TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Patrícia Amaro
“Replay” was a Training Course included in TPP, projected and developed during the Training of Trainers (TOT 2018/19), this training explored non-formal learning, improved the quality of your youth work, and experimented with practical and new tools and techniques. The main aim of this training was to identify challenges youth workers and educators face in daily life with youth. The purpose of this training was developed competences, based on the ETS competence model for youth workers. We followed the needs of the participants, according to the planned activities of the program. At the same time, it provoked the participants to enlarge their own tools, based on the way they experience their learning.
Specific objectives
To identify and recognize challenges when working with youth
To explore the ETS competences model for youth workers
To provide practical tools to be used by youth workers when providing educational activities
To recognize the educational value of non-formal activities and empowerment of youth workers
To provide the space for different actors of education to exchange experiences and good practices
The general approach is based on the principles of non-formal education and strongly supports reflection and self-directed learning. The program included many different activities, discussions, open workshops to encourage critical thinking and personal contributions. A strong focus was on Design thinking as a method for creativity and problem-solving.
The “Replay” Trainers Team:
Antonela Kotsoni (Greece), Patrícia Amaro (Portugal), Roberta Lanzalaco(Italy) and Vanya Noteva (Bulgaria)
The final numbers to attend were 21 participants, representing 9 countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, Italy, and France.
The training course was targeted to Educators, like youth workers, youth leaders, teachers, who are directly working with youth and/or educational organizations, with varying level of experience in educational activities (in any organizational role; volunteers, mentors, facilitating, organizing, supporting young people, etc..)
The profile of the participants that attended the training course was mixed in background and experience. There were participants directly working with young people (youth workers), some teachers, volunteers in youth organizations, youth leaders, and project managers. For most of the participants, this TCA was their first experience of the program.
This richness and diversity proved to be a valuable element during the TCA once the participants could learn from each other in a safe atmosphere.
3.2 Trainers and Coordination Team
ANTONELA KOTSONI
Antonela has been working for over five years on transnational projects, in a wide spectrum of topics varying from refugee integration and intercultural education to social entrepreneurship and regional development. She holds a Master on Culture, Communication, and Globalization and a BA on Intercultural Education She is the head of education of the NGO InterMediaKT in Greece, managing a great deal of research and educational activities while coordinating the volunteers and volunteering activities as well.
PATRICIA AMARO
Patrícia is a graduate of Sociology and holds a master’s in social administration. Her career has been multidisciplinary, always connected with youth and child protection. In 2005 she developed a Local School Education Plan, where she implemented a non-formal education session until 2011. Since 2013, she belongs to the Pool of Trainers of the Portuguese N.A and has been involved in different activities (EVS Cycle, TCA, Dissemination, Youth Exchanges). During these years she has worked mostly on voluntary, democratic participation, gender equality, human rights, and global education topics.
ROBERTA LANZALACO
Graduated in Modern Languages and Cultures, Roberta has been working at Strauss NGO since 2012. She is involved in hosting and monitoring volunteering activities, including their learning process. In addition, she is responsible for many workshops and local activities promoted by Strauss. She has managed many international training courses which aimed to train youth workers who operate with young people and, in particular, youngsters with fewer opportunities; to provide them with new tools, to develop their skills, to share and exchange experiences, opinions and values, to learn from each other and build new initiatives for future cooperation
VANYA NOTEVA
Vanya has many years of international experience and qualifications gained from her work in the social and NGO field. She is the author of various interactive learning tools such as career guidance cards, social skills boarding games, and tools for increasing personal potentials. Vanya has an individual approach to each participant and applies varied and non-standard methods of training and encouraging changing attitudes and increasing motivation. Her experience with different people and different situations makes her flexible and inspiring for learners. So far, Vanya has helped develop and manage projects of more than 30 private and NGOs and has led more than 200 training to increase the individual and the team efficiency.
By using non-formal education methods and activities (such as team challenges, brainstorming, reflection spaces, experiential learning, discussion), this TCA allowed participants to experience, reflect and learning about how they can recognize the educational value of non-formal activities and empowerment of youth workers and they can identified and recognize challenges when working with youth.
The training course took place from 29th May to 3rd of June 2019. Participants arrived in the afternoon of 29th of May and the program of the training course officially started at 09:00 pm on this day. It ended with departures of all participants on, 3rd of June.
During the training course, participants were introduced to the main content elements and to the concept of the training course. The first stages of the training course were initially created and delivered to provide a safe space for getting to know each other, sharing and learning.
Arrival day: On the first night, we will get to know each other, learn who is hosting us, get familiar with the learning environment and of course...get some food. dinner is important after such a tiring day!
Day 1: This day was devoted entirely to introducing ourselves, getting familiar with the training program and setting our expectations. It's also the day, where we created bonds within the team and talk about our passions. On this first day, we realized the group that we had in front of us, and we made some changes because in the expectations of the participants they proposed some topics like the difference between Non-formal, Formal, and Informal education. With this, we made a simple activity to talk about and developed the topic. Another thing that we addressed to the flow was connected to the team-building with Kolb´s learning cycle. We can say that these little changes helped a lot in the group and were a nice combination with the next days and activities.
