TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Leilani van Rheenen
The aim of the on-arrival training was to give volunteers that have just arrived in Turkey the opportunity to:
- Understand their rights and responsibilities
- Get acquainted with other EVS volunteers and the projects they're involved with
- Get support, methods on tools on how to deal with potential crisis and conflicts
- Gain a basic understanding of Turkish culture and language, including cultural considerations to be aware of in different aspects of life in Turkey
- Gain a basic understanding of the philosophy of Youth in Action and EVS
- Gaining a basic understanding of the concepts of non-formal education and learning to learn, as well as understanding that EVS is a non-formal educational experience
- Outlining learning objectives they would like to achieve during their time as EVS volunteers
- Understanding the purpose of the Youthpass and how to use it throughout their time as EVS volunteers
- Meet with the NA officer as needed to discuss any questions or concerns
Trainers were from Turkey and Netherlands. Participants were from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Tunisia, Latvia, Spain, France, Portugal, Macedonia, Poland, Slovenia, Greece
The training aimed to provide a balance between providing content and input as needed balanced with active participation and experiential learning. Therefore it included a variety of methods such as discussions in large and small groups, reflection individually as well as in pairs or groups, theoretical input, case studies and outdoor activities.
In their evaluations the participants stated that the training course was a valuable opportunity to understand other projects, gain a better understanding of their reasons for choosing EVS and what they would like to achieve, understand turkish culture and language, as well as seeing conflicts and crisis from different perspectives and having a better understanding of how to deal with them.
Designing and implementing the TC within the team of trainers. My main focuses were on the sessions of conflict, communication, empathy, EVS as a learning journey, Turkish culture and language, group dynamics and teamwork.