FAQM Foundation was a partner organisation in the Training Course: Non-formal education in formal contexts of learning. A successful encounter took place in Borrello (ITALY) from 13 to 22.11.2019. The aim of the Training Course was to improve and develop competences, approaches and practical tools to plan and realise non Formal Education activities within formal context of education such as schools and Youth Council. The idea of the project was to generate a positive contamination of approaches and methodologies able to support young people in their development.
The flow of the training course was divided in 3 parts. The first one focused on the mutual knowledge of participants (personal, cultural backgrounds, as a team) and on the understanding and comprehension of the main elements of the Non Formal Education (learning by doing and active learning, self – evaluation, need analysis, Intercultural Learning approach, etc). The second part, offered a set of tools (theme-based activities) in order to satisfy the learning needs of participants and to increase their specific competences through Non Formal Education on some given topics such as environmental matters, communication and creative skills, peaceful resolution of conflicts, how to deal with Human Rights issues, how to overcome linguistic barriers. In the third part participants, on the base of the skills and knowledge acquired in the previous stages, engaged themselves in the development of multiplying activities and practical application of learning achievement.
In TC took part participants from: Italy, United Kingdom, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Belgium, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia and Poland.
The applicant and coordinator of the project was ARCI n.a Circolo Territoriale Chieti from Italy.
Some impressions after the TC from Polish participants:
It was more than pleasure to participate in he NFE Training Course in Borello, Italy this November. Me, being a teacher in a secondary school in Poland the topic of non formal teaching was a vague and unfamiliar term. Through 8 days of intensive work I realised that formal education and non-formal education must come together beacuse they need each other. I also saw that non-formal methods already exist in our formal teaching practise but now I am equiped with new methods and possibilities to make them more efficient.
Very important aspect of the traning was the interpersolnal dimention. I met wonderful enthusiasts for different part of Europe, who helped me focus on what’s the most important in teacher’s profession – meaning realtions. Special thanks should go to the ARCI grup who facilitated all our tasks and activities. For it is the level of admiration. (Ola)
For the first time I had the opportunity to participate in this type of workshops on non-formal education in Borello, Italy. The subject of the training was a part of what I do every day, thanks to which I will be able to use the knowledge gained during the workshops in practice. The classes were attended by employees of various public and private institutions, which allowed us to learn different methods of work and have a new look at the problems that we solve every day. The most instructive for me were practical workshops where we took part in tasks and then we could confront our conclusions which each other. Particularly useful in my professional work were issues related to the motivation about taking up and continuing learning and integration. It was a great opportunity to make new acquaintances and international knowledge transfer. (Kasia)
The project “Non Formal Education in Formal Contexts of Learning: a Successful Encounter” has been my first this kind of experience in context of non-formal education. The training course had mostly the form of workshop. A great advantage of the meeting in Borrello was not only ability to improve my knowledge about non-formal learning, but also the possibility to work with people from different organizations all over Europe. After the course I have been full of new ideas which can be introduced into my teaching and cooperating with my students. Being a part of a training group in Borrello reminded me how important it is to understand each other in order to build trust and improve ability to cooperate. Thanks to the course I learnt new methods and forms of work, but also had fun with a group of fantastic people. The organizers did their best to make the atmosphere positive and friendly. I am certain that most of the ideas I got to know in Borrello will be used by me and, hopefully, by other teachers in my school, as I am going to share this knowledge with them. Now I know that before we – teachers start teaching children how to trust and cooperate, first we ourselves should work on developing these skills. (Anna)
The project was founded by Erasmus Plus Program