Call for Understanding Europe Trainers | EYP Belgium 2021

CALL FOR

UNDERSTANDING EUROPE TRAINERS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Understanding Europe

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Message from Peer Educators

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Message from Project Coordinator

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Practical Information

UNDERSTANDING

EUROPE IDEA The participation of young electorates with an age between 18-24 for the European Elections in 2009 was only 27%. Hence, prior to the European elections in 2014, the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe initiated a series of events called Understanding Europe. This initiative includes a series of EU Crash Courses with a duration of 4 hours, aiming at imparting students with basic knowledge about Europe. With the support of the European Youth Parliament, we offer the EU Crash Courses in other European countries as well, among others Italy, Ukraine, Hungary, Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, and Belgium.

Why does the EU exist? – Milestones of European History Who is the EU? – Actors of the EU How do I have a say in Europe? Participation of the Youth in European decision- making What is security and what does it mean to me? - Journey through different aspects of security EU Asylum Policy & Talk-show – Introduction to the European asylum system However, good news: our team is currently working on some more workshops centered on gender, diversity, inclusion, and green activism. We cannot wait to see how they go!

CONTENT The 4 hours Crash Course is meant for pupils of secondary schools, from the 4th grade onwards, but also for Bachelor, university students across Belgium. It aims at engaging pupils in an open discussion about current European topics and imparts basic knowledge about the EU, in an interactive way. It includes a quiz, Q&As round, presentations, workshops, debates and work groups. What is more, this year we aim to also include green activities into our project, such as planting trees and cleaning rivers and streets, among others.

The course already focuses on 5 main topics:

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TRAINERS The project is built upon a peer-to-peer approach and voluntary youth participation.

Young seminar trainers are trained to conduct the EU crash Course directly in schools. They collaborate with pupils of similar age, based on a spirit of partnership and mutual understanding. The peer-topeer relationships provide the floor to express fears and criticism openly. The peer trainers support the independent work of the young participants in small groups and they can tend to different in the classroom through an interactive mix of methods in the course material.

AIMS We want that one single Understanding Europe Crash Course breaks down the structure of the EU, the consequences of its existence and its main actors. Ideally, the students will be more interested in European affairs than usual. It is our ultimate goal that each one gets informed constantly and fulfills its duty as a European citizen.

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MESSAGE FROM

PEER EDUCATORS Dear future Understanding Europe trainer, Have you ever asked yourself why active citizenship is not usually learnt at school? Is it because there is no time? No room in the curriculum? Because teachers do not want to teach it to their pupils? Or that they would not know how to do it? What does it even mean actually? The answer we found is that active citizenship is not learnt at school because it cannot be truly taught, but can only be experienced.

With Understanding Europe, we do not claim to give young people a full picture of what active citizenship really is. However, we aim at sparking their interest in current issues and encouraging them to take an active role in shaping our society. We do so by providing them with tools to develop critical and independent thinking through non formal educational methods and peer to peer learning. After one EU Crash Course, students will not have become experts in EU affairs, nor will we. But if they leave the classroom with one question in mind they want to do research on, one new idea they want to discuss with their friends or one piece of knowledge they will explain to their parents, our goal has been achieved. And in the process, we will have learnt as well. Perhaps, even more than the pupils whom we were intending to teach.

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Our mission is thus to provide a basic understanding of European politics to pupils and strengthen their political participation in Europe. We offer a space where pupils can question what they have heard in the news and debate with their classmates in an open, unbiased, safe and welcoming environment. We then aim to help them form an opinion of their own and empower them to make their voices heard.

Being a programme organised by the youth, for the youth, Understanding Europe naturally finds the right balance between fun and academics. As peer trainers, we do not enter the classroom as EU experts nor teachers, we come as ourselves and as their peers. We are simply young people who want to share our knowledge and passion about the EU in an interactive and interesting way.

Our role is to facilitate their learning, unlock their potential and guide them through their questions. We have to learn to leave our own biases, our own political opinions and judgements behind us and welcome whatever is waiting for us behind that classroom door. It is therefore first and foremost for us trainers a learning experience and a lesson of humility. Then, being part of the EU team also means that you join a community of passionate and caring young people who are eager to challenge themselves, try and fail, and try again, support each other and of course, have a blast!

As peer Educators, our role is to support the trainers in their learning journey. First, by creating, planning and delivering the workshops at the initial Train the Trainer event. This will serve as an introduction to the project and equip you with the methods and tools needed to start conducting the Crash Course in schools. And then, by being present throughout the year to share our experiences and answer any doubts you might have. We promise to try our best tobecome aware of your needs as trainers, to be creative and share our knowledge by taking into consideration multiple intelligences and interests. We also hope to instill these values among the trainers’ team, as they are essential to conduct the Crash Courses.

Together, we have a total of 12 years of experience within the Understanding Europe project and we are now excited to share it with you, and hopefully inspire you to continue this adventure.

Thank you for considering applying for this position. We are looking forward to getting to know you and learning together.

