Training Activity C1

1st Training Activity
The first training activity was concerned with social theories and predominantly with those that approach individuals more holistically, addressing the culturally mature person, taking advantage of the human and social capital and based on cultural models of analysis on the experience and management of intangible resources. Thus, it is introducing youth workers, professionals and volunteers, to the values, ethics and practice principles that underpin the sociocultural model of learning (SLYMS) through face-to-face workshops. Τhe workshops were addressed to:

• Trainers from University of Thessaly and University Pompeu Fabra.
• Young volunteers, recruited by Municipality of Thessaloniki for being involved in the organization of events within the Multilingualism Festival.
• Teachers, recruited by Municipality of Thessaloniki in order to act as mentors to the Multilingualism Festival.
• Youth workers from ARSIS and CAI NGO’s.

Participants to the training activity C1 got specific training related to the conditions appropriate in constructing the environment of the Sociocultural learning. They were theoretically engaged with new views and sustainable ways of attending and organizing social life and they were trained on the values of mutual acceptance and understanding, intercultural sensitivity, solidarity, cooperativeness, and on the right to cultural and linguistic diversity. They came in touch with the terminology of the commons’ theory and trained in commons’ pedagogy, establishing a “new commons” sense enabling them to actively make decisions and take actions for shaping the future of their communities.

Training in commons’ pedagogy involved participation in role playing games and problem solving activities. Role playing games enabled trainees to run role playing games that increase creative thinking and fantasy, to deal with reflexivity through sharing and collaboration with others, to promote the participation of target population, to assess the local issues for the community, to help a group to solve problems through lateral thinking strategy and use tools of decision-making and critical thinking. Problem solving activities enabled trainees to notice the role the collectivities on local transformation and to increase innovation despite the non-innovative conditions. As a consequence, trainees acquired competences such as cooperation with team-members for reaching common goals and enhancement of interpersonal skills among the members of a community with respect, availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever is possible, increased participation of the civic society and local community in the solving issues process, creativity and initiative to suggest improvements through the collectivities’ actions.

The three training activities C1 were organized so far in all 3 partner countries, where a great number of staff from all partners acquired a common, complete and effective training on SLYMS model.