"In this 6 month long EVS project two volunteers - one man (26) from Spain and one woman from Italy (28)- were involved in the project ""Life Berlengas"" (until 2018) coordinated by portuguese organization SPEA (a member of Birdlife International), in Lisbon and Berlengas island. Both volunteers had experience and academic knownledge in biology.SPEA's mission as an environmental NGO is to work towards the study and the conservation of wild birds and their habitats by promoting sustainable development for the benefit of the future generations. Therefore, SPEA'S main motivation to apply for EVS is to integrate young foreign people in the association and educate them about environmental citizenship, conservation of bird habitats (in this case in Portugal) and the principles of ornithology . Secondly SPEA expects volunteers to contribute to the implementation of the activties and projects of the association, mainly with external promotion and logistic support.Moreover, most volunteers who express interest in SPEA's project will later professionally invest on this area and some of them become active members either SPEA or in other environmental organizations in their home countries. .The project LIFE Berlengas contributes to the sustainable management of the Berlengas Special Protection Area (SPA), aiming the conservation of its habitats, seabird populations and endemic plants. To achieve this, the focus is on developing strategies to minimize or remove the main threats to the natural values ​​of Berlengas, both on land and at sea. At the same time the project promotes the sustainable use of the Berlengas SPA, focusing on three key activities: fishing, recreational activities and tourism. A framework to prepare and approve an effective management plan for the Berlengas SPA will be implemented.The work of the volunteers was very important for the achievement of the results defined by the project, because they become full members of the team and contrbuted directly for the execution of the planned actions and the implementation of its main objectives. he volunteers have laso developed high quaility competences that will allow them to become workers in the area of biology.The main objectives of the LIFE Berlengas are: -Preserving the endemic plants through the control and eradication of invasive alien plants - Protection of seabird populations, identification of their foraging areas and minimize potential interactions with boats and fishing gears - Conservation of indigenous plants and seabird populations through the Yellow-legged gull population control and by the removal of introduced mammals - Engage withall the stakeholders to establish sustainable practices for the Special Protection Area (SPA) management - Inform and raise public awareness for the importance of a proper sustainable management of the Berlengas archipelago to preserve its natural and cultural values.The main tasks of the volunteers were: - to support in the tasks of Life Berlengas ( control of invasive species in Berlenga island, monitoring of breeding birds on the island )- to sensitize the fishermen in relation to seabird conservation- to create and manage databases-to insert data from marine census- to make Census of seabird- to support the dissemination of the project in the SPEA channels."

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVESThe project was aimed to train youth workers on the use of methodologies for the surfacing and validation of learning experiences of young people related to volunteering and social engagement.Volunteering and social engagement, in fact, have usually a strong impact in terms of learnings on young people; it is a heritage of values skills, knowledge, which often remains unexplored and undervalued, also because related to non-formal and informal learningYouth workers can be a support to realize this process of surfacing, through the learning of specific and effective methodologies.In line with European Union’s aim to be a society of knowledge, we want to give our contribution on awareness, keeping track and share hidden skills of young people.ACTIVITIES AND METHODSThe main objectives of Skills in action has therefore been to train young worker on diverse competences areas and through specific methods:-Awareness of soft and transversal skills by youth workers-Learning approaches to facilitate the emersion of soft and transversal skills from everyday activities in volunteering.-Learning to use specific methodologies such as digital storytelling, portfolio of competences and narrative approaches to retain the learning outcomes.-Give a deeper meaning to volunteering in terms of employability, activation of a virtuous circle of giving and receiving within a community.-Help young people to be aware of their skills and be more confident towards job seeking.-Foster active citizenship.-Spread European values.Project actions were:- Preparatory actions. - Training. A week of training in Italy, Siena (Tuscany). - Networking activities. The course was focused mostly on narrative methodologies, like autobiographical approach, digital storytelling.PARTICIPANTS26 youth workers (no age limit).ENVISAGED RESULTS OF THE PROJECTOn participantsIncreased knowledge about the topics of the project, namely: - Increased knowledge of approaches to facilitate the emersion of soft and transversal skills from everyday activities in young people active in volunteering and social sphere.- Ability to use specific methodologies such as digital storytelling, portfolio of competences and narrative approaches (narrative multimedia portfolio) to retain the learning outcomes.- capability to enhance a deeper meaning to volunteering and social engagement, in terms of employability, activation of a virtuous circle of giving and receiving within a community.- capability to help young people to be aware of their skills and be more confident towards job seeking. - capability to Foster active citizenship and spread European values.On organizationsIncreased skills within the organization, the training of young workers in the themes of the project.On young peopleYoung people, who will have the chance to get in contact with the project content and methodologies, thanks to the young workers trained in the project, will enhance self-confidence, awareness of soft and transversal skills, and will became more able to transfer in other environments, such as job-environment those skills. Among the learning outcomes will be included an increased knowledge about the appropriate use of the Europass CV and the use of YouthPass.POTENTIAL LONGER TERM BENEFITS The project represents a contribution to the important issue of the emergence and enhancement of skills acquired in non-formal and informal, also in order to facilitate a better entry of young people into the labor market, as in the aims of the Erasmus+ Program.ORGANIZATIONS Applicant: Foundation Fortes Sending Organizations: Organizations working with youth workers or focused on training of trainers.

