TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Henk Persyn
AIM: To increase voluntary participation of young people aged 15- 25 in on-going projects of the youth organizations and organizations working with young people with less opportunities.
Objectives:
To develop and improve participants’ basic skills in such areas as communication, project management, time management, leadership, team building,
To develop specific skills needed for working with volunteers as recruitment, motivation, writing job descriptions, defining roles and responsibilities, assistance, monitoring and evaluation of experiences, awarding and appreciation etc.
To establish international networking with the strong focus on panEuropean cooperation of organizations working with local volunteers;
To establish a platform for experience exchange between participants;
To introduce best practices by organizations working with volunteers,
To strengthen the meaning of volunteering as a methodological tool for youth work;
In the follow up to establish groups of involved young people as a target for youth exchanges and candidates for EVS;
To provide opportunity for the participants to discover their cultures and backgrounds.
Used methods: The chosen methodology allowed to provide the participants with basic skills and formal information in the same time and to encourage the participants to develop personal policy's concerning the approach of young volunteers and to commit themselves to a long-term cooperation after the seminar.
The training contents were introduced through practical experience, working groups and other contemporary learning methods of non-formal education. Individual Training and personal project development was an integral part of the training. The seminar mainly focused on quality aspects of the development of a good volunteer management and on the YOUTH programme as well and the development of partnerships and common project ideas.
Next to the traditional input , which was brought as much as possible on a non formal way, there was lots of space for simulationgames, experiental activity's, learning by doing, teamwork and intergroup consultancy, “theatre of the oppressed”sessions, individual reflection.
Each method was integrated in the general program.
The team was composed of two international trainers ( I was one of them) and Slovene support person(s)
particiapting country's: Slovenia, Slovakia, Belgium, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Germany, France, UK,
Used methods: The chosen methodology allowed to provide the participants with basic skills and formal information in the same time and to encourage the participants to develop personal policy's concerning the approach of young volunteers and to commit themselves to a long-term cooperation after the seminar.
The training contents were introduced through practical experience, working groups and other contemporary learning methods of non-formal education. Individual Training and personal project development was an integral part of the training. The seminar mainly focused on quality aspects of the development of a good volunteer management and on the YOUTH programme as well and the development of partnerships and common project ideas.
Next to the traditional input , which was brought as much as possible on a non formal way, there was lots of space for simulationgames, experiental activity's, learning by doing, teamwork and intergroup consultancy, “theatre of the oppressed”sessions, individual reflection.
Each method was integrated in the general program.
Outcomes of the training:
First there where the individual projects with special attention for:
-recruitment
-organisational needs
- jobdiscription
- Profile of the needed volunteer for the ind. Project
- promotion and advertisement
- motivation and monitoring
- retaining of the volunteers.
These outcomes can be used to establish action 1.2. : Local youth initiatives projects.
Next to the individual projects , which every participant developed during the training , for an implementation on the local level there where several partnerships established concerning ther development of EVS-projects for the near future.
Next to this there where also concret international projects on the following levels:
Action 1.1 . Youth exchanges
youth exchange 1 :
what : a youth exchange about using music to include (street) youngsters: - about intercultural and religious understanding.
Why: to raise awareness about intercultural differences and the need of a better management of wasted products.
where: Preston UK
when: summer 2008 – 7 to 10 days
who : Portugal , UK, Portugal, France and two extra countries
with what: using garbage to create awarenes about ecological topics and different values in society.
youth exchange 2 :
what : youth exchange about using sports to reach more personal development and raising self esteem
why : because a lot of the youngsters of the target group suffer from a lacj of self esteem and don't have space for personal development.
Where: Slovenia -Bohinj
when:summer 2008
who: Slovenia – Poland – Slovakia – Portugal – youngsters form the different target groups aged 15- 20 years.
with what:using sports as a tool
Youth exchange 3
what : a youth exchange about “toadys living in Europe” - how different and equal are daily routine ... by using film and movie workshops and lots of creative expression.
Why : to raise the awareness that not everything is for granted in daily life. To open space for creativity
where: Belgium - Flanders
when: summer 2008
who: Belgium, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland
with what: using camera's and creativity wortkshops
Action 1.2 : local initiatives:
what : a local project about gender equality and homofobia.
why : everybody had the same rights but in reality the awareness is not deep yet.
where: local initiatives in Slovenia and UK, to be realised parrallel and as a peer consultancy for each other.
when: one year project – starting from spring 2008
who: Slovenia, UK
with what: to be defined. Starting from the potential of the local youngsters.
Action 1.3. : youth democracy
what : How to invite young people in the decission of the local community policymaker
why : because there is a big need to make a bridge between the actual needs and the reality
where: different country's, final project in Poland ( result measuring and final conference)
when: one year project – starting from spring 2008
who: Poland, Hungary, Germany, Slovenia, Portugal
with what: to be defined. Starting from the potential of the local youngsters.
Action 2: EVS:
A girl ( Lenka from Slovakia) will go for An EVS project to the crisi center in Lesce) duration : minimum 6 months
France has declared to be open for sending and hosting EVS volunteers- nothing concrete yet,potential projects need to be developed.
Belgium has declared to be open for sending and hosting EVS volunteers- nothing concrete yet,potential projects need to be developed.
ACTION 4.3. : Support measures
JOB shadowing:
project one: A gilr from Poland ( Ilona) will go to Preston (UK) to see how volunteers are involved in the daily approach of youngsters , using camera's and web TV to create a forum for mutual awareness and respect of youngsters problems.
Project two : a girl from Portugal ( Liliana) will go to Belgium for job shadowing about the legal backgrounds of international work with youngpeople with less opportunities.
My tasks : designer and trainer