Learning Activities

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The training is designed both for professionals and those new to dialogue facilitation, gaining and sharpening key skills to facilitate and promote constructive, respectful, and authentic engagement in online and offline contexts.

It enables participants to become effective online facilitators who elicit self-group awareness, understanding, and effective cross-cultural communication by being multipartial and neutral process leaders that incubate safe and effective learning environments. Facilitators are trained to apply a diverse set of engagement tools to foster awareness and learning and address various group dynamics. Two are the training options offered:

The “Introduction to online dialogue facilitation” course instils participants with strong foundational skills to facilitate successfully online and in-person, including functions of dialogue and virtual exchange and key principles of facilitation.

The “Advanced training” is designed to deepen understanding of dialogue facilitation and provide experience in promoting constructive engagement in the online context. The training focuses on best online and in-person facilitation and communication practices, including managing various challenging group dynamics, promoting engagement, working with strong emotions and navigating group power dynamics.

Upcoming trainings as part of the Virtu-Peace project:

REGISTRATIONExternal link

Training methodology
Trainings are interactive, practice & feedback-based to activate and cement learning. They focus on:

• Skill-building: Build a wide range of facilitation skillsets, tools and strategies to address various group dynamics.
• Practice: Practical application opportunities to activate learned skills, tools and attitudes.
• Feedback: Extensive, individualized assessments from trainers intended to sharpen your skills.

Training formats
Introduction to Online Dialogue Facilitation
Training Goals
Upon successful completion of the training, participants will:

• Understand the foundational functions of dialogue and facilitation, as well as online engagement
• Through individualized feedback have built a self-awareness of their own facilitation profile
• Feel confident in their knowledge and application of the foundational facilitation toolbox

Format:

• The course is an asynchronous 5-week online course.
• You can review the weekly course materials at your own pace, there are no set times when you have to attend the course. But you are expected to meet the weekly assignment deadlines.
• In addition, there are 2 optional live sessions.
• The course is held on the Brightspace platform. All you need to participate is a computer or phone with video recording possibility and stable internet access.

Time Commitment

• The overall time commitment for the course is 12-14 hours, approximately 2-3 hours per week.
• The course is asynchronous so you can review the course materials at your own pace, but you are expected to meet the weekly assignment deadlines.
• There are no set times when you have to attend the course.

Advanced Facilitation Training
Training Goals

Upon successful completion of the training participants will:

• Understand the power, potential, challenges and limitations of facilitation
• Through extensive individualized feedback have built a strong self-awareness of their own perspectives and facilitation style
• Feel confident in their knowledge and application of key facilitation tools including active listening, dealing with difficult dynamics and generating effective group collaboration

Format:

• The 10-week training includes weekly live training sessions and asynchronous learning materials.
• The live sessions take place on Zoom. The asynchronous training materials and engagement take place on the Brightspace platform.

Time Commitment

• Each training week, you will have a 2-hour live training session.
• In addition, going over the weekly asynchronous materials will take up to 2 hours per week.

Program Overview

The program is a free, interactive, online learning experience offered in Arabic. It is open to Palestinians aged 18 to 30 who live in Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, the Netherlands, and Germany. Participants need access to a computer with an internet connection and must be committed to the program's full 8-week duration, from October 19 to December 12, 2025.

The curriculum focuses on building collaborative pathways to Palestinian unity by exploring topics such as:

• Palestinian identity
• The role of youth in civil society and its future
• The Palestinian economy
• Political identity and participation

The program is designed to be thought-provoking and to inspire participants to think critically and take action.

Course Structure and Workload

The Virtu-Peace program combines synchronous and asynchronous learning elements. The total workload is approximately 70 hours over the 8 weeks, which breaks down to about 9 hours per week.

Weekly Activities

• Weekly Online Group Sessions: Participants meet for a two-hour online group session led by trained facilitators to discuss the week's topics and engage in relationship-building activities. These live sessions are designed as a safe space for participants to engage in dialogue, confront sensitive issues, and develop cross-cultural competencies.
• Weekly Learning Materials and Assignments: Before each online session, participants review audiovisual materials like videos, articles, and podcasts. They then submit a short, thoughtful written response and a private reflection journal entry.
• Group Project: Beginning in Week 2, participants collaborate in teams on a "Civic Action Project". The project is designed to be implemented locally, translating their online experience into tangible, real-world civic action. This project is expected to take around 30 hours of individual and group work over the course of the program. Participants will submit a project plan in Week 4, a progress update in Week 6, and present their final project to their group in Week 8.

For further information, consult the  Virtu-Peace BrochureExternal link& Virtu-Peace SyllabusExternal link