Training of Trainers on Cooperating Successfully in Teams, Madeira

Between March 23 and 29, 2026, I participated in an international Training of Trainers on Cooperating Successfully in Teams. It took place in the city of Câmara de Lobos on the Portuguese island of Madeira, where some thirty trainers from across Europe gathered.

Over the course of five working days, we focused not only on professional but also on personal development in the area of competencies for successful teamwork. We participated in programs focused on actively contributing to the completion of team tasks; increasing the willingness to take responsibility; encouraging and engaging other team members; and learning with and from others. The program also covered awareness of team processes and their impact on team effectiveness, as well as constructive conflict resolution.

Tree Planting as a Team-Building Activity

Our first day together began not only with getting to know the others, but also with reflecting on our own journeys as trainers. Through reflection with the group, we were able to assess how far we would come, draw inspiration from others’ stories, and make a mental note of who to talk to about which aspects of working in a team of trainers, based on our own profiles. We learned the essential basics about the European strategy in the field of youth work education and about the structure of the training in relation to its competency model for trainers.

In the afternoon, our first practical task awaited us: to plant ten plants in groups at the designated spot next to the Europe Direct centre. There was a catch, however: each team member had been given a secret task to complete during this activity. Some were obvious, others less so; some were comical, and others potentially conflict-prone. Nevertheless, the task, as expected, went smoothly, and even during the subsequent discussion of the entire afternoon, no serious missteps occurred. It was just interesting, even if somewhat artificial, to observe how some of us—myself included—reacted to certain requests or, for example, to rejection. In the evening, there was a voluntary networking event for the organizations.

Along the Levadas: Exploring Group Dynamics

We spent the entire second day outdoors in the mountains, hiking along the levadas through the forest. However, this was not just an ordinary walk; we were given a specially designed list of topics and questions that we were supposed to discuss organically with each other in pairs or trios. The topics focused on the challenges of teamwork, how it feels to be part of a new work team, my behavioural patterns when working in a team, as well as the feeling of flow, loyalty, and rewards.

Core Qualities and a Visit to the Local Youth Centre

On the morning of the third day, we focused on our own core qualities—the traits we bring to our work. Using the Core Qualities Quadrant model, we identified not only these qualities but also our pitfalls, challenges, and sensitivities to others’ behaviours that might relate to our core qualities. We also tried a short exercise about the inner voices in our heads—our internal personalities that influence us during crises—in the form of a short theatrical performance. This helped us both uncover these voices and become aware of their needs, as well as how to deal with them in the future.

In the afternoon, we headed to the youth centre Centro de Juventude do Funchal in the capital city of Funchal. There, we met with a local government representative from the youth division, who introduced us to local programs and gave us an overview of the entire youth work system on the island. Of course, we also had to tour the centre itself. For the rest of the afternoon, we were free to do our own thing. I set out with a small group of others on a hike from the Eira do Serrado viewpoint down to the village of Curral das Freiras.

Getting things done

The fourth day was devoted to creating educational content for other trainers on the topic we had chosen. I joined the group working on the division of roles within the team. First, we thoroughly mapped out the needs and challenges of the trainers regarding that topic; then, both online and with the help of the other trainers on-site, we created a set of resources and tools that could serve us well and be of assistance. Only then did we begin creating the educational materials themselves, practical activities, and the associated online badge (open badge). The preparation truly took the entire day, but the result was very successful and can be viewed on the Trainers Appraisal platform.

Testing and Wrap-Up

On the morning of the last day, we had the opportunity to try out some of the programs we had created, providing feedback on them, and making adjustments based on that feedback. We also shared additional methods and tools that could be useful in our training practice, such as the Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment, online tools such as the Discord workspace and the video conferencing and gamification tool Topia. On the other hand, to learn more about the host organization Awero, the collaborating Trainers Guild, or the Cities of learning initiative.

Throughout the week, we were able to reflect on the skills we had acquired online through so-called Open Badges, which allowed us to earn this online certification after completing a small task (often related to the training program). It was based on both the personal experience of the activity (the program portion of the training) and mutual evaluation through reflection within the group of participants (evening reflection groups), as well as a deeper understanding of learning outcomes through individual reflection specifically within the online badge space. The course instructors, confirming the award of the badge, subsequently approved this. You can view my list here.

None of this would have been possible without the generous support of the host organization Teatro Metaphora and the support of the Erasmus+ program.