"Nature of EVS was a long-term project which aimed to explore innovative methodologies in EVS (community-based approaches, The Way of Council, The Hero’s Journey, nature-based methods etc.) and to support quality and accessibility of EVS projects through supporting different actors involved EVS both in their personal and professional development.OUR AIM:The aim of our project was to explore the potential and depth of European Voluntary Service (EVS) as a journey for personal transformation and complex growth of all the actors involved with the focus on sustainability and service to ourselves, communities and environment.Key activities were 2 training courses (mobilities of youth workers), each for 25 youth workers, trainers, project coordinators and mentors active in EVS. The outcome of the project (next to the learning outcomes for the participants and networking of the participating organisations) was the development of innovative methodologies and tools for all actors involved in EVS - coaching cards, descriptions of inspirational methods, blog articles.We hosted 50 participants in total from 16 countries and partner organisations, plus 4 trainers and 1 support staff (total number of participants: 50 people).WHERE and WHEN?24th - 31th July 2015 (including travel days) in Czech Republic 9th - 16th November 2015 (including travel days) in Italy Together with our partner organisations we defined 4 objectives for the overall project, and then we defined more specific objectives for each of our residential weeks, which are described in section G of this application.GENERAL OBJECTIVES:1) To create an inspiring learning environment for sharing good practices, inspiration and motivation, for networking and to create a collection of tools with EVS as a common topic. 2) To inspire participants to see the EVS experience as a unique transformational experience and a rite of passage for the volunteers; and an opportunity for personal and organisational development for all the actors involved.3) To explore concepts such as ""community life"" and ""service"", and the added value they can bring in EVS.4) To personally experience some innovative methodologies (e.g. The Way of Council, Threshold Walk, The Hero’s Journey, Pesso-Boyden therapy, nature-based methods etc.) and to use this to get new inspiration for future EVS work.NATURE OF EVS project was linked mostly with these three aims of Erasmus+ mobility projects:- to support the professional development of those who work in education, training and youth with a view to innovating and improving the quality of teaching, training and youth work across Europe;-to increase the capacities, attractiveness and international dimension of organisations active in the education, training and youth fields so that they are able to offer activities and programmes that better respond to the needs of individuals, within and outside Europe;-to raise participants' awareness and understanding of other cultures and countries, offerSpecific Objectives for TC #1 - Individual Journey1) To understand EVS as a personal development journey, and to compare+connect this journey to traditional myths and heroes' legends. 2) To experience a variety of nature based educational methods as inspiration to make EVS projects more meaningful.3) To learn about elements of traditional cultural patterns and psychological models and gain skills to implement them into EVS projects.Specific Objectives for TC #2 - Community Aspect1) To experience community based activities as tools for making EVS more powerful and beneficial learning process.2) To gain inspiration by sharing and seeing different examples and approaches to EVS and how the element of community can be a included3) To experience different realities of EVS actors, their motivations and potential goals; to create a space to share strengths, advantages and risks, as learning opportunities.The training courses were based on non-formal education and experiential learning. Participants experienced different community settings close to the nature and more traditional ways of living, and the team used these elements as important components of our learning processes.The tangible outcomes are:Production of useful tool for working with EVS volunteers - EVS coaching cards. These were printed in 10 copies and will be used on EVS trainings by the team, in their respective pools of trainers - Czech and Italian EVS trainer pool, and copies were send also to other EVS actors.Information about the project and its outcomes can be found online, both in SALTO database and detailed articles describing the training courses and main highlights were written by one of the team members, Carmine Rodi Falanga.CZECH EDITION: article - https://carminerodi.wordpress.com/2015/08/02/nature-of-evs/, Salto: http://trainings.salto-youth.net/4969ITALIAN EDITION: article - https://carminerodi.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/nature-of-evs-sermugnano/, Salt"

"""Special Effects"" is an innovative 8-day training course for youth workers to develop training and facilitation competence with a focus on skills that will make your inner ?tool box? richer, special, sparkle.Organised by Act In Ostrava in winter 2014: 6.-14. December 2014 (including travel days) in Kaprál?v Mlýn (www.kapraluvmlyn.cz), Czech Republic, close to Brno.""Special Effects"" - training course for trainers, facilitators and youth workers who are interested in improving their skills, competences or know-how, or acquiring new ones, in order to be more effective in their work and in the field of non formal education. The focus will be put on hands-on activities and practical applications to improve skills and competences based on: communication, creativity and artistic expression, how to deliver information, facilitation techniques, coaching, training, how to work with groups, nature based methods and outdoor education - with a few theoretical inputs used mainly to frame the activities and give a backbone to the course. We want to boost the quality of youth work and non formal education across Europe, we are involving a very wide network of organisations including well established partners from previous cooperations as well as new ones, and our activities will also aim to inspire reflection on topics like sustainability, personal development, sense of initiative, inspiration to change. We aim to host 28 participants from 11 countries and partner organisations, plus 4 trainers and 2 support staff (total number of participants: 34 people).The main objectives of our training course are:- to establish an international platform, to discuss and share knowledge, experience and good practices related to training and non-formal education in Europe today; with special mphasis on nature-based and community-based approaches in youth work and education;- to deepen participants? understanding of key concepts in non-formal education such as: training, learning, facilitation and coaching both on theoretical and practical level; to define formal and non formal education, and to create a bridge between these two worlds through a practical experience of non-formal activities in a local high school;- to provide participants with experience of topics relevant to the course in a variety of interactive methods and participants-centered learning processes, such as parallel workshops (e.g. different activities for beginner / advanced level...), Open Space, Way of Council, threshold walk, reflection time and guided time in nature;- to create a social experience of community, through sharing living and working spaces, participating in housekeeping tasks and daily practices, and to valorise this as an opportunity for learning and personal and social growth."

