TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Anna Michael
The EU Youth Conference aimed to strengthen youth participation in policy-making processes within the framework of the EU Youth Dialogue. It brought together young people, youth workers, and policy stakeholders to exchange perspectives, identify key challenges faced by young people in Europe, and co-create recommendations for youth-related policies at European level.
The training addressed the need for meaningful youth participation, ensuring that young people’s voices are not only heard but also integrated into decision-making structures. It also responded to the need for dialogue between institutions and youth, particularly around issues such as inclusion, employability, wellbeing, and civic engagement.
The activity strongly aligned with the goals of European youth organisations by promoting active citizenship, democratic participation, and cross-sector collaboration. It supported the broader mission of empowering young people to influence policies that affect their lives while strengthening cooperation between youth organisations and European institutions.
The training activity brought together a highly diverse group of participants and facilitators from multiple European countries, creating a multicultural and multilingual learning environment. This international composition was a core element of the experience, enabling rich exchange of perspectives, practices, and realities from different youth work and educational contexts.
The activity addressed the need for intercultural learning, cooperation, and understanding across different European realities. It also responded to the need for developing competences in working within diverse teams, including communication, adaptability, and openness to different approaches and working styles.
This international dimension strongly supported the goals of the organisations involved, as it reflects the core values of European youth work: inclusion, diversity, cooperation, and solidarity. It contributed to building a shared European identity while respecting local contexts and encouraging collaboration across borders in youth and educational work.
The training used a variety of non-formal education methods designed to promote active participation, reflection, and experiential learning. The overall approach was learner-centred, combining individual reflection, group work, and experiential activities.
Methods included interactive group discussions, World Café formats, and peer learning sessions, where participants exchanged experiences and co-created knowledge. Simulation exercises and role plays were used to explore real-life youth work challenges, particularly in relation to inclusion, communication, and decision-making in diverse teams.
Reflection was a key component throughout the training, supported by debriefing circles, journaling, and structured feedback moments. Energisers and embodiment exercises were also integrated to maintain engagement and support group dynamics, especially in intensive sessions.
These non-formal methods were essential in creating a safe and participatory learning environment, where participants could learn from each other, connect theory with practice, and develop competences relevant to youth work and European training contexts.
The training resulted in strengthened competences among participants in intercultural cooperation, communication, facilitation, and active participation within European youth work contexts. Participants deepened their understanding of youth participation processes and the role of non-formal education in supporting inclusion, engagement, and democratic involvement.
A significant outcome of the activity was its contribution to the EU Youth Dialogue process through the development of a youth report. This report consolidated participants’ inputs, reflections, and recommendations on key issues affecting young people, ensuring that their voices were systematically collected and fed into broader European policy discussions. This strengthened the link between grassroots youth perspectives and decision-making processes at EU level.
In addition, the activity fostered meaningful networking and collaboration among youth workers and organisations across Europe, encouraging continued cooperation beyond the training. For many participants, it acted as a catalyst for further engagement in European youth programmes and initiatives, as well as for applying participatory methods in their local contexts.
I worked as a National Facilitator and key member of the facilitation team, with overall responsibility for the design and implementation of the training methodology. I developed the educational framework and ensured that the learning process was aligned with the objectives of the European Youth Dialogue and the conference goals.
In addition, I was responsible for coordinating the facilitators’ team, supporting their preparation and implementation of sessions, and ensuring coherence across the programme. I took an active role in guiding the flow of the training, overseeing the quality of non-formal learning methods used, and adapting the process to the needs of participants.
A central part of my role was also coordinating the youth dialogue component, ensuring that participants’ inputs were meaningfully collected, structured, and integrated into the final youth report. This included facilitating reflection processes and supporting the translation of discussions into concrete recommendations for European-level dialogue.
Overall, my role combined methodological design, team coordination, and process facilitation, ensuring that the training remained participatory, inclusive, and aligned with its intended impact.