@ Artemovsk/Ukraine, 04.-05.08.2007

by Sven Rasch

The Training Session focussed on enabling participants to prepare educational activities on the topic of Human Rights which shall be implemented between the 8th and 20th of August in international workcamps on environmental and social inclusion topics in the framework of the long-term project „Youth Transcending New Frontiers“ took place on saturday 4th and sunday 5th of August in the city of Artemovsk, Donetsk-region/Ukraine and brought together five international volunteers from Irland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Ukraine, and the United States of America plus two memebers of the local Projectmanagement Team (PMT) that organized the event at Artemovsk.

Julia Myasyshcheva of SVIT the NGO that coordinates the whole YTNF-project in Ukraine together with SCI Germany could be present at the Training session on saturday the 4th and on the evening of that same day for planning upcoming events in late August and December 2007 which are also part of the YTNF-Project.

The Training session was based upon an interactive and participative methodology that should be itself in cohesion with the inclusive, experimental, and learner-centred approach in Human Rights Education as promoted for instance by the Human Rights Education Youth Programme of the Council of Europe and educational activities of the German Institute for Human Rights.

Participants should get the opportunity to receive basic information on Human Rights, Human Rights Education and some specific topics that were of interest for the “Human Rights Travellers” Project, and also to use their previous experiences, and ressources in devising a workshop-programme that could be used later on. Specific methods could be tested and evaluated during the Training and were adapted according to the needs and circumstances of the international workcamps. Reflecting the role of the facilitator was emphasized alongside with more 'technical' questions of programme-planning and -facilitating like: time-management, needs-assessment, programme-phases, models of learning/learning-styles, debriefing and evaluating, focussing aims and objectives in order to apply an appropriate methodology and specific methods.

Training Session day 1 (04.08.2007)

After a short warm-up phase and some activities to build the working group, day 1 was used to easily tune in the topic of Human Rights (legal framework, key values, different generations or dimensions of HR, instruments for protection, role of NGOs) in a mix of participative activities and some input.

The second half of the day was used to enter the topic of Education (characteristics of formal, nonformal, informal education) and Human Rights Education in specific as an inclusive approach (definitions, participative and learner-centred approach, experiential/ experimental learning, learning about, for, and through Human Rights, critical thinking, learning for doing: empowerment, social change, creating a Human Rights 'culture').

In the late afternoon the focus was then laid on “clarifying the frame and purpose of your activity”, i.e. reflecting and devising a concrete workshop-programme for the international workcamps. This was done in the evening of day 1 of the Training by two smaller groups which would present their ideas in the next morning to be given feedback by the other group and the trainer.

Training Session day 2 (05.08.2007)

Day 2 saw the presentation of two different, already well structured drafts of a workshop-programme that were then closely analyzed by the whole group and the trainer by reviewing the aims and concrete objectives to be fullfilled, the framework, context and profile of the participants, and the 'technical', and methodological considerations figured out the day before. Against this background, and also by simply trying out some programme-features, the two workshop-propositions could be merged into one proper draft that would serve for final concrete preparations on the 6th and 7th of August.

From the feedback given by the group it can be assumed with some likeliness that the overall aim of the Training session could be achieved insofar as participants could get acquainted with some basic features of Human Rights (Education) and the planning of an educational activity that focuses on Human Rights for international workcamps.

They were able to devise a proper Human Rights Educational activity or workshop-programme, respectively, that is probable to show good results in the coming days.

The Trainer enjoyed a lot working with the group and is grateful to SVIT and its partner-organisations for very professional and affectionate support!

Sven Rasch (rasch@network-rope.org), Rossdorf/Germany, 07.08.2007