TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Deirdre Quinlan
The training course gathered 25 European youth workers over 6 days to explore the issues, challenges & opportunities around youth (un)employment and social exclusion with a creative and active learning methodology in an NFL setting.
25 Youth workers from around Europe.
Ireland
Turkey
Romania
Slovakia
Iceland
Portugal
Austria
Italy
The project’s theme was how to work on youth unemployment with youth leaders and workers. We has discussions and activities that explored positive and achievable answers and strategies that could be focused on a youths background and unique identity. It was explored starting from an overall landscape of youth unemployment in Europe so to share both challenges and opportunities offered at a local/international level, among European participants. Importance was given to explore good practices, experiences and learning around how to best tackle issues associated with youth un/employment and how to overcome rejections & challenges in the young persons past, how to cope with frustrations among youth and how to increase capacity and entrepreneurship.
The answers to such challenges were explored within a non-formal and participative approach through methodologies that involved creativity and discussion. In turn, these methodologies will be used by participants upon return to their own countreis and projects with their groups, gaining skills, knowledge and inspiration. Participants had the opportunity to reflect and develop their own thinking on strategies thay can share with their young people to develop proposals, by looking at specific experiences, barriers and challenges and developing positive action that is achievable for them.
Participants also planned future projects and we promoted the opportunities within the Youth in Action programme, that will work towards positive opportunities for young people who are at risk of unemployment .
We used methods such as Open Space, World Cafe, theatre & group work to explore this issue.
The participants in this training course (TC) gained an in-depth understanding of the disabling effect of unemployment on young people and, as a consequence, how this effects their involvement in lifelong learning and citizenship participation. Upon return to their projects they will share both the insights, information and methodologies with their young people.
The participants availed of networking opportunities and were encouraged to develop sustainable links which will promote future opportunities within the YiA programme for instance European Voluntary Services and Youth Exchange experiences.
My NGO CLEAR applied for the Action 4.3 training grant. I organised all the logistics. I was also a trainer on this event.