Helen works as a freelance educational consultant and has worked on diverse educational projects in English language teaching, linguistics, institutional mapping, training, curriculum and materials development, social inclusion and education in emergencies.

She has gained experience in institutional mapping and curriculum design as a senior trainer, senior training needs assessor, vocational English language course designer and short-term expert on the Trade Enhancement Project in the Arab Republic of Syria and as lead consultant with UNICEF Rwanda.

She is experienced in delivering English language training within capacity building projects, vocational, and institutional training, curriculum mapping and design, materials development together with experience of English language training needs assessment, course design and assessment from EU and UN projects in various countries. She has knowledge of the relevant international standards in the field, and those set by the Council of Europe.

Her portfolio of clients include projects funded by European Union’s European Regional Development Fund( where she worked as a senior cross cultural trainer and social inclusion expert) British Council Cyprus, (where she worked as team leader for the EU University Scholarship assessment project) British Council Algeria,( where she worked as senior teacher trainer with school inspectors, trainers and teachers) Garnet Education UK Limited,( where she worked as a senior teacher trainer in Iraq and Lebanon) , Marine Society of Sea Cadets( where she worked as a consultant drafting tender documents for English at Sea tenders)

She has significant experience working in Irish and UK universities researching & delivering English Academic literacy skills and English for Academic Purposes courses to international university students and delivery of English for Specific courses with examiner and assessment experience of international students at tertiary level. She is a senior International Baccalaureate diploma examiner and in addition has co-authored Absolute Legal English published by DELTA Publishing designed to facilitate improvement of linguistic capabilities of legal professionals operating in English.

She has more than 10 years delivering English language face to face teacher training for trainees to acquire the EDI Cert.TEFL qualification. She is familiar with English language vocational training needs assessment and English language capacity building alignment of programmes with public authorities and vocational requirements of individual departments.

Neophytos is an early-career academic, researcher, teacher trainer, and English language teacher. He has a BA in English Language and Literature, an MA in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), and he is currently finishing his PhD in English language teaching (Using Literature for Integrated Language and Culture Teaching and Learning).

Neophytos has worked both in secondary as well as in tertiary education, focusing on how to equip prospective teachers with the knowledge, methods, techniques and skills they require in order to perform their tasks effectively in the classroom. Until recently, he was a teacher and researcher at the University of Essex, where he designed and delivered lectures to undergraduate and postgraduate students, and participated in research projects. He is specifically interested in the use of literature in the language classroom and the development of materials for its immediate use with the learners.

His work has focused on the use of novels for developing the students’ language awareness, promoting their catalytic role in developing intercultural awareness. He is also interested in intercultural communication, particularly in identity and othering, looking at how to negotiate our feelings of culture and our own discourses in communication, and dealing with the aspects that may result in interference to communication.

In his free time, he loves reading books, writing, experiencing nature, and spending time with his family. He is also passionate about exercise.

Ilona (BA in Media Studies and Journalism, MA in Political Science) is obsessed with education in its various forms. She works with various groups including young people coming from challenging backgrounds with aim to enable them to become active actors in the decision-making processes in their local communities as with adults willing to develop especially their intercultural and creative competencies. For several years she is being actively involved in NGO sphere working with various organizations all around Europe and tackling range of topics and issues. In her work as trainer she tries to create open space where people feel comfortable to share, discuss and support each other in the learning process. If you ask her for her passion the answer would be creative writing as a process where the only two things that you need to start the adventure are pen and piece of paper.

Anna Lodeserto is an experienced trainer, project manager, policy expert, and professional facilitator with a special interest and expertise in the social inclusion of migrants and marginalised groups (especially young people in NEET situations), multiculturalism, and new technologies.

She is currently providing training, coaching and project managing expert advice to NGOs, local authorities, university and public/private schools on the EU programmes “Erasmus+” and “Europe for Citizens” for the period 2014-2020 focusing on the design and implementation of training opportunities for young people and migrants, especially disadvantaged youth, the involvement of civil society in European policy-making and the democratic civic engagement of the general public in the processes of European integration specifically targeting voluntary sector organisations, youth workers, school leaders and teachers. She is also serving as External Expert for the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission – DG EAC and as Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe (EPALE) Ambassador for the Italian Erasmus+ National Agency, after having ideated, coordinated and managed several transnational projects since 2009.

