TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Andrés Sánchez González
-Familiarize you with the numerous types and examples of discrimination and unconscious bias that women encounter, as well as the importance of working toward a society where such concerns are no longer an issue;
-Provide participants with the knowledge and abilities to utilize visual arts to raise awareness about current gender disparities.
-Encourage participants to foster public discussion about the need for an equal authority workplace and how to achieve it.
WHAT DID THE PARTICIPANTS GAIN?
-The competences to express yourself about important societal issues through visual arts, which includes creativity and visual thinking skills
-New knowledge and perspectives about gender inequalities, and in particular about the authority gap that women face on a daily basis.
-Communication skills to contribute to narrowing the authority gap in your own environment
-Experience in practising these skills and knowledge in a safe environment where you can thrive.
-A strong European support network, as well as connections with relevant actors and the local community
This training course brings together 30 persons from Estonia, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands (also in this team there were people from Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Vietnam and Pakistán).
The team consisted of Joana Neves (Portugal) and Andrés Sánchez (Spain) as trainers. Rob Cloosen (Netherlands) as coordinator.
The training course has 3 main phases:
At the first phase participants will be supported to build trust in themselves and each other by various kind of non-formal activities that involve theatrical elements as well in order to free up their full potential and learn alternative ways of self-expression. One of the main tools that the program works with here is the participants’ own experiences with, and stories about, gender (in)equalities, as well as encouraging them to take part in activities that help them share these stories. Also, this first phase serves to get participants on the same page when it comes to the unconscious biases and the authority gap faced by women, and why they are problematic. These matters are explored through the lens of the various cultures and countries that participants are from.
In the second phase, once the connections and trust are sound, participants develop a skill set that allows them to advocate for a gender-equal society and workplace. Firstly, through highly interactive workshops that contain discussions, role plays, theatrical elements, etc., they improve skills related to confidence, self-advocacy, self-expression, nonviolent communication, and leadership. Secondly, they will be organized in smaller activity groups and circulated around in different photography related workshops. After gaining a sound knowledge in self- and cultural awareness in relation to gender (in)equality, at this phase, participants will develop their digital, entrepreneurial, creativity, literacy and empathy skills with the method of learning by doing in terms of photography.
In the third phase, participants will get the opportunity to put their newly gained skills and competencies into action by realizing an exhibition. Afterwards, participants will evaluate themselves and their cooperation throughout the event.
After the training course, the photo exhibition will travel around through the participating countries, encouraging local communities to be engaged with the cause. Another ambition, as part of the follow-up after the training course, would be that participants can access opportunities of having guidance or a mentor to support them in their own initiatives that aim to combat gender inequalities.
Participants will have the ability to work in diverse communities and organize events where people have different cultural and societal backgrounds. Due to the photography skill development phase, participants will be equipped with great degree of digital, creative, interpersonal, and entrepreneurial competencies to express their opinion, and to realize their own exhibitions and other awareness creating activities on gender (in)equality.
The participants will have an active international support network from all around Europe in which they will be able to develop further ideas and the take necessary actions to achieve a more gender equal society.
Outside of the participant group, additionally, the project contributes to societal change by addressing fellow residents in the cities and networks of participants with the photo exhibitions that are made as part of the project by using the jointly created materials.
Joana (the other trainer) and I, under the supervision of the coordinator, had to write the complete program of the training course, and focus it on the objectives that Youth for Mobility sent us. We thought, designed and created many of the activities from scratch, and then executed them together during the 10 days of training.