TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Makbule Temel
The main goal of this 3-day bilateral training in İzmir was to raise awareness about gender-based violence in youth work and international volunteering. This activity was designed as the 3rd phase of the broader Erasmus+ GiveLab project, which involved a cooperation of 10 international partner organizations. The main objective of this specific training was to experience and practically test the educational tools that were previously built during the 2nd phase of the project (the laboratory work in France). The training addressed the urgent need for youth workers to recognize power dynamics and prevent incidents, fitting perfectly into the goals of boundaries-building and preparing upcoming camp leaders for safer summer activities.
The target group consisted of 20 participants in total, making it a bilateral training with 10 youth workers and camp leader volunteers from Austria (Grenzenlos) and 10 from Turkey (GHD). The activity was embedded in a wider initiative involving 10 international partner organizations. The spoken working language throughout the entire training was strictly English. The profile included both experienced workers and volunteers who were new to the topic of gender-based violence, creating a rich cross-border dialogue where participants could compare their daily youth work realities.
The whole training was run using interactive non-formal education methods that focused heavily on experiential learning and practical tool-testing within a secure environment. We used structured reflection rounds, deep group work, and interactive exercises to analyze sensitive topics like gender roles, power dynamics, and violence prevention strategies. A key part of the methodology was hands-on testing, where the 20 participants actively experienced and evaluated different educational tools. A great example was a creative role-play method designed as a "courtroom simulation" about consent: participants were split into two sides to argue based on specific cases whether clear consent was given or not. This was followed by an intensive debriefing session to unpack the deep message behind the simulation. The entire process focused on creating a high level of trust and emotional safety.
The training achieved very concrete and long-lasting results for the broader initiative. Based on the intensive testing and feedback from our 20 participants, the educational methodology and toolkits of the project were heavily improved and finalized. A major long-term success of the wider GiveLab initiative was the subsequent creation of an official educational board game about gender-based violence, which directly incorporated the insights and evaluations gained from our bilateral training. Furthermore, the "courtroom simulation" method we introduced during the week proved to be so successful and memorable that it is still actively used in some international volunteer camps today. The finalized methodologies, tools, and the downloadable educational game are officially published and documented on the GiveLab platform hosted by Solidarités Jeunesses (solidaritesjeunesses.org/projetstransversaux/givelab).
I worked in a double role as the main trainer and the overall project coordinator responsible for the Austrian partner organization. On the management side, I was fully responsible for the preparation, coordination, and selection of the Austrian delegation within this 10-partner international cooperation. On the educational side, I worked full-time as the main trainer during the entire training. Together with a co-trainer from the Turkish partner organization GHD, I co-designed the daily schedule, selected the non-formal methods, and managed the safe-space guidelines. My tasks on the floor included leading interactive plenary sessions, guiding intercultural reflection rounds, and collecting the systematic feedback to improve our tools. I was active full-time from morning until evening to lead the program, support the participants, and ensure a trustful atmosphere.
Dear TOY Team,
I hereby confirm that Makbule Temel worked as a full-time trainer and facilitator during the Erasmus+ training course “Gender Inequality and Violence in International Volunteering”, organized by Grenzenlos and Gönüllü Hizmetler Derneği (GHD) in İzmir, Türkiye, between 04.06.2023 and 08.06.2023.
During the activity, she played a major role in designing and facilitating the educational program, including interactive workshops, reflection sessions, and non-formal learning activities related to gender-based violence, consent, power dynamics, and safe spaces in international volunteering. She was especially active in developing and leading workshop content and demonstrated strong facilitation, communication, and group management skills throughout the training.
I can confidently confirm her experience and competencies as a trainer/facilitator in international youth work settings.
Best regards,
Pınar Dağuşağı
General Coordinator
Gönüllü Hizmetler Derneği