TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Afonso Bértolo
Youthworker 2.0 TC comes in the frame of a bigger KA1 project aiming to support the quality of youth work by raising the competences of youth leaders and youth trainers.
The main aim of this training course was to the competences of youth leaders and youth trainers for inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities and special needs.
This main goal was divided into several working objectives for the TC, in which the participants were expected to:
- reflect their own attitudes towards inclusion of people with special needs and fewer opportunities in a group;
- understand the various disadvantages, their background and how to deal with it if such disadvantage appears in a group
- have space for sharing experience in international context and create new activities or projects.
The participants group was composed by people involved in youth work for at least 1 year or who have experience with organizing or leading at least two international projects.
They came from the following countries: Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Serbia and UK
Learning by experience, reflection groups, team-building activities, roleplay, theater, lectures
Non-Formal Learning / Youth Work Activities
Knowledge: The participants developed an overview of basic features of the non-formal education and its quality
Skills: The participants used some of these to analyze various activities in their practice
Attitudes: It will be important for the participants to continue working with youth on a high-quality level
Work-Life Balance, Personal Sustainability and Psychohygiene
K: The participants learnt methods to maintain high level of energy and motivation.
S: The participants practicing using these methods in their personal and professional lives.
A: The participants reflected why it is important for them to work with youth (personal motivation) and therefore to maintain the motivation balanced even in challenging situations.
Inclusion
K:
- The participants developed their own concept of inclusion.
- They developed further their knowledge on special needs / fewer opportunities that appear in the groups, by focusing on specifics needs and aspects of these target groups
- Got acquainted with more methods/ways to use when working with SN/FOs.
S: The participants were able to perform the techniques appropriate for inclusion of various types of FO/SN into the group of participants, while taking into account their needs.
A: The participants become more proactive and considerate into the needs of SN/FOs
As an output the participants created a manual of best practices, based upon their experience in the TC, which can be found here:
http://bit.ly/2vLcKQG
As a full-time trainer I've designed the program in collaboration with the other trainers, I've facilitated parts of the program and led reflections with the participants.