TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Ana Sánchez
The training activity aimed to achieve several objectives crucial for enhancing the effectiveness of youth workers. Primarily, it sought to equip youth workers with the necessary skills to communicate effectively with young people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This is not only important for language proficiency but also for understanding the needs and desires of young people, fostering intercultural harmony, and ensuring social adaptation.
The training addressed the need for improved communication skills, empathy building, teamwork, and intercultural communication among youth workers. By introducing modern training techniques and ICT tools, the project aimed to enhance the motivation to learn, provide multiple perspectives through interactive learning, and strengthen social and emotional intelligence. Additionally, it focused on personal development, increasing self-confidence, and encouraging active participation in European Union youth initiatives.
The training activity aligned with the goals of the organizations involved by fostering cooperation with partner organizations across Europe, promoting the effective use of the young population's energy and potential, and ensuring social cohesion despite language and cultural barriers. This project also provided youth workers with new methodologies and approaches to better support and inspire the youth, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and to contribute to the creation of new, impactful projects
The main target group in our project was people working in the field of youth in their country, members of state institutions or non-governmental organisations
working on youth work and volunteer youth workers. We meet 35 youth workers coming from different backgrounds, genders and countries: Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Italia, Türkiye, Hungary, Romania and North Macedonia.
In the training activity, I utilized non-formal methods to engage participants and enhance their learning experience to learn about the topic, about other Erasmus+ opportunities and create a safe and unite environment. These included interactive workshops, group discussions, brainstorming sessions, role-playing activities, and case studies.
I also incorporated reflective exercises and team-building activities to promote self-awareness, continuous learning, and a sense of community. By using these diverse methods, I created a dynamic learning environment that catered to different learning styles, enhanced participants' skills, and fostered collaboration and mutual support within the group.
The success of the training was evident through positive participant feedback in the final evaluation. High levels of engagement and enthusiasm during sessions indicated the effectiveness of the methods used. Participants were able to apply their new skills and knowledge during practical exercises and role-playing activities, demonstrating their growth each day. The training also fostered strong networks among the organizations and youth workers that is mantenaided nowadays.
My role in the team was the role of trainer in the Training Course, but I also participated in the preparation of the activities, the creation of the schedule, the final evaluation, the intercultural nights, and the final report of the project.