On February 6, 2024, the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) offered me the opportunity to participate as a Eurotrainer in the annual meeting of the network "Combating the Far-right – Trade union actions for a Democratic Europe." The training took place in a hybrid format on March 13, 14, and 15, 2024, at the Hotel Marivoux, Brussels.
This network is part of the political mandate of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), which has created an ad-hoc working group against the far-right. Within this group, the ETUC has included a "training offensive" directed at European workers, organized in collaboration with the ETUI, with three main pillars: networks and exchange of training practices, communication, and political education.
As participants complete training courses or events related to combating the far-right, they are integrated into a virtual network for the exchange of experiences. This network uses the Howspace platform, a cloud-based collaborative tool. Despite having been involved in this network for several months, I was unaware of Howspace's potential as a training tool. I discovered that it not only allows for sharing ideas and collaborating online but also organizes virtual meetings, structures projects, manages tasks, and fosters interaction without requiring technological expertise. In retrospect, I consider it a very effective tool for adult learning.
Screenshot of the course cover page posted on the Howspace platform
One of the preparatory meetings during the brainstorming process.
Here, Stevie was sharing with us an European platform who aims to prevent fake news and disinformation.
The ETUI had organized this meeting on two previous occasions, but this time they decided to involve CCOO and CGIL, given our track record in the trade union struggle against the far-right. Valerica Dumitrescu, with extensive experience in training, was in charge of leading the process and also invited Stiofán O'Nualláin (Stevie) from Trademark, an organization from Northern Ireland with a strong focus on social justice, unionism, and education on labor rights. This team of trainers, with diverse experience and backgrounds, provided us with a solid foundation to build the training.
We held three virtual meetings to prepare the course. Although I knew Valerica, who had been my trainer in the past, and Monica Ceremigna from CGIL, I had not previously worked with Stevie, which posed an initial challenge: working in a virtual environment with limited time. We only had two meetings before the training, one on February 9 and another on February 22.
Despite my familiarity with virtual environments and the planning of international conferences, I noticed that preparing and planning a course virtually involves specific challenges. You do not have the same amount of time to exchange opinions, and language barriers can complicate communication.
I knew that the training would be mixed (in-person and online), but the most important thing was to establish our first impressions and brainstorm to define the objectives. Personally, I find this part of the process challenging, as it involves starting from scratch and, moreover, with limited time. Although I consider myself creative, I need time to reach an optimal level of concentration that allows me to define activities and objectives clearly. It is at this stage where I feel that the design and definition of objectives require extra effort from me, especially when it comes to general and specific objectives.
Picture of the blended training celebrated. We used zoom because it is also allows interpretation
We began the process with a collective reflection, brainstorming what we wanted to achieve. However, the dynamic seemed somewhat disorganized to me, although not necessarily in a negative way; each person has their own way of working. Fortunately, we had Valerica's experience, who had organized this training on two previous occasions, which allowed us to take advantage of an existing structure. However, we had to adapt it to the current circumstances and define relevant objectives.
Monica and I had worked together in ETT2, and I found certain similarities between the ways of working in Italy and Spain, especially regarding the flexibility in shaping an idea. I remember that in ETT2, we had difficulties with the French CGT union until we understood that, in our contexts (Italy and Spain), it is common for the trainer to also act as a Project Manager, managing both content and implementation. This taught me that, in an international environment, it is vital to keep an open mind and respect different methodological and cultural approaches.
My colleague, Monica Ceremigna, during the training course in Brussels. Behind, one of my activities prepared
My coach, Alessandro Vicini, during ETT2 holding up the continuous paper because it wouldn't stick to the wall.
This time, the process was different from how we had built experiences in previous training sessions, but it was effective. The first thing we did was identify the political objectives. Several objectives emerged from our conversations, which we managed to align:
Consolidate the trade union network to combat the far-right.
Evaluate trade union actions taken so far against the far-right and replicate those that may be useful in other countries.
Identify common actions to support a fairer and more democratic Europe.
Design trade union actions to bring the ETUC manifesto to the national context.
There was no explicit debate about general or specific objectives at any time; instead, we focused on identifying key themes that would guide the training:
Not all topics required the presence of external experts, so we divided the work by themes. In my case, I was in charge of coordinating the following sessions:
Feedback of 14th of March of the previous day
How the future looks like (action plan). 15th of March
In the program, the activities that were later carried out are not explicitly detailed in it. However, this does not mean they were not planned; rather, each of the trainers knew exactly what we had to do in each section.
