TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Ohiane Uranga Pascual
EVS On-Arrival Training:
- introduce the volunteers to the host country, preparing them for the experience
- make them aware of cultural and personal challenges
- facilitate networking
- conflict prevention and crisis management advice
- to develop communication skills, intercultural learning to support the participants to reflect on their own personal goals
ESC MidTerm Training:
- to have the opportunity to review achievements and challenges in the volunteering placement to date, to reflect on learning gained and set new goals for future
learning.
- encourage to identify practical ways to improve the value of their volunteering placement.
- to make recommendations for their Hosting
Organisation and other organisations involved in their volunteering placement.
OAT Target group. There were 12 volunteers from 8 different countries; 2 from Hungary, 1 from Italy, 1 from Senegal/France, 3 from Germany, 1 from Austria, 1 from Portugal, 1 from Ukraine and 2 from Russia.
MTT Target group: There were 6 participants coming from 4 different countries. 2 from Germany, 1 from Spain, 1 from France and 2 from Italy. Gender wise was completely balanced, 3 male and 3 female.
OAT
Ice-breakers (getting to know each other) &Energizers
Group projects: groups by hosting organisation – creative and graphic project presentation
Trainer-led discussions
Quiz
Small group discussions: Rights and responsibilities (trying to link each right with its responsibility) Presenting in plenary (Q&A).
Group reflection and statement debate (volunteering)
Small groups: culture
Case study, Peer support: Personal reflection on problems and peer support on each case.
Individual reflection
Presentations
Graphic presentations
Brain-storming and participant suggestions
Evaluation and feedback
MTT
Energizer/ ice breaker (introductions)
Personal reflection writing Hopes and expectations for the training
Lead trainer info ( meeting H&E, Housekeeping H&S and timetable)
Group reflection on objectives of the training and check with “official objectives”.
Group activity: presentation of their projects.
and EVS Experience – “Map of experience” from 1 to 10 place yourself in the room depending on how happy you are with : your role, your project, your accommodation, your supervisor, your mentor, your contribution in the project, the city... The volunteers were very content with most aspects of their project apart form some issues regarding location.
Activity: World Café - volunteers rotate with 2 topic sfor discussion: Me in the Community (tips for integration) , and Cultural Expectations (proved correct, proved incorrect) volunteers revisited the stereotypes they had of the UK, what was true or false and what surprises they had) – The also thought on good tips for integration. We discussed everything back in plenary.
Role activity in pairs + group discussions Solving problems. I ask each volunteer to write a possible problem for a volunteer it could be a problem they have faced or a friend had faced or an invented one. In pairs they will choose blind 1 problem and they had to give each other solutions to each problem. Then we shared in plenary solutions.
Evaluation of SO/HO/CO as an individual reflection first and then sharing issues. Volunteers were asked to consider what was working well (+) and what wasn’t working so well i.e. what problems did they have (-) and any unresolved problems (what problem did they still have which they wanted to talk about).
Activity: Personal reflection and Improvement – Ways to achieve your goals and effect positive changes in your EVS project. We asked them to write :
- 3 general goals they would like to achieve before the EVS finishes (not necessarily related with the project itself) and think on 3 steps that will have to do to achieve them. We visited SMART GOALS and ask them to do an example for themselves .
- We also wrote 3 things they would like to do in their projects and again break it down into small steps.
- Finally we asked them to write where they would like to be in 1 year time (so Ideally what they would like to be doing) and proposed them to sometime in the future break it down into small steps so hopefully that will help them to achieve what they want.
Personal Learning, development and Youthpass – First of all we found out what they knew about the Youthpass and what questions they had; then we went through their questions (what is it, how do we actually create it, who does it, when, what is the purpose and how useful is it). Then in small groups they study one of the eight key competence and reflect what it meant and then using post its, they wrote up a concrete example where they had develop that competence in their project/ EVS experience. In the plenary sum up, each small group presented and explained each competence with their own words and share their examples . The rest of the group fed back with questions or additional examples from their own learning experiences during EVS. We provided pieces of paper and encouraged all volunteers to write concrete examples from all the competences while they were listening to the examples other groups were sharing, so they could go back home with a concrete and deep reflection and examples of their own personal learning improvement.
Future Opportunities – Group discussion. We wrote in A4's different path routes that volunteers were considering , I.e volunteering, studying, finding a job, create my own project... We encouraged participants to write different ideas on how to “take that path” in the papers that were relevant to them depending on their own interestest for the future. I.e In the voluntering page different websites or organisation that offer volunteering opportunities. ...This encouraged the volunteers to start thinking about their life after their EVS service and it was useful for them to know that there are a lot of opportunities and possibilities available , specially within the programme that they might have not thought about before. Each paper was presented by a different volunteer that “wanted” to take that route and the rest were asking questions and who ever wrote the information explained. I add the information that participants din't know about, specially about the programme and the new European Solidarity Corps programme.
All participants went back to their projects with information they needed to facilitate and enrich their experience , with a reflection done on what they want to achieve and tips on how to do it, some conflict management tips.
The evaluation of participants was very positive the only point to improve is the length of time of the training.
I was lead trainer
- Plan the training session
- Organise the paperwork
- Prepare the training room
- Arrange all practicalities and logistics during the training process,
- Run the training activities and dynamics and do some mentoring work outside training programme.
- Write a report