TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Boroka Balint
The training activity aimed to develop the skills of youth organisations in community organizing, advocacy and campaigning related to youth employment. It sought to enhance their capacities in relationahip-building, issue-cutting, and campaign strategizing, and to share best practices through a Best Practices Guide.
The training addressed the limited capacity of youth organisations in policy and advocacy and provided practical skills and tools needed for successful community-led and advocacy campaigns. It also aimed to raise awareness about youth unemployment and equip participants with methods to engage in debates with policymakers.
This training fit with the overall goals of the larger project by improving the quality of work within youth organisations, enhancing their ability to advocate effectively, and bridging the gap between research, policy, and practice.
The target group included youth organisations and their advocates focused on youth employment.
The international training involved participants from Greece, Italy, Spain, and North Macedonia, represented by Inter Alia, Europiamo, Fundacio Catalunya Voluntaria, and Sfera International.
In this training, I utilized several non-formal learning methods to engage participants effectively. For example, we conducted interactive workshops where participants shared personal stories and explored their motivations for advocacy. Role-playing exercises were used to simulate real-world advocacy scenarios, helping participants practice and refine their skills. Group discussions and brainstorming sessions facilitated collaborative problem-solving and the development of campaign strategies. Additionally, we employed reflective activities that encouraged participants to analyze their experiences and insights, fostering deeper understanding and personal growth. These methods were designed to create a dynamic and participatory learning environment, aligning with non-formal education principles.
The training activity achieved several key outcomes. It enhanced the community organizing and advocacy skills of youth workers and organisations, developed practical tools and methods for effective advocacy, gave a basis for local campiagns to be launched and facilitated the exchange of best practices among participants.
Success was indicated by the improved capacity of youth organisations to engage in advocacy and policy discussions, as well as their ability to run local and European-level advocacy campaigns. The development of a Best Practices Guide and the prepared local campiagn plans have also proved the inpact of the training activity.
As a co-trainer, I played a pivotal role in guiding participants through critical processes such as defining self-interest and understanding the impact of issues on both personal and collective levels. I facilitated the issue-cutting process, helping participants identify and prioritize advocacy issues effectively. Additionally, I supported the development of campaign strategies, ensuring that participants could create actionable and context-specific plans. Shared with my co-trainer collegue and the organiser team my responsibilities also included leading interactive sessions, offering constructive feedback, and adapting the training to meet the evolving needs of the group, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of the programme in addressing youth employment advocacy.
Boroka is a seasoned, skillful facilitator with great expertise on community organising and policy analysis. She was an excellent choice for designing and delivering the advocacy training of ADYE project and her contribution was beyond meaningful in implementing the project overall..