Create a safe and collaborative environment where participants can freely express their thoughts and emotions, building meaningful learning through dialogue and group interaction. (Bloom's Taxonomy: Create and Understand)
Promote critical reflection and the analysis of individual biases related to hate speech, fostering participants' ability to identify and question their own emotions and how these may influence their perceptions and decisions. (Bloom's Taxonomy: Evaluate and Analyze
Participants during the first activity
The short film *Snack Attack* by Eduardo Verástegui.
Participants reaction while watching the movie
The first hour of the morning is often a challenging time for concentration and active participation. Therefore, I sought an activity that could activate the participants without overwhelming them, much like a first coffee of the day helps to wake up slowly. With this intention, I also wanted the activity to emotionally engage the participants, as I consider emotions to be a key tool in constructing meaningful knowledge.
For some time, I have been researching how far-right discourses behave on social media, and I have observed how they exploit emotions to legitimize and spread their ideas, generally based on the individual prejudices that we all carry. For this reason, I decided to look for a short film that could serve as a trigger to start a collective reflection process. Thus, I found the short film "Snack Attack."
"Snack Attack" is a story that does not speak directly about the far-right but deals, in a subtle and powerful way, with misunderstandings, prejudices, and human connection. It presents a situation in which the participants can see themselves reflected: how a misinterpretation of another’s intentions can lead us to feel anger, distrust, or even rejection. Through the story, participants can understand how these unchecked emotions feed stereotypes and can be fertile ground for legitimizing extreme ideologies.
After viewing the short film, I proposed a brief plenary discussion open to all the voices. To guide them through the process, I asked them some open-ended questions such as:
How did you feel? What was wrong with the old woman? Have you behaved like that at some point in your lives?
It was interesting to see how reflections emerged around the importance of trust and mutual understanding, as well as the ease with which fear can be instrumentalized by certain political discourses.
My intention with this activity was to provoke participants, make them reflect on their own beliefs, and prepare the ground for the next step of action, as I firmly believe that learning starts with emotions and that they are the necessary spark for the transformative process.
This exercise is part of a broader process of "learning to unlearn," where we challenge the meaning structures we already have in place in order to reconstruct them in a more inclusive and empathetic way.
I was aware that in plenary discussions not everyone feels comfortable speaking up, which can result in some perspectives being left unheard. To address this, I designed the follow-up activity, "The Wall of the Voices," as a way to ensure that all participants could express themselves, including those who might not feel confident sharing in a group setting. Here lies the connection between the two activities: while the short film and the plenary discussion set the stage for emotional engagement and collective reflection, "The Wall of the Voices" created a space for individual expression and deeper introspection. Together, they formed a coherent sequence aimed at fostering both personal and collective learning. I think that the two activities together embodied the principles of experiential learning: moving from an emotional experience to critical reflection and, ultimately, to meaningful action. My goal with this sequence of activities was to guide participants through a transformative process where emotions became the foundation for self-awareness and a commitment to change.
"The Wall of the Voices" was envisioned as a free and open space where each person could share their thoughts or emotions regarding the themes explored, their reactions to the short film, or their reflections on how prejudices can feed into hate discourses. For this purpose, I chose Wooclap, an interactive tool that allows participants to submit responses in real-time, promoting collaboration and active participation. This approach ensured that even those attending online, who had the opportunity to join the plenary discussion, could contribute as much as they wanted. By integrating a digital tool into the activity, I aimed to make participation accessible and inclusive, regardless of the participants’ comfort levels with technology or public speaking.
Moreover, the blended nature of this activity, combining face-to-face work with digital tools, allowed each participant to contribute individually without feeling the pressure of speaking in public. I emphasized from the beginning that there were no right or wrong answers; what mattered was personal reflection and sincere expression. This freedom encouraged participants to share openly, knowing their contributions were valued and respected. For those who were initially hesitant or faced difficulties connecting to the tool, this moment also became an opportunity for collaborative learning, as more tech-savvy participants helped their peers navigate the platform. This fostered a supportive and cooperative environment, reinforcing the sense of community.
I emphasized from the beginning that there were no right or wrong answers; what mattered was personal reflection and sincere expression. This freedom encouraged participants to share openly, knowing their contributions were valued and respected. For those who were initially hesitant or faced difficulties connecting to the tool, this moment also became an opportunity for collaborative learning, as more tech-savvy participants helped their peers navigate the platform. This fostered a supportive and cooperative environment, reinforcing the sense of community.
