Day 5: August 6th, 2011
Rafika
We are finally on our last day. Started at 9 o’clock with cultural performance from Indonesia. People were entertained and then we asked some questions about Indonesia in power point presentation, the winner got to pick up their own prizes from Indonesia but we just finally gave all souvenirs to everybody. After that, we had a challenge to make tips to handle something that happened unexpected during the session. Then finally, we had our graduation. We felt that we did not want to end this training because everybody felt that we’re a family. All of us than made a big circle then passed a ball of yarn to each other and when we got the yarn about our feeling no more than 5 words. After all, each person got the piece of the yarn to wear that shows we are all together wherever we are now. The web yarn also means our networks all over the world. After the closing, we then waiting for the bus headed up Hilton Washington Dulles Hotel to prepare the arrival orientation. We had a long night meeting the day before the kids arrive and every person has their own duty. My duty was to register the students that arrive in the hotel from midnight-2am.
Eva
The last day was mostly just a reflection of what we did the previous days. I call it the “wrap up” day.
In the morning, we did a cultural performance. I mean, we did, we as in we’re the Indonesia delegation. It was quite silly and definitely entertaining. We showed a video, and did a little game about Indonesia, then gave away prizes. Our fellow participants seemed to enjoy it a lot.
Then we moved to do a little session that we called “Challenges”. It’s a session dedicated to address challenges that we face during a training, or during session in particular.
And.. that was it. That was the very last session we had.
After that we had a “graduation” ceremony, with all the music and everything. It was kind of sad. We really felt bonded and were sad to know that the ToT was over.
It was a short day, as we were done by noon.
Then we waited for the bus to take us to Hilton, where we would help with the YES Arrival Orientation, together with other AFS-USA staff.
Goodbye, Madison… and helloooo Hilton!
Yeyen
Hola amigos! Yeyen aqui. Our last day was kind of a mixture between happiness, relief, satisfied, pride and sadness. We were happy because we performed a cultural performance. It was very entertaining for other participants and the trainers because we showed them a hilarious video we made. We personally felt great that we could make them laugh after all. We also felt so much better now that we’ve completed the training and got certification as a trainer. At the end of the training, we all felt quite sad because we have to come to an end for the training. We felt that the emotional and friendship bond among participants are so strong that we couldn’t even imagine that the training should be over.
Our excitement got pumped up again as we will welcome all exchange students from all of YES countries’ partners including Indonesia. Yay!! INDONESIA (prok, prok, prok, prok, prok!!!)
Day 4: August 5th, 2011
Rafika
Finally, today was the last second day of our Training of Trainers. We started with contemplation to make us more relax and calm because many people were really nervous about their trainback session so, Caroline tried to make us more relax and just enjoy our trainback session. Many kids just couldn’t go to sleep because they worked hard for their trainback session or some just were so nervous about it. There was also a little bit review from what we just had from yesterday then we just went to our room and do our trainback session. One room for one group. We were given 30 minutes and after one person finished with their training we gave feedback. So, I was going for the third in my group. I was not nervous, I was just felt nothing at all. It was just about right but I forgot to do one thing in my training so I just jumped to the closing part. The most common things that I got from my group were I was calm and did not panic (because when I was doing my presentation there was a noisy voice came from the ceiling but I did not really bother it), I still have to work on couple things that I really have to give instruction more clearly. We all did a really good job at the end and felt so relief that finally we could do our trainback. Then after all the group finished, we came back to the room and took a big circle of us. Everybody’s happy. Yaaaay! 
and also tomorrow will have cultural performance. We’re so excited about this.
