TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Maria Larisa Giangkambozidou
The main theme of the project is set out from the title of the project: give youth the opportunity to experience
the impact of soft skills. Through this project, young people will try to understand the difference between the
hard skills they learn at school, university, etc, and the soft skills which are not necessarily taught in a specific
framework and format but are considered experiential learning.
Through this project, we tried to get young people to understand the difference between hard skills they learn at school, university, etc., and soft skills, which are not necessarily taught in a specific framework and format but are considered experiential learning. We started to highlight and recognize behavioural and emotional patterns, acknowledge and accept
these figures explore alternative ways for more efficient behaviour, and lastly, ‘’not just behave differently but be different’’ (Kolb’s theory of Learning Styles). They developed and broadened their frames of reference, offering them a more comprehensive and accessible perspective to act and be.
The objectives of this project are:
O1)To foster mutual understanding of soft skills and their role in the employability of young people.
O2)To give knowledge regarding soft skills and their characteristics.
O3)To allow participants to experience soft skills development practically and understand their relevance in the working
environment.
O4)To improve the international competencies of participants by working in an international context and environment.
O5)To boost participants’ personalities with key competencies that will help them to work more efficiently.
O6)To make them more familiar with transversal skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, leadership,
time-management, Emotional Intelligence, Conflict Management, Critical thinking, and Adaptability.
O7)To improve those cross-competences of participants and experience new methods which can be transferral to life.
O8)To give a chance to young people to experience a different way of learning, experiential learning where they will take the
initiative.
The target groups of our project are mainly young people that didn’t have the chance to be abroad or in an international project before together with leaders that are slightly more experienced. Our participants were young people between 18-25 and people who just finished school and they had a gap year, or students in their first years of University and young people with fewer opportunities who are seeking new ways to learn and connect their passions into their careers.
You(th) Think Youth Evolve – Youth Exchange organised by MIHI Latvia. The project had 31 participants from Egypt, Greece, Latvia, Poland and Turkey. Project co-funded by the European Union programme
The project idea and writing started with the non-formal education and approach; thus, the tools and methods used for the activities and bonding of the team are all based on a non-formal education approach. The trainer of the project is highly advocating the benefits of the learning process and trusting in the blended aspect as some themes and topics can be handled differently and more effectively with other various educational systems. Society and reality give many opportunities for formal education and hard skills development. We will focus mainly on non-formal education, informal communication, and learning to bond with the group.
More specifically, in the non-formal education aspect, we have included activities and sessions where participants work primarily in groups and learn from each other. There is no wrong or correct answer to the approach; moreover, they intend to cooperate with groups and reach a more profound understanding through meaningful dialogues. Much inspirational content will take place in the sessions, and they will be interactive and thoughtful. Also, activities that involve role-playing and case studies so participants will learn through experience. And we will ensure that this experience is holistic by understanding the case study or the role, integrating into it, getting out of it by derolling and detaching, and lastly, debriefing about the experience by looking at it in the third person.
The activities of the project are designed accordingly to highlight the particular skills young
people aim to develop. Based on the group stages of Tuckman,they start a journey of forming
a group dynamic that will perform with synergy after the cooperation and integration of the
team. Some of the thematics the project will approach are problem solving, public speaking,
conflict management, time management, empathy, communication and many more. The type
of the activities introduced are simulations, specifically designed games, debates, small group
activities, role-playing, outdoor activities and mindfulness.
This Youth Exchange was a success in helping young people learn and grow. Participants
gained knowledge, skills, and behavioural changes that will benefit them in their personal and professional lives.
Knowledge
-Young people learned about other cultures and expanded their vision of European citizenship..
-Young people improved their teamwork and group dynamic skills.
-They developed time and conflict management skills.
-They gained transversal skills in implementing and planning activities.
-They developed self-confidence and improved behavioural, cultural, technical, and contextual skills through activities.
-They got out of their comfort zone by being part of a multicultural team, working and
presenting ideas, and getting inspiration for future creative ideas.
Behavioural
-Young people adapted to a new method of learning and adjusted their needs and
competencies to their overall personality.
-They progressed and invested in transversal skills and integrated their aptitude into their
skillset.
The video will be uploaded here: https://lv.mihiyouth.org/blog/
And also in my personal account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k__mYJcp6ag
I contributed in writing the project and having the initial idea of the concept. I worked on elaborating the activities and creating the flow of the weekly activity. Moreover I implemented and facilitated all the workshops and worked afterwards in the reporting and dissemination.
Maria presented the activities that were engaging, and variating in methods and ways of topic delivery. As a trainer and facilitator, she has all of the skills under her belt. She will not push the youths in a way that triggers bad memories from the chairs of formal education, she finds a tone in her voice, the right words, background music, confidence and intrigue that pulls in the participants' interest. I saw how with every day, she'd gain more and more respect from the room on how she leads the activities and can make participants interested in participating themselves. She's good with the preparation, logistics, holding the space and group, lading it all the way through and with various ways for reflection and integration.