TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Katerina Martinkova
The project offered two training courses in nonviolent communication for youthworkers.
Focus was on learning:
- self-connection and grounding even in difficult situations (ability of orientation in ourselves, skill of recognising emotions and needs which are present in the conversation)
- more empathetic approach towards others (ability of active listening, empathetic listening)
- clear requests (ability of finding practical steps for putting the communication forward)
- dealing with group dynamics (ability to use different facilitation skills based on the needs of the group - preparation, framing, etc.)
- ability to have constructive discussions about roots of other people´s opinions and attitudes
practicing mediation and coaching skills in conflict situations among our clients or young people we work with
- Ability to adapt our language and expression to the level of our communication partners
The project targeted youthworkers coming from the Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, the Netherlands and Spain.
In total there were 28 people involved (including participants + trainers and team members)
Dyads - practice in duos, where people use the given time for sharing answers to a given question, while the other person is practicing active listening and creating emphatic space
Role plays - One of basic tools of NVC, allowing participants to step into a role of somebody else and practice different styles communication directly
Discussions - Open discussion on given theoretical concepts are there to provide space for participants to bring their own context and opinions
Home groups - regular reflection groups that support participants in everyday reflection on their learning
Journalling, integration time - regular space for individual reflection and summary of learning
Peer empathy processes - group processes that allow the group to learn expressing empathy to each other, in a group context
Way of Council - regular circle sharing, using the technique of Council (offering a safe space for everybody to share what they want to share in the given moment, holding the space for the others, being active listeners)
Street interventions - actions taken outside of the training group, offering practice with strangers
Enemy Image Transformation - powerful techniques of social transformation, working with personal beliefs and transforming them into understanding
NVC mediation - Basic skills in mediation of conflicts using NVC
Empathy coaching - specific way of coaching others, using elements of NVC
Video making - creating of tutorials, working with digital media in order to transfer the ideas on Nonviolent communication and its basic principles to other youth workers and to create a public resource of knowledge
The participants developped their competences in honest self-expression, empathy and connection.
They created learning materials in a form of videos that were shared with public, available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTZqjWU132oRAupns7Bl3OX01k1nQI6z9
I was a full time trainer in the programme together with Adam Čajka.
I was also involved as a coordinator of the project.