Over the past ten years, she intensively worked on social cohesion, intercultural dialogue, global active citizenship, the defence of migrants’ rights and the free movement of citizens being involved in a number of grassroots initiatives focused on citizen participation as well as institutional processes interacting at the transnational level. She has worked with policy dialogue, social justice, cross-border cooperation and capacity development tools and programmes since the mid-2000s serving as an expert for European networks, NGOs, universities and international organisations and working at the intersection of education, media and policy.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Peacekeeping and Security Studies, and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy, with a specialisation in Development Politics. She also studied International Political Economy, Development Cooperation and Project Management at the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Cantabria in Northern Spain and holds a “Planning and Management of European Funded Projects” certification issued by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), part of the City and Guilds Group of London Institute.

She has also attended, promoted and organised several formal and non-formal education activities as it relates to international youth work, project management, citizenship education and Euro-Mediterranean dialogue. She has leadership experience in a number of transnational organisations and has academic background and professional experience of education programmes and dialogue initiatives between European universities and their partners in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Jordi Gil Vernet (Graduate in Philosophy and Sciences of Education of University of Barcelona, UB; Honorary Collaborator at University of Malaga) is a former teacher of Philosophy who decided to leave secondary school for training professionals as a freelance four years ago. He has been teaching for over twenty-five years. Currently, his trainees are mainly managers and highly qualified professionals, especially physicians and health professionals as well as engineers.

The courses and workshops that he teaches —to undergraduates and postgraduates students, and professionals too— can be grouped under two headings: “Social and managing skills” (for instance communication, public speaking, leadership, etc.) and “Humanistic thinking for professionals”. In this field, he runs courses such as ‘Methodology and Philosophy of Science’, ‘Professional Ethics (or Professional Deontology)’, ‘Some Reflections on Technique’, ‘Philosophy of Mind’, etc.

In recognition of his professional performance, he was named ‘Honorary Collaborator’ of the University of Malaga in 2015. Since then, he teaches in there as an external expert in several masters and seminars.

He loves reading, writing, and playing sport - especially running and swimming - in his leisure time.

Valentina just graduated in International Relations and EU Institutions at University of Milan and is active in the non-profit field in Italy (Oxfam Italia, Cesvi NGO) and in the Erasmus+ Programme in Europe since 2014.

In 2015, after taking part in an EVS project in Gaziantep, Turkey, she decided to become a Trainer and started getting more and more involved in Erasmus+ KA1 projects.

She is interested in Human Rights Education, Intercultural learning, Gender-based Issues and Social Inclusion.

She strongly believes that positive change is a bottom-up process and that working hard in improving the world we live in should be everyone's mission.

Valentina is now living in Barcelona: she loves discovering new places, travelling slow and connecting with locals. She enjoys reading, taking photographs and writing, she is a Guest Blogger for Peace Child International.

Erik is a serial social entrepreneur (basically, he can’t stop thinking about how to improve people’s lives and society, and how to repair the planet). He has worked in the building of projects, organisations, and world movements. He is a co-founder of Ireland’s national training centre for sustainability, “Cultivate”, where he designed, facilitated and delivered a diverse menu of trainings between 2000 and 2007. Trainings were provided for individuals seeking to mesh their heart with their hands: ways to live more of their own values. Others were focused on groups, organisations, companies and both the Dublin city council and the national government. Erik’s work with youth began in his own youth in the USA, where he taught ecological restoration and permaculture gardening. In Dublin, Erik produced two youth projects, “Strength in Diversity” a six month project for young people whose groups were stereotyped and marginalized by Irish society; and “Cultivate Community”, a street festival attracting 20,000 people and featuring a large temporary skate park and dedicated youth culture zone. In 2012, Erik and two colleagues rented a tall ship on the Baltic Sea and took 28 people for a week of transformational workshops for change-makers, “Youth and Elders”. Erik is known for his insightful and intuitive coaching on communication, sustainable branding and social innovation startups. He brings a design background and systems thinking to his work, along with a deep history of intercultural work. Key to all of Erik’s work facilitating learning is a focus on each individual and their particular learning style and needs, while building skills for communication, inclusiveness, collaboration and teamwork.

