Long-term training course for youth trainers from the Russian Federation involved in educational activities with young people based on non-formal education

Aims & objectives

The aim of the training course was to improve the quality of educational activities in the field of youth work in the Russian Federation, through extending the network of trainers with the necessary competences for such work, sharing the principles and values of non-formal education and using the quality standards of the Council of Europe.

The strategic objectives of the training course were the following:
To enlarge the existing group of experienced trainers able to develop and implement quality training activities in the Russian Federation, and to support the further development of the existing trainers’ networks
To contribute to the recognition of youth work and non-formal education in the Russian Federation youth field;
To develop and use innovative concepts and practices for training of trainers in non- formal education;
To highlight the approaches and values underlying youth work and non-formal education and to reflect on how they can best be promoted in training activities;
To make use of the existing resources of the Council of Europe Youth Sector in the youth policy field of the Russian Federation;
To contribute to the development of a professional profile of youth trainers in the Russian Federation by fostering the recognition of trainers’ competencies in the youth / non-formal education field;
To exemplify the beneficial interaction of youth research, youth policy and practice and its importance in the design, implementation and follow-up of any training activity.

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

Belarus, France, Russia , Spain

Training methods used & main activities

The methodology and approaches of the training course were based on the principles of non-formal education, as well as on the quality standards for educational activities of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe.
The long-term training course was a complex activity for the development of competencies of participants which combined different forms and methods of work for personal and professional development, as well as the opportunity to implement the practical experience of participants.
The training course programme included the following steps:
● Initial residential seminar, 23-29 November 2019, Moscow

● E-learning, November 2019 – September 2020
9 thematic modules with individual and group assignments and two modules focused on preparation for residential activities the took place.
- on-line seminar “Educational activities and experiential learning" on May 17-18, 2020
- "Human Rights Education and Nonformal Education in Youth Work" webinar on May 6, 2020
- An informal meeting on the Zoom platform, April 24, 2020
- An informal meeting on the Zoom platform, September 2, 2020

● Practice phase: initiating and preparing activities from December 2019 to March 2020, implementing activities from March till September 2020

● Mentoring, November 2019 – October 2020

● Midterm meeting of participants, 15-18 April 2020 (Russian Federation) (Zoom)

● Peer Support

● Consolidation and evaluation seminar, 4-10 October 2020 (Kalughskaja oblast, Russian Federation)

Outcomes of the activity

The impact of the training course was evaluated very positively by participants who mentioned the strong development of different trainers competences. in total 29 people finished te hcourse. Many people stressed that they are empowered and feel stronger, more motivated to act as trainers in youth work field.

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

I was a full-time trainer

I worked on this training for a year days as a full time trainer.