Las cuestiones relacionadas con el género desafían el diálogo intercultural de muchas maneras diferentes, a nivel nacional e internacional. La representación y las prácticas en torno al género se originan en las relaciones sociales que incluyen las de clase, religión y origen étnico. Los roles de género deben construirse no como una barrera sino todo lo contrario, deben reconocerse como una categoría que conecta a diferentes miembros de la sociedad, con construcciones, ideas y creencias físicas y mentales específicas. La educación debe trabajar para la comprensión intercultural, abordando los estereotipos tradicionales sobre los roles de hombres y mujeres, y todas las fuentes de prejuicios y discriminación. Obtener la igualdad de género significa obtener un logro completo del potencial de cada individuo y debe ser una parte integral de las sociedades modernas, democráticas e inclusivas.En la Europa actual, el trabajo con los jóvenes enfrenta nuevos desafíos debido a los importantes flujos migratorios: primero, la integración de personas con diferentes antecedentes culturales en la sociedad y, por lo tanto, el fomento de tal integración a través de un proceso capaz de compartir e incluir los valores europeos en las nuevas generaciones. Los temas relacionados con el género a menudo son un tema delicado que se debe enfrentar cuando se trabaja con migrantes, refugiados o personas con diferentes antecedentes culturales. El proyecto “Identit[ies]” tuvo como objetivo desarrollar el entendimiento de los trabajadores / formadores juveniles de la interseccionalidad de las identidades y las relaciones entre género y cultura para incluir y abordar las cuestiones de género de manera eficiente cuando se trabaja con jóvenes en contextos con una dimensión intercultural. Para comprender completamente la identidad de uno, debemos acercarnos a cada elemento de una persona como algo inextricablemente vinculado con los demás. La superposición o intersección de las identidades sociales y personales está fuertemente influenciada por aspectos culturales, y la tradición a veces puede reproducir formas de opresión o discriminación.Durante la cooperación técnica, exploramos junto con los participantes el papel de la cultura en cuestiones relacionadas con el género y el papel de estas en el aprendizaje intercultural. Uno de los propósitos principales de este Curso de Formación fue descubrir cómo las percepciones y roles de género están interrelacionados con nuestra identidad cultural y fomentar su mejor comprensión, así como desarrollar las competencias de los trabajadores juveniles para abordar tales asuntos cuando se trabaja con jóvenes en el marco de la Educación y promoción de los Derechos Humanos. Los Derechos Humanos están en el centro de los valores europeos, la paz y la democracia, y la EDH con los jóvenes tiene un potencial increíble para contribuir al desarrollo de una ciudadanía europea basada en el respeto y la tolerancia, evitando la radicalización y la polarización de los jóvenes con antecedentes multiculturales. Las actividades implementadas dentro del proyecto “Identit[ies]” apuntaron a satisfacer las necesidades de los trabajadores juveniles en cuanto a enfoques, competencias y habilidades para abordar cuestiones de género en situaciones multiculturales y con jóvenes con diferentes antecedentes culturales, para promover una cultura basada en la igualdad y el respeto a la diversidad.

Our project is taking place in the Podlaskie region of Poland, with the coordinating and planning centre in Bialystok, in theFoundation of Education and Creativity. This project is the continuation of the project ”EVS for Refugees”, run from November2012 to August 2013 and currently from February2014 until November 2014. With this application, we want to invite three volunteers to continue the activity. Their activity will last 9 months, i.e. 270 days. The participating countries, apart from Poland, will be Spain, France and Italy. Together with the coordinating and hosting organization, there will be 5 organizations involved. EVS activity will be held in two places: the reception centre for refugees in Czerwony Bór and the coordinator’s headquarters in Bialystok. The volunteers will work in the kindergarten for refugees’ children, they will organize extra classes for refugee teenagers and adults. The classes will be compatible with the volunteers’ hobbies and qualifications and will be aimed at organizing free time for children, teenagers and adults. The volunteers will also visit high schools, junior high schools and primary schools throughout the region of podlaskie, teaching lessons about human rights, stereotypes and refugees, aiming at raising the society’s awareness of the refugee issue. They will also design their own activities to reach the aim of the project and help prepare integration events. Informal learning methods, like discussion, presentation, exchange of ideas, opinions, training combined with discussion of the issue, tandem learning, learning by doing, individual and group initiatives, will be dominating throughout the project. The effect of the project will be the development of intercultural dialogue, raising awareness of the refugee issue among the participants and recipients of the project, increasing the level of knowledge and competence of both participants and recipients. Additional effect will be increasing the visibility of the ERASMUS+ Programme in the region.

