The first Training of Trainers (ToT) organised under the EU-funded Programme "HELP in the 28” was successfully organised on 3-4 March in Strasbourg. The purpose was to train future national tutors on the HELP methodology for legal professionals, including the use of new technologies such as Moodle and other e-learning tools. Participants had also the chance to receive updates on the recent priorities and European jurisprudence on human rights protection. The ToT benefited from the lessons learnt of three previous sessions organised by the HELP Secretariat.

This ToT was attended by 21 participants (out of which 11 women) appointed by National Training Institutions (NTIs) and Bar Associations (BA) of the EU. The ‘tour de table’ revealed the variety and complementarity of participants: at least 8 judges among the legal professionals from 14 EU countries, most of them with expertise on the field of the course they are expected to moderate. Courses include those foreseen under ‘HELP in the 28’ as well as others under the pipeline (pending EU approval).

Grouped according to the four courses of the Programme ‘HELP in the 28’, participants had the occasion to meet the relevant Council of Europe units/experts to get (i) updates on the recent priorities and European jurisprudence, (ii) a brief overview of the course outline and, (iii) suggestions on the agenda of the  European seminars planned for 2016 linked to the first three courses below:

• Fight against racism, xenophobia, homophobia and Transphobia – meeting with ECRI and SOGI.
• Labour rights – meeting with Division on Turin Process – Cooperation and Inter-governmental activities.
• Right to the integrity of the person (bioethics) – meeting with Secretary of the Committee on Bioethics (DH-BIO)
• Data Protection and Privacy Rights – meeting with Data Protection.

Successful participants in the ToT will be ready to act as national tutors and moderate the ‘HELP in the 28’ courses to be launched throughout 2016 in their home countries.

Successful participants will be certified and included in the roster of HELP trainers which is available on the HELP website. EU National Training Institutions and Bar Associations will be subsequently informed of the opportunity to select from this pool their trainers for national or international activities on the European system of human rights protection (ECHR and also the EU Charter), particularly when using the HELP methodology.

The preliminary feedback provided by participants was extremely positive.

A further ToT session (for French-speaking participants) will be likely scheduled in September 2016, in collaboration with the French Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature, one of the ‘HELP in the 28’ associate partners, and the  the CFJA (Centre de Formation de la Justice Administrative).