Aroni Gelly
Please explain how you have conducted trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. (600 words)
During the last eight years I had the privilege of organizing and participating in various trainings of Learning to Live Together programme not only in my home country, Greece, but in many other countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. In this international context, I have worked and trained teachers, teacher trainers, physical educators, facilitators, youth, vulnerable social groups, University students, administrators on the Learning to Live Together programme. I also had the opportunity to implement trainings on the best practice I created, Learning to Play Together (LTPT). LTPT is a manual on promoting intercultural cohesion through school based Physical Education and cooperative games.
In order to conduct trainings of LTLT, I always had to start by considering a series of factors. Placing the learner at the center, which was a priority, means giving time and investing at the preparation of each and every training as they all shared common but also very diverse characteristics and elements. Having the objectives of the training and the Ethics Education Framework in mind I had to identify the:
the personal and the professional profile of the participants (age, gender, occupation, their role in their work etc)
the cultural and faith background of the group
the local context of the country the training took place
the educational context in which LTLT would be used (formal, non-formal, informal)
the participants’ needs and expectations
the facilities available for the training as in several ways the space provided defined ways and methods of implementation.
In my experience as a trainer I have been asked to plan and facilitate a diverse range of trainings on the Learning to Live Together Programme. Trainings that would make participants aware that LTLT is more than just another educational manual with tools and resources for educators. LTLT provides an intercultural and interfaith framework for ethics education for children as well as a pedagogical approach to learning. I took every training as a challenge and while planning and conducting them I grew both as a professional and a person. My trainings included: Sensitization Workshops on Learning to Live Together (Kenya, 2014) with participants who were representatives from the Directorates at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and UNESCO officials. The main aim was for them to gain an understanding of the Learning to Live Together Programme, its use around the world and key elements of the Ethics Education Framework to contribute to peace building. Trainings of trainers (Kenya, 2014) where Ministry of Education officers, Curriculum developers, Teacher trainers and selected teachers participated in order to be equipped to train teachers on how to use the Learning to Live Together programme with their classrooms, create clear guidelines on integration of the ‘Learning To Live Together’ initiative into the curriculum and to promote initiatives to promote LTLT’s values. I conducted local Basic and International trainings for teachers (Greece, 2013, Paris, 2011, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2014) with the objective to train teachers on the use of the manual Learning to Live Together by making them familiar with its main concepts and methodologies and able to use it with children and youth in their particular contexts. I facilitated Training Courses for Youth involved in Peace initiatives (Azerbaijan, 2011, India 2014) and most recently Teacher Trainings on the use of the LTLT approach, framework and manual for teachers of schools dealing with the Refugee crisis (Lebanon 2016, Greece, 2017, 2018).
How have you used the LTLT Ethics Education Framework? (400 words)
Explain how the conducted trainings have been sensitive to the local context. (400 words)
How has the conducted trainings impacted the trained facilitators? (400 words)
Please give some examples to show your resourcefulness and creativity to organize trainings of facilitators. (600 words)
How have you provided mentorship and guidance to trained facilitators? (400 words)
How has the Learning to Live Together Programme influenced a positive transformation in you, in a personal and professional level? (400 words)
Please explain how you exemplify a strong role-model of the principles of Learning to Live Together. (400 words)
Explain how you act as an ambassador and advocator of the Learning to Live Together Programme in your local context. (600 words)