TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Nebojsa Nick Djeric
International Youth Forum “Greater Europe Meetings: Paris 2016” was held in time period from 25 to 31 July, 2016 in Mantes-la-Jolie/Limay, near Paris, France.
The main Aim of the International Youth Forum Greater Europe Meetings: Paris 2016 was to establish intercultural exchanges, strengthen mutual understanding and trust between the nations and to encourage young generation to take a more proactive attitude towards mutual collaboration.
This year Youth Forum was focusing on two schools:
- Diplomatic school and
- Projects work school
In Diplomatic schools participants were acquired new knowledge in regional economic integration process and develop diplomatic skills.
The program included:
- Lectures of well-known professors and experts from different countries, brainstorming sessions on economic and security aspects of the potential EUEAEU cooperation;
- A workshops with well-experienced trainers who will help you acquire and develop essential diplomatic skills;
- A negotiations model between the EU and EAEU where each of you will represent either the European Commission or Eurasian Economic Commission.
The main task was the creation of a MEMORANDUM on a common free trade space between two integrations. After fruitful work, delivering public speeches, preparing presentations all participants convene to adopt this document to define the future of Greater Europe
Projects work school
The main Aim of the School was to provide inspired and motivated young people with necessary tools to realize their potential for creating better future of Greater Europe.
Participants from all over Europe have convened to acquire precious project management skills and theoretic knowledge to implement them right there in practice by creating their own projects in international teams.
Projects were aimed at enhancing links between the countries of Greater Europe but they were not linked to any particular sphere of activity and completely depended on participants’ ingenuity and interests.
The programme of Projects School consisted of three complementary parts:
1. Lectures and panel discussions on the urgent topics concerning different dimensions of the Greater Europe region. Lectures are given by distinguished scholars with acknowledged achievements in their particular spheres while at panel discussions diverse opinions are presented, which invites lively debates.
2 Theoretical training on how to create and implement international projects. Participants of Projects School are divided into groups under leadership of professional trainers who conduct team building activities and provide teaching on the particularities of successful project work.
3 Project practical work - Under wise supervision of professional trainers international teams are engaged in project making process.
Objectives of Projects work school were:
- to inspire, empower and open new possibilities for youth in Europe;
- to promote common human values (respect ideas, constructive dialogue, solidarity/responsibility, fairness/sincerity);
- to give knowledge and skills to youth to think critically;
- to promote cultural understanding through education, exchange programs and lifelong learning;
- to provide young people tools for realizing ideas and transform them into the real projects;
- to increase participation in common projects between young people and youth organizations of the European countries;
- to create network between participants for future cooperation;
This project has gathered 23 people – students, young specialists from over 20 countries (from European Union, Russian Federation and other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States), in order to trigger dialog on cultural understanding and cooperation between youth from various countries within the Greater Europe.
The trainers team composed of 5 trainers from Russian Federation, Serbia and Germany prepared and developed the program of the Forum.
Practical preparation, implementation and evaluation of activities have took period of time from 20 July - 2 August 2016.
The working methods used on this project were non-formal education and informal way of learning. This included: games, energizers, ice-breakers, team building exercises, individual and group activities, work on practical examples in small groups, thematic workshops, discussions, debates, lectures, presentations...
Forum itself was conducted using an interactive and participative approach. Team of 5 experienced trainers was carried out the program of the forum which was based on the experiences, needs and knowledge of the participants.
The training program at the Forum consisted of workshops in team building, generating ideas, project planning, communication of ideas, project evaluation.
23 international participants worked in small groups with idea to find solutions on different issues and generate own ideas and create new project proposals.
Participants had an opportunity to participate in a 7-day long forum with the aim to get necessary knowledge and skills related how to write project proposals and to open new possibilities for youth in Europe. They got concrete tools for realizing ideas and transform them into the real projects.
Through this project participants were in position to make connection and to promote inclusion and cultural exchange among youth in Europe according to the modern European values.
Project activities promoted cross-border cooperation and partnership-building in the field of youth initiatives development that will foster networking between participating organizations/institutions and other interested actors.
Participants visited the UNESCO and Ecole des Mines and had a panel-discussions there.
Lectures on international, intercultural, economic relations and on educational matters were presented by outstanding speakers from across the greater Europe. The lectures were followed by workshops where participants got the opportunity to write project proposals of their own choice based on what they learned during the lectures or what tangential ideas to the topics they came up with.
Participants transformed their project ideas into the projects within Greater Europe concept.
As an outcome, at the end of the Forum week nine projects were created:
• The Cultural Academy
• Back to the roots, the diaspora project
• Greater Europe Goes Green
• My local Chef
• Journey of a book 2.0
• Greater Europe Think Tank 2.0
• Exchange
• Youth International Games
• Your Case: International Youth Business Forum
The trainers team composed of 5 trainers from Russian Federation, Serbia and Germany prepared and developed the program of the Forum.
Practical preparation, implementation and evaluation of activities have took period of time from 20 July - 2 August 2016.
The program of the Forum consisted of workshops in team building, generating ideas, project planning, communication of ideas, project evaluation.
I have worked with my colleagues trainers Alina Taranenko from Russian Federation, Gianni Perri from Germany, Vesna Radanovic and Andjelka Petrovic from Serbia.
An additional responsibility for me was monitoring of project realization, as well as moderating, advising and supporting young trainers for successful implementation of the program activities that happened during this Forum.
The Forum is organized by the Youth Association for a Greater Europe (www.greater-europe.com) with the support of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe (www.coe.int/youth) and the Federal Agency on Youth Affairs of the Russian Federation (http://archive.government.ru/eng/power/241/)