There is a growing amount of people in Europe, who are marginalized from the mainstream society. This is not only a tragedy for the individual, but is also a serious challenge for each society and thereby the European community at large. Vulnerable young people, coming from difficult social backgrounds are particularly at risk in this respect. In Scandinavia as well as in several other European countries, there are many different support systems in place for children and young people under the age of 16 or 18. However after the age of 18 there is very little support and a young person who has spent several years of his/her life in an institution need special preparation to get a good start to enter into independent life successfully. The project is based on this need, and it's purpose is to create an innovative 2 months training program, which would increase practical and overall life skills for young people aged 18-25, who come from difficult backgrounds. Many of these young people have experienced neglect, alcohol/ drug abuse and other social difficulties. The main idea is to engage the volunteer to work by what we call “Best Buddy” method. This means, that volunteer will be continuously working with 1 young person. The volunteer would mainly focus on this one youngster, making sure there is a well prepared schedule with various practical and educational activities to prepare this person for independent living. We plan to recruit a team of 4 international EVS volunteers, aged 18-30, which means, that they would all together work with 4 youngsters, using “Best Buddy” method. In the period of 6 months, the youngsters will swap 3 times, in order for our volunteers to carry out 2 months training program 3 times. In total we plan to include 12 youngsters to take part in the training program developed by our organization and EVS volunteers. The objectives of the project are: -developing different kinds of life skills, especially practical, for the vulnerable young people -raise their level of responsibility -provide career guidance, by exploring the interests and strengths of the young person -provide them with information about career opportunities -introduce the youngsters to different cultures, increase their tolerance and open mindedness -improve their English language skills -develop healthy habits of the young person -increase awareness, understanding and tolerance within local community about the youth we are working with The main activities and tasks of the volunteer: -spend time with young vulnerable person, while organizing and doing meaningful activities, such as practical work, outdoor and sports activities, educational workshops, etc. -organize practical training and other activities to improve life skills of young people from difficult backgrounds -cooperate with local community and include the vulnerable youth in several activities and events -encourage and assist the the youth they work with to carry out their own initiative -show a good example and raise interest of these young people of such topics as environment, different cultures, European citizenship and participation, etc. We expect that the EVS volunteer will gain valuable experiences in working with young people and especially with young people who have faced many challenges in their lives.
Being a “Best Buddy” means to make yourself available to be a good friend, sensitive to the needs of the young person and able to place appropriate expectations to promote development.
The EVS volunteer will develop interpersonal skills such as listening, be observant to others’ interests and strengths, develop trust and meaningful relationships.
Organizational skills; planning and organizing relevant and meaningful activities, mobilize participation and be able to adapt according to circumstances.
Reflect on own performance and openness to share experience and receiveand give good advice and guidance. We expect that the Young people” (Target group”). Will gain a foundation whereby they are better prepared to meet the challenges of starting independent life.
This includes life skills training such as learning a healthy life style, having interests, taking part in a community.
It also includes trying out different job skills, aiming at being more clear about own strengths and interests. Create a good CV and explore realistic job options and job seeking skills. The wider impact of the “Best Buddy” project is to raise a better awareness of the challenges facing young people, leaving the “care system” to start independent living.
The desired impact would be to inspire communities at all levels to place more emphasis on supporting these young people in constructive means to actively include them in the community. With the result that less young people end up as marginalized citizens.

Debating on the current humanitarian challenge that Europe is facing when the traditional image of refugees living in refugee camps no longer tells the true story of refugee movements in the 21 century. We are testifying a massive movement of youngsters that are seeking in Europe a new life and in most cases running from war, hunger and destruction and see in Europe a new hope. However bigger challenges for these youngsters are yet to come. This massive movement of people is demanding that all that see Europe as a place for solidarity to act and try to support and create adequate solutions. This speech is more important when we are in the scope of the end of European Year for Development it is emergent to analyse the results overcome with the actions promoted by the European Union. For this reason it is important to involve actively European Youth in the support of these people that are already in Europe and will live in our communities. Youth is Youth and the needs are the same nevertheless our ethnicity, our religion, our nationality, we all have the same needs and it is important to create a peer-to-peer movement. When they settle in a city, urban refugees are usually confronted with the same poverty problems as the local urban poor. Yet they also face additional challenges due to their refugee status: in most cases, they live with the constant fear of being arrested, detained and returned forcibly to their home country. They are denied access to basic services such as education or health and are exposed to harassment, intimidation and discrimination. Yet it is extremely challenging to assist and support refugees in urban settings. Given the very limited assistance of aid agencies in cities, refugee-led organisations provide the bulk of the assistance to their own communities. Volunteers together with Adamastor staff will support those groups to develop their capacity to organise, plan and advocate for themselves. This includes: technical assistance and training, support in governance, fundraising and communication mapping. We believe self-reliance is key to promote sustainable solutions. Volunteers will help the humanitarian community adapt to the challenges of protecting refugees in cities. For this we will use a collective impact strategy to create global connections between NGOs, academics, refugee-led organisations, urban designers, the private sector and local community, to help them share best practices and work together towards shared goals. We believe that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We will support the advocacy work of our partner NGOs in the field, also organise round-tables with policy makers and we coordinate joint advocacy strategies at the regional and local levels. Working with asylum seekers and refugees in almost any location in the world involves juggling vulnerability with service availability, battling bureaucracy and bearing witness to remarkable people. Beyond these ‘ordinary’ challenges, Europe has a very ambivalent relationship with the asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in its territory and this project will aware youngsters to this reality and work in the field so that they can provide a solid answer and work on viable solutions for this crisis. This Human Movement is misunderstood and the unique situation of each group is indistinguishable from the other in a discourse that focuses entirely on ‘migrants’. This discourse is perpetuated outside the country by the international media, donors and European governments who, with very few exceptions, misrepresent the complex mixed migration context in their countries of origin as a simplistic scenario of ‘everyone’ wanting to come to Europe. Volunteers will develop active activities for the refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, especially for Youth and Children in order to support their integration and help them to recognise the effort of European citizens in finding a solution. This project is divided in two activities. One activity for hosting volunteers in Portugal for a six months period divided in two flows and another activity for sending Portuguese volunteers abroad to the same partner countries. The main purpose is that both PT volunteers and foreign volunteers worked together in their local communities. So while we host here the foreign volunteers the Portuguese volunteers will support them in the activities. When the period of the hosted volunteer ends and he/she returns home a Portuguese volunteer will to the same in their local community with the same support.

