TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Nebojsa Nick Djeric
The International Youth Forum “Strasbourg Meeting - Focus Russia” has implemented in period of 29th July – 4th August 2013 in Le Heissenstein, Strasbourg, France and gathered around 120 participants (students and young graduates) from Russia and Western Europe countries, in order to trigger dialog on cultural understanding and cooperation between youth from various countries of the extended Europe.
During the one-week program, participants took part in workshops to discuss education, business adaptation between countries and diplomatic and cross-cultural cooperation. They also attended a number of high-level lectures, in the presence of important figures such as Alexander Orlov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to France
This international youth forum "Strasbourg Meetings - Focus Russia" was organized in order to empower young people to actively participate in shaping the future societies of the European countries with a less biased view towards other cultures.
Aims of the forum were:
- to inspire, empower and open new possibilities for youth in Europe
- to connect and promote inclusion and cultural exchange among youth in Europe
- to provide young people tools for realizing ideas and transform them into the real projects
- to introduce young people with Council of Europe opportunities
Objectives on this forum were:
• Create a new effective way of interacting between Russian youth and youth from other European countries within the values of the Council of Europe
• Encourage Russian youth to participate in European youth projects
• Give the chance to youth from across Europe to know more about Russia, its culture, society and youth
• To increase participation in common projects between young people and youth organizations of the European countries
• To increase participation from young Russians in European initiatives
• To promote cultural understanding through education, exchange programs and lifelong learning
This project gathered around 120 (students and young graduates) from Russia and Western Europe countries.
Participants were from following countries:
Armenia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, France, Germany, Italy, Pakistan, UK, Bangladeshi, The Netherlands, Ukraine, Serbia, Slovenia, Austria, Spain, Moldova,Belgium,Belarus...have participated in 7 - day long international event.
The trainers team composed of 10 trainers from Russia, Poland, Italy, Germany, Serbia, Ukraine, Denmark and Hungary prepared and developed the program of the Forum. Practical preparation, implementation and evaluation of activities have took period of time from 24 July - 5 August 2013.
The working methods used on this project were non-formal education and informal way of learning. This included: games, energizers, ice-breakers, team building exercises, individual and group activities, work on practical examples in a small groups, thematic workshops, discussions, debates, lectures, presentations...
Forum itself was conducted using an interactive and participative approach. Team of 10 experienced trainers was carried out the program of the forum which was based on the experiences, needs and knowledge of the participants.
The training program at the forum involved 15 hours of training with workshops in team building, generating ideas, project planning, communication of ideas, project evaluation.
Around 120 participants were divided thanks to their interests into the three themes of the Forum (Think Thank, Business, and Education). They worked on finding solutions on different issues into their groups with generating own ideas and creating project proposals.
THINK TANK GROUP
What are the most urgent problems of a Greater Europe? What is the role of Russia on the European stage? How can we enhance cooperation within a Greater Europe? How to break the stereotypical borders? What is the diplomatic role of the Council of Europe in the process of building a Greater Europe?
BUSINESS GROUP
How to create a business idea? What is the first step to a successful business? Where to find resources? How to run and develop your project? What is the specific side of the international business? Do you want to start business in the Greater Europe?
EDUCATION GROUP
What are the opportunities for education within the Greater Europe? How education without borders could be reached? What are new tendencies and future perspectives for education? What can be a new paradigm of education?
Participants had an opportunity to participate in a 7-day long forum with the aim to get necessary knowledge and skills related how to write project proposals and to open new possibilities for youth in Europe. They got concrete tools for realizing ideas and transform them into the real projects.
Through this project participants were in position to make connection and to promote inclusion and cultural exchange among youth in Europe according Council of Europe values.
Project activities are promoted cross-border cooperation in the field of youth initiatives development and this was used as a partnership-building chance that will bring networking between participating organizations/institutions and other interested actors.
We visited the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, had a panel-discussion in the European Youth Centers, and visited the city of Strasbourg. Lectures and masterclasses on international, intercultural, economic relations and on educational matters were presented by outstanding speakers from across the greater Europe. The lectures were followed by workshops where participants got the opportunity to write project proposals of their own choosing based on what they learned in the lectures or as tangential ideas to the topics. Their project ideas participants transformed into pan-European projects.
Also as an outcome, in each project group participants were created several project proposals that are presented in Council of Europe and project market that happened during this forum.
The trainers team composed of 10 trainers from Russia, Poland, Italy, Germany, Serbia, Ukraine, Denmark and Hungary prepared and developed the program of the Forum. Practical preparation, implementation and evaluation of activities have took period of time from 24 July - 5 August 2013.
In my group Think Thank 3 I have worked with my colleague trainer Ekaterina Zeziulina from Ukraine.
The training program at the forum involved 15 hours of training with workshops in team building, generating ideas, project planning, communication of ideas, project evaluation.
Media in Serbia published short story about forum in Strasbourg on:
http://www.rts.rs/page/rts/sr/Dijaspora/story/1518/Vesti/1373974/Teslino+nasle%C4%91e+predstavljeno+u+Strazburu.html
The forum is organized by the Youth Association for a Greater Europe (www.greater-europe.com) with the support of the Youth Department of the Council of Europe (www.coe.int/youth) , and the Federal Agency on Youth Affairs of the Russian Federation (http://archive.government.ru/eng/power/241/)