TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Aleksandr Post
The main aim of the "Pathway to Green Jobs" project was to equip youth workers with the essential competences and knowledge to guide young people towards green employment opportunities. It aimed to highlight common green competences and skills relevant to youth work. The project sought to promote the vocational growth of youth workers, improve the quality of youth work, and provide skills and methods for their professional advancement.
The training addressed the need to educate youth workers about the link between climate change and the economy, the concept of "green jobs," the EU Green Deal, and how to foster green skills in young people. It recognised that young people often lack awareness and access to information about enhancing their green skills, and educating them requires trained youth workers. The project also aimed to address the need for youth organizations to adopt a new role as "green facilitators" to prepare youth for future labor market demands. Needs were identified through discussions among partner organizations based on their practical daily work with target groups.
The project fit the goals of the participating organizations by enhancing their capacity for quality youth work, particularly in the growing field of green skills and employment. It supported their missions to empower young people, build civil society, promote civic participation, foster intercultural learning, and provide non-formal education opportunities. The project directly supported the development of youth workers within these organizations, equipping them with new tools and knowledge to better serve their youth communities and address topics like climate change and sustainable development.
The main target group was youth workers, aged 18 and above, with decision-making capacity and involvement in their organizations' activities. Participants were expected to be interested in green jobs and employment, ready to promote green skills acquisition among youth, and committed to implementing follow-up activities. The group included a mix of experienced youth workers and those newer to the topics of youth employment, green economy, and sustainability. Indirect target groups included the young people served by these organizations, partner youth organizations themselves, and potentially public institutions and policymakers.
The project involved participants and organizations from 7 countries: Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, and Spain.
The training course primarily used non-formal learning methods and participatory approaches. The methodology was designed to be flexible and participant-centered, utilizing the knowledge and experience of the youth workers involved. Specific methods included:
- Icebreakers and team-building games
- Peer-to-peer knowledge sharing
- Small group and round-table discussions
- Plenary discussions and debriefing
- Simulations and role-playing
- Imaginative/multimedia presentations
- Case studies
- Creative tasks
- Energizers
- Intercultural subgroups/evenings
- Practical exercises and hands-on practice
- Daily reflection time
The project explicitly aimed to use non-formal and informal learning activities to encourage professional development. The process included recognizing and documenting learning outcomes through tools like Youthpass.
The project aimed to achieve several outcomes for participants and their organizations:
- Increased competences and knowledge among youth workers regarding green jobs, the green economy, the EU Green Deal, ecological literacy, systems thinking, and green coaching practices.
- Enhanced ability of youth workers to motivate and train young people in green job opportunities and promote active participation.
- Improved quality of youth work and services provided by participating organizations.
- Development of new youth projects and programs focused on green topics.
- Increased international cooperation capacity and networking among organizations.
- Boosted confidence and motivation among youth workers and organizations.
- Adoption of internal policies on green topics within partner organizations.
- Development of social and transversal competences like critical thinking, communication in foreign languages, cultural awareness, and learning to learn.
Success was measured through:
- Ongoing daily evaluations and reflections by participants.
- A final evaluation session with participant feedback (including a printed questionnaire) covering personal learning, intercultural learning, partnership development, and overall satisfaction.
- Team evaluation and observation by the trainers/facilitators.
- Use of the official Erasmus+ feedback tool (Beneficiary Module) for participant reports.
- A follow-up assessment (2 months post-activity) to check on the implementation of planned follow-up projects and sustained partnerships.
- Self-assessment and documentation of learning outcomes using Youthpass.
- Facilitating sessions using non-formal methods like icebreakers, discussions, practical exercises, cultural activities, etc..
- Guiding the learning process and providing input.
- Managing team dynamics and group cohesion.
- Conducting debriefing and evaluation sessions.
- Potentially contributing to the development of the training programme.
- Being familiar with methods for giving and receiving feedback and evaluating learning outcomes.