TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Brais Fernandes Álvarez
The Long Term training Course for local youth initiatives aimed to empower and train youth leaders and workers, active within YEU member and partner organizations, to develop local projects and associative strategies based on participation, intercultural education and human rights from a European perspective. It included 3 residential training events during a year long project (seminar, training course and evaluation seminar). In the periods in between, trainees continued to learn both by peer training and coaching methods and learning by doing, assisted by an e-coaching.
The main need addressed was to help to find a balance between the local and international level of the young youth workers and its NGOs, proving that being active at each one's own community means being active in Europe.
Youth leaders and youth workers throughout Europe (Italy, Finland, Serbia, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Holland, Poland)
4 people trainers team (Nuno da Silva, pt; Ondrej Lochman, cz; Olga Stobiecka-Rozmiarek, pl) and logistic staff from YEU (Marta Cubajevaite, Marko Paunovic, Ewa Giniewska...)
Introduction to the "European Charter on the Participation of Youth at local and regional life" through several methods such as discussions, simulations, creative workshops... and the development of personal project plans at local level
Several getting-to-know-each-other, team-building and ice-breaking games, some inputs and many discussions through a variety of methods, small and big group work, brainstorming, creative conclusions and creative flipcharts, as well as simulations such as “Possible Mission”- a chain of small tasks that participants must fulfil as a team-, "Albatross", "Open Space Technologies", several challenges such as an Outdoor Experiential Learning for 24 hours aimed at developing participants’ personal and social competences regarding participation and ethical values.
Permanent assessment and self-assessment with a special focus on learn-to-learn and learn-by-doing approach
Local-based activities at the community level and the strengthening of the local NGOs
I was one of the 4 full-time team-trainers.
We all planned, developed, implemented and reported each of the three residential meetings, and coached online participants in between.
Among the team I tend to take responsibilities on creativity and the swift from rational into emotional perspectives.