"""ERASMUS GARDEN!"" Is a project applied on the ERASMUS PLUS program - KA1 - EVS, with two stages hosted in Arad, Romania for 6 months each, starting with:· February 1, 2016 (stage 1)· August 1, 2016 (stage 2) Total project period: 22 months (since August 15, 2015) Each of the following sending organizations will send 2 EVS volunteers in the first stage and 2 EVS volunteers in the second stage:· TMELNIK (in CZ)· Attività-ment (IT)· YOU IN EUROPE (the GR)· EUROACCION (ES)COORDINATING AND HOSTING ORGANIZATION: Ofensiva Tinerilor “Erasmus Garden’s” goal is to provide volunteers with the opportunity to develop a set of skills useful for the labor market, but also in their social life. Objective no. 1: To develop transversal competences useful for employment and an active social life, for 12 EVS volunteers from CZ,, GR, ES, in two group stages every six months, in Arad / Romania.Objective no. 2: Develop in a total period of 12 months, a local program in Arad / EN to promote children's rights among at least 300 people (children & adults)."

The idea of ​​this project is the development of a School of Arts, a space for the development of artistic skills in children and young people, providing cultural and artistic activities for them. This School will be developed at TOCA, the cultural space of the association, but we will also carry these activities to schools, associations and other entities of the district. With this project, I can work with children and young people who are important for their psychosocial development, encouraging them to develop a greater taste for the school and, consequently, contribute to a greater school success. At the same time, making them feel part of a group, thus promoting the social inclusion of these children and of those young people who present themselves with greater risk of marginalization. The volunteers have the opportunity to develop their own projects, with the guidance of the artist Ana Caridade with extensive experience in the area of ​​body expression, art, singing, theater and representation. Ana Caridade is an artist who, in addition to her vast experience in artistic performance and inclusive art, also provided the volunteers' contact with other emerging artists in the city of Braga. This proximity work guaranteed the volunteers the development of essential skills for their personal and professional growth. Geographic proximity, involving Portugal, Spain and Italy, and the ties created between the volunteers, provide a network for sharing knowledge, interests and cultural events that goes beyond the people involved and goes through the 3 countries. Thus, the objectives of this project: to give volunteers the opportunity to develop their projects; providing specialized guidance to volunteers; promote cultural and artistic activities for children and young people; promote the occupation of children's leisure time, fostering their creativity and sensitivity; combating school failure and social exclusion through artistic practices; supporting schools, associations and other entities in the promotion of artistic activities; conduct courses, workshops and classes in music, dance, theater, photography, drawing, painting, writing, among others; hold exhibitions, concerts, shows and other cultural events open to the community; create a cultural network between Portugal, Spain and Italy - have been fulfilled and overcome. The good dynamics and success of the project is very much in line with the profile of the volunteers involved. The volunteers who have embraced this project have shown themselves to be responsible, motivated, proactive, versatile, enterprising, creative and communicative people. More than these skills, or soft skills, the volunteers participating in this project demonstrate previous knowledge in the areas of music, dance, theater, photography, painting, drawing or writing that were enhanced and improved throughout the project and their stay in Portugal. Throughout the project year 4 young volunteers from Spain and Italy were integrated into our association, which ensured the successful development of the project. The choice of countries with geographical and cultural proximity with Portugal, as in the case of Spain and Italy, has also ensured that volunteers are better able to learn Portuguese, an important factor in their contact with children and young people. The tasks of the volunteers went through the development of artistic activities for children and young people, fostering their creativity and sensitivity through workshops in music, dance, theater, photography, drawing, painting, among others. After the development of the various activities, the volunteers also carried out actions of dissemination and dissemination of the products and actions developed, such as an exhibition of painting and photography, a theater show, an inclusive dance session on the street, among others. The volunteer thus had the opportunity to learn from artists with many years of experience in their fields, which ensured for the young volunteers, through this informal contact with these artists, the acquisition of a wide range of social and technical / professional knowledge and skills. Competences such as autonomy, proactivity, dynamism, teamwork, leadership, time management, conflict, teamwork positively mark the young volunteer and add to the positive baggage that they take with them at the end of this project.

