English version

NGO Trainers’ Association (Stowarzyszenie Trenerów Organizacji Pozarządowych) – STOP is an all-Polish non-governmental organization which unites individual people – trainers - who conduct active-methods trainings for representatives, employees, leaders and volunteers of non-governmental organizations.

Mission of STOP

We belive that competent trainers and professionally conducted trainings have an effect on higher quality of work, development of organization and are important instruments of social change. In our work trainers, participants, groups and individuls’ subjectivity is a value. It facilitates activation of learning process.

History of STOP

Roots of STOP reach the year 1995. In this year during May Forum Inicjatyw Pozarządowych (Forum of Non-governmental Initiatives) in Lublin, which was organised and conducted by Program Rozwoju Społeczeństwa Obywatelskiego (Program of Citizens Society Development). Took place first meeting of non-governmental oganizations trainers. After first, today historic event, lots of meetings took place, as a result GryZ (Grupa Roboczo-Zadaniowa - Task Grup) was established. GryZ was an informal cooperation of well known and active training centers - (Małopolskiego Instytutu Samorządu Terytorialnego (The Malopolska Institute for the Local Government and Administration of Cracow - MISTIA) i Administracji FRDL (The Foundation for the Development of the Local Democracy), Programu Rozwoju Społeczeństwa Obywatelskiego CSDP, Polskiego Towarzystwa Psychologicznego (The Polish Psychological Association), Academy for Educational Development Phare Civic Dialog, Programu Phare Dialog Społeczny, Fundacji Inicjatyw Społeczno-Ekonomicznych (The Foundation for Socio-Economic Iniciatives), Environmental Partnership for Central Europe EPCE, Biura Obsługi Ruchu Inicjatyw Społecznych (The Service Office for Associations and Foundations), Polskiej Fundacji Dzieci i Młodzieży (Polish Children and Youth Foundation)). GryZ was stricly task-oriented – it analised, gathered information and worked in order to facilitate further cooperation of trainers community.

Strategic decison of founding Stowarzyszenie Trenerów Organizacji Pozarządowych (STOP) was taken during Forum Inicjatyw Pozarządowych in June of 1996.

Registration of association was finished with entry to associations register on 27^th of January 1997.

Important date, which closed one chapter and opened another in the history of STOP, is February of 1998. STOP organized (in parthership with Powszechna Akademia Młodzieży) a conference at this time. From that date on a number of actions and initiatives, set during the meeting of 134 trainers from all over Poland, were realised.

Main STOP’s actions

Training trainers (preparing individuals related with non-governmental organization to work as a trainers).
Once a year, during task training of STOP’s school of trainers conducting open trainings for non-governmental organizations.
Granting STOP certificates of trainings quality.
Consolidating trainers community – System of trainers competences were created and implemented.
Organizing and conducting internal trainings (methodological and pertaining to the content for trainers, who are members of STOP)
Information system about NGO’s trainers community in Poland was created. Two prospectuses about organizations conducting trainings were published.
Running trainers sub-page on www.ngo.pl.
Running a library containing literature and training materials useful for trainers.
Running a internal discussion group (so called “trainers hut”).

Main programs

STOP’s school of trainers

From many years in Poland there have been various schools of trainers which have been preparing its participants for being able to run psychological group trainings. Trainings (so called Training of Trainers) preparing NGO’s, business and public administration trainers were devoloped. All these enterprises were author’s trainings. Most often a team, sometimes a foreign expert, prepares a program based on a specific theoretical aproach, trainers are selected from specific groups of professionals.

STOP’s school of trainers is an unique enterprise, becouse it is prepared by individuals from different teams. Trainings are collectively conducted by supervisors, trainers of psychological training and “normal” NGO’s trainers, who are representing well-recognized teams of trainers.

School’s program, selection of trainers and course of training are a result of a cooperation and also hard compromises. It unites different points of view and approaches. The fundamental aim is to create a successful and harmonious composition, that will unite psychological approach (interpersonal relations, group process and personal engagement of I-You) and approach characterised by trainings from scope of organization and management (clear structure, teaching how to work efficiently, clear aims, good training materials).

Council of Supervisors has charge over different editions of STOP’s school of trainers .

We also organize such schools for different branches, for example Family Mediations School of Trainers and courses for trainers for representatives of NGO’s: Sieci Wspierania Organizacji Pozarządowych (The Network of Information and Support for Non-Governmental Organizations SPLOT) or Pracowników Instytucji Rynku Pracy (employees of Labour - Market Institutions).

Internal trainings

For trainers, who are members of STOP and for trainers from outside we organize trainings on different topics important from trainers point of view. Among others these are: professional burnout, newest trainer’s methods and techniques, work with movement, work with ones voice, gender, fundraising.

Library

We run a trainers library containing publications concerning - trainings methodology, group process and also Third Sector in Poland.

Certificates

STOP grants certificates for experienced trainers. We have our own certificate system and procedures.

Certificate types
1^st level	2^nd level	3^rd level
Formal criteria
Conducted 200 hours of training (including at least 16 hours of active methods single-handed and documented training from one topic pertaining to the content of NGO’s.	Conducted 400 hours of training (including at least 3 different single-handed and documented active methods trainings (one of them at least 24 hours long) from three topics pertaining to the content of NGO’s.	Documented 5 years of active work as a trainer. Conducted 800 hours of training (specialization and experience at least the same as for 2 level certificate) and prepared and conducted training(s) for trainers. Presentation of author’s publications or/and training materials.
Professional preparation – finished trainings (school of trainers – optional).	Professional preparation – finished trainings (school of trainers – obligatory).
Possession of competences compulsory for 1 level of STOP certificate .	Possession of competences compulsory for 2 level of STOP certificate.

Internet site about trainings

We run a special site about trainings on NGO portal (www.ngo.pl). Under the address www.szkolenia.ngo.pl you can learn how to conduct trainings, who is a trainer and what are his tools. It also contains information about latest publications concerning trainings and also numerical data about non-formal education in Poland and Europe.

Ostatnia modyfikacja: 12:40 22.01.2008