Train the Trainers

Train the Trainers 2020

This year’s Train the Trainers was happened in collaboration with BEST (Board of European Students of Technology). The event is meant for trainers to further develop their skills and share knowledge with each other. The event was held in Brussels the weekend from the 6th to the 8th of March and this year we had all together 23 Trainers there. And here are some of their experiences of the event.

Train the Trainers was an unforgettable event that gave us the chance to develop our skills and to connect with other trainers from EPSA and BEST. And that was for sure what I wanted to experience. This was my first EPSA TtT and what I expected was to get a ton of inspiration. And I wasn’t disappointed, I came back motivated and filled with positive energy. The focus of the event was put on adult learning and advance skills that trainers need to pass the knowledge. We had an opportunity to practice for example an innovative approach to design, learn about empowering learners or discuss why trainers train and learners learn. I also had a chance to deliver a session about advance training design, which was a unique and challenging experience, considering the advanced audience.

But it was not only about learning. Except for the skills that I gained from trainings it was also a great opportunity to share opinions and experience with trainers from different generations and organizations. I believe that the collaboration and bond that we created will remain for long and allow us to learn from each other in the future.

First EPSA Train the Trainers I have ever experienced took place back in March 2020. That is right, my first try was the TtT in collaboration with BEST. Hopeful for a huge portion of knowledge I traveled to Brussels to meet with my best EPSA buddies and new buddies from BEST. Unluckily some people couldn’t join eventually but the event was from my point of view a big success nevertheless. With the focus on adult learning, we prepared for a weekend of mutual growth. This TtT was a big challenge for me also because of a training delivery with one of my dear friends - Katja Olenik. The topic of “Innovative approaches to training” was quite demanding to deliver for participants, who saw way more than we have. I’m taking home refined motivation to keep on improving and keep on learning, as well as a handful of inspiration from the crew that made this wonderful weekend possible. Hoping to see more cooperation between EPSA and BEST To all non-trainers out there: ”Go for Training New Trainers, it’s going to change your life!” and to my fellow trainers: “Go for TtT, it’s an amazing experience!”

Marianna Gajda

EPSA Trainer

EPSA Trainer

David Brychta

My name is Beatriz Nobre and I’ve been a trainer for a year and half. I wanted to attend the TtT to acquire new knowledge and ways to innovate my future training sessions. What I didn’t expect was to find myself in a place with so many different people with so much experiences and knowledge to share! It was a mind-opener and a game-changer to my abilities as a trainer and made me realize sometimes what you are looking for, as a trainer, has been under your nose the whole time and in other trainers’ experience. Another pleasant surprise was to meet another family of trainers from BEST. It was absolutely rewarding to have bonded, and so far kept in touch, with so many people that share the same values as you and are always available to share their experience and provide help in any situation! As it was my first TtT experience, I couldn’t have asked for better.

Events that include external partners such as TtT carry a great opportunity to our Trainer community. This year our TtT partner was BEST(Board of European Students of Technology). The most magnificent part was seeing that we have a fundamental, main goal in our Training Projects. Because we, as pharmacy students/pharmacists, have very different job descriptions from them. We have seen very clearly that even though these occupational differences, we need some essential, social skills; soft skills. This encouraged me very much to spread what I have learned in the EPSA Training Project much more. Also, during the TtT, we tried to understand each other’s Training Projects and general structures. I believe that we have inspired each other, both on organizational and personal levels. We have learned from our experiences, shared our thoughts, ideas, feelings with each other and talked about possible future collaborations. Overall, TtT’20 was a very fruitful event for our Trainers pool.

Beatriz Nobre

EPSA Trainer

There are several stages to conquer on one’s trainer’s path. There’s delivering for a general audience, for a target group, for advanced participants … and then there’s delivering for trainers :D And, though the intellectual demands might be much bigger with the latter, so is the space for creativity, innovation, and play. This year’s Train the Trainer allowed us to create an engaging space for experimentation and exchange of knowledge and skills. Our friends from BEST opened our eyes to different perspectives on non formal education and new approaches to training and we, from EPSA, happily reciprocated. We left, what was for most of us our first and last spring training event, with strengthened networks and newly found interest that we’re now putting into good use in this corona canceled spring.

Ebru Kuruldak

EPSA Trainer

Katja Olenik

EPSA Trainer

The journey of an EPSA Trainer includes attending many inspiring events. Aside from being a part of the main EPSA projects like the Autumn Assembly, Annual Congress, Summer University and Annual Reception, there are also training events. One of them is the EPSA Train the Trainers. This year it was organised in collaboration with the Board of European Students of Technology (BEST), so it could be called EPSA-BEST Train the Trainers. It was indeed one of the BEST experiences a trainer could have. We spent a lovely 3 days in Brussels, Belgium. On each one of them, we had countless opportunities to exchange our training knowledge and all the differences, and similarities between our Training Projects. The second day was full of unique training sessions delivered by trainers from both associations. All the participants had a chance to broaden their perspectives on soft skills and later discuss all the learning outcomes with others. This year’s Train the Trainers, just like the previous editions, was one of the most important points in the development of a soft skills trainer. Lessons learned there will remain with us for a long time. Also, because it was organised with an external association, it opened up many possible ways of future collaboration.