TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Alenka Oblak
The aim of the training was to discover
a) the space of cooperation between
children and youngsters with special needs,
volunteers, and
coordinators of volunteers,
b) the roles in this space of cooperation and
c) various approaches at work
with intention to improve the quality of our own work and embrace inclusion.
Target group were people who work with people with special needs, especially mental disabilities: coordinators of volunteers and volunteers. 24 participants from public institutions as well as NGOs from 11 countries took part in the training: Albania, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Egypt, FYROM, Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom.
The event was based on non-formal learning and art of hosting approach. Methods used were learning by doing (active co-creation of the inclusion event in the local gallery, experience of disability for half a day), world café, story telling, circle discussion, puppets, sharing good practices, creation of a personal mask, group work, group discussion, presentation, personal consulting, networking, project creation, individual and group reflection, etc.
Participants gained competences for volunteering in cooperation with children and youngsters with special needs or for coordination of volunteers. They explored and tried concepts and methods of inclusion. They shared and learned from each other’s experiences and developed projects for after the event.
I was responsible to facilitate the hosting team and was main facilitator of the event: harmonization of a team, design of aims and objectives, preparation of the programme, implementation of the sessions, daily debriefing and adaptation of the programme, final evaluation.