FACEASY is a training course that engage young people coming from 8 european countries (Lithuania, Italy, Spain, Greece, Poland, France, Romania and Portugal), happening between 19 to 27 of May 2024 in São Pedro do Estoril, Cascais.
Check-IN Association develops a training course framed into the “European Youth Goals”. Between 2021 and 2027, we work 5 of those goals: European Union Connected With Youngsters (YG1), how to enhance Rural Areas (YG6), Create a quality education (YG8), engage Youth Organisations and Programes for youngsters (YG11). In 2024, we add Mental Health & wellbeing (YG5).
This training couse propouses methods and tools to enhance the competences (eficient communication, problem solving, criativity, conflict solving, design a workshop) that a facilitator should have. We believe that, nowadays, youth workers need knowledge, tools and methods to facilitate sessions with youngsters, being social facilitators for social inclusion of young people, specially those with fewer opportunities.
This project was approverd by the Portuguese National Agency for Erasmus+ Youth in Action, with the reference: 2023-1-PT02-KA151-YOU-000114731. We have the strong commitment from the Municipality of Cascais and Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude, the partnership with 8 european associations and other local entities.
More informations: check-in@checkin.org.pt Partners
International Partners
– OMIX – Spain
– Associazione Agrado – Italy
– Hellenic Youth Participation – Greece
– IAiRS – Poland
– Jaunimo Horizontai – Lithuania
– Gamma Institute – Romania
National Partners
– Municipality of Cascais
– IPDJ
– O Século
Coofinanced
– Agência Nacional da Gestão do Programa Erasmus +: 2023-1-PT02-KA151-YOU-000114731
Diary
During the project we will keep a diary to update everyone on the activites of the training course
FACEASY is a training course that engage young people coming from 8 european countries (Latvia, Italy, Spain, Greece, Poland, Austria, Slovakia and Portugal), happening from 10 a 18 de Maio de 2023 in São Pedro do Estoril, Cascais.
Check-IN Association develops a training course framed into the “European Youth Goals”. Between 2021 and 2027, we work 5 of those goals: European Union Connected With Youngsters (YG1), how to enhance Rural Areas (YG6), Create a quality education (YG8), engage Youth Organisations and Programes for youngsters (YG11). In 2023, we add Informative and Constructive Dialogue (YG4).
This training couse propouses methods and tools to enhance the competences (eficient communication, problem solving, criativity, conflict solving, design a workshop) that a facilitator should have. We believe that, nowadays, youth workers need knowledge, tools and methods to facilitate sessions with youngsters, being social facilitators for social inclusion of young people, specially those with fewer opportunities.
This project was approverd by the Portuguese National Agency for Erasmus+ Youth in Action, with the reference: 2022-1-PT02-KA151-
More informations: check-in@checkin.org.pt Partners
International Partners
– OMIX – Espanha
– Associazione Agrado – Italy
– Youthfully Yours GR – Greece
– Youthfully Yours SK – Slovakia
– Sempre a Frente Fundacja – Poland
– Education Innovative Center – Austria
– Jauniešu klubs 10×10 – Latvia
National Partners
– Municipality of Cascais
– Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude
– Fundation O Século
Coofinanced
– Portuguese National Agency for the Erasmus+: 2022-1-PT02-KA151-YOU-000059890
Diary
Day 1
The second Edition of FACEASY is starting! Our participants, coming from different countries – Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Greece, Poland, Italy and Latvia – arrived in Cascais and met each other for the first time. So we started with some name games first and then icebreaker games. To finalize our morning, we completed the group spirit with the Mission Impossible – the tasks were hard, but the group came together so well that they managed to finish everything!
After making some new friends and enjoying the sun during the lunch break, it was time to move on into a tour in learning expectations. Participants toured around different stations, where they discovered the program for the upcoming week, more opportunities with the Erasmus+ program, dealt with logistic details and also shared their fears, contributions and expectations for the project. This introduction to the program concluded with the establishment of some rules, the DO’s and DON’Ts for the upcoming week.
The last workshop of the day was about the Youth Goals and how they are interconnected with the training course. Participants learnt more about the Youth Goals our project is focusing on this year, and commented on the situation in their countries about whether they are or not reaching them.
The day finished with the intercultural night. Everyone brought some things to share and we had the opportunity to taste things from different countries and dance all together.
