One
Step
Ahead
2018-1-HU01-KA105-047666

Summary

One Step Ahead training course was organised by Egyesek Youth Association and took part in Hollókő Hungary between 13-21 October 2018.

The aim of the One Step Ahead was to empower youth workers to apply improvisational theatre as an innovative tool to increase the sense of youth entrepreneurship and prepare them to successfully get engaged with the labour market as social entrepreneurs, learn from each experience and take these into their local communities.

To achieve this, we set the following objectives:

- to develop communication and social skills, and improve sense of initiative and entrepreneurship through improvisational theatre
- increase the capacity of youth workers by enriching their working methods with improvisational theatre by offering activities that better respond to the challenges of young entrepreneurs
- to introduce social entrepreneurship
- to provide a space for sharing best practices focusing on using non-formal educational methods in the field of youth work
- to introduce Youth Pass as a tool for self-assessment, evaluation and recognition of non-formal learning
- foster international development cooperation between European regions

The 29 participants came from Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy, Spain. They came from different cultural and professional backgrounds: youth workers, members and volunteers of youth associations, teachers and educators engaged with youth organizations, who intend to widen their toolkit and variety of methods with activities and programs used in improvisational theatre. The activities combined non-verbal, verbal improvisational exercises focusing on developing social and communication skills, and improving sense of initiative and entrepreneurship.

Working methods were designed according to the principles of experiential, non-formal learning in a multicultural context. The following working methods were used during the activities of the TC: applied improvisation, improvisational theatre, short interactive presentations by the trainers, presentations led by participants, facilitated discussions and brainstorming in plenary and in small groups, facilitated reflection groups to monitor and support the individual learning, activities in mixed nationality groups, couples, trios and individually followed by a debriefing, icebreakers, games and role play, chatting tables, video projection, artistic expression, creative writing, improvisational and movement theatre exercises, creative recycling, pitching, group work with dance and sport exercises, open space method of sharing best practices of non-formal educational methods, facilitated group reflection and evaluation.

Participants acquired specific competences for communication skills through improvisational theatre: they developed active listening and presence, awareness of one’s non-verbal commu