Training, learning & remembering what’s already done

Excuse me, but when was the last time you learned something new? And how do you learn things? By reading, by sharing, by feeling, by changing? We do it by training and we do it good. Vicolocorto presents 3 training course success stories and learning by definition.

Bulgaria & taking action for inclusion

2013 October Vicolocorto sent 3 participants to the training course “VIP’s in action”, that took place in Bulgaria. The project was supposed to provide training course for the participants about inclusion and empowerement of young people with fewer opportunities, the tools and methods used to achieve the inclusion to the labor market. Our participants: Marco, Giulio & Bianca before leaving to Bulgaria had no experience in the field, almost none knowledge about the country and it’s culture. For them it was an opportunity to change the place for a while, to get to know new and different people from other countries and to learned something that they never tried before. I was the one providing them with the information about Bulgaria, I showed them sheep, alcohol and cyrillic alphabet, they looked ready to go.

Turkey & going online for youth work

In November of 2013 another 5 participants from Italy went to Turkey by the train of Vicolocorto. The train to training, nice, right? The project “Go Online!” was about providing a training course that combined theory and practice of developing the knowledge, skills and competences of usining social media in youth work. For participants Pietra, Benedetta, Anna, Letina & Silvia it was an opportunity of change and learning. Ladies came back very excited, inspired in different ways and ready to go online for the youth work.

Germany & theatre goes anti-discrimination

November was busy. Vicolocorto accompanied by 2 participants: GianMarco and Paola, went to Potsdam, Germany for a training course “Resist the beginnings: 2.0” . The aim of the project was to train the participants in the field of youth work against discrimination, using theatre techniques, methods and theories. I already know that GianMarco & Paola were so excited about learning new things and trying them out in practice, that now they are applying for the upcoming training course.

Coming back & what was learned

Just before Christmas all the participants gathered in the orange office of Vicolocorto to share what was expected before training and what was learned during the participation in the project. All these young people who just came back from the training looked inspired and excited about learning new things through non-formal education, about meeting a lot of different people, about traveling, but I wanted to ask them what does it mean “learning”by definition for them? how do they learn things and what was actually learned? The learning process itself is obviously fundamental during the training course. And a training course is not something that is given by teachers and formal education. Training courses are all about non-formal education, which means methods and tools of learning that require an active, always curious participant, who is willing not only to take the knowledge, skills and competences, but also to give and share what he already have. Benedetta told me: “Learning is all about yourself. You’ve got 100 ways to do so, it is all about will. You can learn from everything and everybody, every minute. It depends on the way you look at things.” GianMarco shared that learning is not a defined process, it’s a process in which you can easily get lost, but in a really pleasant way. Both of them basically saying the same thing just in a different way, also reminding about keeping oneself curious about everything around, about people and things, is the key not only to learning but also to self developement in general.

Julija

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