Yeyen
Guten tag! Yeyen is here again to tell you about the day where all participants finally felt relieved and satisfied with the trainback activity they had to do in front of their assigned team and an assigned trainer to get a sense of what kind of training they would hold in their home countries. I held a trainback activity with the title “The Public Speaking Training for AFS Campaign in The Local Chapter”. The training would be best given to fresh returnees and volunteers to prepare themselves in supporting campaign for recruiting new candidates for AFS Programs such as YES Program, AFS Year Program, being host families and volunteers. In my trainback activity, the participants were given a glance of the basic knowledge of public speaking, the types of public speaking and the components that support public speaking. I also had to go through AFS profile started by how it began during World War II up until the ‘nowadays’ AFS with other extended program such as Jenesys and Welwaerts program. At the end of my trainback activity, there was a small simulation on how to apply the theory we talked about previously and put it into a mini campaign by the participants. Once I wrapped up my trainback activity, my team and my trainer gave constructive feedback on my trainback activity J the whole exhausting day ended by a social dinner with the whole group in a Mediterranean restaurant and a little party. Yihaaa!!!
Eva
The second last day! I know it sounds pretty unbelievable, but that’s what it is.
The day started around 9 am, with a little talk about the train-back session that we were about to do. After that, we went to our rooms, according to our train-back groups, and then the session begins.
I was the second person in my group to do the training. My topic was “How to conduct a proper selection process”. We trained our interviewing skills as well as practiced the “culture of conduct” for the selection process, in order to conduct a better process and therefore send “better” students. It was fun, and felt effective.
The methodology that I used was mostly lecture and role-playing, with emphasis on it being as casual as possible. Since my audience would be fellow volunteers (with relatively same age and backgrounds) I want it to be a little bit not-so-formal, so that we can feel comfortable expressing our ideas. I also ask for feedback consistently, as we are all basically equal.
The train-back that I did went actually really well. I received feedback from my fellow group members that was mostly positive. I was just so glad it was over with J
To make the day even more perfect, we dined out tonight. We went to a Mediterranean Restaurant and had a nice buffet. The trainers left early after the dinner, but we preferred to stay for a bit longer. Danced a bit and more.. had a little party. It was a great way to end such a day!
Day 3: August 4th, 2011
Yeyen
Hola! It’s Yeyen! On our third day of ToT, we had the chance to analyze human intelligence types through Multiple Intelligences agenda. On the previous day, all participants were given a sheet of Multiple Intelligences quiz to be assessed by themselves in order to reveal their most developed intelligence skill, whether it would be Verbal-Linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, visual-spatial intelligence, musical intelligence, kinesthetic intelligence, naturalist intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence or interpersonal intelligence. Today the participants got the chance to explore more about their most developed and, particularly, their least developed skill through several activities. We also learned about giving and receiving feedback by analyzing animals characteristics as metaphors of our attitude in giving and receiving feedback. At the end of the day, all participants had to prepare their training topic before the actual ‘trainback session’ tomorrow. So, I’ll see ya again soon with a more interesting report to write. Ciao!
Rafika
Today was a short day. We started with Game Show Monuments and then we continued to Multiple Intelligences Session: Howard Gardner’s Theory. We were given a home work the night before to find out which multiple Intelligences that fit on us. So, I ended up in visual-spatial intelligence and then we had to go to our least developed multiple intelligence then we had to work on that. We must create something with that and had to be related with 3 Golden Rules of AFS. I was in the same group with Yeyen, Tiggy, Abdelrahmen, and Naz. We learned about characteristic by using animal metaphors. There were elephant, rabbit, dolphin and tiger. We then switched again and at the end we created tips to give and receive feedback. Today was short because we must work on our trainback session for tomorrow.
Eva
Today was the third day. The Game Show Monuments was the first activity that we did. We were asked questions about our fellow participants, the one who knew of the most of us won. After that we reviewed our homework from yesterday where we were given a package which we have to do a self-assessment on. It’s called Multiple Intelligences, a theory developed by Howard Gardner. After we assessed ourselves, we were divided into small groups. I was the Musical type, who had Visual-Spacial as my least developed intelligence. So my partner and I had to do a training on Visual-Spacial.
