TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Sara Serrao
This training was aimed at the EVS volunteers, plus members of the association located in East Timor. The objectives were:
- To reflect and discuss about EVS and each one's role inside this specific cooperation project;
- To inform volunteers about the hosting country and local community (through experiential learning) and to reflect upon cultural adaptation;
- To introduce participants to Non Violent Communication methodology;
- To foster the reflection and definition of learning goals and individual contributions, during EVS;
- To strenghten the group feeling and to celebrate the beginning of an experience of international volunteering.
Target group: Portuguese EVS volunteers involved in the project; members of NaTerra association in East Timor. Countries involved: Portugal and East Timor.
- Experiential learning for the introduction to the local culture (for ex. traditional breakfast in a local family, meeting local youth involved in associativism, handcrafts with local women, preparing fish..);
- Individual reflection with a journal;
- Mindmapping and other visual schemes made by the participants themselves;
- Participatory games for the introduction on the theme of conflicts, conflict management and Non Violent Communication
The training achieved the reflection and awareness raising in each of the participating individuals. Two of the participants were considered less privileged, as they were coming from a rural site in Portugal. Using experiential learning, visual schemes and games stimulated their participation and they were surprised to have learnt about Non Violent Communication, for example, as they would not have been interested otherwise.
My role was to coordinate the whole training, to facilitate the communication between the Portuguese and the East Timorese associations (as both had active part in the program) and to facilitate the sessions on EVS issues and the reflection on learning goals/ personal goals/ NVC.