To ensure that intercultural exchanges among young people are a positive experience and trigger a lasting learning process, trained educational professionals and linguistic support are crucial.
For this reason, the Franco-German Youth Office (FGYO) and its partner organizations offer various training courses for youth leaders, as well as for teachers and other youth work professionals. The courses cover the entire organization process and implementation of youth exchanges. Subjects include project planning, intercultural learning methods, cultural diversity, linguistic aspects of an exchange program. They all take place within the framework of an intercultural meeting, are practical and experience-oriented.
Basic training for intercultural youth leaders
You will acquire the necessary skills to plan an exchange program, lead a multilingual group and accompany young people through their intercultural learning process. You will learn about the theory and practice of intercultural learning, the role and tasks of youth leaders, legal frameworks, cooperating in intercultural teams, project and program planning, games and methods related to youth exchanges, the use of language and language animation, as well as evaluation methods.
Binational and trilateral training is offered. Many of the training courses are in line with the to FGYO's training standards, so that an FGYO certificate for intercultural youth leaders may be attained.
Themed training courses and advanced training
The FGYO also offers themed courses and training, focusing on the methodological aspects of youth work, work with specific target groups and the organization and implementation of youth meetings with specific regions.
Training courses on specific aspects of youth meetings
These training courses deal with a specific topic or method. For example, some seminars teach specific conflict management strategies, such as mediation and intervision. Other programs offer the opportunity to become acquainted with artistic methods or practices, such as drama, photography or singing, in order to use them in intercultural youth meetings. We also offer seminars dealing with the political dimension of youth meetings, with a look at questions of democracy or citizen engagement.
Training courses for youth meetings involving specific target groups
These training courses prepare you to lead and accompany youth meetings involving specific target groups. This includes seminars for teachers that focus on the pedagogical aspects of student exchange programs. Other training specifically designed for social workers looks at work with young people with special support needs.
Training for youth meetings involving specific regions
For many years, the FGYO has been promoting trilateral youth meetings and training with countries from Central and Eastern Europe as well as South-East Europe, and from the Mediterranean. The focus here is on historical aspects, reconciliation processes and peace education. Trilateral exchanges are also particularly enriching for intercultural learning.
Franco-German training courses on linguistic aspects of youth meetings
These seminars focus on methods for the linguistic work during Franco-German youth meetings.
Language animation
Language animation is a method developed by FGYO to promote linguistic awareness, which can be used in all Franco-German meetings and events. During this advanced training, participants learn methods for the playful learning of the partner language, based on the natural communication strategies of young people.
Franco-German training seminars for group interpreters
In the training seminars on group interpreting, participants qualify as mediators acting between people from different cultural backgrounds and with different native languages. They learn to interpret consecutively, paying specific attention to intercultural aspects.