Community Trainer Program
February 15-17 saw the launch of a new training program for Living Languages! Developed in consultation with our friends and participants from around the country, the Community Trainer Program aims to support and enhance the skills, knowledge and confidence of people who want to teach or train others within their communities, or who are already doing so – whether they are teaching language to family members, running community language classes, or training individuals or groups to help with language projects.
We will be delivering the pilot of this program online over 3 x 3-day blocks in early 2022. With Block 1 now complete, we’re delighted to reflect on the wonderful, collaborative sharing and learning that both trainers and attendees brought to the program.
On our first day together, we talked about the cultural considerations you might need to make when preparing for training, and when, why and how you might do community consultation. We followed this up on day two with a morning all about creating a safe learning environment, which included some fun icebreaker activities.
That afternoon, we practised some features in Zoom to help with online training. This was in preparation for the third and final morning, when everyone gave a short presentation introducing us to their languages and cultures. We loved hearing about the incredible language work everyone has been doing within their communities.
Later we talked about the importance of self-evaluation and debriefing as a trainer. As we wrapped up Block 1 with an exploration of some different ways to deliver training, we were all exhausted, but our hearts were full. It was a busy three days, and we would like to thank this deadly group for all their contributions, commitment and effort during the program. We can’t wait to catch up with everyone again in a couple of weeks for Block 2!