On May 12-13, 45 participants from 30 rural communities form the Republic of Moldova (NGO representatives, young leaders, LPA representatives, youth specialists) participated in a capacity building training (Training of Trainers – TOT), organized in Chisinau by the Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi).
During those 2 days, the participants received trainings, got to know each other, learned new things, worked in groups and had the opportunity to socialize, spend time interactively and plan summer activities.
On the first day of the training, the participants talked about the successes and failures in their activity with young people in rural areas, the revitalization of initiative groups, the effective teamwork and lessons learned in the process of empowering young people in rural areas.
“The training of trainers was a beautiful experience, useful both professionally and personally. We had a very colorful and relaxing atmosphere, with many games and learning through practice. For two days, we learned ‘how to use rearview mirrors’ to draw conclusions from successes and failures, ‘how to start over’ to form and strengthen initiative groups in rural communities, ‘how to work effectively and interestingly in a team’.” – Veronica Garbuz, NGO Mostenitorii, town of Balti.
“We left the TOT with the thought that we must apply the synergy in our communities and look for the freshest ideas for maintaining the initiative group. We need to progress, move forward and come out on a larger scale. Let’s get as involved as possible and not repeat the mistakes we made. I learned that every failure is a step forward and that by talking to anyone you get more and more innovative and well-implemented ideas for the development of young people in rural areas.” – Tatiana Tronciu, NGO AZI, town of Cahul.
During the second day, the participants learned tools for developing and maintaining the initiative group through teambuilding activities, developed a personal action plan for the summer – a follow-up element for youth empowerment and discussed the Youth Hackathon to be held in August.
“Most of this training I liked because I felt listened to. I returned to my village motivated and with many new ideas. I learned that young people have many ideas but at the same time they need support, sometimes moral support. I think that this training helped me to develop and to be able to bring new information to the village, to help our young people to develop as well.” – Gabriella Moraru, member of the initiative group, Lingura, district of Cantemir.
“During the 2 days we had first of all a friendly atmosphere, which made me feel comfortable and free. Current topics were addressed where I had the opportunity to interact with other participants and exchange views and experience. The trainers found an attractive way to teach, from which I received a wave of positive energy. It was a unique experience for me.” – Iulia Gore, leader of the initiative group, Varnita, district of Anenii Noi.
“I couldn’t help noticing the fact that young people first of all want interaction, socialization, they want to be heard. This is exactly what we tried to offer in these 2 days of training. The evaluations of the young people show that our mission has been accomplished.” – Ruslan Stanga, expert, Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi).
Upon returning to their communities, the TOT participants will share the knowledge gained at the trainings with the local members of the initiative groups, the LPA representatives and together will develop a summer action plan that will meet the objectives of the youth development strategy on empowering rural youth.
It should be mentioned that the average age of the young people present at the training was 21 years, and the average age of the total number of participants was 28 years.
The activity is part of Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP) implemented by the Institute for Rural Initiatives in Moldova (iRi) in partnership with the Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP), Ohio, USA, with financial support from the US Department of State.
For more photos from the event please visit the Facebook page of the Institute for Rural Initiatives (iRi):