TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Karlo Brunović
Aim of the training course was to increase the quality of youth work of partner organisations in working with youth from diverse religious backgrounds through three specific objectives:
● increasing knowledge and skills of partners' youth workers related to religious literacy
● equipping youth workers with non-formal tools to foster religious pluralism through youth work
● exchanging experiences of participating organisations on how to use non-formal education in affirming religious pluralism among youth.
19 youth workers from Croatia, Italy, Spain, France, Estonia, Netherlands and Portugal, working with youth with fewer opportunities.
Firstly, I used the World Cafe method to facilitate deep discussions on religious literacy and its role in modern youth work. To explore the complexities of social inclusion and privilege, I conducted the "Take a Step Forward" exercise, followed by the "Guess Who's Coming to the Party" game to help participants recognize and challenge their own internal biases. Moreover, I organized an eco-religious marathon focused on the natural heritage of Veli Iž to provide a unique, practical perspective on how different worldviews interact with our environment. I also dedicated several sessions to the Open Space for Exchange of Good Practices, where participants could lead their own workshops and share successful tools for fostering religious literacy within their local communities.
During the specialized workshops on religious traditions, I led participants through the "Beyond Belief" and "Busting Religious Stereotypes" sessions to break down common misconceptions and promote a more nuanced understanding of diverse faiths. I also facilitated a dedicated Workshop on Religion and Human Rights to connect religious literacy with broader citizenship competences and legal frameworks. To support the learning process throughout the week, I guided participants through self-assessment tasks and daily reflection sessions, helping them articulate the new skills and knowledge they acquired for their Youthpass certificates.
Achievements include:
- improved level of religious literacy (participants)
- enhanced competence in interreligious and intercultural dialogue (participants)
- increased capacity to use non-formal education methods that promote religious and cultural diversity (organisations).
General info on the activity, including a digital leaflet "Religious Literacy for Youth Workers" is accessible on Udruga Prizma's website: https://www.udrugaprizma.hr/relit-2024
I prepared the programme of the training course in collaboration with another trainer, including the preparation task for participants (the task was to read selected excerpts from sacred texts of world religions), and meetings with partners during their preparatory visit to Croatia.
Besides conducting core training sessions, I also contributed to reflection sessions, including mid and final evaluation by motivating participants to share their impressions and reflect upon their learning.
After the training, I was responsible for producing a a digital leaflet containing overview of most important insights from the activity. Moreover, I was in touch with project partners to follow-up on their dissemination and evaluation activities.