What makes an Erasmus+ training course good?

Deiana Dragoeva, founder and project manager of VIA CIVIC, a KA1 accredited association, answers a few questions about what a quality learning experience is, the standards for delivery and youth work, and the pleasure of seeing change every time.

First of all, I would like to say that the Erasmus+ programme provides an exceptional opportunity to deliver a valuable training with a different focus, but with one goal – to improve skills that are practically needed to be better as people and professionals. Quality training is usually expensive and practically inaccessible for young people, their organizations, sector teams, especially for people with fewer opportunities. Imagine everyone paying for their own digital skills course, then personal development, coaching practice, etc. So, they get from us a comprehensive experience, tailored to the specificities of both the participants and the youth and NGO sector. This is why we are careful with the selection of partners and participants, because we want our trainings to include conscious people who understand what they will get.

There are quite a few elements that are important to have a quality training experience. First of all, you need to be innovative in the design of the program. I, along with the trainers, design the programs based on the actual needs. For example, our most recent one, the ABCDEFGH project, addresses the effects of COVID-19, which demotivated both youths and their organizations’ teams. There is a personal reframing of our mission as people and professionals, and a search for meaning for ourselves. Reflecting on personal life experiences, from which we teach them how to extract motivating messages and deliver them through an inspiring story, with the power of storytelling.

But all the elements are key to make a training happen – the interactions and communication with the partners, because our trainings are international and we have more than 10 partners, the selection of the participants who always add value by sharing experiences, the choice of venue, even the conditions and the food, if they are not good it brings a bad tone to the group. So, consistent, precise and clear organization, adequate communication at all levels – both within the team and with partners and participants, and most of all – a positive attitude and motivation of our whole team to give their best – these are the key points.

Tough question. Good trainers are invaluable, especially when we share with them the same understanding of the work process and what quality we want to achieve. When they themselves have a level standard and want to exceed it every time. We look for and work with a different profile of trainers depending on the training topics. We are not advocates of the same training team doing everything – a practice I do not approve of. I’ve often heard from colleagues that a good trainer can use the same methods on every topic. But this makes trainings just scratching the surface, wasting participants’ time and wasting money. We want the people doing the training to have knowledge, experience on the topic itself, not just playing with training tools.

Our participants come with different life experiences and loads of attitudes, stereotypes, opinions, traumas, etc. At the training they are jolted out of their daily routine and thrown directly into the unknown. The very fact that they are among so many strangers, of different ages, from different countries, speaking English, communicating actively in a group, is already stressful for them. And we add more, so that whoever is holding on to the edge of comfort can be pushed beyond, can swim in weightlessness, in the unknown, can experience fear and open their eyes and reach for the answers they seek but do not hear in the noise of the everyday.

This is based on our idea that we can’t develop any skills if we don’t start from the basics, revisit what limiting beliefs they carry that block them, listen to the negative critic in him speak, find the right way to talk and bring out for rethinking those traumatic moments that sometimes get in the way throughout all our lives. We use a different methodology that is complementary, and we get it done. Participants experience the learning, and when they are open and sink deeply into it, conversion is certain. That’s why the night under the stars, the philosophical walks in the mountains, and especially that close sharing circle where they can allow themselves to be honest and themselves, because they have found friends and people who support them, remain unforgettable.

I want them to take what they have been looking for, for themselves, as an answer to the questions “Where do I go from here?” and “Why am I in this life?”. I want them to take away unforgettable memories and many friendships on which to base priceless partnerships. I want them to have become bolder to express themselves, more spontaneous to splash emotions and thereby inspire others. I want them to take away tools that they can practically use in their overall life practice. I want them to be happier and I believe that only a self-aware, self-confident and joyful person can adequately help others, especially youth. That’s what I want and I think we are succeeding.