After a break, we did the Feedback Session, where we talked about how to effectively give people feedback, as well as to take feedback wisely. Then we did an animal metaphor session, and went back to our train-back groups as tomorrow would be the day we’d be doing the “training”.
So we had an early dismissal today, at 3 PM, so that we would have time to prepare our training. Wish us luck!
Day 2: August 3dr, 2011
Rafika
Day second, the training was getting more formal and serious because today we were talking about goals and objectives. We got zoom books and learning centers activity, and the most fun thing was Kolb Learning Style session. We found out about our learning style then we were separated into a group with the same learning style and then we drew picture about ideal environment for learning. I am the diverging style with 3 others students. People with this learning style are best at viewing concrete situations from many different points. Our approach to situations is to observe rather than take action. I felt good being in the same group with people that have the same style so we worked very well on our drawing paper. I think this is very important thing and useful because by taking this test we know what are we going to do for our own trainback.
Yeyen
Hello there! It’s Yeyen again. Our second day was about a bit of seriousness. We started to brainstorm the problem and topic for our trainback session which will be done on Friday and also analyzed the differences between goals and objectives. The fun part of the day was the group dynamics session where we got to do activities in a large group consists of 18 participants of ToT. Basically the group dynamic session was the chance for us to analyze which group that can work more effectively, the small group or the large group. Most people would vote for the small group since it would affect the members’ efficiency in work and explore the members’ participation more actively. We also started to get to know the Kolb Learning Style, it is a model to analyze the different learning styles that most people have. There are four styles of learning that most people have which would be accommodating, diverging, assimilating and converging. Tomorrow we will dive into the Kolb Learning Style more deeply. Can’t wait! J
Eva
Today was the second day. We started the day, again, by doing just a little ice-breaker, and then got down straight to the business: The Training Design. We had to come up with a problem, and then figured out the topic, audiences, and the arguably more important, on Needs Assessment. Then we moved to doing the Behavioral Learning Objectives by splitting into small groups.
We came back to our train-back group and discussed our own Goals and Perspectives; this is one of the practices we get before we have to do a pseudo-training to our fellow participants on Friday. After we were done with that we explored the Kolb Learning Styles and did an assessment on ourselves to figure out which type of learner we are. Once we knew, we made a drawing of what an ideal learning environment for us would look like. We did that with people who are the same type as we are. I’m an Assimilator, and from all the participants, there’s only one other person with the same type as me.
It was really interesting and today was, in a word, spell-binding.
Day 1: August 2nd, 2011
Rafika
From today, we started with introducing the trainers and ice breaking at the same time, which was so impressive and fun. We have learned to be a good trainer by learning from our own experiences. There was a simulation to be a leader and to be followers and the common things we have got were trust and there are many leading methods. There are scientific and art method. We need scientific method because we have to understand the basic and then it is going back and forth, the flexibility of the training and that will be the art method. There was also dinner with another YES alumni.
Yeyen
Hello! It’s Yeyen. The first day of ToT had been so exciting because all participants got to introduce ourselves, talking about certain topics that could get us together as a large group. Not only that, we also got some sessions about icebreaking, training and recipe for successful training. The most exciting session for me, so far, was the Trust Walk. The Trust Walk session was a pair game. So the participants had to work with a partner they hadn’t known before. Someone had to have their eyes blankfolded and the partner would have to lead him/her going through certain paths. We ended the day with a dinner with other YES Alumni from another sub-consortium. That was fun!
Eva
The first day, I honestly didn’t expect much, but I then I turned out to be wrong. First we introduced ourselves with an ice-breaker, then we went through an overview of ToT, a quilt a activity, a recipe for success, a chicken soup skit, a few games, and all those things that Yeyen and Fika have mentioned above.
I also learned about what is called “metacognition”, a cognition about cognition, knowing about knowing; how to put into perspectives what we are getting from the ToT: a perspective as a trainee, and as a trainer. It was probably the bottom line of what I learned today.
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