From 22 to 27 November 2021, UNITED for Intercultural Action organised the training ‘Let’s make it better! – Mentoring youth workers’. The training took place in Budapest, Hungary. 25 participants from all across Europe took part in the training.
The training was about human rights education. It also focused on including an anti-racist approach in youth work. Through a mix of informative sessions, working groups, and workshops, participants gained a lot of new knowledge and skills.
Day by day
The first day was a short one, as it was the arrival day for most of the participants. In the evening, participants got to know each other in an informal way.
On the second day, the content of the training really started. Participants got to know each other a bit more, and also learned more about UNITED and the topic of human rights education. They discussed their local contexts and the most pressing issues of human rights in their countries. They also shared their knowledge of materials used for human rights education and youth work.
On the third day, participants gained even more knowledge. They learned more about the differences between non-formal, formal and informal education. They also dove into the topic of youth work. First, they discussed challenges to youth work in their contexts. Afterwards, the focus was on how to organise a good training, and what competences a trainer needs.
On the fourth day, the training became more practical. First, the trainers shared existing materials on human rights education with them. This gave them a big toolbox to use in their own local realities in the future. Participants then spent the rest of the day creating new methods. Through this, they tried to meet needs that existing methods may not yet have covered.
The fifth and final day was one for finalising and reflecting. Participants spent some time on reflection and on creating a plan for their future. They also put together everything they had learned and worked on finalising some methods. These methods, together with the other outcomes of the training, will be put into a ‘recipe book’.
Let’s make it better!
The training was very succesful and gave the participants a lot of tools and knowledge. It also provided a great space for networking between the participants. The training also gave the participants tools to reflect on their own development, their career, and the difficulties they face during their work.
UNITED organized this training in cooperation with Positive Peace Activator Program (an official program of the Rotary-Institute), APICE, and Foundation of Subjective Values. It was made possible with the financial support of the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe, and the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.
