TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Vassilena Varbanova
The training activity aimed to increase the knowledge and competences of youth workers, activists, and volunteers in promoting human rights, tolerance, and intercultural dialogue. It sought to provide participants with practical tools and non-formal methods to engage and motivate other young people to become advocates for human rights in their communities.
The training addressed several key needs: the rise of intolerance, racism, and xenophobia in Europe due to migration processes and conflicts, and the lack of structured support for youth workers to develop competences in promoting human rights. It responded to the demand for experiential, non-formal learning methods that empower youth workers to act as multipliers of positive change and tolerance within their societies.
The activity fit closely with the goals of the partner organizations, which aim to strengthen youth work on human rights, improve local advocacy capacities, and engage more young people in social change initiatives. By equipping participants with skills in role play, simulation games, group work, and discussions, the training enhanced the organizations’ ability to carry out campaigns, initiatives, and projects promoting tolerance, diversity, and human rights at both local and international levels. The training thus contributed to both short-term organizational capacity and the long-term multiplying effect of transforming attitudes and relations in society.
The target group of the activity consisted of 26 youth workers, activists, and volunteers aged 20–35, who are actively engaged in promoting human rights and tolerance in their local communities.
The participants came from Albania (Act for Society Center), Algeria (Youth Association for Environment and Culture), Bulgaria (Znanie Association), Egypt (Egyptian Young Leaders), Lithuania (Divenira), Palestine (Youth Development Resource Center / Palestinian Child’s Home Club), Serbia (European Youth Organizations), Spain (ILEWASI), and Turkey (YPIDA).
This was a fully international training, providing participants with opportunities for intercultural exchange, peer learning, and networking while building competences to promote human rights and tolerance in their respective countries.
The training used non-formal, participatory, and experiential learning methods to engage participants and build competences in human rights promotion and tolerance. Methods included role-plays, simulation games, group work, discussions, and interactive exercises.
Activities were designed to encourage reflection, collaboration, and practical application, enabling participants to experiment with strategies for motivating youth, promoting intercultural dialogue, and implementing local advocacy initiatives. The non-formal approach allowed trainees to practice skills in a safe environment, develop confidence, and gain tools to act as multipliers of tolerance and human rights awareness in their communities.
The training activity successfully strengthened the competences of youth workers in promoting human rights and tolerance. Participants increased their knowledge of human rights concepts, developed skills to use non-formal tools for raising tolerance, and improved their ability to communicate in intercultural environments. They also enhanced their capacity to motivate and empower young people to act as multipliers and advocates for human rights.
In addition to professional competences, participants improved their soft skills, including foreign language communication, intercultural dialogue, and digital skills, for example by creating a Facebook page with project resources. They also built an international partnership network, expanding opportunities for future collaborations.
The training’s success is evident from participants’ active engagement in workshops, role-plays, simulations, and group projects, as well as their ability to apply learned methods and share outcomes publicly. These results contributed to the short-term strengthening of partner organizations’ capacities and will lead to a long-term multiplying effect by increasing tolerance and advocacy for human rights in their communities.
Documentation: Materials, outcomes, and participant-created content are available on the project’s Facebook page, which hosts tips, videos, and resources developed during the training.
I worked as a full-time trainer and facilitator in the activity. My role included designing and delivering workshops, facilitating non-formal learning activities, guiding group reflections, and supporting participants in developing competences in human rights, tolerance, and intercultural dialogue. I also contributed to planning interactive sessions, applying experiential methods, monitoring learning outcomes, and ensuring inclusive and participatory learning environments.
As a co-trainer in the international training “TransformERS”, I collaborated closely with Vassilena throughout the implementation of the activity.
Vassilena actively contributed to the facilitation of non-formal learning sessions focused on human rights, tolerance, and intercultural dialogue. She supported group processes, guided reflections, and helped ensure an inclusive and participatory learning environment for a culturally diverse group of youth workers.
Through her work, participants were encouraged to engage critically with human rights topics and to develop practical tools they could apply in their local communities. Her commitment, professionalism, and teamwork made a meaningful contribution to the achievement of the training’s objectives and the overall quality of the learning process.