TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Bosko Nelkoski
Non-formal education often serves as a safety net in ensuring education to both who have not enrolled in the formal schools and also to the dropouts of the formal system. TC "Safety Net" was designed to enable young unemployed people committed to the social or environmental change for work as non-formal education facilitators and rise their interest and motivation to contribute to non-governmental non-profit sector activities. Participants will learn about
principles, approaches and values of non-formal education, explore and learn to use various non-formal education methods and tools, develop their facilitation skills and build common understanding about significance of volunteering and recognition of non-formal learning. Special effort will be putted to enhance creative and leadership abilities of the participants and to encourage self-initiative and entrepreneurship for the good of their communities. Furthermore,
participants will work in teams and elaborate applications of new youth exchange projects. Detailed planning process of the project will help the participants to understand better non-formal learning and educational project management stages and process, as well as to create opportunities for their further learning and professional development. Program is based in experiential learning model, and wide range of interactive learning tools will be used including simulations, group discussions, case studies and site visits, reflection and self-assessment exercises, brainstorming sessions and drama techniques.
Training course will gather 28 participants and experts from host country Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Spain, United Kingdom, Latvia and Czech Republic.
Training was designed for unemployed people who are eager and interested to work in non-formal education and have some small previous experience in the field. Course will give them basic knowledge needed to start more active work in non-formal education and expand their abilities and opportunities. Considering that the target group is young people after studies who can't find job in long term, some of them also due to discrimination and marginalization, project will provide important and valuable chance for their personal and professional development.
Non-formal education methods will be introduced to the participants using experiential learning model, when participants will experience different methods and after draw conclusions about their use and adaptation. Main methods used will be drama exercises, discussions, simulation games, team-building exercises, group work, various idea generation techniques, site visits and case studies, interactive presentations, reflection groups and also energizers to build safe and open atmosphere.
As an outcome of this training we expect that participants become more self-confident, find positive encouragement and motivation, get new ideas on their personal and professional development, gain some crucial skills needed for their further career-making, and get more clear vision of their needs and potential, as well as develop their own projects, implementation of what will support their further learning process and give new opportunities to them and their communities.
Interactive methods that determine active involvement will be used. Participants will have also several tasks to support implementation of project, such as assisting in documenting activities, leading energizers and evening program, disseminating project's results and providing its visibility. Role of participants is crucial in follow-up stage of the training, as the participants will be responsible for maintaining partnerships and completing their own projects.
Participants will enhance their teamwork and leadership skills, intercultural competencies, social and citizenship competencies, as well as spirit of entrepreneurship and self-initiative. Unemployed youngsters involved in the training are going to acquire the knowledge about basic principles of non-formal education and project management and receive administrative, moral, and idea-related support from the promoters and trainers, and would be encouraged to start their own projects right after the training course. Thus this training course will have also a positive influence on participants' communities - if their projects would be implemented, it would give new learning opportunities also for participants' peers. Besides we expect to raise participants' motivation and also competencies needed to work in non-formal and non-profit sector, therefore we hope that this project would strengthen also capabilities of participants' organizations, quality of activities and projects these organizations implement. Strong non-formal sector is important for inclusive growth of communities and might contribute a lot in solving social issues and providing alternative education services.
I was part of the trainers team and I was actively working on each part of the working programme.