TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Alexandra Nikolova
“Digitale” aims at presenting the concept of the method of digital storytelling, developed by Joe and Dana at Berkeley and exploring the positive impact it can have when used as a method of working with youth on topics such as diversity and solidarity, as well as a method to present the results of youth work.
NEEDS
Partners were required to discuss the concept of the training course with potential participants, and through this work we could identify not only the need for learning opportunities about innovative youth work methodologies, digital tools, but also and more specifically the need to offer new ways of expression to youth at risk, ways to present their questions, their experience, share their stories with European publics in a form, which is understandable, engaging, memorable and fosters empathy, raising awareness and leading to inclusion. Digital storytelling offers a lot of these advantages and opportunities, and one of the planned outcome of the project is to equip participants with new skills to give voice to the target groups they work with – to people who are often not visible and heard in mainstream media and public debate, to promote diversity, intercultural dialogue, tolerance, respect and inclusion in Europe. Digitale concept and program has been prepared in lines with needs and interests as expressed by partners. In the preparation stage of the training course, in cooperation of all involved organizations, further needs analysis of the selected participants will be done and program will be adjusted to participants' professional objectives and needs, keeping in mind also interests and plans of their organizations. Program of the course includes regular reflection and evaluation activities, which will provide us another chance to maintain and adjust the program so it would match the needs of the participants to the largest extent.
OBJECTIVES
We envision one main activity: a training course which is designed in lines with the objectives of our project. The main aim of this training course is to introduce youth workers and educators with several approaches of using digital storytelling activities to work with marginalized youngsters and equip them with exercises to explore their identity and foster inclusion. Gained knowledge and skills will be brought back to organisations of the participants and used to implement activities with their target groups and design new learning programs for their wider networks. The trainers team is constituted of Karolina Ufa and Alexandra Nikolova from Nomadways, Leo Zbanke - an experienced digital storyteller and Ainhoa Magdalena who is an experienced educator and teacher. They have worked with marginalised target groups such as refugees and youth at risk, as well as educators and youth workers. With the training course, we will provide participants framework and space for their personal development and artistic expression as means to prevent burnout, increase their job satisfaction and motivation to work with their communities. Though artistic skills aren't obligatory to use digital storytelling exercises in work with individuals and communities, we also aim to develop participants' creative expression skills and technical skills in visual arts and storytelling. We expect this would help to produce better visual outputs of the project, and these skills might be helpful in to promote activities and causes of participants and their organisations. The learning objective of the course is also strengthening creative confidence and abilities of the participants, as well as their foreign language abilities and skills needed to work in intercultural team and with intercultural groups. Finally, we aimed to foster networking among the participants, thus supporting creation of new learning opportunities, international initiatives, and building personal support networks among those involved in fields of education, training and youth.
This training course was designed as an international activity under the K1 of Erasmus+ programme. It included an international team of two polish trainers, one bulgarian, one spanish and one russian. The participants came from the following countries: Poland, France, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latvia and Romania.
All the working methods applied during this project were based on the principles of non-formal education, stemming from the assumption that the best learning outcomes are acquired through participants’ engagement in the process. The involvement of participants in all the project parts shall also ensure that they will make the best possible use of the competences that they already have. The activities planned during the project include outdoor and indoor dynamic games, exercises, group and individual reflection on the theoretical input, sharing best practices, methods and tools with each other and designing digital storytelling dissemination events.
All the working methods applied during this project were based on the principles of non-formal education, stemming from the assumption that the best learning outcomes are acquired through participants’ engagement in the process. The involvement of participants in all the project parts shall also ensure that they will make the best possible use of the competences that they already have. The activities planned during the project include outdoor and indoor dynamic games, exercises, group and individual reflection on the theoretical input, sharing best practices, methods and tools with each other and designing digital storytelling dissemination events.
During the training course we introduced exercises in rich variety of groups and aims such as: team building, digital storytelling creative and technical activities, movie making, co-facilitation of workshops by the participants, creation and execution of workshops to youth at Lodz and exploration of Erasmus+ programme with follow-up projects design.
Each participant of the training course created a personal digital story. At the end of the creative process, everyone presented their short movie to the whole audience and after the workshop, the stories will be published online.
Also, the trainers team will create an educational booklet that will feature a detailed description of all of the activities that were done during the training course.
All those materials will be visible here: http://nomadways.eu/digitale-2019-poland/
As a trainer, my tasks were the following:
-Before the TC:
>designing the programme of the 12-days workshop;
>participant co-selection and informing myself about the participants so I can prepare the programme meeting their needs and expectations
-During the TC:
>conducting the activities with the other trainers during all the days
>participating in daily team meetings to evaluate the progress and adjust the programme accordingly
>prepare activities and all materials needed (graphic facilitation boards, flipcharts, power point presentations, team activities etc.)
After the TC:
>creation of educational booklet;
>evaluation of my work and the work of my co-facilitators.