YOU SIM – Simulation Games as a Method for Youth Workers and Civil Society Activists

Aims & objectives

The aim of this ToT- is to pass on the method of simulation games in order to enable the participants to use it in their work.
Concretely the objectives of the training course are:
- To improve competences of trainers, facilitators and team leaders on designing and leading simulation games.
- To share experiences and expertise from trainer to trainer.
- To develop 2 simulation games.
- To provide time and space for individual development of the participants as trainers and facilitators.

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

The Training of Trainers “YOU SIM” was organized for 24 youth workers from 6 partner countries and 6 program countries of the Youth in Action program.

Training methods used & main activities

A simulation games is a model of reality in which participants make choices, implement them and receive consequences of those choices in an effort to achieve given objectives. It purports to have a relevant behavioral similarity to the original system. Simulation games are one potential tool to gain different learning objectives.
Because the method itself is all about learning by experiencing, we want to teach the method by making the participants experience the variety of possible goals to reach through simulation games. With our concept we want to combine theoretical knowledge with practical experience in order to deliver a comprehensive way of learning. We are convinced that the best way to get to know a method is to apply it yourself.

Outcomes of the activity

Participants in the end of the training was able to create and to conduct their own simulation games with their own target groups on topics they chose themselves when working on international and local youth projects.

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

I was responsable for leading session:
* Youth Work and non formal education: Exchanging on experiences
* A Meeting of Perspectives - Simulation for Youth and Adult Education in Local Governance
* Contributing in design a simulation game
* Brainstorming / Collecting ideas for new simulation games
* Simulation Games and Youth work: Aims and
potentials
* coaching participants in Developing a simulation
game (working on the topic, on the scenario, on rules and procedures, on the actors)
* Evaluation of developing process

I worked on this training for 7 days as a full time trainer.