TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Bosko Nelkoski
The main purpose and goal of the organizers of this training course is to bring the values and benefits that volunteering offers to the youngsters of the partner organizations involved in this training. Volunteering is one of the most rewarding ways and trough volunteering one can make a real difference to people living in the toughest circumstances. Most people volunteer because they want to give something back and find they get much more in return. Volunteering often is a foundation for a long-term, sustainable solution of the challenge the community faces.
The social capital generated by volunteering plays a key role in economic regeneration of any society. Where poverty is endemic to an area, poor communities lack friends and neighbors able to help. Thus, voluntary mutual aid or self-help is an important safety net. This model works well within a state because there is a national solidarity in times of adversity and more prosperous groups will usually make sacrifices for the benefit of those in need.
International volunteering activities and initiatives require a serious deal of organization, coordination and management skills in order to implement the initiative properly. Thus, this training course will provide the participants with skills and knowledge of the two main aspects - theoretical knowledge needed to promote volunteering and recruit volunteers and organizations skills to be a part of an international team that will put into operation international volunteering schemes and ideas.
At the same time this training will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and good practices between youth policies makers, youth workers and young people.
On the TC YES WE CAN, there was participants from Italy, Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia, Romania, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Czech Republic and Bulgaria.
After the welcoming part, the trainers presented the programme and themselves. We included many name games and presentation of the participants. The objectives were presented and after it we had session for sharing expectations, contributions and fears. After some more activities of icebreaking and other name games we continued to team building. Participants got tasks they finished in limited time. Name game, everybody one by one said his/her name and made a movement and also repeat the names and movements of at least 4 participants.
Energizing: Each participant should imagine two of the participants; one should be the angel and the other devil. So, each participant should get closer to his/her angel and as far away from his/her devil.
Name game with a small ball. Each participant throws the ball to somebody else and tells its name.
Another name game was made. The participants stood in a line in alphabetical order of their names starting from A ending to Z. Then it was made the same game but making an order by the month of the birthdays of the participants.
We created also the map of Europe. The task was given with an explanation that in the middle is Macedonia so people were placing themselves and that way also discover all the participating countries in interactive way.
Then we played ‘speed dating’. Half of the people should make a couple then standing in a circle and in a short period of time everybody should introduce him/herself to his/her couple. Then the outside circle of people makes one step to right and introduce itself with another person. The topics given were: sport, hobby, first love, favourite destination, perfect date.
Work in pairs and talking interesting things about yourself and telling the story of your name. Then everybody should present the story of the other person from the couple.
For the ICL part we included Albatros. ICL Game “Albatross”. Some of them felt like bad, some confused, like question mark etc. The observers told that its some kind of tradition and way of behaving, the game was offensive for the female. The males felt strange and sweet, but a little boring because of the silence during the game and everybody expected something special to happen. When they were told is a specific culture and presentation of the ice berg brought deep meaning and understanding for participants. We also spoke about some problems that youngsters are facing these days. For ICL we had time in Ohrid also which is very important cultural part of Macedonia.
After the Struga game they presented results and also asked local people about volunteering. Workshop on the importance of conveying the message of the benefits and influence of volunteering in general and the impact that EVS has as the most popular European volunteering possibility for the youth was part of the programme. Presentations and working in groups of good examples of EVS projects from some of the partners involved, participants in this training course. They also presented volunteering in various parts of life. Inclusion was topic included.
National realities were presented.
We presented Youth in Action programme and especially the EVS charter. HEI number applications were presented and after participants worked on it.
For the work on concrete projects after the HEI number After that the open space technology was presented. Presenting the law of two feet. (If people find themselves where they are neither learning no contributing they are responsible for moving to another place where their participation is more meaningful)
The roles of open space were presented after that.
Host – taking responsibility for announcing and starting the workshop.
Participant – actively participating
Bumble bee – fertilizing buzz from one to other group, carrying energy and more important information
Butterfly – takes time to reflect
It was given several topics. Any of the participants can take the responsibility to be a host of some topic and if someone else wants to participate in that group he/she joins it. If someone doesn’t feel comfortable or feels that cannot contribute enough in that group she/he can fly like a butterfly in some other group with other topic.
First assignment is to get list of materials they will need and the concept of the workshop
This is the moment where participants are given the flow of the project and the responsibility for what will happen. The four rules of open space were also pointed.
1. Whoever comes is the right person
2. Whenever it starts is the right time
3. Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happen
4. When it’s over it’s over.
People worked in groups.
For the evaluation after the non formal part we had written one. People were reminded on their contributions, fears and expectations and went back to the session.
We had welcome night, intercultural night for drinks and food, one for facts, movie night, NGO market, karaoke night, social games. So non-formal time was also filled.
The methodology that was used by the experienced and international trainer team was based on open and interactive approaches. The non-formal line of work where the participants were actively participating and included in all segments in order to share their opinions and views were strictly kept so that the interaction was more dynamic and thus more vividly.
We consider as a significantly innovative approach the direct communication and involvement of current and former EVS volunteers in this TC. The participants had with this the possibility to see in practice what they were learning and be able to ask direct questions.
The inclusion of the participants was at all stages starting from the preparation phase, throughout the TC and later on during the post TC evaluation and follow up. The participants had full support from the trainers during the TC as well as from their sending organisations prior and especially after the TC in order to carry-out the projects and initiatives that was initiated on the last days of the TC.
Reflection was made in the end of every day to check how people for technical questions, the flow of the proejct, personal development, team spirit and anything participants consider relevant. As this knowledge and experience was on different level among the different participants the flow of information and skills were not only during the plenaries and workshops but permanently even during the free time for the participants.
The TC received very positive feedback from the participants. During the training we have done Final Evaluation on which the participants gave a grade from 1-5. A proximate grade for the TC was 4.7 which is very successful TC.
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I was part of the trainers team. We shared responsibilities during the TC. I had a tasks during the whole project but mostly during the team building, ICL, and project development.