TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Michele Di Paola
The course wanted to make trainers, facilitators and youth workers aware of the many and various uses of the non formal educational method of Storytelling, showing them how it can be used to work with young people, helping them to develop a big number of important abilities and competences in the professional and personal sphere.
The main objectives of this traning course were:
• to receive information about innovative approaches based on Storytelling, illustrating concepts such as the Monomyth, the Way of Council, Gamification - and the work methodologies related to them - combining theory, practice and sharing reflections and good practice tips with trainers and colleagues;
• to get more proficient in the understanding and use for educational purposes of Comics, Videogames, Board Games - all media very popular in the youth culture;
• to increase awareness and learn how to better tackle in youth work their potential negative effects, as well: the risk of addiction and escapism from reality, the possible manipulation and propaganda uses that can be done by authorities, political and social actors, governments;
• to experience different approaches in theatre, role-playing and practices of personal storytelling.
• Target Group:
Youth workers, trainers, youth leaders, educators.
• Countries involved:
Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, Italy, Romania, United Kingdom, Spain, Poland, Netherlands, Greece, France, Ireland, Portugal.
• Language of the training:
English
• The team of trainers:
Mafalda Morganti (Italy), Carmine Rodi Falanga (Italy/Czech), Bara Rodi (Czech) and Michele Di Paola (Italy)
During the course we aimed to show the value of using storytelling in training in an experiential way and provided practical applications, exercises, and techniques to harness our innate ability to tell
and receive information through stories. We approached storytelling in many of its ways and forms, with a particular focus on the elements of Hero's Journey model, digital storytelling, gaming, comics and practises of personal storytelling.
Participants of the training gave very positive feedback already at the end of course, then again in the evaluation questionnaires and in their Youthpass certificates.
At the moment the main reference page is https://www.facebook.com/GetStoriedTc/ and a storify summary may be found at https://storify.com/micheledipaola/share-the-right-story
I've taken part in the process of designing the training course and, together with my above mentioned colleagues, developed the methods used for the training.
My role was to facilitate the course (in a team of four) and to coordinate all the activities which took part in it.