citizenship, intercultural experience, non formal education as well as interest to enhance the digital youth work skills of their youth workers and youth leaders. All the partners have expressed the need to enhance the skills of digital competences and the usage of online tools by youth workers and youth leaders from their countries to further convey knowledge, competences, heart-to-heart action to the young people back at home to boost youth participation, initiative taking, critical thinking and social inclusion.
The countries and nationalities was a balance of diverse representation of different regions of Europe (Malta, Greece, France, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, Jordan, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia) in order to benefit from the diversity of experiences and ideas on the topic of the training.
As working methods, we used essentially non-formal and informal education with games, digital and online activities, OpenBadge creations, OpenBadge practice on spot (as a useful self evaluation tool for personal acknowledgements), simulation, study visit to local IT institution which also created digital educational products, outdoors activities, cultural production, mix of formal and non-formal activities… Few parts were given to formal learning, by short presentation of various theories, concerning digital youth work history and development, digital youth work elements and to what pay attention mostly. However, most of the activities involved the active participation and teamwork of the participants, to make them think by themselves and learn by doing.
The outcomes of the training course was completely directed to the acquirement or improvement of digital and soft skills development of the youth workers and youth leaders as professional profile as it was used partly by youth workers and not as a more effective tool whilst working WITH young people.
By bringing youth workers and youth leaders from countries, which vary with their way of living and thinking, as well as vary with the level of utilization of various digital and online tools this was a chance also to exchange new and innovative things in daily practices in terms of digital youth work activities and tools as well as developing social and civic competencies.
co-trainer