TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Ian Maloy
The needs of participants more or less mirrored the requirements of the German national agency:
Motivation and expectations, learning to learn, group-building, learning aims, Youth Pass, European citizenship, conflict management, communication skills, trans/intercultural learning, empowering the participants to do their own projects, improving German, networking.
ViA e.V places a high important on (intercultural) learning, therefore we based the seminar units on enabling them learning something concrete, as well as reflecting on the nature of learning itself.
I worked with a trainer with US citizenship and an orgateamer who is Dutch.
The participants came from all over Europe and were volunteers in Germany.
Presentation of their host organisations.
Evaluation of motivation via presentation of 7 motivation types with evaluation of their opportunities and challenges.
Trust exercises, based largely upon those used by Augusto Boal.
Reflection on nature of learning via assessment of competences they feel they need to develop and the formulation of an action plan in order to achieve them.
Stress management workshop via breathing, movement and voice exercises.
Co-operation games.
Theatre about cultural differences and personal needs.
Workshops on mediation, work with refugees, and what children need.
Project planning (what they'll do during or after their time as volunteer).
Tour in Hamburg about colonialism.
Nearly all of the participants planned their own workshops/activities that they can do in their host organisations.
Those with problems at work discussed them and most felt able to change things for the better.
It was said at the end that they feel empowered to use their EVS time productively.
Group-building and -process management.
Planning seminar themes together with participants.
Basic German language course.
Leading of workshops and tour.
Reflections on their satisfaction with their EVS.
Administration and logistics management for trip to Hamburg.