The topic is: “The role of the trainer in the use of circus as means in Youth work in the different countries of Europe” Circus as part of youth work is growing all over Europe and the world and it is in a process of professionalizing. During different meetings and projects of representatives of the umbrella organizations in Europe it became clear, that they face similar tasks. One of the most important is to develop a system of teaching the trainers. And to find out how learning should be organized in youth circus as a part of nonformal education. All involved countries expressed the need of improvement in the pedagogical education of circus trainers. Circus as part of youth work promotes empowerment, participation and active citizenship. And it is used increasingly in neighboring fields of youth work. Because it helps young people trust themselves, to find a place in society and even find a job it is supported by the governments more and more in the work with disadvantaged youth. Out of that experience with the expertise of the partners and of pedagogical experts we want to • rise quality of teaching through implementing innovative curricula in all countries. • through this and practical tools give an understanding also to other youth workers who use circus as a means, what the learner centred method means in reality and how it can be used together with teacher centred methods. • find a way to be aware as a trainer to always reflect the role as a instructor, to be objective, to know how to step aside from the role and look from distance. Change your role from instructing to coaching. • develop a system to improve circus teachers education in all partner countries and furthermore. • define a correct balance of pedagogical and artistic skills for those who work in the sector. Therefore we - organize meetings of circus teachers and experts of the pedagogy field with reflexion on methodology: What is my idea of teaching? How do I act as an instructor? How to give positive feedback? How to guaranty youth participation? How is the idea already implemented into existing curricula? - collect scientific knowledge how people learn best. How to teach trainers. E.g. accelerated learning, NLP etc. and implement that into trainer trainings systems. - write guidelines and develop online learning material in working groups and with the advice of experts. - write guidelines and recommendations for further curricula in all countries. - create a team of experts, who can give workshops everywhere and can also be invited by stakeholders. - write curricula for training of trainers for existing institutions and training courses and develop online learning material in working groups and with the advice of experts.
Circus as part of youth work promotes empowerment, participation and active citizenship. And it is increasingly used in neighbouring areas of youth work. Because it helps young people gain confidence in themselves, find a place in society and even get a job, it is increasingly supported by governments in their work with disadvantaged youth. From this experience and with the expertise of partners and pedagogical experts, we aim to - Increase the quality of education through the implementation of innovative curricula and related teaching methods in all countries. - To provide an understanding that the LCL method offers a toolkit when using circus as a medium in youth work. - Support the development of trainers' understanding of their role from instruction to facilitation of learning. - expand the system of education and training of circus educators in Europe to include this method. - support the balance between pedagogical and artistic skills for those working in the sector by offering the LCL method. The project partners were umbrella organisations of circus education from 11 European countries. They were able to develop and implement this project together because they have been working together in the European Youth Circus Organisation (www.eyco.org) since 2008 with the aim of developing quality in circus education. Experienced trainers and youth representatives from all countries took part in the planning and training meetings. The content of the project was prepared by circus educators who were already involved in the development of a European curriculum for the training of trainers (CATE) and other joint projects for professionalisation. The description of the activities carried out: In the project planning meetings of the partners involved, the process was first planned together and then followed up. The last meeting could not take place because of the pandemic, but there were always digital meetings of those involved. First, a meeting of circus educators and experts from the field of general education was organised to reflect on the methodology: What is my idea of teaching? How do I behave as a trainer? How can I give positive feedback? How do I ensure the participation of the young people? How is the idea already implemented in existing curricula? Then a first draft for a one-week training was developed with a mixture of theoretical input and practical implementation in games and teaching examples using this method. Then circus educators from the partner countries were invited again to try out this first concept together. Shortly before the start of the pandemic, the meeting could still be held in Toulouse and then work and exchanges continued digitally. The team of experts used the material and developed a handbook with toolkits for practical work in circus projects. It is accessible on the partners' websites and centrally on the EYCO site. From April 2021 onwards, there were initially various digital events to disseminate the results, which could then finally take place in presence again from July. The offer that the partner "Circusworks" from England was able to make deserves special mention. Two so-called "unconferences" on the topic of "LCL in Circus" reached almost one hundred circus educators in all continents. The results and impacts achieved : Scientific knowledge and practical experience on how people learn best have been gathered. Examples have been gathered on how best to teach participatory teaching and what to look out for. The LCL approach requires a special attitude on the part of the facilitator. How to acquire this and what obstacles there may be are answered by the many materials in the handbook. The 60-page manual is a mixture of practical examples, guiding questions for reflection on one's own practice, a presentation of scientific results and mediation methods derived from them. Participants in the training and planning meetings are now able to give workshops in their respective countries with the help of the manual and to disseminate the material online within their networks. The pandemic has also ensured that there are now examples of online events. This means that far more people can be reached than originally planned. The embedding in the education and training programmes of the respective partners has thus been initiated and it is up to them how this is done locally. Further cooperation is needed to ensure that this happens.