TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Leilani van Rheenen
The overall aims of the training course were:
- To support the quality of Non Formal Education and European youth work taking into consideration present challenges and future developments and programs (raising youth unemployment, Youth on the Move, Erasmus for All);
- To promote and strengthen an international network of Trainers for European Non Formal Education projects (based on SALTO's ToT participants).
- To support a sustainable ongoing learning process of trainers;
- To empower self directed learning;
- To further develop trainers' competences through sharing experience, methods, tools and good practices;
- To debate and exchange opinions about the values of European youth work;
- To foster a critical approach towards important European youth policy concepts, such as “learning mobility”, “European Citizenship”, “active participation”, “cultural diversity”, “inclusion”, “Inclusive growth”, “entrepreneurship” or “employability”;
- To explore the “new” role of trainers and youth workers at European level according to policy developments;
Trainers were from Turkey, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. Participants were trainers from Ireland, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain.
The course was based on the principles of non-formal education and favored a holistic and experimental approach using participants’ needs, motivations and experiences as the starting point of the program.
Methods were based on creative and broad individual and group work, indoors and outdoors using the potential of the group.
Methods gave participants an opportunity to develop their own self directed learning and learning to learn skills by taking different roles, as participants and trainers, during the TC.
Evaluations from participants mentioned that the primary outcomes of the training were a greater understanding and awareness of self directed learning, ownership and responsibility in TCs, moving toward a higher level of networking and quality in international TCs, and development of competences and skills both as trainers and as learners.
Planning, designing and implementing the training course together with the other trainers on the team. My focus was primarily on planning and facilitating sessions about facilitation of learning, exploring groups, coaching, open space and evaluation.