Training Course "Non-Formal Education in Action"

Description:

The Erasmus+ Training Course "NFE in Action" gathered an international group of youth workers, teachers, and community builders, to experiment with non-formal methods of education. The goal of the course was to present participants with NFE tools, in an active and participatory way through daily sessions and workshops. As a consequence, participants were equipped with new instruments and knowledge to be used in their daily work.

My experience:

The Training Course allowed me to express my creativity and grow my interpersonal skills. In every workshop, I put myself forward and in some cases my suggestions completely changed the dynamics of the game, allowing other participants to explore methods and actions that were not immediately visible. I had the chance to collaborate in small and big groups and to create a final workshop for the rest of the participants, based on a non-formal game where participants could understand what it means to have physical setbacks in a group setting (such as being blind, deaf, mute, etc).

My learnings:

The biggest learning was to identify non-formal tools of education, which I had unknowingly used in previous workshops. After the Training, I was able to recognize non-formal education as an actual method, rathen than just as a set of practices. Moreover, I learnt more about inequalities in education (espcially the school context), talking about different schooling methods, from the traditional to the Montessori schools. I also learnt how each character and personal background of teachers, youth- and community-workers influences the outcome of the actions they make, in a subtle but significant way.

Skills acquired:  workshop facilitation    community building

My outcomes:

I used the tools I acquired in all successive workshops I created and led. I tried to implement as many "game" activities as possible, and as little "explaining" as I could. I was able to transmit my knowledge to the participants to my own workshops in a fun, interactive, and participatory way.