TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Armin Cerkez
Main objectives of the project are:
- Implement one training for 23 youth workers from 5 countries;
- Share experience and methodologies of work between youth workers from different countries (both programme and partner countries);
- Improve knowledge about topic of youth work, participation of youth in projects;
- Sharing and learning common information about youth work policies and laws in the EU countries.
Participants in the project will be youth workers from countries of organizations, partners in this project. Aim of the project is to educate youth workers and have them share their experience amongst each other also. From the aim of the project it's visible that main and only target group for this project are youth workers.
Youth workers will be selected based on next 2 key competences needed for participation on this project:
1. Experience of work - Youth workers with experience of minimum of 2 years of work will be able to be part of the project and to be present on the training. Selected participants need to show examples of work on projects similar to this one to allow only those needed for this kind of improvement of knowledge and skills to be present on the training.
2. Importance of the training subject to participants everyday work - Only participants who are able to show that knowledge acquired from this project will be helpful and useful in their work will get chance to apply for the participation. Aim is to train already active youth workers who will use the gained knowledge in their everyday professional life, on best way possible with aim of improving youth status in their country.
Participants on the project, as it's already described, will be youth workers who need the knowledge and skills this training has to offer so they can improve their work with youth and make it better in general.
Participants will be, as already mentioned, youth workers coming from partner organizations partly and partly participants selected by organizations - participants who are not part of the same organizations. Participants will be aged 19 - 35. Minimum age limit is 19 since it's common in some countries that young people are actively working as youth workers even if they don't have diploma for their work and they gained knowledge for work they do in some informal way. Reason for having such low maximum age limit is the justification of this project – training. Participants from this training need to have possibility to implement their knowledge in coming years so having older participants would not result in having follow up activities in period of several years.
Gender balance will be insured having equal number of female and male participants coming from each country with exception of Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Part of the participants from these countries will be trainers on the project (3 of them in total; 2 representing coordinating organization and 1 from B&H as an important local stakeholder). Besides being the trainers people coming as important stakeholders for this training will in the same time learn together with group and share their knowledge and experience. Rest of the people active in the project; coming from already mentioned two countries; will also be female and male - equal number of them.
Training will have various methodologies used and their usage for different topics and workshops can be seen in timetable of activities - document attached with this application. Methodologies that will be used for the training are next:
1. Organized fun activities and socializing of participants - for getting to know each other and spend quality free time among the participants;
2. Presentation - will be used for various parts of the trainings concerning the EU, history of EU, youth work from different aspects etc;
3. Learning groups - participants working in groups toward creating common opinions and conclusions depending on the type of the subject they are discussing;
4. Icebreakers and problem solving tasks - will be used for relaxation of the participants after the hard work and also having them learn about other participants in the group;
5. Sharing sessions and discussions - part of the training will be made as sharing the previously used methodologies in participant's work and having them share their success with other participants but also informing the rest of the group about successful methods of work with youth etc;
6. Theory and practical examples - for parts of the training which aim is set on increasing the participants’ knowledge;
7. Reflection groups - which will be held on the end of every day where participants will have chance to share their opinions about activities done that day and new knowledge shared and/or gained;
8. Methods chosen by participants - which will be used for part of the training and where participants will have chance to choose most adequate method of work for that session, by their opinion.
Next competences are improved in context of personality of each participant by participating in this project:
1. Skills of everyday communication with youth as part of the youth work every participant is doing;
2. Using various methodologies of work and tools already present in everyday professional life and those who are less present but participant have some dose of knowledge about that methodology of tool;
3. Attitudes towards different countries and their ways of working with youth present in local and national system;
4. Understanding for new and/or different methodologies used for youth work in other countries.
Participants acquire next knowledge and skills and/or in some case change their attitude or behaviour for:
1. Understanding principles of EU and learning about advantaged and disadvantages country has of being member country of European Union;
2. Learning about policies and practices concerning youth work present both in EU and non EU member states;
3. Acquiring knowledge about new methodologies of work with youth and sharing successful stories;
4. Learning about youth led projects, ways of funding those projects and improving work with youth in local communities.
My role was full time trainer. I was coordinating whole project together with co-worker. We plan and implement whole project from it start up to the end. We were doing also whole logistic aspects (travel, transportation, breaks, food organisations etc.). We finalised final narrative report together with all documents and materials that go with it.