Day 2: On this day, we identified the challenges we are facing in our daily life as youth workers with a role play “Lost in Himalayas”, The role play game helped participants to face challenges in finding a common way to solve the game tasks. They needed to make decisions thanks to which they fostered the group spirit. The challenges they faced was useful to recognize challenges they could face in their daily professional life.
This was the day when we integrated the competence model, as a guiding tool to incorporate in our approach to facing those challenges. This introduction was very simple just based on the dimensions of competence (knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors). Talked about challenges on the “challenges wall”, participant after a debriefing in plenary written the challenges, they think they faced and they wrote them on a paper to hang on the wall. They were helped in the process thanks to the different dimensions of the competences, listed by the competence model, hanging around the room. This was a personal reflection. After they were divided into pairs shared experience and ideas about challenges and then were divided into groups (in colors) with shared challenges to find the relative skills, behavior, attitude, knowledge they think are connected to some competences specifically. At the end of the activity, 15/20 minutes of debriefing: each group will communicate in plenary the process of the work, their resources, and all participants after each group presentation can add more value, tips, ideas suggestions. In the afternoon we did the persona map.
Day 3: This day was the day to put our creativity into practice and to imagine the solution! After that, we used the design thinking methodology, we tried the prototype of their solution in a test, to see if and how it works. This was the day for us to also enjoy the city which is hosting us.
Day 4: On this day, we dove deeper into the ETS competence model and think of its applications on international environments. The participants were invited into a room where they had all the competences of the model. These competences were empty and the first step was with the challenges that we recognized in the previous day they try to put them in the competences, after that they had time to discover more each competence and they need to full the different dimensions of each competence. Next step they can see the model complete and had time to see what they put and what the model really had. Open a group discussion, and after that we presented the model with the reality in this case, we connected one activity with the model. We choose a youth exchange and the different needs that a youth exchange has (team, participants, project, activities). After that the connect these different needs with the competences. For example, a team related to communication meaningful in the team, with some examples. The last step was a personal exercise, they needed to think about their work challenges or activities (one or more) and with the competence model, they discovered and mapping what they need to develop.
This day was the last day when we close the training
and made the evaluation.
Participants were invited to go through a Time Travel experience. The facilitator asks the group to get comfortable and close your eyes. After they are guided to the past and (in a very slow pace) the facilitator describes all program from the first day to the last day and ask the group to come back from the travel. Open their eyes and have some space for people to return.
Each participant should return to the first-day flipchart of the expectation/contributions and concern and Each participant should return to the first-day flipchart of the expectation/contributions and concern and take the post-it that they wrote if it’s not more related with the situation;
Another flipchart asks, “Your Contribution for the TC”. And it’s ranged from 0% to 100%; Next flipchart asks, “The general feeling of the TC in a smile”. So, each participant can draw a face that represents that feeling;
Flipchart with a big pizza (8 slices) draw with different elements in different slices (Food; Accommodation; Team; Materials; Free Time; Group Feeling; Programme; Importance for you) and each participant should add a dot in the pizza. Closer to the center is 100% of satisfaction with that element, and in the border is 0%.
After the group finishes those tasks, they received the Final Evaluation Form (1 to each participant).
knowledge about Non-formal education.
Competence (knowledge, attitude, and values) about ETS competence model for youth workers
Develop creativity, to overcome the challenges in youth work.
WELCOME & INTRO: creating group dynamic
creating trust between the participants
Enhancing the atmosphere of mutual support and using each other's’ resources. Welcome to the day & connecting process
Energizer
Name game: Market of Letter, participants need to give to the other Letters to complete the name. They have some tape and in the tape, they need to draw Scratches (the number of scratches is number of the letters that the name has)
Program, Objectives, Methodology: Presentation of the program.Presentation of the objectives and connect the objectives with the program.Non Formal Education (Main characteristics).
General objective; Graphic poster of “Goals of training + working methods” - Connect the team-building with the characteristics of Non-Formal education.
Expectations, Fears, Rules & Contribution; To make participants more motivated; To be able to adapt the program by their own needs; To make good working environment: Tree of expectations: the apples (expectations), The leaves(fears), Trunk tree (contributions), Clouds (environment, external factors)
Creating an effective team: developing communication skills, problem-solving and creative thinking
Building a bridge
Using the materials provided, four teams of 6 persons must work together to build a bridge, with each sub-team constructing part the bridge each. During the challenge, teams cannot see each other and must rely on their communication skills to build an identical design.
Equipment Required: newspapers, straws, paper, cardboard, tape, paper, pens, tape measure and tarpaulin or sheet.
Every group has to choose a leader, who will negotiate with other leaders about the design and different parts of the bridge. The leader is not allowed to touch the materials - can only talk with the members of the team. Total Time: 90 minutes
Replay «; Reflection moment about this day and about the topic (EtS model and my daily work)
an opportunity to make a step back. Reflection about the day; start to think what is a competence for me?
What competences I want to improve?
ETS competence model for youth worker: Responsible to work with the participants in the ETS competence model. I created a new presentation for the model, more practice, and connected with their daily work.
It is always a pleasure working with Patricia. She is inspiring, collaborative, smart and sensitive. As a trainer, she has expertise in the ETS competence model, creative thinking, team building and many more. She is also a great graphic facilitator, a valued addition to any training team.