Report on Implementation on the Workshop

– Executive Training Program for Facilitators of Virtual Exchange in Higher Education and Youth:

Training for Leaders and Facilitators (24-30 May 2025, Warsaw, Poland)

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1. Introduction
The project "Skills Enrichment for Adaptive Leadership in the New Reality (SEAL-NR)," funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ program, is aimed at developing digital and soft skills among tutors and youth in five countries. As part of the WP2 tasks, first workshop Executive Training Program for Facilitators of Virtual Exchange in Higher Education and Youth Report: Training for Leaders and Facilitators (hereinafter as the Workshop) was conducted by the lead of Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) and involved a hybrid-format training program. This report intends to present an overview of the implemented workshop incorporating event results, package of training materials, presentations, evaluation report, and feedback questionnaire.

2. Objectives and Tasks of the Workshop

Develop facilitation competencies for effective digital learning delivery
Conduct training in digital facilitation, virtual exchange, and community engagement
Prepare a comprehensive package of training materials, presentations, and reporting documents

3. Core Content and Learning Modules
The full course program as provided in Appendix 1 comprised of topics needed for equipping and training educators and facilitators with virtual exchanges forms and technologies that included the following:

The role of the facilitator in times of global change
The facilitator as a process architect: roles, competencies, and methodologies (Theory U, Design Thinking, Art of Hosting)
Digital facilitation: tools (Zoom, Miro, Mural, Notion, Mentimeter), principles, and challenges Intercultural awareness and working with multi-stakeholder groups
Working in virtual environments: asynchronous interaction, inclusivity, engagement, feedback
Horizon Europe and international cooperation opportunities

4. Activities Overview
The facilitator training program was conducted as a seven-day intensive course from May 24 to May 30, 2025. The hybrid format combined in-person events in Warsaw with online sessions via Zoom and Miro, allowing participation of both local and international attendees. The list of participants can be found in Appendix 2.

5. Training Package and Session Summaries
The WP2 training package comprised a series of presentations that integrated both theoretical frameworks and practical guidance. Below is a summary of the key session topics, their content, and the competencies developed:

1. Who is a Facilitator in Times of Change
Presentation: "Who Is a Facilitator in an Era of Change?" (Dr. Nataliia Gavkalova)
Focus: distinctions between facilitators and leaders, systemic thinking, emotional intelligence, and neutrality
Exercises: small-group discussions, defining the facilitator’s role across contexts
Skills acquired: systems thinking, facilitation ethics, and reflective practice

2. The Role of Facilitators in International Projects
Presentation: "The Role of a Facilitator in International Projects" (Dr. Gavkalova)
Themes: intercultural communication, inclusivity, conflict prevention strategies
Exercises: case analysis from UNDP, OECD, EU; role discussion
Skills acquired: intercultural sensitivity, stakeholder engagement, process neutrality

3. Digital Facilitation and the Future of the Profession
Presentations: three modules under "Digital Facilitation" (Dr. Paweł Gepner)
Focus: virtual exchange technologies, inclusive design, AI integration
Activities: error recognition exercises, tool-to-task matching, “digital disaster” roleplay
Skills acquired: digital fluency, asynchronous communication, inclusive online facilitation

4. Facilitation in Public Policy and Urban Governance
Presentations: "How to Facilitate Multi-Stakeholder Meetings" and "Citizen Participation in City Governance"
Themes: participatory governance, stakeholder mapping, shared vision development
Tools: World Café, SWOT, stakeholder grids
Skills acquired: civic facilitation, collaborative decision-making, governance dialogue

5. Horizon Europe and Facilitator Opportunities
Presentation: "Horizon Europe – Executive Training Program" (Assoc. Prof. Karina
Barantseva)
Content: EU research & innovation framework, funding logic, and citizen participation
Skills acquired: EU project navigation, funding access, cross-sector dialogue
Each session involved active engagement through discussions, breakouts, and reflective feedback. The presentations offered both theoretical grounding and applied exercises.

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6. Feedback and Outcomes

The program concluded with a final session where participants presented their project ideas and completed feedback surveys. The evaluation aimed to assess content quality, logistical organization, and individual progress. In the continiuation of this report the results from the feedback survey of 50 participants, coming from Ukraine, Poland, North Macedonia, and Azerbaijan are shown.
Figure 1 shows the resutls on the first question related to participants’ perception on the overall organization of the training program, on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 denoted very poor, while 5 meant excellent, and the results showed that 96% of the participants noted that the overall organization of the workshop was excellent.
76% of participants replied that the information presented on this workshop was very useful, while 24% answered that it was useful (see Figure 2). Most participants reported significant growth in facilitation knowledge and skills. The digital tools module, international facilitation examples, and stakeholder-focused sessions received the highest ratings. Miro, Mural, and Notion were especially appreciated for enhancing participant confidence in leading virtual sessions.

