TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Vassilena Varbanova
The training activity aimed to enhance the skills of youth workers in addressing topics related to sexual education among teenagers. Given that sexual education remains a taboo subject in all the partner countries, the training focused on equipping participants with the necessary knowledge and experiential learning techniques to confidently and effectively discuss these sensitive topics.
The training addressed the need for better sexual education as a crucial factor for both the emotional well-being and physical health of adolescents. It also responded to the necessity of interactive and engaging teaching methods, helping youth workers create a safe and open environment for discussions on sexual health.
This activity aligned with the goals of the organizations by promoting youth empowerment, education, and inclusivity. It contributed to raising sexual awareness, improving communication skills in a multicultural setting, and fostering lifelong learning among youth workers, ensuring a lasting impact in their communities.
The target group of the activity consisted of 23 youth workers, including social workers, trainers, psychologists, and other professionals working with young people. These participants were selected to be trained on the topic of sexual education, enabling them to improve their skills in addressing sensitive issues related to sexual and health culture.
The training brought together participants from Azerbaijan, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, fostering an international exchange of knowledge and best practices. By uniting efforts across these countries, the activity aimed to enhance sexual education and health awareness in their respective communities.
The training was based on the principles of non formal learning, using interactive and engaging methods to ensure effective knowledge transfer and skill development.
Methods Used:
- Group work – Encouraging collaboration and knowledge exchange among participants from different backgrounds.
- Reflection – Allowing participants to process their learning experiences and apply insights to their professional work.
- Icebreakers – Helping participants build connections, create a comfortable learning environment, and ease into discussions.
- Simulations– Providing hands-on experiences where participants could practice real-life scenarios related to sexual education.
- Role plays – Enabling participants to step into different perspectives, fostering empathy and confidence in addressing sensitive topics.
These methods ensured an interactive, engaging, and effective learning process, helping participants develop the skills needed to work with young people on sexual education topics.
The training activity successfully enhanced participants' confidence and knowledge in discussing sexual education topics with teenagers. It helped youth workers step out of their comfort zones, equipping them with the skills needed to educate, support, and guide young people through the maturation process.
The success of the training was measured through daily reflection groups, final reflections, and a feedback questionnaire, all of which indicated high participant satisfaction and a strong commitment to applying their new skills in their work. Participants also improved their communication skills in a cross-cultural environment and their ability to communicate in a foreign language.
Additionally, the inclusion of disadvantaged participants increased their motivation to engage in future learning opportunities, allowing them to become key actors in spreading knowledge in remote areas or among marginalized youth.
In the long term, the work of these trained youth workers will contribute to raising sexual and health awareness among teenagers, reducing early school dropout rates, and lowering rates of sexually transmitted diseases—making a lasting impact in their communities.
My responsibilities included co-developing the training program alongside my co-trainer, designing and preparing the activities I was responsible for, and delivering the training in collaboration. This involved adapting to the group’s needs in real time, actively reflecting on the process, responding swiftly to emerging dynamics, and evaluating the overall outcomes to ensure an impactful learning experience.
it was a very successful training for this deliciated topic.