The ten days spent together at NCGM focused on learning how to plan, conduct and evaluate education, training and exercises with an applied gender perspective. The tools and methods that the course demonstrates takes the students from theory to practice by sharing the best practices of teaching gender to military.
Students originate from thirteen different countries from across the globe. They were both militaries and civilians, but in common the students share the aim of striving to improve their skills, knowledge and competence in teaching gender.
- "This group of students has been a great joy to work with" says the Course director Ms Virpi Levomaa.
How the students will apply what they learned when returning home vary.
Retired Colonel Ellen Haring from the USA has a military background and is now a senior fellow at Women in International Security (WIIS):
Why did you choose to take part in the GToT course at SWEDINT/NCGM?
- Our organization, WIIS, are hoping to develop a training program to fill a gap in the US that would offer gender training to the military, the Department of State or anyone who is interested in becoming a gender advisor. So I am here to become a certified trainer.
How has the course been valuable for you?
- The course has been a great resource for me, because everyone here is willing to share their materials which will make it very easy to develop our own training program in the US. I hope to import many of the lessons we have had here at NCGM and adapt them slightly to US audiences also depending on the branch within the US government receiving the training.
Captain Innocent Ndizeye from Burundi is based at the African Union Mission in Somalia, at the AMISOM gender office and works as a training coordinator.
What have you learned at the course that will be particularly useful for you when you return to your everyday work?
- I know better what to do in my training – how to plan the lessons, how to teach others and how to evaluate, if my students have learned and do understand the information they have received. I know better now how to identify, if my intended aim was reached by the students.
What surprised you, or what were you not expecting, with the GToT course?
- I was not expecting how very experienced the course instructors were going to be! They have both showed and taught us useful methods of learning. One of the methods used during the course that I especially appreciated and will apply with my own students, is that we every morning begin with giving feedback and doing reflections from the day before. Also we digitally evaluate every course day.
“Have you learned?”, “can you apply/teach what you have learned?”
Concerning every topic on the schedule from that day. I was not aware of this method before, but now I know where to start and where to end my lessons. I need to push my seniors who are going to plan gender training and to mobilize our troops and our people to understand gender. It not going to be easy, but we´ll try, but even if it happens slowly it will be better than it is today. Another great benefit for me are the contacts I got here at the course. They will be of great use for me in my work