TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Vitalie Cirhana
The general idea of this training course is to bring together teachers that are open to widen their horizon with using more non-formal learning in their work with students in order in to share experiences and develop competencies on using GAMES in non-formal settings not only as an element of fun, but as an effective learning opportunity for youth – thus improving the quality of work with young people in general (at the school level and not only…) and contributing to development of competences of young people.
28 participants, teachers from schools, who teach youngster 13+ and are interested to apply more non-formal learning elements in their work with youngsters from Latvia, Russia, Turkey, Belgium, Jordan, Moldova, Georgia and Morocco.
The contents of the training course included:
- Exploring the concept of games and playing as a crucial opportunity for young people to learn
- Identifying the competencies that could be developed through games that are required for young peoples’ active participation in social life and for employment
- Exchanging the experience on most commonly used types of games in different contexts
- Raising awareness on the principles, values and characteristics of non-formal learning (NFL) and exploring Experiential Learning cycle as a crucial tool to extract important learning outcomes from games
- Developing skills on designing, facilitating games and getting high learning outcomes through good quality debriefing process
- Providing a space to develop further ideas on using the games as an effective learning opportunity at the local level or through future projects of Erasmus+
All the participants appreciate importance of non-formal educaiton methods in working with young people and develop their skills in facilitation of session for youth. Almost all participants noted what their found the training useful for their own personal development and one of them even expressed the desire to use in the future non-formal methods in their activities as teachers.
To work on teambuilding and create an environment where the trainers and participants are in the best possible mindset to learn from the trainers and other participants, to create a framework where participants will learn and share about their particular knowledge and experience, and be creative and innovative in developing solutions to the issues presented during the project. To explore together with participants topics as motivation, youth participation, facilitation of learning activities.