It was an eight-day “Training for Trainers” called LOOP 2.0, held in Porto, the second-largest city in Portugal.

The group that gathered in Porto was truly diverse. And not only in terms of nationality, as the term “international training” suggests, but also in terms of YFU experience. There were 20 participants from 9 different countries from South America and Europe. Some of us had just recently returned from an exchange, while for others, their exchange was already a distant memory. This diversity turned out to be one of the biggest strengths of the entire event. Some participants had been trainers at YFU for years, while others were just starting their YFU journey. But everyone had their own motivation driving them forward and a unique story that could inspire others.

Now you’re probably thinking — it must have been difficult to design a program for such a mixed group, right? And you’d be absolutely right. The organizers tackled this challenge by creating two different groups — one for less experienced participants (where I was with Leo), and one for those with more experience. All the sessions focused on key trainer skills were then carried out within these fixed groups, with the content tailored as much as possible to the experience level of the participants.

Another part of the program gave the entire event its name — LOOP 2.0. This section focused on topics that will be newly represented in the revised version of the LOOP manual, which is currently being worked on intensively. Specifically, we focused on human rights education, social cohesion, media literacy, conflict resolution, and solidarity. We deepened our knowledge of these topics together through various activities and simulations. Although not everyone liked the way this content was delivered, it was still an interesting addition to the rest of the program.

There was certainly no shortage of content, and we were never bored. Yet, we still found time to explore the city, take walks along the beach, and taste local wines — and it was absolutely worth it! Considering the time of year, Portugal was a perfect choice, so in December, we could enjoy sunshine and walk around in just a t-shirt.

So what can I say to wrap it all up? It was a great opportunity to deepen my knowledge of facilitation and training new facilitators. But above all, the best part was definitely the chance to meet so many inspiring people from all over the world, exchange know-how with them, and gain ideas on how to stay engaged and positively influence my own YFU community. And now I can confidently say that next time I need advice or feedback, I’ll know exactly who to reach out to.

Honza Zemánek