TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Sabina Belc
The training activity aimed to strengthen skills in graphic facilitation and other visual methods for youth workers and trainers. It addressed needs such as improving training effectiveness, enhancing creativity, and increasing confidence in visual tools like drawing. By introducing new techniques, the training made youth work more engaging, interactive, and effective.
Participants in the follow-up training met a professional graphic facilitator, practised their skills in local organizations, and shared knowledge on advanced drawing techniques, visualization for relaxation, and photography from a graphic facilitation perspective. These activities reinforced their abilities and encouraged practical application.
The project also fostered international partnerships, enabling knowledge exchange and long-term collaboration. Aligned with the organizations' goals, it enhanced educational programs, expanded the use of visual methods, and promoted broader awareness and adoption of graphic facilitation across the youth sector.
The activities were designed for staff of youth organizations, primarily youth workers and trainers. Partner organizations from Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Spain participated in the project.
The training activity, conducted in two parts, focused on developing and applying graphic facilitation skills for youth workers and trainers. The first part, a 10-day program, emphasized skill-building through hands-on exercises and non-formal learning methods. The second part, spanning 8 days, focused on practical application and real-world practice.
Participants engaged in diverse activities to build and refine their skills. Icebreakers and team-building games, such as "Dixit" and human bingo, fostered a friendly environment, while sessions on graphic facilitation basics introduced visual symbols, doodling, poster creation and graphic recording. Advanced techniques like movement illustration, storytelling, and photography composition were shared by the participants themselves.
Daily reflection sessions encouraged personal insights using tools like sketchbooks and photo language. A professional graphic facilitator introduced digital scribing and guided participants in client-simulation role-play.
Practical learning opportunities included live graphic recording at NGOs in Ljubljana and facilitating workshops at local high schools. Participants also practised using templates, graphic storytelling, and visual recording methods. The final days focused on evaluating the training, completing Youthpass reflections, and planning follow-up actions.
Participants created several tangible outcomes, which are showcased on our webpage: https://socialna-akademija.si/graphicfacilitation/. These include a concise manual, instructional videos, and a "Where to Start" presentation designed specifically for youth workers.
I worked as a trainer, playing an active role in co-designing and leading the program.
Indeed, Sabina Belc was responsible for the training we developed in our municipality.
Trusting her and her project was easy and a win-win as our organisation (and our young people) had previously benefited from youth exchanges that she had organised and coordinated.
She is a professional, with all the technical qualities required in international projects. On the personal side, she is superb. Her excellence in soft skills makes any project a success.
She is a great professional, has all the training and knowledge necessary to undertake projects with classic content and is even more stimulated by novel components. But the best thing is her human capacity, it is always a pleasure to see her grow and project herself.