TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Gabriel Brezoiu
The SPARK project is dedicated to revitalizing rural communities by empowering the people who support them. Objectives:
- Upskill Youth Workers Equip professionals with expertise in social innovation and rural entrepreneurship using cutting-edge methodologies like Design Thinking.
- Conduct Needs Assessments Enable youth workers to identify local challenges and development opportunities through comprehensive community analysis.
- Drive Community Projects Support the incubation of innovative, grassroots initiatives designed to solve specific local issues.
- Foster Collaboration Build a robust network for knowledge exchange between partner organizations and regional stakeholders.
- Promote Sustainability Champion active citizenship and social responsibility to ensure long-term, sustainable development in rural areas.
The same group of 16 youth workers from France, Italy, Romania and Slovakia actively participated in all project activities, ensuring continuity, deeper engagement, and the effective application of skills gained throughout the SPARK project.
Profile of the participants:
- Age: 18+ years old.
- Youth workers who are actively engaged in supporting and empowering young people, particularly in rural areas.
- Committed to conducting needs assessments and implementing innovative local projects.
- Committed to actively taking part in all project activities, ensuring consistency and impact.
The training was based on nonformal education methodology and design thinking (Stanford approach in 5 steps). Thus in France we completed the first three steps: Empathise, Define, Ideate, during the coaching phase of 5 months the participants had the chance to Prototype their ideas with the support of the national coach. Nevertheless, during the second training in Romania we concluded the prototype phase and we advanced towards testing.
Methods used:
- case studies;
- simulation games;
- field/study visits to Michelin (France) and STUP (Romania);
- working in intercultural groups;
- roundtable with young entrepreneurs;
- intercultural evening open to the locals;
- guest speakers;
- AI assisted project development;
- pitching;
- each participant developed a prototyped and presented it;
- SPARK Guidebook: https://www.geyc.ro/2025/10/publication-spark-guidebook-on.html
I was the leading trainer for both activities; in charge of leading the pedagogical component of the activity. For the mobility in Bucharest I was also in charge of managing the local thematic visits and organising a roundtable with young entrepreneurs to facilitate networking opportunities as well as having a guest speaker.