TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Stephen Shashoua
The training aimed to strengthen the capacity of emerging dialogue practitioners and community leaders from across Southeast Asia to use storytelling as a tool for dialogue, relationship-building and social cohesion. Through the CERITA methodology, participants developed the knowledge, skills and confidence to facilitate meaningful conversations across religious, cultural and worldview differences, while fostering empathy, trust and collaborative action within their communities.
The programme addressed the need for practical, participatory approaches that move beyond dialogue as discussion towards dialogue as an experiential process that builds relationships and supports community resilience. Participants sought methodologies that could be adapted to diverse local contexts, strengthen interreligious and interworldview engagement, and equip them to facilitate conversations on complex social issues while encouraging active community participation.
Using non-formal, experiential learning methods, participants explored storytelling, dialogue facilitation and participatory approaches that enabled them to surface lived experiences, deepen mutual understanding and design initiatives relevant to their own communities. The training also strengthened connections between practitioners across the ASEAN region, creating opportunities for peer learning, collaboration and the exchange of practice.
The programme directly supported the goals of the partner organisations by strengthening local leadership, advancing interreligious and interworldview dialogue, and building the capacity of civil society actors to promote peaceful, inclusive and resilient communities. It contributed to the wider objective of developing a regional network of practitioners capable of using dialogue and storytelling to address shared social challenges and foster cooperation across diverse communities.
17 Participants from across ASEAN - namely Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Malaysia
Facilitators were from Canada, Indonesia, Portugal, UK
The training was based on non-formal, experiential learning, with participants learning through practice, reflection and peer exchange. Methods included Story Circles, Public Narrative (Story of Self, Us and Now), Image Theatre and Tableau, Fishbowl and World Café dialogues, a collaborative scavenger hunt, facilitation practice sessions, small-group design labs and structured reflection. Throughout the programme, participants learned by doing, receiving peer and trainer feedback while developing dialogue initiatives that could be adapted to their own communities and organisations.
The training strengthened participants' confidence and competence in using storytelling as a tool for dialogue, interreligious engagement and community leadership. By the end of the programme, participants had designed and facilitated dialogue activities, developed practical action plans for their own contexts and built strong relationships with peers from across the ASEAN region.
The success of the training was demonstrated through participants' facilitation practice, the quality of the dialogue initiatives they developed and positive participant evaluations highlighting the relevance and applicability of the methodologies. The programme also established an ongoing regional network of practitioners who have continued to exchange learning and collaborate beyond the training, with many participants integrating CERITA storytelling and dialogue approaches into their own organisations and communities.
The training was documented through KAICIID and partner organisation communications, including event webpages, social media posts, participant resources and organisational reports.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX9GKycnbUw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qy0z2c5Xo0
As Co-Designer and Lead Trainer, I was responsible for the design and delivery of the programme as a full-time member of the trainers' team. I co-developed the curriculum, learning journey and non-formal methodologies, ensuring they aligned with the programme's objectives and the needs of participants from across Southeast Asia.
During the training, I facilitated plenary and small-group sessions, led experiential learning activities, coached participants as they designed and practised dialogue processes, and provided ongoing feedback and mentoring. I also worked closely with the training team to adapt the programme throughout the week, ensuring a responsive and participant-centred learning experience.