"In the Puglia Region and particularly in the city of Manfredonia there is a high unemployment rate, especially among young and women , and the number of NEETs is high ( 32.8 %). Although there is a regional program on youth policies called "" Bollenti Spiriti"" and a tool called ""Citizen Training Booklet "" for the recognition of the competences acquired through non-formal education, the public institutions are struggling to recognize and certify the competences acquired by young people with volunteering in a non -formal education. For these reasons, the Ce.Se.Vo.Ca. considers it appropriate to carry out the project "" YP + CV=E + E (YOUTHPASS plus Curriculum Vitae as Erasmus Plus Employability ) "" consisting of a Seminar for the exchange of best European practices on the acquisition of competences through voluntary activities of young people, included in the Curriculum vitae and usable in the labor market, with a confrontation with the local institutions for the recognition and certification of these competences.The objectives of the project are: a ) to accompany political reforms at the local and regional level in the youth field and to support the recognition of non- formal and informal learning , b) to strengthen the international dimension of youth activities and the role of youth c ) to strengthen cooperation among organizations active in the youth field, d) to promote the concept of volunteering as a value and opportunities for the acquisition of competences can also be used in the labor market .Participants will be among 34 youth workers , volunteers and members of the executive board of youth organizations (and one Local Council) from 15 countries , half outside the European Union and for the other half belonging to neighboring countries.The main activity of the project will be a Seminar in Manfredonia, from 24 to 28 November 2014 named "" YOUTHPASS plus Curriculum Vitae as Erasmus Plus Employability "" in which participants will exchange best practices on the competences acquired through voluntary activities based on non-formal education, and share with the local institutions the procedures for the recognition of these competences and their development in the curriculum vitae, to facilitate the creation or job research by young people.The methodology used for the realization of the project will be based on non-formal education, which includes the planning of activities, the voluntary participation and especially the involvement and active participation of partner organizations and participants.The main impact of this project on the participants will be: - to share good practices for the recognition of voluntary activities based on non-formal education; - to learn a new digital tool, the platform for distance learning (named open software ""Moodle ""). Among the results of the project, all the best practices presented during the seminar will be shared with local institutions, and it will be the subject of an online publication , that each partner will translate into their language and will spread through all media.The main long-term benefits of this project will be: a ) the consolidation of the partnership, with the goal of starting a lasting collaboration within the program "" Erasmus +"" to promote the recognition and validation of volunteer experiences , acquired through non-formal education , b) the recognition and certification by the local institutions of the competences acquired through voluntary activities of young people."

"Two volunteers - Elena Ferroni from Italiy and Nikola Vasilev from Bulgaria - were hosted by two different Waldorfschools in Leipzig/Saxony to accompany their work for 12 months. They mainly supported the daily afternoons with a group of 6 to 10 years old kids each. Doing so, they more and more organised and carried through own offers in the area of cultural learning. On top, they worked together with elder pupils and parents as well discussed and reflected upon cultural diversity. The two volunteers used creative and participative methods, they got to know an alternative educational scheme and the self-sustained organisation of two free schools in Leipzig. They developed ideas and also supported each other in the reflection of their activities. Both volunteers got into contact with integrative kids and, by dealing with them, got to know their views of the world. Living together with five other young Europeans fostered a profound international exchange and the reflection of their own cultural identity as well as a common understanding of being ""young Europeans""."

PROJEKTOR Ideell Förening coordinates a Erasmus+ project of EVS and mobility of youth workers (job shadowing) with partners from Italy, Germany, Portugal, Cyprus, Polen, Armenia, Spain, Hungary and France.The volunteers will use their skills and creativity in order to assist in local projects and will also develop new activities by putting their own ideas into action.The themes for this project are creativity, entrepreneurship and social inclusion the main objective to involve young people from different countries with creative methods that result in positive local actions and better understanding of different cultures and backgrounds.The volunteers will be active on editing pictures, filming, arranging events, brainstorming, interviewing, designing, taking photos, creating informational material and researching.At the same time we will participate in a Job shadow project in which we will receive a participate from Polen who will be involved in the activities of Projektor regarding european projects andlocal cultural activities.