ABOUT EMOTIONS
"People are not always open to learning, the context and our emotional balance condition us in our progress”.
Francisco Mora. Neurosciences Doctor Oxford University and Complutense University.
I think the result turned out to be a very satisfying activity for the participants. Connecting so directly with their emotions on such a sensitive topic as the extreme right, predisposed the participants to have a very active role during the rest of the morning, with the activities developed by my colleagues. I believe that the activity favored the collective construction of knowledge and gave way to a deep reflection.
In general, I confirmed the value of emotions as triggers for meaningful and transformative learning. This is a challenge for me because, only a year before, ETUI had organized on emotional competencies in a personal moment of complete blockage and yet, a year later, I was able to focus the activity on using emotions as tools capable of breaking communication barriers.
On the other hand, I learned that, before using a digital tool, it is advisable to check that the participants have sufficient skills to carry it out. It is true that it was the best way to allow online participants to express their opinions, but I think that, in the end, there was less writing on the wall than I would have liked. I’ve learned that it is better to thoroughly test digital tools. It is important to ensure that the application functions properly across all devices (both mobile phones and computers) and to have a backup plan. Perhaps I could have used Mentimeter, which is a similar and intuitive tool. Also, since it was a blended learning session, I could have used the Howspace platform for each participant to upload their personal reflection. In any case, next time, I will have alternatives prepared to make sure the activity works more effectively.
Create a collective project that mobilizes participants towards action
Evaluate and develop motivation and commitment to social change objectives through teamwork and creativity
Apply the learning acquired during the sessions to design concrete action plans that promote social cohesion
Recall and summarize the contents worked on during the previous sessions through an oral review to reinforce key learning
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Develop a team action plan using the narrative approach of the motivational video, applying what has been learned in an innovative way
I designed a dynamic called "The Inventors of Change," for which I prepared a motivational video inspired by the epic style of "Star Wars." My objective with this video was to provide context for the activity and increase participants' motivation, presenting it as a mission in which the fate of the world depended on their actions.
The video was created using a paid platform that uses artificial intelligence to generate a "Star Wars" cover with the script provided: In times of turbulence, when the shadows of division threaten to engulf the light of hope, the fate of the galaxy hangs by a delicate thread. It is the year 2050, and the world teeters on the brink of a great division. The forces of the far-right, fueled by fear and disunity, have grown with alarming intensity, darkening the future of democracy and the unity that once made us strong.
My idea was to motivate them with the video, and while I did succeed in this, I have to admit I made two mistakes. First, the language was too literary, and secondly, although the interpreters had the text, the video moved too quickly for them to interpret it in depth. To address this, the video was shared on the Howspace network so that everyone could view it afterward. For future occasions, I will pay attention to these aspects because interpretation is very important when working in international contexts.
Nevertheless, I presented the dynamic to them as if it were a game, explaining what their task was. In the activity, I indicated that they had to act as if they were the Inventors of Change, since, as shown in the Star Wars video, we are in a future century governed by fascist forces, and our only hope is for them to be our heroes. I also added a reward system, stating that we would vote in the room on which design was the best, which further motivated them.
During the dynamic, we used the Howspace tool, a collaborative platform that facilitates participation and interaction in group activities. Howspace allowed us to organize the teams' work, create discussion spaces, and share ideas in real-time.
Group Distribution
We divided the participants into three groups:
English 1 - Group Forman: Marc, Rhonda, Suzanne, David, Matteo, Marten.
English 2 - Group Buñuel: Irene, Freia, Stephen, Eduard.
Mixed Group: Marcos, Josean, Fabiola, Sara, Philippe, Laurent, Anna Chiara, Valeria, Rafaelle, Fabrizio.
This division was made to balance language skills and experience within the groups. Additionally, the group led by Freia worked in a mixed dynamic in the large room, combining digital and face-to-face interactions.
Howspace was key to enabling each group to collaborate, share their ideas, and develop their action plans in an organized and effective manner. The collaborative boards and the ability to comment and track progress fostered transparency and collective commitment.
The activity concluded with a plenary session where each team shared their proposals, and together we discussed the challenges and opportunities that each saw in implementing their ideas. In this sense, "The Inventors of Change" served as a perfect closure for the sessions, integrating reflection, creativity, and action into a collaborative and meaningful learning experience. I am convinced that this approach helped participants leave not only with knowledge but also with a renewed commitment to act in their communities and be agents of positive change.