TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Stefano Esposito
"Lights, Camera... Action! EuroGoals on Screen" was an Erasmus+ Training Course where the main goal was to enhance the digital skills of the Youth Workers through digital content creation and to raise awareness of the European Youth Goals and their importance in the promotion of European Values.
Objectives:
- Give youth workers new digital tools to enhance their skills and improve how organizations use social media and communication to make a bigger impact
- Learn how to use various platforms to create digital content
- Highlight the importance of European youth goals to
empower young people to be active in their communities
The Training Course involved 28 participants engaged in the youth work field from 7 countries: Greece, France, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Romania and Poland.
The participants were either Youth Workers or Youth Leaders residents in the Partners' Countries.
The trainers’ team itself was also international, with trainers from Italy, Lithuania, and Spain, to balance expertise in digital content creation and European Youth Goals.
Partner organisations:
- GREECE, Wheeling2Help
- LITHUANIA, Loud and Clear
- SPAIN, Asociación Cultural L'Ayalguina
- PORTUGAL, ProActing
- FRANCE, Toler’Arts
- ROMANIA, Filiala Se Poate
- POLAND, Green Elephant
The program was designed with a focus on achieving the primary goal of the project: to develop youth workers’ competences in digital content creation to promote and raise awareness of the European Youth Goals and European Values.
The team composition was balanced between not experienced and knowledgeable youth workers in the field of digital content creation.
The entire project was structured on a step-by-step process focusing on the learning needs of the participants.
Participants were introduced - through non-formal education activities - basic rules of photography, storytelling, video-making, meme creation, European Youth Goals, social media strategies, and digital content creation.
Non-formal methodologies were the main structure of all the activities, and participants had the chance to explore by themselves in a creative and engaging way how to delve into the topics. Hand-on activities and theory were balanced in order to give a general overview and possibility of exploration of their own unique style of digital content creation.
Evening reflection sessions were organized daily, guided by NFE principles, bringing participants together in small groups to discuss their experiences, offer feedback, and reflect on their learning journey. These sessions cultivated a safe and supportive space, encouraging honest conversations and the sharing of best practices. By discussing both obstacles and achievements, participants felt more engaged and took greater ownership of their progress in the course.
One of the most important components of the training was to encourage cooperation among participants. Every participant was invited to take an active role and support the learning process of the other members of the team in order to exchange good practices, tips and tricks and to harmonize the overall group dynamic.
The training objectives' was to equip youth workers with the skills to create digital content that raises awareness of the European Youth Goals and the European Values. Specific outcomes include:
- Creation of Photos, Videos, Memes, Scripts and Short Movies as a result of the project activities
- The creation of Short Movies about the European Youth Goals, produced by the participants.
- Increase knowledge on Digital Content Creation and communication tools for active citizenship
- Increased collaboration and networking among participants, fostering future transnational projects.
In the last day of the project, the Short Movies created by the participants were presented during a Movie Night with an open and public access for everyone. In the follow-up phase, participants engaged in the video interviews on the local level in order to promote and disseminate the European Youth Goals.
I was the main coordinator of the project, and worked as a full-time trainer in collaboration with two more trainers.
The sessions were structured around image composition, storytelling, communication (verbal and non verbal), shooting types, camera movements, production techniques and post-production, as well as peer-feedback.
Main responsibilities involved:
- Collaborating in the program design and creating structured, engaging training sessions.
- Introducing theoretical and practical tips, covering all stages of image composition and video production, from pre-production through to post-production -, as well as storytelling and digital content creation.
- Leading interactive workshops, group discussions, and activities.
- Facilitating conversations on the European Youth Goals, helping participants incorporate these goals into their digital projects.
- Coaching teams and providing customized feedback to enhance their video and digital content.
- Coordinating the team and managing the training schedule, including conducting daily team debriefs and adjusting the program as needed based on participant feedback.