TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Gabriel Brezoiu
Youth4integration was a 7-day-mobility activity of youth workers under Erasmus+, KA1, aimed to strengthen the competences of 21 youth workers and youth leaders in finding proper approaches for fostering the inclusion of refugees and also marginalized young people with migration background.
The project has focused on the following objectives:
O1: Developing practical skills in working with refugees and migrants among volunteer and/or professional youth workers through specific methodologies;
O2: Raising awareness regarding the current situation of migration in the participating countries as well as the political, economic, social and technological (PEST) context for each migration flow;
O3: Reinforcing European cooperation among the participating organizations linked to follow up initiatives based on the common needs identified.
Youth4Integration TC has achieved the mentioned objectives through the activities that are meant to develop specific competences, such as project management, digital skills and transcultural communication, that are extremely useful in the youth work made in order to help migrants and other categories of disadvantaged people. The TC was not meant only to help youth workers gain skills that they will further use in their communities, but it is also creating a network of experienced NGOs that confront with the same issue and have the same objective, to fight against discrimination and to promote human rights.
Youth4Integration project involved 9 partner organizations that were carefully selected according to their expertise in the field of youth work, background and motivation to work together with migrants and refugees and share the knowledge by disseminating the results of this training course. Thus, besides Euro-Mediterranean Association of Exchanges Volunteers Events - Euromed-EVE Italy [IT, applicant], which is actively involved in the work with refugees, there were 8 partners that added value to the project, as follows:
- GEYC [RO] came with experience in project management and Human Rights education, inclusion of migrants and refugees and No hate speech activities, as well as the creation of European Quality in Youth Project Standard (geyc.ro/eqyp). This organization also contributed with one trainer to the pedagogical team.
- ILEWASI Centro de Investigación, defensa y promoción de los derechos de los niños niñas y adolescentes [ES] contributed with its experience regarding the situation of refugees and migrants in Spain;
- KULTURALIS KAPCSOLATOKERT ALAPITVANY [HU] came with its expertise on the topics of Human Rights and social inclusion;
- I LIKE CZERSK [PL] brought added value to the discussions about the topics of inclusion, integration, segregation, exclusion;
- Euro-Mediterranean Association of Exchanges Volunteers Events - Euromed-EVE Ireland [IE] brought their experience in managing youth activities;
- EN.O GREECE [GR] contributed with their expertise in coordinating youth projects focusing on human rights and social inclusion of migrants and refugees;
- Centre Interculturel de Développement [FR] contributed with their field experience in organizing projects related to refugees' issues;
- Rock Solid Foundation for International Youth Work [NL] brought their experience with organising activities that promote Human Rights, peacebuilding, intercultural dialogue and social inclusion.
The project was based on non-formal education methods such as energizers, ice-breakers, simulation games, working in intercultural subgroups, intercultural night, reflection groups, case studies, field visits, photovoice, reality check aiming to give an active role to the participants and to involve them as resource persons in the process. The educational process is planned gradually on a PDCA (plan-do-check-act) approach giving the participants the needed time to reflect on their learning outcomes and on the ways they can use the training experience in their youth work with migrants and refugees.
The original activities planned did not change, we only made room for more activities with the refugees, based on the feedback of the participants after they visited the refugee center.
After some reflection time, the participants expressed the desire to:
Participate in more projects;
Volunteer for NGO's helping refugees;
Create events for people to come into contact with refugees;
Write their own projects;
Create videos for raising awareness;
Continue or begin studies in this field;
Make interviews with the refugees about their life;
Share the ideas with young people through workshops;
Establish an association working with refugees.
People who shared the same ideas started talking and networking, planning to collaborate for future projects. The participants also shared some best practices that they have come into contact with during their work:
As an example of social inclusion, one of the participants went to a 5 month-camp with refugees in Sweden, where they were taught Swedish by a few teachers, and in 5 months-time they were able to understand basic conversations and speak the language;
In Spain, some associations are working with children, teaching them values like respect and tolerance towards refugees and migrants.
Another participant shared a method of inclusion, tolerance and breaking stereotypes that she has learned during a 2-year project. The game’s scope is to integrate different religions together.
Another participant went to a project in Italy, it was a refugee shelter where other people worked too. The local community at first was apprehensive about the presence of refugees there. They were working in schools, hospitals, they were taking the kids from the community to school.
In Greece there exists a mobile app for refugees, where they can find basic information about food, hospitals, etc, and it’s very easy to use, because there are more pictures than text.
The project also motivated the participants to start thinking about solutions to the refugee problem, recommendations for the stakeholders:
Quality education for everyone: more budget from the government in order to build more schools and universities and provide free and qualitative education;
Organise events on how to write and manage projects about this topic;
In order for this to happen, the participants stated that financial support for projects is needed as well;
Start small, work with a few refugees and integrate them in the community;
Introduction of classes in universities about the migration situation, human rights, tolerance.
The organising team also encouraged the participants to share the results of the TC with their community through the social media channels:
https://www.facebook.com/GEYCRomania/posts/2012754028777225?hc_location=ufi
http://bit.ly/GEYCRomania_video
https://www.facebook.com/GEYCRomania/posts/2009245505794744
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1904507242963334&id=100002122307870
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovjGBrjLAKA&feature=share
I was the leading trainer (full time).
Gabriel Brezoiu has been facilitating nonformal education activities for young people and youth workers since 2007, with over 1000 training & facilitation hours in the past 3 years. As a non-formal education trainer in entrepreneurship, Gabriel is specialized in using design thinking, Business Canvas Model, creative expression, and digital tools methodologies to enhance young people and youth workers' entrepreneurial spirit and to support them to transform their ideas into actions.