TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Stefan Georgiev
This Tc was carried out as a part of a KA1 Mobility of youth workers project.
The main aim of the project was to build and develop youth workers and young leaders’ competences in the field of human rights, tolerance, empathy and acceptance of diversity in relation to increased migration and refugee flows toward countries which participate in the project. The Tc would contribute for creating more positive attitude of local communities in the respective countries.
Objectives:
- to work for building a more tolerant European society;
- to provide a perspective on causes for migration and challenges in front of refugees by raising participants’ awareness on the current situation;
- to train participants on the successful way to work on conflicts based on migration and refugee processes;
- to provide tools for transfer of acquired competences from participants, back to the local communities;
- to work for higher level of cooperation between European NGOs working in the field of non-formal learning, mobility, human rights and tolerance.
The group was composed by 24 youth workers and youth leaders coming from 6 different countries - Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Spain and Turkey. A specific focus for all these countries is that they are border-countries for EU and/or have human rights issues on governmental level. The group was composed by diverse profile of participants, working with vulnerable groups, excluded youth, coming from smaller communities, away from capital cities, etc. Some were experienced youth workers, others were community leaders and volunteers. Several participants were engaged in formal educational activities, such as high-schools.
The team was composed by 2 trainers from Bulgaria.
The whole educational activity was designed in line with the main principles of non-formal learning. Participants were invited and engaged in diverse approaches, in a coherent with the program learning path, involved in experiential learning processes, but also dived in semi-guided reflection on daily basis. The learning process was planned and started long before the actual training course and continued few months after the event.
Participants had the opportunity to explore local good practice examples and meet and interact with refugees and migrants hosted in the country. Also, a expert journalist was invited to have a talk with the group.
During the actual training course, a range of methods were used, including group discussions, experiential learning activities, interactive topical museum/gallery, role-play and simulations were prepared especially for this training course.
The training course together with the other project activities provided opportunities for:
- exploration of concepts related to human rights, understandings of tolerance and solidarity;
- exploration of different realities, linked to refugees and migrants in the countries, where participants were coming from;
- exchange of ideas, tools and approaches how different societies and youth field on European scale could approach this issue;
- learn and reflect upon own attitudes, stereotypes and prejudice regarding cultural differences, and more specific about refugees and migrants;
- created personal and group action plans, related to further activities in home reality.
After this training course, part of the participants continued to work together and further developed own projects and initiatives.
Within this training course, but also the whole duration of the project, I was I was a full time trainer and coordinator.
- writing the project application with the support of the coordinating Association and other partners;
- coordination of logistical and organizational issues for the whole duration of the project, including the actual training course, including arrangements for venue, materials, etc.;
- designing a fluent learning program for the training course;
- designing and coordinating pre- and post- training course learning activities and processes;
- design and delivering training sessions for the duration of the whole training course;
- providing feedback and co-facilitate other training sessions in order to support my team trainer;
- provide conditions for participants to reflect upon their learning processes;
- evaluate the training and preparation and delivery of final report.