TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Linda Ulane
The aim of The July Training was to assist youth workers to develop a light and impactful attitude in working with youngsters with fewer opportunities.
The mission of hosting organization Radi Vidi Pats is to support the creation of a more sustainable, inclusive and participatory society with the resources we are given. To achieve this we build our Erasmus+ strategy. The July Training is a step towards this mission, by paying extra attention to the inclusion and participation of young people.
The July Training team of participants was composed of 34 youthworkers from Latvia, Italy, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Turkey.
The philosophy behind this training: Working with youngsters today has shown us that the normal doesn’t work anymore. The European youth field is looking for new, more creative approaches and we are joining in this research. What we have found is that LIGHTNESS works, and it can be truly powerful. The youth has a lot of energy, the question is: where is it guided and how to express it in a healthy way. In The July Training we explored ways of expression through creativity, emotions and authentic human contact.
During the training course we used creative writing, performative arts, theater of the oppressed, clowning approach, some circus disciplines in order to encourage youth to be more assure of their abilities to share and express them in a healthy way. The whole program was based on non-formal education approach.
According to the monitoring during the training and evaluation of the participants, these are the outcomes of the activity:
+ participants gained understanding of clowning attitude and how to use this lightness in their work with youngsters;
+ participants gained insight in intersectionality and analyzed their work through this approach;
+ participants learned new methods, games that they can directly implement in their daily work with youth;
+ participants developed their competence in working in teams;
+ participants got encouraged to fail and let their communities fail in a safe way as opposition to the stressful culture of performance;
+ Radi Vidi Pats got new partners to cooperate in the future.
+ Management of the project (communication with the partners, participants final selection, communication with participants etc.);
+ Shaping the objectives of the training course according to the strategy of Radi Vidi Pats Erasmus+ strategy;
+ In companionship with partner trainer to create and facilitate the program according the set objectives and the needs of participants;
+ Evaluate the experience;
+Write the report accordingly.
Working with Linda has been inspiring and enriching. I learned a lot from her, regarding bridges to youth work and how to make usable tools and knowledge that participants experienced during the training. She is able to bring lightness also on deep and complicated topics and/or activities, with lot of humour and autenthicity.