TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Gabriel Brezoiu
The objectives of EuroImpact that we pursued were:
O1: Raising participants’ practical skills regarding projects impact;
O2: Stimulating the exchange of good practices regarding youth activities impact;
O3: Encouraging European youth cooperation in the field of Erasmus+ programme;
Thus, the training envisaged to build competences
The training focused on 25 youth workers, youth leaders and project managers from UK, RO, ES, MT, HR, MD, UA.
A wide range of non-formal methods were used in order to support reflection and documentation of the learning outcomes of A1.
During Act.2, trainers facilitated discussions within mixed sub-groups on issues such as non-formal education methodology, expectations, contributions and fears. Thus, at the end of the activity, we had important insights regarding the starting point of the training, getting to know participants’ needs and their probable added value so that we could figure out any adjustments to be made. Participants built the boat of their contributions, with the vails being their expectations and the waves their fears. This visual wrap-up of the session remained visible during the whole training, helping participants to reflect upon their learning process and their degree of satisfaction.
Each day, trainers dedicated a special session to reflection and feedback, using different methods and tools, combining individual, small groups and group assessment, as described in the schedule, namely: Act.5 (Weather phenomenon analogy, plenary session), Act.11 (Five fingers method, intercultural sub-groups), Act.16 (Room feedback method, plenary session), Act.23 (individual reflection, going back to the boat of expectations, fears and contributions created in the first day).
During Act.13, participants were told the "Carrots, eggs and coffee beans" story and invited to reflect upon their own learning process during a non-formal experience. After that, they were be split into intercultural groups and will identify the main elements of the impact at individual level in a youth project. Then, they presented the results in plenary in a roleplay.
Using Casino method (Act.24) was also a complex support tool for evaluation, that on the one hand allowed trainers to assess the group dynamic, the understanding of the knowledge shared, and on the other helped the participants to reflect upon the learning process they have been through, their preferred learning style, the skills they have achieved and the roles they play within a team. The debriefing pursued the followings: teamwork, group dynamic, involvement, roles in the team, leadership, content relevance, strategy of each team, lessons learned, the link with the other project activities.
Act.25 The second part of the activity was a reminder of the activities performed throughout the training course and each participant filled in a written evaluation questionnaire. Among other issues, this final evaluation form assessed the general satisfaction with the training course, personal contribution and the individual learning process.
Activities such as Building a perfect sustainable house - simulation game (Act.9), Minesweeper game (Act.12), city task (Act.18) and Casino (Act. 24) had a special time allocated for debriefing, in order to support participants in understanding and making sense of their learning experience.
- Materials with #Euroimpact posted on social media
- 4 communication campaigns implemented offline in Newcastle upon Tyne (Nortumbria University, Newcastle University, Eldon Square and Central Train Station of Newcastle) that also had an online visibility.
I was a full time trainer.