GToT Course at RACVIAC completed.

Gender Training of Trainers Course at RACVIAC 17-27 May 2016

For the third year in a row, Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operation (NCGM) is present at RACVIAC Training Centre in Zagreb/Croatia. The change from previous years is that this time NCGM has a mentoring role, to verify that the course is following the NATO accredited concept of Gender Training of Trainers (GToT) curricula.

Gender Training of Trainers Course at RACVIAC 17-27 May 2016.
SWEDINT / NCGM
Gender Training of Trainers Course at RACVIAC 17-27 May 2016.
SWEDINT / NCGM
Closing ceremony: I was even given a Diploma for my work in the Region by Director of RACVIAC Ambassador Haydar Berk. Photo: LtCol Grethe Stensland, Swedint/NCGM

Today is the last day of the course, and all Instructors, Syndicate leaders and participants are tired, but happy. This morning’s final exams left the region with 25 successfully completed trainers, meaning all students passed the “dreaded” summative assessment!

Since the GToT course is about preparing military instructors and trainers (and civilian equivalent) to effectively integrate a gender perspective in their respective education and training programme, the students have been fully engaged with discussing how to integrate a gender perspective at all levels.

The course use different educational methods and models to show the participants a variety of options, to give them a tool to use witch activity they can perform at their own level when they are responsible for own training after the course. Lectures, seminars, panel discussions, videos, ADL-courses and role plays are some of the methods they will be presented to.

Gender Trainers from previous courses in the Regional Network of Gender Trainers and UNDP SEESAC supports the Croatian Armed Forces and RACVIAC - Centre for Security Cooperation in conducting the Gender Training of Trainers (GToT) in Zagreb from 18 – 28 May, 2015. 

In my opinion the Regional network is of great importance to all of us working with the Gender topic. The progress in the area is leaving us with a big group of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) that the Gender community can have support from in years to come. To have so many different nations represented at the course, both as instructors, syndicate leaders and participants, gives us - working with gender -a big advantage in building up a solid network.

HISTORY: The agreement with the built up of Regional trainers started in 2014, where NCGM with support from UNDP/SEESAC arranged the first course at  Peace Support Operation Training Centre (PSOTC) in Sarajevo/Bosnia Herzegovina, and in 2015 at Peacekeeping Operations Center of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staffin Belgrade/Serbia. NCGM has also arranged a GToT in Georgia with UNDP/SEESACs support. Now this part of the agreement is closed, but there are always new opportunities to educate new trainers in how to inplement a Gender Perspective to have operational effect.