TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Kalle Ristikartano
The aim of the activity was to teach to the youth workers practical ways how to support youth with more support needs on building and maintaining friendships, dealing with family issues and creating flourishing intimate relationships. Youth center Domžale and Association ASPI deal with these issues through their everyday work with youth coming to the youth center and youth with autism participating to the activities of ASPI.
The participants to the activity came from Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Greece and Croatia. The team had members from Slovenia and Finland.
The training was based on Non-Formal Learning methods like world cafe, open space, snowballing, lines and walk & talk. It also included discussive lectures from professionals. The main method was Do-It-Yourself workshops that the international participants designed and led for the autistic users of ASPI using NFL methods.
The training increased the capabilities of the participants to design, implement and evaluate different kinds of activities for young adults with higher support needs addressing the topics of Friendship, Family and Partnership. It also created three successful workshops with young adults with autism and 9 ready activities to be used in the youth work field.
I was the other half of the training team with my Slovenian colleague responsible of designing, implementing and evaluating the training course as a full-time trainer.