According to the results, more than 50% of the participants found the topics such as Digital tools for facilitation (Miro, Padlet, etc.), Virtual exchange and online education, Multi-stakeholder collaboration and partnerships, EU programs and Horizon Europe opportunities, most relevant and interesting, marking the growing importance of digital innovation, collaborative engagement, and access to European opportunities in contemporary facilitation practices. Additionally, 92% of respondents indicated an increase in digital facilitation competence, and 88% expressed readiness to apply what they learned in real-world contexts. As shown in Figure 4, 48% were feeling very comfortable with the event format, while 42% were comfortable. All participants stated they would recommend the program to peers and praised the trainers’ professionalism. 84% of the participants were fully able to apply the acquired knowledge and tools delivered by the workshop, while 16% were partially able (see Figure 5). Figure 6, shows the results of the question „Did the event help you build new professional or academic connections?” where 74% gave affirmative answer meaning that successfully fostered networking opportunities and contributed to the development of meaningful professional and academic relationships among participants.

Finally, participants were asked „What would you suggest to improve similar events in the future?” where the following responses are the most highlighted:

Increasing the volume of hands-on practice and simulations
Adding an extended intercultural/conflict facilitation module
Offering the next training phase in-person or as a hybrid retreat

Participants also valued the certificate of completion and international networking, after the final demo day, which actually served as a showcase for ideas reflecting participants’ professional interests and societal needs in their local contexts.

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7. Conclusions and Recommendations
The workshop was successfully held, with all key objectives achieved and with a high level of participant satisfaction. The outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach and content used, as well as the relevance of the selected topics.

The program proved to be highly engaging and impactful, fostering new professional and academic connections for 74% of participants.
The diversity of topics covered — including digital facilitation tools, intercultural dialogue, and EU program opportunities — reflected current needs and interests across various sectors.
The methodology encouraged active participation, peer learning, and the application of facilitation tools in real-world scenarios.

Recommendations:

The program has strong potential for scaling to other target groups (e.g., community activists, educators, municipal staff) and should be considered for wider rollout.
A follow-up advanced module is recommended in the next project phase to deepen participants’ competencies and support ongoing capacity building.
Establishing a post-training online platform, such as the one planned within the SEAL-NR project, i.e. the European Virtual Hub for Education and Adaptation in Emergencies, could help sustain the momentum, encourage knowledge exchange, and support future collaboration among facilitators.
Periodic impact assessment and feedback collection should be incorporated to continuously improve program quality and track long-term outcomes.

Develop facilitation competencies for effective digital learning delivery

Conduct training in digital facilitation, virtual exchange, and community engagement

Prepare a comprehensive package of training materials, presentations, and reporting documents

3. Core Content and Learning Modules The full course program as provided in Appendix 1 comprised of topics needed for equipping and training educators and facilitators with virtual exchanges forms and technologies that included the following:

The role of the facilitator in times of global change

The facilitator as a process architect: roles, competencies, and methodologies (Theory U, Design Thinking, Art of Hosting)

Digital facilitation: tools (Zoom, Miro, Mural, Notion, Mentimeter), principles, and challenges Intercultural awareness and working with multi-stakeholder groups

Working in virtual environments: asynchronous interaction, inclusivity, engagement, feedback

Horizon Europe and international cooperation opportunities

Increasing the volume of hands-on practice and simulations

Adding an extended intercultural/conflict facilitation module

Offering the next training phase in-person or as a hybrid retreat

Participants also valued the certificate of completion and international networking, after the final demo day, which actually served as a showcase for ideas reflecting participants’ professional interests and societal needs in their local contexts.

7. Conclusions and Recommendations The workshop was successfully held, with all key objectives achieved and with a high level of participant satisfaction. The outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach and content used, as well as the relevance of the selected topics.

The program proved to be highly engaging and impactful, fostering new professional and academic connections for 74% of participants.

The diversity of topics covered — including digital facilitation tools, intercultural dialogue, and EU program opportunities — reflected current needs and interests across various sectors.

The methodology encouraged active participation, peer learning, and the application of facilitation tools in real-world scenarios.

Recommendations:

The program has strong potential for scaling to other target groups (e.g., community activists, educators, municipal staff) and should be considered for wider rollout.

A follow-up advanced module is recommended in the next project phase to deepen participants’ competencies and support ongoing capacity building.

Establishing a post-training online platform, such as the one planned within the SEAL-NR project, i.e. the European Virtual Hub for Education and Adaptation in Emergencies, could help sustain the momentum, encourage knowledge exchange, and support future collaboration among facilitators.

Periodic impact assessment and feedback collection should be incorporated to continuously improve program quality and track long-term outcomes.

CONTACT

3. Core Content and Learning Modules
The full course program as provided in Appendix 1 comprised of topics needed for equipping and training educators and facilitators with virtual exchanges forms and technologies that included the following:

7. Conclusions and Recommendations
The workshop was successfully held, with all key objectives achieved and with a high level of participant satisfaction. The outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach and content used, as well as the relevance of the selected topics.