TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Stefan Georgiev
The Y.E.A.H. TC aim to develop youth workers competences in the field of Democracy, Active Citizenship and Youth Participation in order to better support the implementation of coherent youth work practices which can promote democratic values and engagement of young people in the society.
Objectives:
- To increase understanding of Democracy and Active Citizenship and the relation between them;
- To experience how individual democratic values function and link them to the society and to democratic practices;
- To bring awareness on how individual values are shadowing democratic practices in the society and how to use them in youth work practices;
- To explore how youth workers use education as a tool for bringing social change;
- To reflect upon activism as a democratic practice among young people and as a potential tool for social change in a democratic society;
- To reflect upon how Democratic Europe should look like in the near future and what can youth workers do in order to support this vision to come true;
The group was composed by 17 participants coming from 9 different countries - Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium - FL, Czech Republic, Cyprus, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain. The group was composed by diverse profile of participants. Some were experienced youth workers, others were volunteers and newcomers in the Programme. Several participants were engaged in formal educational activities, such as university, library, etc. The team was composed by 2 trainers from Bulgaria and Portugal.
The whole educational activity was designed in line with the main principles of non-formal learning. Participants were invited and engaged in diverse approaches, in a coherent with the program learning path, involved in experiential learning processes, but also dived in semi-guided reflection on daily basis.
Participants had the opportunity to explore local good practice examples and meet with local organizations.
A range of methods, including group discussions, experiential learning activities, role-play and simulations were prepared for the training course.
The training course provided opportunities for:
- Exploration of different concepts and theories for democracy, citizenship and active participation within the youth field;
- Exploration of mirroring but also overlapping and differing models between societies and youth field and how democracy and participation function in these different realities;
- Learn about out own attitudes regarding participation, democracy and activism;
- Reflect upon different dimensions of non-violent activism in democratic contexts in nowadays and past history of Europe;
- understand active citizenship as a set of action based on a political view of society
:: design follow up action and steps (Action plans), mostly at personal and organizational level.
Within this training course I was a full time trainer. Together with the other trainer, I was responsible for:
- Coordination of logistical and organizational issues with the Bulgarian NA, regarding venue, materials, etc.
- Design a fluent learning program for the training course;
- Organize and communicate opportunities for study visits and meeting the participants with good practice examples from other local organizations.
- Design and delivering training sessions for the duration of the whole training course;
- Providing feedback and co-facilitate other training sessions in order to support my team trainer;
- Provide conditions for participants to reflect upon their learning processes;
- Evaluate the training and to prepare and deliver the final report.