"“Social Entrepreneurship Lab” was a two-stage international youth exchange project which gathered 32 young people from 4 countries (Italy, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey) and empowered them with social entrepreneurial attitudes and mindset.Over the past two decades, the citizen sector has discovered what the business sector learned long ago: There is nothing as powerful as a new idea in the hands of a first-class entrepreneur. This is more important now than ever given the current context concerning young migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Europe. The frustration and disempowerment of the disadvantaged youth in general and these young migrants and asylum seekers in particular can breed low self-esteem, low motivation, cynicism and radicalization.Social entrepreneurs are individuals with innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems. They are ambitious and persistent, tackling major social issues and offering new ideas for wide-scale change.Rather than leaving societal needs to the government or business sectors, social entrepreneurs find what is not working and solve the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution, and persuading entire societies to move in different directions.Social entrepreneurs often seem to be possessed by their ideas, committing their lives to changing the direction of their field. They are visionaries, but also realists, and are ultimately concerned with the practical implementation of their vision above all else. Overall aims & Objectives:The main aim of this two-stage Youth Exchange was to create a platform and a process where young people experienced empowerment themselves and were equipped to empower others in their communities through exchange of ideas, stories, attitudes, techniques and tools that promote social entrepreneurial spirit and skills of young people in general and marginalized youth among refugees/asylum seekers and migrants in particular.One journey: 2 stages!The first stage took place in Armenia (10-18 February 2017) where participants explored the subject, its challenges and opportunities. In between the first and the second stage participants did research and observation in their local communities to find useful insights and opportunities for value creation and social entrepreneurship. The second stage of the exchange, which took place in Italy (8-15 June 2017) gathered insights, learning, inspirations and experience of participants from their local communities and translated them into concrete social innovation ideas and quality youth projects to be carried out under Erasmus + Programme.Objectives of the first exchange in Armenia were (10-18 February 2017):-Explore the concept of social entrepreneurship as a tool for tackling local social problems of marginalized young people, refugees/asylum seekers and migrants.-Empower youngsters to start their social enterprises.-Learn about applying practical, innovative and sustainable approaches to benefit society in general, with an emphasis on those who are marginalized and poor.-Learn how to achieve large scale, systemic and sustainable social change through a new invention, a different approach, a more rigorous application of known technologies or strategies, or a combination of these.-Learn to use Youthpass and the Key Competences for creative process of skill harnessing, self-reflection and documentation of the personal learning process.- Form teams from participants to do research and observation in their local communities after they return in order to find useful insights and opportunities for value creation and social entrepreneurship.Objectives of the second exchange in Italy (8-15 June 2017) were:- Gather insights, learning, inspirations and experience of participants from their local communities and translate them into concrete project ideas.- Equip participants with knowledge and skills in the field of project management in order to enable them to develop quality youth projects.- Identify existing resources for the young social entrepreneurs and share know how on social enterprises.- Promote Erasmus + Programme and explain how young people can be involved in it.- Develop concrete social entrepreneurial initiatives.- Develop concrete projects to be applied under Erasmus + Programme- Develop and publish online the ""Social Entrepreneurship Booklet for Youth”The Youth Exchange was based on non-formal learning methods and principles, intercultural dialogue and communication in including group discussions, interactive presentations, participant’s lead workshops, team work,etc. Youthpass tool was used throughout the project to help young people reflect regularly on their personal learning journeys and become more aware of their own learning. The methodology of the project stimulated active participation and sense of initiative and involvement of the learners."