Kind regards, Diana, Queenstar and Catarina

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MESSAGE FROM PROJECT COORDINATOR Dearest Future Trainer, It is with great joy that I invite you to join my team, in this amazing project.

Understanding Europe is truly unique and has so much to offer: diversity, inclusion, friendships, plenty of experience and new insights for you! However, what makes it really worth it is the people who are part of it. It all starts from them and it is them who develop it into a great and enriching adventure that I wish you will have the chance to experience too.

In the past years Understanding Europe has grown significantly and we want it to grow even more. Do you believe in change?

Would you like to work for a better future for us all? Do you believe in the power of education? If the answer is yes, then you are one of us! We want you in our family!

Do it for yourself. I always like to say that education is the most powerful tool that we have to shape our lives, but also our society and the world itself. Why not use it, then?!

The type of education that we offer is certainly not the most professional one, since it involves the peer to peer approach.

However, I can proudly say that it has opened eyes and intrigued many young people to devote themselves as active citizens in our society, myself included. I started Understanding Europe when I was 18 and when I look back, I am deeply impressed with all that I have learnt ever since! As such, I am deeply proud that I have chosen this project, because it has enlightened my life and made me discover things that maybe, I might have otherwise not been able to.

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Therefore, I can only encourage you again and again to try the project. In the end, what is there to lose?

Do it for the world. Another significant role of Understanding Europe is that, through education, it brings thousands of benefits to other communities as well, and, in an endless cycle, they bring it to others too. In big, we make the world benefit from this too. And please always remember that the world needs us, now. Please, let’s not ignore its calls.

Everyday racism, discrimination, inequality gaps, but also problems like climate change, among many others, suffocate our society, day by day. In such a setting, remaining silent and indifferent becomes the worst fault ever.

Therefore, it is our duty to make this society a better place and ensure a better living for the next generations. Only by acting together, will we achieve this.

To conclude, as the Understanding Europe Belgium Project Coordinator, I deeply encourage you to complete the registration form. Do not be discouraged by the lack of experience. We all started there. I and the team will be there to support and guide you through every step of the project, because support, communication and respect are the bases of our project. I am really looking forward towards meeting and working with you!

All the very best, Daniela Toutpati Understanding Europe Belgium Coordinator

PRACTICAL INFORMATION What prior knowledge do you expect from me?

We do not require any specific knowledge - only motivation to learn and to change the world! We will organize a training weekend for you in October and teach you everything you need to know then. Interest in European news, politics and history, as well as experience in teaching or facilitating discussions will be a great plus.

What languages do I need to speak?

Most of the EU Crash Courses are conducted in English, so is the training and the communication within the project team. Therefore, you should comfortably speak English, so that you can conduct workshops and facilitate discussions. Similar level of proficiency in official languages of Belgium (Dutch, French, German) will be beneficial, because we sometimes conduct Crash Courses in these languages too. However, this is not a requirement.

Any other requirements?

You should be between 16 and 25 years old, so that high school and university students can truly benefit from the peer-to-peer approach. You should also reside in Belgium for the majority of the upcoming school year.

If you reside elsewhere, you can still apply for Understanding Europe in your country. Please get in touch with us and we’ll direct you. daniela.toutpati@eyp.be How time consuming is participation in the project?

First of all, if you register, you should be able to participate in the training weekend on 9th and 10th October 2021. After that, you are qualified to conduct CCs in schools, which is not very time consuming. Experience from the previous years show that each trainer will conduct on average 3-4 Crash Courses in a year. Nothe that most Crash Courses are scheduled in school hours (08h00-16h00), take 3-4 hours that you may need, time to get to the location. However, please note that when scheduling the Crash Courses, we always take into consideration your availability.

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PRACTICAL INFORMATION Aside from Crash Courses, you will also be asked to assist us in project management, but that should be limited to small tasks which should not take more than 1 hour per week (unless you volunteer to help more). We will also try to organise team meetings on weekends a few times per year, but these will not be compulsory (except if really necessary) and will always be planned with your availability in mind.

I also want to stress the importance of communication, which lacked in the previous years and which impacted on the cohesion of the team. Please do not forget that this is still a serious project and I would very much appreciate that, whenever it is not possible for you to attend a meeting or do any of your tasks, you communicate it to me or the team, so that we can ensure work efficiency and team cohesion, and avoid over workload.

What are the benefits of becoming a trainer?

Most importantly, you can learn a lot. You can develop both hard and soft skills such as communication in English, teaching, discussions facilitation, project management, teal work, time management and much more!! The role of an UE trainer is valuable on a CV and we are an international and well-recognised project. Furthermore, participation in the European Youth Parliament gives you access to a huge and diverse network of young people with similar values and experiences.

Will I get paid for being a trainer?

In UE we are all volunteers and being a trainer is also a voluntary role for which you won’t be given a salary. However, we will cover all costs such as travel, food and accomodation related to your participation in the training in October, Crash Courses and team meetings. We will also provide you with all the materials you will need for conducting Crash Courses.

Don’t hesitate to contact us via daniela.toutpati@eyp.be for more information and apply here https://forms.gle/DpANh4Kp5UgYozX48.

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