The project SEEDling: rethinking Sustainability trough Environmental EDucation has been a training course on how to promote social entrpreneurship among young people and who work with them, starting from the local ressources.The aim was to improve the capacity of bringing the ideas to reality through a project.Starting from the concern of the necessary change of paradigm in the entrepreneurship world, to be more inclusive with people interested in social and environmental issues, we wgave tools to the participants to start their own projects.We do believe in the power of small actions, and the need of promoting entrepreneurial spirit among young people, as the main stakeholder in the future legacy.Finally, the only way we know to make the previous come true is through education, so this was a chance to come, learn and share.The place where it was implemented is Medinaceli (Soria), a small village in central Spain placed 150km far from Madrid. It's a natural and cultural priviledge place where the landscape will be our ally to get inspired.During one week ( 19th -24th September), and using non formal education methods based on community building and open air activities we prepared the arena for a rich exchange of ideas, practises and living examples of alternative approaches to work, life and education. It was, more than anything else, an experiential learning project, where participants were able to live in a community based group, using local resources and lightweight lifestyles.We explored the idea of decreasing the environmental costs of our activities and growing in social relations, mutual learning and happiness. Some of the activities planned were: walking in the nature, entrepreneurship workshops, coaching, community learning and council, among others.The target group included 28 participants among Youth workers, Trainers, Youth leaders, Youth Policy Makers, Volunteers, anybody who could be interested in the topic and find it useful for personal and professional development.With this project we aimed to raise awareness on some of the main aspects of the continuing changing society, give tools to the participants to self develop their sense of initiative, and enhance the networking process.The benefits of this action rely on the capacity of the paticipants to put in practise and multiply the contents of the course once back home, and also the power of networking between the organizatoins involved.

"As non-formal education takes a prominent role in the EU, the field of environmental education shares a growing interest in alternative methodologies that prove to be accessible, consistent and scientifically founded.In the long term, with better trained environmental educators it will be easier to meet the objectives of Europe 2020, especially in the strategic framework of Education.""S4L Soil for Life - Science and Skills for Environmental Education"" has been an experiential learning course, based on holistic pedagogies, mainly focused on exchanging, developing and improving the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to meet current challenges of climate change, environmental sustainability , multicultural education and active citizenship in the European context.For 7 days, through a residential program, a group of workers in the field of youth, environmental educators, unemployed science university students and NGO volunteers with youth projects; in total, 33 people from 8 countries have:* - Exchanged innovative experiences on environmental education* - Implemented Holistic models of environmental education* - Practiced experiential methods to help understand scientific knowledge, tracing links between formal, non-formal and informal learning.* - Developed attitudes and skills for healthy, sustainable and community life.* - Discussed and identified factors that ensure the quality of non-formal environmental education* - Documented and reflected on the learning outcomes, by co-creating a fanzine about the course, aimed at the disseminating results and openly sharing knowledge.In this sense the -S4L- experience has trained participants on how to create their own environmental education programs, based on experiential and holistic learning methodologies."

The Deep Education (subtitled: Quality and Innovation in Erasmus+ Non-formal learning) project is a complex educational activity for youth workers aiming at innovative methodologies in the area of cross-sectional themes of European non-formal education (NFE in general, participation, interculturality, inclusion). It combines one international training course with two activities of the participants on local level. The project targets an existing network of organisations which work in a similar style and have been organising activities together.The main objectives are: to summarize and share the experience from previous projects; to review the themes and methods in regards of the current needs; to combine main NFE themes with modern methods based on traditional patterns; to create a clear and realistic work plan for a specific topic with adequate methods; to start a new phase of cooperation in the field of those methodologies.The project is designed for 33 youth workers from 10 countries (CZ, DE, ES, HU, IR, IT, PL, SK, TU, UK), who already have at least a basic experience in the field and the potential to use the outcomes in their work. The main idea and overall methodology of the project is based on blending universal archetypal patterns (natural cycles, labyrinth, pilgrimage, rites of passage) with modern educational approaches and their application in current themes. Special attention is given to the general availability of the methods for its use in different contexts and accessibility for various target groups.The main outcome of the project next to the competences acquired, is a wide portfolio of learning tools which can be used in local and international youth work. Also a practical handout will be created to support and inspire work in the area. The project in general promotes the recovery of traditional cultural patterns and their transformation into approaches useful for the society of our time.