TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Sofia Chorna (Chernaia)
The main aims and objectives:
• to provide the participants and organizations with innovative approach, model and algorithm (ICE-CREAM) of the efficient and logical step by step creation and implementation of a social project or entrepreneurial/business idea;
• to increase the capacity of organizations and youth workers in social projects creation and implementation;
• to develop collaboration and communication skills and competences;
• to develop creative and critical thinking;
• to develop sense of initiative, project creating, writing, management, marketing and implementation skills;
• to develop entrepreneurship competence;
• to explore the dimension and tools of digital entrepreneurship and to develop digital competence;
• to develop personal, social, learning to learn, literacy competences;
• to create and develop new social entrepreneurial projects ideas, aiming to bring them to life;
• in this way, to contribute to the community development in participating countries on the local level, and, where applicable, on the national and international levels.
The participants' profile of the TC:
• 18+ years old youth/social workers/leaders/NGO key staff;
• responsible, motivated and open to the new experience and learning opportunities;
• open-minded and flexible towards new knowledge, viewpoints and perspectives;
• with knowledge and experience in working with NFL programs (desirable, but not mandatory);
• ready to contribute to the project implementation: share relevant knowledge and experience, organize a workshop, lead a session, etc.;
• ready to implement the project results in further work;
• with good command of English.
The training involved 38 participants from 11 countries: Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Italy, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Spain, Ukraine.
The program of the training course was structured according to the ICE-CREAM model: we had separate days, each of them fully devoted respectively to Investigation, Collaboration, Elaboration, CREAtion, and Management/Marketing of the project (where we also explored the dimension and tools of digital entrepreneurship). During another full day (24 hours), the participants in small teams or individually, using the ICE-CREAM algorithm, were creating and preparing their projects (entrepreneurial ideas). And on the next day, in the format of Hackathon, they presented their projects (entrepreneurial ideas), making digital presentations and promotion pitches, received feedback from the experts, analyzed and improved their ideas to be able to bring them to life.
The learning by doing and participatory approaches ensured many interactive activities, a lot of experience exchange and inputs from the participants. We had both practical and debrief sessions on all the elements of the ICE-CREAM model, ensuring a detailed understanding for all participants.
The project had significant learning and practical outcomes and sustainable impact:
• on the participating organizations and youth workers (through increasing the capacity of organizations and youth workers in social projects creation and implementation and development of entrepreneurship, digital and other competences of participants);
• on the youth work in general, raising its quality and bringing innovations (through bringing innovative approach, model and algorithm (ICE-CREAM) of the efficient and logical step by step creation and implementation of a social project or entrepreneurial/business idea);
• beyond the participating organizations on the local communities (through creation, development and implementation of new social entrepreneurial projects ideas, and therefore, contributing to the community development on the local, and, where applicable, national and international levels).
I was one of the full time Trainers responsible for the content.