"“Young Shapers of Tomorrow” was a two-stage international youth exchange project which gathered 32 young people from 4 countries (Italy, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey) and empowered them with entrepreneurial attitudes and mindset.Unemployment has been identified as a big concern in Europe and beyond. Today’s world is marked by widespread focus on economic development, technological advancement and global integration. Yet, we still witness widespread unemployment, especially among young people who are left outside the prosperity loop and who find it more and more difficult to access ever-changing labor markets.This problem has been aggravated given the current context concerning young migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Europe. The frustration and disempowerment of the disadvantaged youth in general and these young migrants and asylum seekers in particular can breed low self-esteem, low motivation, cynicism and radicalization.We believe that long term solution of this problem lies not in externalities of macro economics or policy but in hearts and minds of young people. A renewed mindset is needed for young people to understand that even in the most difficult situations they have more control over their lives than they think and through entrepreneurial spirit, procactivity and strategic approach they can spot values, seize opportunities, assess and take risk and grow. Instead of seeking a job, they can create one for themselves.Overall aims & Objectives:The main aim of this two-stage Youth Exchange was to create a platform and a process where young people experienced empowerment themselves and were equipped to empower others in their communities through exchange of ideas, stories, attitudes, techniques and tools that promoted entrepreneurial spirit and skills of young people in general and marginalized youth among refugees/asylum seekers and migrants in particular.One journey: 2 stages!The first stage took place in Armenia (28 April - 7 May, 2017) where participants explored the subject, its challenges and opportunities. In between the first and the second stage participants did research and observation in their local communities to find useful insights and opportunities for value creation, entrepreneurship and employability. The second stage of the exchange took place in Italy (12-20 September 2017) and gathered insights, learning, inspirations and experience of participants from their local communities and translated them into concrete business ideas and quality youth projects to be carried out under Erasmus + Programme.Objectives of the first exchange in Armenia (28 April - 7 May, 2017) were:- Explore the concept of self-employment and achieve a common understanding of youth employability.- Analyze the current situation of young people today especially marginalized youth among refugees/asylum seekers and migrants and understand their hopes, dreams fears and barriers for their personal development.- Exploring obstacles and barriers to youth employability and ways to overcome them.- Identify innovative tools and best practices and methods which can be transferred to working reality- Form teams from participants to do research and observation in their local communities after they return in order to find useful insights and opportunities for value creation, entrepreneurship and employability.Objectives of the second exchange in Italy (12-20 September 2017) were:- Gather insights, learning, inspirations and experience of participants from their local communities and translate them into concrete project ideas.- Equip participants with knowledge and skills in the field of project management in order to enable them to develop quality youth projects.- Identify existing resources for the young entrepreneurs and share know how on social enterprises to link youth among refugees/asylum seekers and migrants with business and entrepreneurship.- Promote Erasmus + Programme and explain how young people especially marginalized youth among refugees/asylum seekers and migrants can be involved in it.- Develop concrete business ideas and entrepreneurial initiatives.- Develop concrete projects to be applied under Erasmus + Programme- Develop and publish an online the ""Entrepreneurship Booklet for Refugees""The Youth Exchange was based on non-formal learning methods and principles, intercultural dialogue and communication in including group discussions, interactive presentations, participant’s lead workshops, team work,etc. Youthpass tool was used throughout the project to help young people reflect regularly on their personal learning journeys and become more aware of their own learning. The methodology of the project stimulated active participation and sense of initiative and involvement of the learners."

"The project is going to be developed at Atades’ Leisure and Entertainment Club Los Tigres in Zaragoza (Spain), which works with adults with intellectual disabilities and it relies strongly on the participation of local volunteers (more than a hundred) and two EVS volunteers, one from Lithuania (a 19-year-old) and one from Turkey (a 25-year-old). The main goals of this project are the following: - to improve the quality of the service to the groups which the organizations involved work with. - to encourage the volunteers’ excitement and participation through the maintenance and reinforcement of a good work atmosphere. - to ensure that European volunteers live an enriching experience where they learn and teach, and which is useful for their personal and professional life. - to share work with other international organizations with the aim of learning and improving our work with the different individual groups. - to encourage a better provision of services of the organizations involved thanks to the existing social and cultural diversity. The EVS volunteers are involved in leisure-time activities which can be grouped in the four following categories: 1. workshops on the weekdays: dance, guitar, arts and crafts, ""fun sport"", audiovisual communication, sevillanas (Andalusian folk dance), body language, cookery, “discovering Zaragoza”, paddle tennis and computer classes. 2. activities on Saturdays: theatre, handicrafts, sports, circus, festivals, concerts, performances, trips, etc. 3. trips outside the club: one-day trips and 2-4 days camping. 4. summer camps: 10 days of living together at the beach in July. Further than carry out the activities, volunteers also participate on the previous planning and later assessment of the activities. The methodology is based on the communication, the participation, the good atmosphere, the affectivity and welcome, the workteam and the continuous assessment. The organization has a solid and dynamic structure that allows the volunteer be an important agent of social change. All the above is carried out with the support and supervision of the professionals who coordinate and manage the functioning of Club Los Tigres. The expected impact of the project is promoting the cultural life and volunteer activities of the two neighborhoods where Club Los Tigres is based and improving the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities through playful activities."