TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Peri Kourakli
The aim was to re-examine the goals and the future of the Network of the European Youth Capitals (EYCs), while enhancing the brand name of the EYCs for Thessaloniki and for the youth NGOs of Europe. It also included the cooperation of the EYCs with the civil society for realizing youth policy.
The EYC is a title that started as a youth fiesta, but the last years is trying to have a new identity targeting to the local youth policy implementation. So instead of every EYC to act alone, it was decide to establish the Network in which each EYC (city) offers and receives. This is very important for Thessaloniki EYC (TEYC) since TEYC’s goal is not to stop investing in youth after 2014.
The workshop had very specific audience, meaning that only former, current or future European Youth Capitals could attend: Torino- Italy 2010, Braga – Portugal 2012, Maribor- Slovenia 2013, Thessaloniki-Greece 2014, Cluj Napoca-Romania 2015, and Ganja 2016. From each city 1-4 people attended it.
The workshop was not a typical formal workshop. It included two set of activities; one open to the public and one closed only for participants.
The open part of the workshop was a very alternative task: the participants had to prepare a one-day youth fair in the City Hall of Thessaloniki. The fair was pre-organized before the participants arrive in Thessaloniki from their home cities by following specific directions- training (preparation phase of the workshop), but when the participants arrived in Thessaloniki, they invested time to the details of the fair after a daily training (eg. setting the venue, volunteers coordination, preparation of the side events, etc.). So the first day was preparation of the fair and the second was realization of the fair. The closed part of the workshop was based on the future workshop method. This type of method includes three phases: Critical and Complaint, Utopia and Fantasy, Realization and Practice.
The workshop was believed to be successful one. The youth fair attracted more than 500 people, while about 50 youth NGOs were there as exhibitors and was supported by about 40 volunteers (who were coordinated by the workshop’s participants). The practical problem were addressed and the workshops’ participants were trained in dealing them. The networking among NGOs and the EYCs was vivid.
The closed session provided the opportunity to re-examine the goals and the targets of the Network. During the workshop, the strategy for the EYCs Network and a roadmap for its realization were produced.
More on the workshop: www.thessaloniki2014.gr/events
My task was the most crucial. I was the coordinator of the workshop (closed and open session). I was the only trainer and facilitator. So I formulated the agenda, communicated and selected with the participants and conducted the workshop. I received support from the team of TEYC and from the participants.