Panagiotis (BSc Politics and history, Panteion University of Athens) is an experienced Trainer and Youth Worker born in 1981 in Athens, Greece. He started working as a Scout leader for teenagers 16 years ago. Throughout the years he developed his trainer’s skills and competencies by enhancing several training methods and approaches such as Coaching, NLP, Systemic work, Non-violent communication, DISC profiles, Self-organised learning systems and others. He lived and worked in the Netherlands for 3 years where he received further training by the innovative training centre named Olde Vechte Foundation.

Nowadays he works as a freelance trainer & coach and he is delivering trainings and workshops throughout Europe for training and non-profit organisations

Dóra Deák has studied Adult Education in Hungary and started her Master in Educational Research in Sweden, which she interrupted when she discovered the great gap between the academic sector and the application of knowledge in real life. This experience gave her inspiration to establish her own organisation ‘FORME’ (based in Palermo, Italy) which aims to bring theory closer to practice in the educational field, promoting non-formal education as a complementary methodology to formal education.

Since 2012 she works as a trainer with international groups at local, European and international level – her focus is on emotional intelligence, on tackling youth unemployment through the promotion of collaboration between the academic and business sector, and on social inclusion of vulnerable groups (including refugees). Since 2015 she is an external evaluation expert of Erasmus+ Youth projects at the Hungarian National Agency.

She believes that collaboration and sharing of knowledge, resources and ideas can create the changes we are looking for – this is why in her trainings she utilises a horizontal approach where everybody can contribute and can release their potential.

Sonja is a psychologist, coach, facilitator and a trainer. She holds a BA in Psychology and has extensive professional experience working with people with fewer opportunities in both educational and social care institutions. Since 2009 she is actively involved in the field of youth/community work, adult education and international trainings on many levels- as a mentor, facilitator, coordinator and trainer.

In 2013 she founded NGO "Synergy Source Serbia" to support personal development of people in her hometown Subotica, Serbia, who are experiencing fewer opportunities due to long term unemployment.

For the last 19 months Sonja was working full-time with homeless people in Ireland supporting them to get back to education and employment as a path out of homelessness. As direct result of her work and devotion 8 service users found work and moved out of homeless services, dozens improved their chances on the job market through successfully completing trainings, classes and gaining life skills and valuable work experience. Through this work Sonja gained the ability to design and offer tailored content and activities that can support the learning process of the most demanding learners. She learned how to meet people on the level they are at and accommodate their specific needs and growth.

As a trainer Sonja combines her formal knowledge of Psychology and enriches it with a variety of approaches that go from Transnational Analysis, Psycho-drama, Systemic Work and Family Constellations all the way to NLP, REBT and Synergy Method. She also has a Certificate in Massage Therapy and strongly acknowledges the impact physiology has on learning. In her training design Sonja enhances her academic style of teaching with experiential and embodied leaning processes. Her expertise is Emotional Intelligence, Well-being and Burn Out Prevention, Team Building, Personal Effectiveness and Leadership.

As a person Sonja is kind and authentic. She enjoy spending time in yoga, meditation, reading self-development books, learning from inspiring people , watching TED talks, organising workshops or attending them or just sharing some pleasant time with her loved ones. Currently she is a organiser of 2 active Meetup communities in Ireland " The Well-Being Club" and "Practical Strategies" and she finds great joy in leading them.

Mrs. Kirilka Angelova has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Business Administration, Master’s Degree in Leadership and Management at the New Bulgarian University.  She is a group dynamic Trainer and Expert in an Assessment Center, Trainer on Entrepreneurship and Human rights with 11 years of experience.

