The Toolbox
In the toolbox you can find tools for intersectionally developing your everyday work in the fields of violence prevention, educational and social work (see Handbook Chapters 3 and 4). The methods and tools are related to the curriculum and the individual module descriptions. Thus you can see which methods and tools belong to which module. Vice versa you find methods suggested in the modules and the handbook to use them in practical work situations. This way you can always access the additional online resources and the handbook and combine them with the methods and tools. We hope you will be successful and enjoy it! Concerning the definitions used here: In this toolbox, we are talking about tools and methods with which you can further develop your pedagogical projects, organisations or programmes (see Guideline in the handbook on projects, organisations and programmes). A tool contains an instruction for independent reflection and planning and implementing steps of development. You can also use such tools in training courses, for instance to work with the participants on the improvement of projects. This may include checklists, instructions for analysis and reflection or planning. But a tool can also serve as a practical exercise, which we list here under the headline of “methods”. A method is a practical exercise with participants of further training courses and pedagogical projects. It can also help for self-reflection and render the issues under discussion comprehensible also through non-cognitive approaches. You can combine tools for analyses and method-tools to a set. The following hint is IMPORTANT! Some methods may seem very simple, but are complex in their dynamics and can evoke different feelings in the participants: anger, resistance, fears … Thus it will possibly not be easy to exchange ideas about institutional dominance cultures within an organisation. Making relations of dominance and subordination visible is difficult. Based on previous experience we formulate the following relevant rules for conducting methods:
- Do not use tools and methods which you haven’t experienced and reflected upon yourself as a participant.
- Make the aim of the method and what they are about to get involved in as transparent to the participants as possible.
- Point out that the participation / conduction of individual methods or tools is voluntary.
- Make clear that the critical pedagogical work on dominance relations is not about blaming and accusations. Although the individual person is requested to take responsibility within existing dominance relations (in the sense of reducing them), he_she cannot exit these relations; this requires changing the conditions themselves.
- Ensure an error-friendly atmosphere in the group, meaning that difficult situations can always arise but can then be critically reflected upon. “Errors” often contain useful hints: a certain assumption, a misunderstanding, a blind spot etc.
- Groups can be divided. It can make sense to divide groups in a way that privileged participants and participants that are affected by discrimination don’t work together but temporarily split (people affected by racism can for instance work together on empowerment or on sharing their experiences, while members of the majority society not structurally affected by racism work on critically approaching their privileged position). Generally speaking it is important to enable an exchange between the groups.
The toolbox is divided into Toolbox 1 (projects) – Toolbox 2 (organisations) – Toolbox 3 (programmes). You can find specific methods/tools for the various work areas.