TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Stéphanie Fritz
The Training Course had the following objectives:
- Reflect on why inclusion and sensitivity to diversity is important and how it relates to you and your organisation.
- Become aware of the needs of (potential) participants and the variety of barriers that might hinder them to feel welcome and safe to participate .
- Explore the different aspects of inclusive and diversity-sensitive activity design (including logistics, methods, team and communication) and understand how you can prepare for and adapt to barriers and needs.
- Share (give and receive) practical tools, methods, resources and approaches that offer support in organising and facilitating inclusive and diversity-sensitive activities.
- Learn from each other by sharing experiences and expertise.
- Take concrete steps to improve your practice.
In total 29 participants from 21 different countries participated in this training course. Participants were sent by NAs from programme countries as well as Salto RC Eastern Europe & Caucasus, EuroMed and South East Europe.
There was a variety of youth workers - paid staff members as well as volunteering staff- who are implementing group activities with overnight stays in the field of youth.
Using a non-formal learning approach through a mix of inputs and non-formal methods (learning by doing, trying out, time for sharing and reflecting) the training empowered participants to get better in what they do. The course endeavoured to be an example of an inclusive activity, so participants could take tips, practices and tools from it to their own work.
During the training participants produced different outcomes. They reflected intensely on the level of inclusivity and diversity in their own organisations and shared barriers, solutions, questions and ideas around this, keeping an intersectional perspective in mind. One session was dedicated to look closer at the areas of facilitation, communication and accessibility; they produced a zine on tips on inclusive facilitation, they produced a list of inclusive measures in the field of communication, and they checked for accessibility in the venue, documenting on the results on the shared Padlet, creating a checklist of what to take into consideration when checking for accessibility. From the session about resources, an output is the presentation of European programs and fundings for inclusion in clear language. Each participant also produced a roadmap to continue working on the topics discussed during the training after their return home. Throughout the training, the team of trainers shared each day some “inclusive tips” highlighting the inclusion measures taken in the design of the training course as well as suggestions for planning of inclusive and diversity-sensitive activities.
I was one of 3 full time trainers. We worked as a team together and shared all tasks between equals (e.g. preparing and delivering of trainings sessions, final reporting). We were in close cooperation with the organising team, several NA Officers and SALTO Inclusion Officers were present (as resource persons) at the training course.