Focus Group
Project “YOUth Ambassadors of Non-Formal Learning”
Country: Turkey
Organization: Türkonfed
Facilitator: Muharrem Enes Övünç – Begüm Seyhan
Date and location: 20.05.2020 – online
List of questions for Focus Group
- Do you think for NFE is important age, gender, nationality?
All participants agreed with that these are not important except language barrier for the non-formal-learning. They are thinking that in these kind of methods should not be important matter age, gender and especially nationality.
One of the participant said that she thought these were not important. In addition, ethical and human values are the basic human rights advocated in non-formal learning methods. She stated that these ideas should never be important since there is such a belief in this learning method.
Another participant said that these are completely not important. He defended that information are the things that always continue. This is the reason we are sharing with each other what we know. It cannot be important for these reasons.
- What does NFE mean to you? Can you define?
Participants have a lot of idea for this question and these are ;
– Non formal learning is a lifelong learning
– Meeting new people from different cultures
– I think it should be different from the formal learning types
– We can learn from other people's experiences
– It is not based on curriculum for the participants
- Have you ever been a participant in an NFE program? If yes – in which one?
All participants participated in NFL programs. But, some of them participated NFL programs such as EVS, workshop, activity, training or some courses including this methods.
They are thinking that when they look at the educational processes in which a teacher tells something in the form of a monologue, in fact, it does not provide an effective development according to all research. It causes students and participants not to perceive effective learning skills very well. So, they understood after this question that non-formal learning methods are an important way learning any information.
- Do you know something about Youth Law / Strategy / Action Plan, as well as other documents related to youth?
The participants stated that they had no idea about these documents. However, they believe that young people should be more involved in matters related to youth.
Our participant who is doing European Voluntary Services Program stated that he knew Go-For mobility. But he still said he thought he was not very active at least our country.
- Have you ever participated in the youth decision-making process? If yes, in which one?
There was someone involved in environmental campaigns for active citizenship awareness. One noted participate as a volunteer in various projects of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Another participant was attending camps for nature and the environment.
One of our participants stated that he has been a student representative in the Union of Chamber of Architects and Engineers for 2 years. At the same time, this person previously worked as a volunteer at the Informatics Envoys Association for 2 years.
One of them stated that she was the founder of a Youth Platform for 100 people in her high school and she shared with us about her works.
- Do you think that more support from the Government is needed to improve the status of young people and in the NFE sphere? If yes, what are the benefits of this, and what are the disadvantages?
The opinions of our participants are as follows:
– Especially in language learning, the state can prepare trainings using non-formal teaching methods.
– More information and incentives can be made. Because even university students may not be aware of such activities.
– Individual tracking is not always sufficient.
– Each province has a wide variety of training and courses in its youth centers. They publish the projects that are being implemented on their own pages. Some of them are thinking it is enough locally but some of them not.
- Does NFE activities help you for your personal development. If yes, how? If not, why?
All participants answered yes to this question, and several participants’ comments were as follows.
– Team work
– Communication skills
– Management skills
– Crisis management
– I think it helps us to correctly diagnose our personal desires and abilities.
– I think it is beneficial for personal development. Because with non-formal education, we can deal with the areas that we do not have the opportunity to learn at school.
- For you, why is it important to be involved in activities through non-formal education?
– It will help people find what they want.
– Getting to know new people and understanding new cultures
– To share what we know
– Life experience
– Learning the learning method
– Shaping our professional life
– Respecting differences and uniting on a common point
– Learning by experience