TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Joseph Teuma
Aim:
To evaluate the learning process and the service of EVS volunteers and plan further development.
Objectives:
• Project evaluation (organisational aspects, relation between the actors, the activity, the support, the integration into the local community, etc.)
• Shared personal experiences (learning new skills and competences, being part of community life, living within a different culture, using the language);
• Non-formal Learning, learning process, understood how to draft the YOUTHPASS
• Presentation of the volunteer’s experience, review of his/her expectations and personal objectives
• ‘Me and my project’ - how does the volunteer cope with the personal challenges: being in a new country, intercultural aspects, evaluation of the personal development and the learning process
• Planning for the coming months, recommendations for further improvement
• To receive information and guidance on opportunities he/she could be involved in after the period of service.
• Perspectives after EVS, Youth in Action program.
• To identify problems, difficulties, conflicts faced or about to be faced and consequently received satisfying support and clues on the ‘next steps’ to solve these problems.
• To receive information about the Final Report to be produced.
The participants were all young people from the age of 20 till 30. The countries were from France, Italy, Ireland, Germany and Portugal.
The training methods used were various. We started with some name and teambuilding games. Every participant made a coat of arms describing their identity. We did also story telling and even a 'totem' activity using creative symbols describing their time line experience in their service. There was also some group work and presentations. We did a photo language activity to discover the difficulties that came over during the service and the tools to overcome. Finally we did an outdoor challenge activity in different villages aimed to discover culture and learn Youthpass competences.
The volunteers became more aware and reflected of the learning outcomes during the EVS experience. They had the time to re-connect to the reality and plan their future. All this outcomes were discovered during the sharing of certain activities but especially during the evaluation time.
Now after this training they are sharing a network of support in the service and invite each other their social life activities.
We were 2 trainers and both of us facilitated all the sessions. Moreover, I felt I did also youth work especially during the informal and social time. The participants were eager for this training at all times and they work very hard in all sessions. This is the evidence as one of the participant wrote in the evaluation sheet '....I feel like I gained more during this experience. Not only this but I had much more fun! I think this was very much due to the trainers. The training was very informative, interesting and most importantly, practical and hands on. The teaching and learning methods were excellent. Trainers also were very interested in getting to know all of the group and socialized with us as much as possible. They did fantastic job! I wish we had another training before leaving!'