From 2008 she is a chairman of EVENTTEAM, a profit company that is specialized in delivering trainings and developing people’s skills. She has long history of developing people’s skills from different structures, including business and governmental. In her portfolio are organizations like: Unicredit Bulbank, Kempinski hotels, Embassy of South Africa, Renault Nissan Bulgaria, Schneider electric, Balkanstar Auto France 3000, Eurolese Auto, Cvidya, Medihelp International, Nielsen Company,  Ministry of Education, CEZ Group etc.
The topics she has strong expertise are: communication skills, building and developing teams, negotiation, conflict management, personal and professional development, motivation, leadership, organizational development, entrepreneurship and human rights. Kirilka Angelova is also engaged in non-profit sector. She works as a Business volunteer very close with Junior Achievement Bulgaria (JAB), who honored her with the title “Business Volunteer of the Year”. One of her biggest achievement within this organization is that she succeeded to trained primary school teachers from across the country in entrepreneurship. This was recognized as the best educational project in EU in 2012. Mrs. Angelova also is part of a Mentor program under the same organization, and she works closely with high school students, mentoring them.

Currently she is working Friedrich Ebert Bulgaria as trainer in Training for Youth Political Leaders.

Luisa is Australian-Italian and has been teaching languages since the age of 12 when she first moved to Italy from Melbourne with her family in the ‘70’s! Luisa holds a BA in Politics, Russian and Spanish from Monash University (AUS), a Laurea Magistrale in Languages and Teaching from the University of Pisa (IT) and a PhD in Modern Languages from the University of Hull (UK). Luisa also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Research Training.

Luisa has worked in the field of university education and adult training for over 25 years and likes to push buttons to see what happens. This has led her to play around with technology and to experiment with different teaching approaches. In 2000, Luisa introduced Tandem language learning within the university where she works.

As part of her academic career, Luisa has published in the fields of CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) and E-learning, Language Awareness and Learner Advising. Luisa’s PhD explores language-learner participation in virtual worlds and makes use of Exploratory Practice and Reflexivity as its two main research approaches.

Luisa has held leadership, development and management roles in two EU funded projects on the use of virtual worlds and reality in education. Luisa is also a translator and works as a freelance language consultant. Luisa is the co-author of a text-book on English in Economics and Business and has of late developed an interest in Italian Corporate Governance issues.

Luisa has recently taken up singing lessons to help her voice and inner self re-emerge after 5 years of asceticism while working on her PhD in the remote sunny hills of Tuscany. On Sundays Luisa loves to curl up on the sofa with her Sicilian rescue dog and catch up on sleep!

Marko is a proactive educator, critical thinker and reflective learner with 15 years’ experience in training design and implementation. His professional and educational background is in “Developmental youth work in conflict-affected areas” with rich work experience at Balkan area, Turkey and Cyprus.

Marko has extensive experience in designing and managing of 27 different learning and development projects funded by various donors including Erasmus +, USAID, EEA Financial Mechanism, SIDA and EU Commission.

Marko is creative, curious and aiming for innovations. Always ready for networking.  He is a patient listener, positive, flexible and entertaining communicator. His biggest passion is sport especially swimming and running. Social entrepreneur to be.

Mindaugas has a master’s degree in Philosophy of Media and a Bachelor in engineering at Kaunas university of technology.  For the last 5 years, Mindaugas was working as a business consultant and trainer. He is certified POINTS OF YOU™ trainer and professional coach. Mindaugas has completed “Leadership and Motivation” courses (Vytautas Magnus university, 2008), studied ”Outdoor education” methodology (Poland, 2012), completed “Leadership” training program (Poland, 2012), has finished the course “Creating and developing e-learning trainings” at Synergy Action organization (Greece, 2015). Mindaugas specializes in the personal development, time management, project management, gamification, teamwork, personal finance management and investing topics.

At the moment Mindaugas is living in Brussels, Belgium. Mindaugas is practising chess, likes long-distance running. He likes collecting books and is creating a personal library.

