TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Paul Smyth
This event was part of a two-year project funded under the Grundtvig Initiative led by Humanity In Action France, with partners in the Netherlands, Turkey, Morocco and Public Achievement in Northern Ireland.
The event in Belfast was to give participants from all the countries (young activists) an understanding of the history of Northern Ireland and the kinds of division and discrimination that exist in our society. The visit focused in particular on the history of policing in Northern Ireland and the mechanisms created during the Northern Ireland peace process to protect human rights and hold a reformed police service to account.
Unfortunately some participants from Turkey and Morocco were refused travel permits, so the group consisted of participants from the Netherlands, France, Turkey and the UK. 12 in all.
This training used a number of methods including study visits to sites of interest (meeting Police Officers and visiting the Northern Ireland Policing Board), as well as visiting speakers. It also involved informal methodologies as the group were working together on a final product from the project and discussing ways of tackling xenopobia, racism and discrimination in their respective contexts.
This training was one in a series and led to the publication of a resource which is now available online. The individual evaluations from the Belfast visit were very strong and the participants fed back that they had learnt a great deal from the experience.
I led the local study visit and co-designed and delivered the sessions with other Public Achievement staff and our international partners. I escorted the participants on the study visits and helped to debrief them afterwards.