TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Leilani van Rheenen
The goal of the training was to give newly arrived EVS volunteers information and tools needed to have a successful EVS experience in Turkey. Topics covered included rights and responsibilities, communication, conflict resolution, team-building, providing a background in Turkish culture, benefits of volunteering, learning to learn and goal setting for their EVS experience.
The training team consisted of 4 trainers from Turkey and the Netherlands and 38 participants from Austria, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
The training aimed to provide a balance between content (input) and active participation and therefore included a variety of methods such as discussions in large and small groups, role play, reflection and assessment individually as well as in pairs or groups, theoretical input and simulations.
Those who are in the best position to determine whether or not the training was a success are the participants themselves. Here is what they had to say:
"Amazing, very dynamic, which kept us the interest, amazing!"
"Good to have an active role. We were forced to be creative and I liked that."
"I think the trainers are very nice, friendly and always ready to help. About the content and methodology it was great, they had funny and coherent games, always with a purpose and they really could get to us easily."
"I think that the methodology is good for this kind of training course. I appreciated particularly the possibility to express ourselves in different contexts, either in small groups, or through creative works."
"Really well organized. Learning but at the same time having fun. The group dynamics were useful to know how are the other volunteers.
All the methods are good and promising THE BEST."
"The general methodology of the training course was quite well. The sessions were not boring as it happens often at the others these kind of training. It was great that we could take active part of the training."
"The methodology was quite balanced between theoretical information and games to understand the importance of working in team. Also the idea and need to divide us in two big groups was great because it made the interpersonal dialogue easier.
"It was great way how to explore myself, get new thinks about others, it will help me to continue my job as EVS volunteer."
"Well organized and the most important: Perfect timing/Good presentation of it."
"I think it’s good, because the volunteers if they want could speak about their life in Turkey, and we could know people in the same case of us!
I think it’s very good and push us more to work and creative something from us to be a part of it.
It was so good. It is very logic and systematic, everything was clear."
The tasks and responsibilities for the TC were divided evenly among the team and my responsibility was to plan and implement sessions on team building, cultural considerations from the perspective of a foreign woman, communication, benefits of volunteering and supporting the volunteers in creating an action plan and setting goals for their EVS experience.