Being Civically Engaged Erasmus+ Online Course

In the context of the European Training Strategy (ETS) the SALTO Training & Cooperation Resource Centre (SALTO T&C RC) developed the Competence Model for Trainers Working at International Level.

The ‘COMETS training courses’ were developed as a support for advanced trainers in their competence development, each course focusing on one competence area of the above-mentioned model. Hence, with this call, JUGEND für Europa, the German National Agency for Erasmus+ Youth in Action together with SALTO T&C RC invite trainers to take part in this third edition of COMETS: ‘Integrating Being Civically Engaged into the trainers’ work’.

This particular competence from the model encompasses the following competences:

• Linking (youth) policies and educational programmes
• Integrating political values and beliefs in the context of the trainers work
• Supporting learners in developing political thinking
• Applying democracy and human rights principles

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Taking the above into account, the intentions of the course are:

• To explore what are the personal, internal and external influences on the role of trainers (politics, policies, environment, social and economic contexts, etc.);
• To reflect and share on the notions of ethics and ethos of trainers;
• To work on the attitudes of trainers with regards to authenticity, openness, curiosity and dealing with personally challenging values and beliefs;
• To reflect on and explore the limits of the ‘civic/political role of trainers’ in their practice;
• To reflect on human rights principles and human rights education in the work of trainers.

The COMETS will not directly tackle current issues and crises, however being a trainer in the youth sector demands an active role in civil society – therefore being civically engaged. Among other things, this COMETS explores the role of the trainer in supporting and developing such responses.

COMETS learning experiences intend principally to offer trainers a space to reflect, exchange and contrast their practice and understanding with regard to a certain ETS competence area. The main purpose is to enable participants to take further steps in their professional practice. This is not a classical training course in the sense of receiving tools and development of the practical aspect of being a trainer. The focus of a COMETS is more introspective, requiring self-examination of practice, attitude, understanding and behaviour, as well as a desire to improve in one’s practice.

No matter the focus on each course, COMETS are all based on a series of principles, which are:

• Awareness: me – the group – the field – the context;
• Readiness to question and to review practice;
• Readiness to stretch boundaries;
• Being explicit about choices as trainers;
• Integrity: Walk the talk!
• Giving space to the whole person: body – mind – soul – heart;
• Awareness: Being here as learner in a community of learners;
• Giving to Caesar what’s Caesars’: acknowledging [re]sources of practice.

The team of trainers for this COMETS edition are Christin Voigt, Nik Paddison, along with Antonela Kotsoni as digital director. Following the selection process, the training team will contact the participants with specific information and tasks regarding the further development of the programme. This is to ensure that the needs of the participants will be taken into account in order to maximise the potential the course offers.

Participant profile:

COMETS is a non-classical training for trainers, it provides advanced trainers at international level with opportunities to come together to reflect upon, discuss and develop their practice. In the context of COMETS, ‘advanced’ means that the trainer-learner has the capacity to direct their own learning and in particular, the ability to self-assess their own competences.

Expectations towards the participants:

This online training course will require the participants to commit to take part for the full week of 5 days, including approx. 3 hours of online meetings every day in the morning (before noon CET). Furthermore, the participants will need time in the afternoon during the activity for reflection tasks.

The participants need to be open to engage in the reflection process in an online environment.

Lastly, the participants need to ensure that they will have working technical devices, including a stable internet connection and a webcam.

The general aims of the COMETS training courses are:

• To contribute to quality development of youth work and of training practise in the field;
• To put the ETS competence model into practice;
• To support National Agencies and other youth sector organizations in working with trainers on competence development;
• To contribute to the professional development of trainers in the field.

Application Deadline: 20 August 2020

This E-learning is

for 25 participants

from Eastern Partnership countries , Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme countries , Western Balkan countries