Social and emotional well-being has been linked to young people’s schooling outcomes, their social development, their capacity to contribute to the workforce and the community, the rate of youth suicide. The WHO has estimated that depression alone will constitute one of the greatest health problems worldwide by the year 2020. Of increasing concern is the growing rate of suicide among young males. Deep unhappiness, disordered mood, feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of suicide are common among young people. This lowered mood may be risk factor for long-term social problems and depression.Eolas Soileir and its partners took a positive approach to the promotion of emotional health among young people by carrying out two projects for youth workers and young people to address these needs by understanding and developing their skills at building resilience, empowerment & positive mental health both within themselves and the young people they work with.Using Non Formal methodologies we developed the creative competences, specifically in the topics of positive mental health, resilience & empowerment for youth, in 27 youth workers from Ireland, Greece, Slovenia, Spain, Kosova, Romania, Belarus, Poland, Armenia & Estonia, in an 8 day training course held from 4th to 11th of August 2017 in Wexford Ireland. Further we ran a Youth Exchange in the topics of positive mental health, resilience & empowerment for 20 young people aged between 18 & 30 from Romania, Spain, Lithuania, Estonia and Ireland from the 17th to 22nd of August 2017 in Wexford Ireland & 6 youth workers.The emphasis was on various ways young people might cope with stressful or difficult life events and challenges and we focused on personal coping skills & creative skills for expression and self reflection. The objectives and results of the projects were: 1. The participants on the TC came away with concrete methods and ideas that helped develop their own sense of empowerment, resilience & positive mental health and are now more competent in putting into action ideas and methods to increase positive mental health in the young people they work with.2. The young people on the YE came away with concrete methods and ideas to help develop their own sense of empowerment, resilience & positive mental health and incorporate these into their lives.3. The pax on the TC and the young people on the YE explored the potentials of creative methodologies as a way for self-discovery, stress reduction, creativity, empowerment, resilience and positive mental health.4. The participants on the TC and the young people on the YE were part of an intercultural learning experience.5. The pax on the TC facilitated their exchange of experience regarding their work with their own young people.6. The young people on the YE are better able to understand both themselves and other young people thereby feeling less isolated, better able to understand positive mental health and understand what they can do to encourage it within themselves and others.7. The pax on the TC were encouraged to develop European co-operation in the youth field.These objectives were fulfilled in relation to the objectives of Erasmus + youth mobility:• We supported the acquisition of skills of youth workers & young people on their personal & professional development and improving their employability. • We helped improve the language skills & intercultural learning of the participants. • This project also addressed E+ youth Inclusion and Diversity strategy as the TC & YE sought to combat poor mental health particularly in disadvantaged young people and those facing social, economic and educational difficulties. • We promoted the international cooperation & intercultural dialogue between partner and programme countries. • We also built up key competences and skills of young people including young people with fewer opportunities through the acquisition of skills by the youth workers and directly with the young people in the youth exchange. • Through youthpass we ensured better recognition of competences gained through their learning periods abroad, • Promoted active participation in civil society and develop a sense of European citizenship • Youth workers increased their professional development in the field with a view to innovating and improving the quality of Youth work across Europe & in their country. • They increased their motivation and satisfaction in daily work through the strengthening of their mental health.The methods used were: mindfulness and creativity, theatre, art & creativity, nature & outdoors, music, conversation, all took place in a context of improving resilience, positive mental health and empowerment. Long term benefits are an environment where people can be more open, understanding and positive in their attitudes and behavior towards mental health and an increased knowledge of how to achieve this.