TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Miranda Zavrou
The overall aim of the project was to improve the level of awareness of young people, including marginalised youth, in the topic of human rights, marginalisation, anti discrimination and social inclusion in European and non-European countries - one of the main priorities of Europe 2020 strategy.
To achieve this aim we worked on the following objectives:
1. Increase awareness about human rights education and its importance in participants’ countries, while also getting to know the situations of other countries; European and non.
2. Develop participants’ skills to be able to search and learn about social issues and inclusion, while allowing them to enhance their critical thinking.
3. Promote intergenerational integration and the exchange of viewpoints: Young people actively engaged with older people in certian activities of this project.
4. Enhance visual communication skills and the creativity of participants by the familiarisation with storytelling and video making techniques in the context of understanding the importance of civic awareness.
5. Develop active participation, social and civic responsibility and the competence of empathy as a skill by exploring NFE methods and techniques. Not only did participants engage in NFE activities, they also got the chance and space to coordinate their own NFE workshops; through a co-working space.
6. Promote intercultural values and diversity through inter-religious dialogue by developing interpersonal and intercultural skills of the participants that lead to new international friendships and future collaborations.
The target group were participants coming from countries with diverse backgrounds in different respects, in an effort to promote diversity, intercultural and inter-religious dialogue by using non-formal educational activities which is the emphasis of Erasmus+ 2019.
We invited participants coming from countries with different realities and violations of human rights, to enhance the effectiveness and impact of the set objectives.
In order to ensure the diversity of the group, we chose countries with different geographical positions, traditions, religion and history. We included mediterranean countries both south and north, Egypt and Cyprus, balkan countries Greece and Bulgaria, a Baltic country Estonia, and ex soviet union countries from the Eastern bloc Ukraine and Armenia.
The working methods used were non-formal education methods, that allowed the participants to acquire new skills, learn, and share knowledge and ideas. The activities included energizers, ice-breaking games, team-building activities, interactive presentations, experiential and embodied learning, group work, simulations, brainstorming and co-working methods where participants were given the opportunity and space to choose a topic of their own, and have their own workshop on it. Moreover, every day of the project, participants had the time to reflect on their own and then in small groups - using different reflection methodologies each day.
The whole programme was split into three parts: human rights education, storytelling and video making. Specific activities included: storytelling stations, activities using the senses and natural elements to approach the topics, De Bono's 6 thinking hats and many more.
Working methods were flexible and adapted based on the participants' characteristics, needs, interests, expectations, language skills and daily feedback. We believe that the chosen activities were ideal to reach the objectives namely the acquisition of new soft skills, the cultivation of a common identity, the promotion of acceptance, tolerance and dialogue and contribute to the participants' personal and social development.
- 5 videos have been created by the participants of this project with the aim to raise awareness around issues of social inclusion, human rights and different violations of them. These videos were initially premiered at the village (venue of the project), on one of the final days of the project. At the screening we invited the local community (some of the locals had been part of the making of those videos as well).
- Those 5 videos are now being widely spread on social media of YEU and partners and via other stakeholders - as were the scheduled dissemination events.
- A way to measure the success of the project is the fact that participants have already started the dissemination and multiplication process to which they committed to (sending articles and photos of their actions).
- Website of the project (currently still in development): https://yeucyprus.wixsite.com/star
I was/am an active member of the project team during all phases of project application, preparation, implementation and evaluation. More specifically, I took part in preparing the application (I focused on the table of activities and methodologies used), I have also been one of the two people responsible for the project (managing and checking the budget, etc.) and I was one of the trainers during the implementation phase.