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Course structure and guide for taking the course

 

This is an online course about peace education designed for youth workers. This course offers knowledge as well as practical tools to help youth workers work in times of crises in a safe and sustainable way.

This online course consists of 5 chapters:

Introduction (what this course is, how to take the course)

  1. Why this course? (why this course is relevant in today's youth work)
  2. Me (building capacity from inside out)
  3. Me and you (building peace through communication)
  4. A peaceful globe today and tomorrow (contextualising the themes of the course in the realities of today)

Each chapter consists of three to five sub-chapters that include: 

  • text
  • pictures
  • videos
  • exercises (the different exercise types are introduced below)

The course has been designed in a linear way in which the content cumulates towards the end of the course. For example, new concepts are introduced as key concepts when they first appear. The key concepts are explained beside the text, and you will recognise them by a key symbol. You can proceed along the course in your own time: we recommend a peaceful pace as well as making time to deepen the themes with the exercises to really digest the themes. Many of the tools provided in this course might be easy to understand, but hard to use – so they require a little bit of practice. The exercises will help you practise the tools in a fun and meaningful way. We recommend taking the course in a linear order.

The structure of this material is constructed from building inner capacity to face crises (Me), expanding to peacebuilding in interaction (Me & You) and to navigate in the local and global communities in times of crises (Peaceful globe today and tomorrow). As a part of this course, you will hear interviews of members of the youth and what crises affect their lives right now. You will gain tools to address these themes within your regular work. However, the themes of the course will always cycle back to inner work, because the most effective tool that one has is oneself.

Each sub-chapter will provide you with exercises that will help deepen your understanding of the themes of the course as well as integrate them better into your own work with the youth. The text and the exercises take turns, creating a learning path that is easy to follow. You will notice all the exercises easily because of their background colour.

Although it might seem like a tempting option to skip the exercises and only focus on the texts, it is the exercises that will actually help the most to make positive changes in your work settings. The exercises build capacity on many levels, strengthening knowledge, understanding and skills. The course provides you with tools that you can take into your own everyday life and that can be implemented in youth work right away. The exercises play a significant part in this process.

 

Exercises

There are different exercise types in the course. You will recognise the different types by their symbols. Each exercise type builds capacity or deepens understanding in a unique way that complements the learning process. In the beginning of each sub-chapter, you will see the symbol of each exercise type that is used in this specific sub-chapter. You will also see the symbol of the exercise type attached to the name of the exercise. The different exercise types used in this course are:



Reflect & write

You will need a notebook for this course – pick one that feels inviting to you. The notebook cover can also represent something you’d like to reinforce in your (working) life. If you prefer to write your thoughts and reflections on a computer, create an easy-to-access folder that you can come back to whenever you need. The reflect & write symbol asks you to take out your notes and write down your thoughts, questions and ideas for implementation. You can also use your notebook along the way to write down new ideas or things you want to come back to. The notebook is your tool – let it reinforce your learning path in a way that serves you the best.



Embodied exercise

Embodied exercise suggests trying something out with movement or conscious rest. Conscious relaxation, breath work and mindful bodywork are powerful tools to reduce physiological stress and calm down the nervous system.

Audio exercise

It is hard to read and focus on the body at the same time. This is why the course offers some of the embodied exercises as audio files in addition to the written text.



Calendar exercise

Some of the course's learning processes take longer to finalise than the length of the course. You can lead your own learning process by setting goals and analysing your own learning process with the help of planned scheduling.



Pair exercise

Pair exercise provides a chance to practise a certain listening / interactional skill in detail, in a safe environment. You can conduct these exercises with a colleague, or in some cases with a friend or a family member.





Group exercise

Group exercise can be utilised in a smaller or a bigger group of people to implement the themes of the course as practical skills.

Some of the exercises are only designed for your own learning process, but you can of course implement them in your work as you wish. Some of the exercises, however, are designed in a way that they can be implemented straightaway with groups of youth. These exercises are at your disposal and also downloadable in a separate PDF document.

It is recommended to try all the exercises by yourself first in order to be able to make the best out of the exercise with a group of youth.

Exercise (example)

You will recognise all exercises that can be implemented straightaway in youth work by the frames around the exercise instructions.

 

Although some of the exercises might feel new or strange, it is warmly recommended to try them out. Many of the themes in this course cannot be learnt by thinking alone – it might require new embodied skills or other types of understanding which can only be achieved by trying and doing new things.

You are warmly welcome to start the course!

 
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