ATYPICos contra-atacam! Fica a saber quais eram as expectativas do Paulo e quais foram as aprendizagens da Olga

A Dínamo- Associação de Dinamização Sócio-Cultural esteve na Casa da Juventude de Amarante entre os dia 8 e 16 Setembro como promotor da formação ATYPIC : Advanced Training on Local Youth Participation in High Diversity Contexts. Uma formação co-financiada pela Fundação Europeia da Juventude e que juntou 23 participantes vindos de 15 países: Portugal, Espanha, França, Itália, Sérvia, Albânia, Montenegro, Polónia, Letónia, Rússia, Macedónia, Bulgaria, Croácia, Roménia, Georgia.

Para a missão ATYPIC tivemos a ajuda da Diana Rodrigues ( estudante de Jornalismo e voluntária na Dínamo dentro no nosso Programade Oportunidades de Voluntariado e Aprendizagem Local – OVAL, do Paulo Gaspar membro da Direção da Dínamo e da Olga Glumac nacional da Sérvia mas atualmente residente em Portugal e voluntária na Dínamo.

Antes de partir encontramos o Paulo e fizemos-lhe algumas perguntas:

Porquê participar numa formação? Porquê esta? Porque é que a participação juvenil é um tema interessante?

  1- Há oportunidades únicas para serem aprendidas coisas, serem conhecidas pessoas e serem lançados desafios. A verdade é que essas oportunidades surgem e mesmo que nem sempre se perceba exatamente do que é que se vai falar, é interessante ir à descoberta. Essa é a razão de participar numa formação.

 2- Esta formação porque é com 20 pessoas da Europa e do Mundo Árabe, porque é sobre transformação local, sobre aprender a aprender, sobre cooperar e porque é Dínamo ( por e para jovens).

3 -  Porque dá significado ao cliché "O futuro somos nós".

  - O que é que te move para a participação em iniciativas como esta?

   -Os horizontes alargados,as experiências, as aprendizagens e as pessoas.

- Quais são as expectativas?

  -  Ganhar mais competências para ser útil na minha comunidade sem me limitar a ela mesma.

 -  Ter maior capacidade de transformação positiva das pessoas e dos lugares por onde passo.

  - Conhecer bastantes pessoas e perceber o lugar de onde vêm;

 -  Começar a compreender o Mundo Árabe e a relação com a Europa;

 -  Continuar a sentir-me cada vez mais Europeu e cidadão do mundo.

Duas semanas depois da formação formos ter com a Olga e pedimos-lhe que nos respondesse a algumas perguntas sobre os resultados das suas aprendizagens:

- If you had to encourage someone to participate in an initiative like this, what would you say to him/her?

First of all, its about our learning needs. I would encourage only people for whom i presume that they have interest (needs) for this type of training. Since it was advanced training, the deal was built in capacity building already existed competences within each participant. It was about further development and empowerment. I would say that target group would have been people who want further development as trainers and youth workers in the field of youth participation that are already active, have previous experience and are aware of decision making process in their local contexts.

- After this initiative, what kind of knowledge did you bring with you? And how do you think you can apply it?
The most accented learning point for me was advocacy planning, regarding its strategical approach of mapping and developing concrete steps of actions with proper order . Its about knowing how to use the resources in your local context in order to achieve good advocacy for the issues you want to solve in the field of youth participation. I can apply this knowledge in my local context on daily basis and long term plans and also share it as a strategy for implementation plan on international level.

- Do you believe in this kind of learning? What makes training with these characteristics more interesting and productive than a class presentation on the same subject?
Its self-centered learning. Each individual has different learning need/s as a participant on the training. These needs are assessed and presented in the expectations which are tackled in the beginning of each training. Learning happens on the training thanks to the trainers and their methodology, but also thanks to individual (participant). Since the training is based on principle of being participative (its all about our willingness to participate and learning by doing), its up to us (as learners) to get involved and to learn. Its up to us what will we take as learning outcomes from the activities.

Formal and non-formal education should be complementary, if not one. The both are very important for personal development.
The principle that exists in non-formal education is that information is not just served to learners, but it is based on experiential learning and given to the process of several phases. Participants have an opportunity to raise their awareness towards understanding of the topic and to better understand "where they stand" regarding the subject. Its also about follow up and implementation of the learned which is making the progressive development in each learner.

- What do you take from this experience? To what extent do you think this training is useful in your life?
The first obvious outcome of this training is the follow up project. The participants had a chance to network among themselves and together develop future projects in field of youth participation, regarding their local realities and connecting the similar or complementary needs in their local contexts.
Regarding the topic itself - meaningful youth participation, I had an opportunity to raise my awareness when it comes to the importance and meanings of active citizenship, strategical planning in advocacy and defining the chains of obstacles regarding the youth participation in my local context.

-One word to describe this training.
Atypical? joking :P