TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for GIORGI AGIRBAIA
Through the proposed training course “ACE- Active Citizenship through my Eyes” the applicant and partner promoters strengthened participants’ understanding of the key concepts of active citizenship and participation. Hence, the activity aims to empower the young leaders, activists, youth workers, from across Europe to take active part in the local communities development and to equip them with skills and tools necessary to promote active citizenship among a larger number of young people in our home
countries.
As such the main project objectives are:
* To raise awareness of responsible and inspirational active citizens and their role in strengthening of the civil society.
* To develop the participants’ understanding of the key principles of youth active participation.
* To discuss a concept of active citizenship and explore common understanding among the
youngsters from different EU & Eastern Partnership countries.
* To strengthen participants’ understanding of the key concepts of active citizenship;
* To get familiar with various concepts and methodologies for developing youth initiatives;
* To work on Future Action Plan, project proposal development and follow-up activities.
We decided to implement this project because we have noticed an issue of not having high level of involvement active youth coming from the participating countries, especially those in the East, who could be 'accelerators' of youth participation and would motivate young people to act. Moreover, we are feeling lack of awareness key principles about active citizenship and participation in society. And finally, the lack of active citizens has an immense effect on the society. Here, together with our partner promoters we see active citizens as having a very important role in local communities and holding main roles in different Youth Associations and NGO’s activities.
The ACE TC gather 14 EU & Non-EU countries 38 participants, a wide range of actors involved in working with young people at the local and/or international level, such as: youth workers, group leaders, active volunteers, educators, coaches, teachers and any other persons who
demonstrated that: - they work with young people on the daily basis (in various capacities)
- are willing to engage fully in the whole cycle of the project (preparations, implementation, evaluation and follow-up)
- have and are eager to contribute something interesting to the joint learning process.
Partner promoter countries: UK, Georgia, Poland, Greece, Latvia, Belarus, Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, Albania, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Bosnia&Herzegovina and Jordan.
All the methods used during the project were entirely based on the principles of non-formal education, such as ice-breakers and energizers, team-building exercises, small group discussions, role-plays, individual reflection, practical skills development sessions, feedback and evaluation activities. The activity ensured that the Training Course was very practical and not 'lecture' based. The participants had the chance to "learn by doing" which is at the heart of the process of non-formal learning. Through the methods and activities used, we believe that the participants had the opportunity and space for personal growth, skills-building, sharing of good practice, and cross-cultural learning.
Here, those attended the training course improved and/or develop a number of skills within the 8 key youthpass competence.
One of the most significant impacts, though seen within learning to learn. This means that after project, participants were able to:
- organize and manage their own learning
- set their own aims and objectives
- identify the optimal ways and means to achieve them and to monitor and evaluate own learning process
- understand own learning abilities and optimal use of time, information and learning opportunities - develop further on already
gained experience and competences
- actively participate in social, civic and working life
- deal with people coming from different social and cultural backgrounds
- cope in a constructive way with conflicts
- search effectively for opportunities allowing to gain knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to be active as a citizen
- participate as much as possible in civic live at local, regional, national, European and global level.
IMPACT AT THE PARTNER ORGANISATIONS: work on the joint project resulted in strengthening of the partnership, which led to future international
initiatives being developed. Likewise, since some of the promoters were new to the applicant and fellow partner organisations, we managed easily to find common language and drew precious learning from the joint experience.
At the organisational level, partners benefited from having their youth workers and staff members trained, effected on capacity building of youth workers and organizations locally.
I worked on this training for 7 days as a full time trainer.
Prepared and Delivered the Erasmus+ TC program together with co-trainers.