Gheorghe has a strong communicational background (BA in journalism in Romania and an AP program related to Multimedia, Design and Communication in Denmark) and is passionate about personal development using storytelling as a method for developing emotional intelligence. With a large experience in the field of training courses and project writing, he got involved in the field of youth work more than 5 years ago. While studying in Denmark, he put the bases of an NGO dealing with discrimination and no hate speech and currently he is involved in developing European projects in several NGO’s. He has a strong belief that there is a seed in every person, a seed that needs to be nurtured in order to develop both personal and professional skills and that learning is an ongoing process throughout our entire life. His motto is: “everything you do, do it from the heart” and his been following it for the last years.

Katka is a personal development trainer and facilitator. She has been working with individuals, groups, teams and communities for many years, becoming active in the field of international trainings in 2013. Since then she has been facilitating and delivering trainings and workshops on personal development, communication, coaching, creativity and entrepreneurship. She is one of the founders of Brno Connected, a Czech NGO that creates opportunities for young people´s education and development.

In her work, she uses the methods of non-formal education and experiential learning, involving elements of coaching, non-violent communication, systemic work, NLP, drama and role plays and body movement.

Her aim is to create space for growth, space where people get to explore themselves within a new context and in a playful way. She believes that every human being has a unique potential and she is dedicated to supporting people in challenging their habitual patterns, taking adventurous steps towards their dreams and reaching fulfilment and satisfaction in their lives.

Apart from trainings, she enjoys walks in nature, meaningful conversations with friends and good coffee, food and books.

Monica Potsou currently holds the position of the Head of the HR Department of a Financial Services Company in Limassol, Cyprus.

Monica has an extensive experience of 10+ years in HR and Operational Managerial roles in different industries, including an International Experience in an Oil & Gas Services Company headquarter in Norway.

She holds a BA in Economics (Business Economics and Finance) from the Athens University of Economics and Business (Greece) and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Middlesex University Business School London (UK). She is also a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and a Graduate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD London) as well as a holder of a Professional Higher Diploma in Business Administration.

Monica is also an active member of different non-profit organisations including the Cyprus Human Resource Management Association (CyHRMA) and has also executed several trainings on soft skills (i.e. Stress Management, Time Management, Interview Skills, etc). She is also a Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner (NLP).

Chrisie Sea has completed Bsc Computer Science and now she is completing Masters of Business Administration ( MBA) at University of Cyprus. Since 2012 she teaches Computer Science at Fidelity Institute to High School Students, preparing them for exams and helping them develop critical thinking, coding and problem solving techniques. She has 5 years of Administrative and Volunteer experience in nonprofit sector gained through Erasmus+ projects & trainings, Youth Exchanges and being active members of several NGO’s. She believes an open mind, traveling and continues learning are the key factors for a successful career and personal development. She loves exercising, reading books and spending time with like minded people. Chrisie provides Entrepreneurship, Teamwork, Emotional Intelligence and Strategic thinking Trainings at Dorea Institute.

Afrodita (MBA from HULT International Business School in London, UK and BA in German Philology) has worked as HR Manager, Consultant and Trainer with private and governmental organisations for over 14 years.  During her career, she developed training programs for international development projects and Business Start-up Centers in SEE region. Furthermore, she was advising corporate clients in talent management and development. She is Certified Management Consultant CMC and Global Career Development Facilitator GCDF. During her studies, she was a member of the student organisation AIESEC and now she is a member of the Alumni organisation Germany. Her passion is travelling and learning new cultures together with her family. In free time she likes to play tennis and swim.

Katerina (BA in Economics, International economics and business) is working as a trainer/facilitator with special expertise in the fields of employability and skills development, entrepreneurship, career management and personal & organisational development. Besides this, she works as a Career Consultant, and she is certified Global Career Development Facilitator ™. During a training, the most magical moment for her comes when she is challenged to contribute to creating an absolutely enjoyable yet challenging learning environment. During the past 7 years, Katerina has been involved in non-profit sector through variety positions from organisation and administration through facilitating diverse management positions and roles to delivering soft skills workshops and trainings. She’s passionate about helping and empowering people in discovering and developing their own potential. Our bookworm loves to travel and explore different cultures.