Day 2
This morning we started the day by hosting Dra. Filipa Castro Henriques, from Cascais Municipality, who welcomed our participants to Cascais and explained the important role that the municipality has in promoting activities for young people and the projects they have available.
To restart the working sessions, it was time to reflect on the facilitator as a learner. The workshop concentrated on the differences between formal and non-formal education, and identified those key moments in participants’ lives and what means being a facilitator.
The morning continues with a workshop dedicated to intercultural communication. The activity is called “A Mosque in Sleepyville” and consists in performing a municipality assembly where the construction of a mosque is being discussed. Participants were divided into groups, each of them defending different points of view on that matter. In the end, it was about coming up with a solution that respects the different points of view and diversity of people. From this activity, the participants were able to understand the role of a facilitator in such a volatile and culturally rich and diverse environment.
In the afternoon was time to explore our skills in empathy and active listening. The facilitators challenged the participants to, in pairs, share some personal story to their colleague and then he/she has to re-tell it. There was also time to enjoy the sun outside and some other activities, such as mirroring and following the pair’s movements. These activities not only showed the group the importance of being empathic towards the others and the importance of it when facilitating workshops, as it also grew the bond between them stronger!
To end this day full of activities but also new learnings, we organized a World Cafe. Participants, divided in four groups, debated the problems and proposed some solutions that facilitators might face during the stage of planning a training course: venue, participants, logistics and facilitators. After everyone
It was then time to rest and enjoy the free night.
Day 3
The morning started with an energizer and then was time to go into a public speaking workshop. The facilitators shared tips and tricks on how to speak in public and challenged the participants who were more afraid of the stage to start the exercises. In groups, everyone had to come up with a story to present to the others, with different time limitations and different challenges. By listening to the feedback from the trainers and redoing the exercise, the participants improved their skills!
The afternoon started with the design an activity workshop and project management. This session was useful to understand the process behind a training or workshop, and understand the flow since an idea appears until the workshop is done and debriefed.
To conclude the day, the group got together to share practices and experiences. Altogether, we discussed good practices and good examples from facilitating some projects, and the trainers shared tips to overcome challenging and difficult situations based on their experiences.
Day 4
The morning was dedicated to the graphic design workshop. Visuals are very important in non-formal education, so the participants had the opportunity to learn different components on how to design material that can be used by facilitators.
In the afternoon was free time to explore Cascais. Organized by Cascais Jovem, we had two different visits: the Condes de Castro Guimarães museum and Casa Museu de Santa Maria, which provided more information about Cascais and its history. Finally, there was free time for the participants to explore the town on their own or go to the beach.
Day 5
It is time to start with the debriefing workshop. The debriefing workshop was very important to help us understand how to make sure the workshops deliver a message and to make every step of our work purposeful. Debriefing is also important because it closes de sessions and is where the bigger conclusions should be drawn, so the facilitators help the participants in understanding how to conduct a debriefing, how to ask the right questions and how to wrap up the workshops in the best way possible. Participants learnt how to formulate questions and how to moderate a debate. Then, it was time to explore more about feedback. Feedback is vital to our growing process, specially in non-formal education. We explored some techniques on how to give good and constructive feedback.
In the afternoon, participants were faced with the final big task they have: plan and facilitate their own workshop. They were divided into four groups and had the rest of the afternoon to get an idea and prepare everything needed to perform their workshop.
Day 6
After all the previous learnings, today is the day to put them into practice and surprise the facilitators. The four groups performed their own workshops – some of them took place on the beach, some of them were birthday party inspired, others used theater as the main activity. This process was intense and took the whole morning, but it was incredible to see the growth of all of them.
After lunch, time for feedback. The participants received feedback on their work, specially about what was good and went well, and also on the areas that could be improved. Facilitators did their evaluations first, and then the other participants also added their notes and feelings.
To celebrate the productive day and their growth in facilitating a workshop, participants had some free time to go to Lisbon!
Day 7
The last working day of FACEASY is the evaluation and next steps day. We had a very introspective and reflexive morning to evaluate our work, our expectations, what we achieved and what can be improved, within the project and ourselves and our work and commitment. Then, into national groups, participants came up with a dissemination plan to share locally, in their countries, the results of their learnings during the week. We officially ended our program with the Youthpass ceremony and a farewell dinner in Cascais.