Lukas is passionately dedicated to the personal and professional development of his clients in Austria and abroad. His educational background resides in the field of psychotherapy (Gestalt and Person Centred Approach) and coaching. He completed his professional training in Mexico where he lived, studied and worked as a therapist and English teacher for over 6 years. Returning to Austria together with his young family in 2007, at first he continued his professional career in the technical area as project manager and product developer. Soon however, he reengaged with his core element: empowering people and promoting personal growth and development. He freelanced and in adult education and applied outdoor-pedagogy. He was partly designing training programmes and partly performing them nationally and all over Europe. His working areas presently cover coaching, professional orientation and career development, team-building and team-performance trainings with individuals, companies and educational organisations. Just recently Lukas has launched a local social entrepreneurship project in his home town which aims at the promotion of handycraft-skills and social competence.

Olga is an experienced trainer and youth worker based in Thessaloniki, Greece. Since she was a teenager she was active in non-formal education methods as a member of a Greek scout team, with which took part in European projects.

She studied photography but at the same period was working in summer camps for children and people with disabilities, where with friends she realised that not children have the same opportunities in entertainment. In 2003 with other active young people established the NGO "Kids In Action" and since then organizes performances with clowns, jugglers, stilts, and acrobats for children with less opportunities, economical problems or disadvantaged geographical background and being actively involved in European Youth Mobility Programs/activities.

Since 2009 she is delivering as a free lance trainer, seminars, training courses, contact making events for youth workers, educators, teachers based in non formal education methodology and tools.

In 2012 she becomes member of the Greek (Hellenic) National Pool Of Trainers in Youth in Action Programme and the same year she becomes member of the steering committee of "Thessaloniki 2014- European Youth Capital" where after the successful nomination she takes responsibility for Action Planning and Coordination of events.

In 2015 she is becoming active in Social entrepreneurship, while she is establishing the Social Cooperative company "KIRKO" promoting circus skills as a pedagogic tool.

Throughout the years of experience and her unstoppable willing to learn and explore, she developed her trainer's skills and competencies and she can deliver any topic based on non formal methodology, having preference in: Personal development, Outdoor education, Leaning styles, Mentoring and coaching, Group leadership, Diversity and tolerance, Project management and Erasmus+ programme.

Moreover she is youth consultant and EVS Coordinator and mentor, a volunteer youth worker, she published a fairy tale with the title "Once upon time in a magical forest", she organises youth events and festivals and continues working in the summer camp for people with disabilities.

She strongly believes that "If you can't laugh at yourself then you are missing the biggest joke of your life" and she tries to implement it in her life as well as her work.

Malwina (MA Work and Organization Psychology, MA studies of Social Communication, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland) is a psychologist and soft-skills trainer. She gained her professional experience while cooperating with various youth organizations and leading training companies in Poland.  Since 2010 she delivers workshops and seminars for both private and public sector, aimed at developing interpersonal skills, especially in the context of management and customer service. She is an expert in interpersonal communication, conflict management, assertiveness, teambuilding as well as creativity trainings.

Malwina believes that we can always make room for improvement. She lives up to this idea, constantly developing herself and encouraging people she works with to do the same. She is also actively involved in production and management of cultural projects - artistic events, festivals and short films as well as theatre spectacles.

Ana has a background in Political science and European studies from University College London, Jagiellonian University in Krakow and the University of Zagreb. During her studies, she worked as an assistant at Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) and the SALTO South East Europe Resource Centre in Ljubljana.

Ana has extensive experience in project management, EU funds and programs and bridging the gap between education and entrepreneurship. She is a lecturer in EU funds and Project Management at the Zagreb School of Economics and Management, the only AACSB accredited business school in Croatia.

Ana is curious, adventurous and tries to be an inspiration to her students through inclusion, open-mindedness and positive energy. Her passions are travelling, running and good music.