"The present proposal aims to encourage the active inclusion of young Europeans in a stimulating and multicultural context through the international mobility program, besides wanting to train young volunteers on the topic of international volunteering as a means of promoting active and European citizenship. At the same time, given the importance that is taking on a European level the methodology of non-formal learning in youth work, the aim is to give the opportunity to the volunteers to gain expertise in this regard, boasting SCI-Italy long experience in this topic. Young volunteers will be able to see it applied in different forms of action, the same that the association carries, giving them the chance to approach to the third sector in general and, in particular, to the international volunteering. The overall objective is, therefore, to ensure that the personal and professional skills of the two volunteers are fostered and strengthened by introducing them into a working and human environment absolutely new and different for the one of origin. The two volunteers, who have not yet been selected, will carry out their period of European Voluntary Service within the National Secretariat of SCI-Italy, located in Rome. The call will be published on partners' websites and on their social networks. The coordinator for the long-term volunteering at SCI-Italy will then receive the candidatures and will carefully consider them, proceeding in a second step to the selection of a short list candidates with whom organize Skype meetings aimed at deepening the motivations and the expectations. After that, a total of two volunteers will be selected, a number commensurate with the nature and the objectives of the project, as well as with the hosting capacity in accordance to the EVS standards of quality and to what is stipulated in the show of interest. The two volunteers will support the staff and local volunteer of SCI-Italy in the promotion of international youth volunteer camps. In particular, they will support the coordinators of the areas of volunteering, social inclusion/EVS and communication in the office of the National Secretariat for understanding the international volunteering cycle, from the creation of the project, to the selection of participants up to the promotion.They will also support the staff and the local volunteers in the realization of awareness raising and training activities in the field of peace education and international volunteering. In addition, EVS volunteers will learn the tools of non-formal education both through the direct experience, since it will be used by the staff of SCI-Italy to transmit them the skills and abilities throughout the duration of the project, and also through the participation to a two-day workshop on this specific issue to be held at La Città dell'Utopia in late November. After acquiring the basic information on this topic, volunteers will support the staff and the activists of SCI Italy in the realization of a project aimed at the setting up and the opening of an info point on the recognition of non-formal education. Volunteers will play then a prior back office work during which they will map the associations located in Rome already involved in the promotion and recognition of non-formal education, maybe interested to start a cooperation.All the phases of the project will involve both partners and volunteers through continuous discussions and evaluations, in order to improve the ongoing activities and, therefore, the learning process of the volunteers. It will allow to fully integrate them into a path of growth, empowerment and ""activation"" so that the skills acquired can be reinvested, once they will be reintegrated within their communities and contexts of origin, in starting professional collaborations or in the activation of initiatives or activities always oriented to volunteering, to the promotion of active and European citizenship and to the recognition of non-formal education. With regard to the international network of organizations involved, the project aims to have a significant impact on each of them and on their mutual relations, as well as benefit from the presence and the support of two figures who have lived a path of growth and enrichment. The volunteers will be able to pour out the fruits of what they learnt on the activities of the sending organizations. At local level, the project will definitely have a great effect on the community that, thanks to the numerous activities planned and addressed to the whole citizenry, will benefit from the impact of the project."

"The project ""Learning on the go!"" is set in a house where there are six children between the ages of 10 and 17 years old, from families on troubles, considered as inadequate or dangerous for the healthy growth of children, or immigrants from poor countries.In the house lives a couple of volunteers, who coordinates the team of educators.The house is a country house, located in a new neighborhood south of Rome (Via Pietro Cuppari, 33, Rome), well connected to the rest of the city and equipped with all the amenities.The two EVS volunteer, active for 10 months, have been involved primarily in activities for children, through the organization of recreational activities and the sharing of daily activities (waking in the morning, take them to bed at night, do homework, play). In addition, the volunteers have been involved in the general activities of the association, such as fundraising, neighbourhood event, parties, etc.."

"<< Objectives >>The Green School Village (GSV) association decided to develop the Teaching Permaculture for Refugees (TP4R) project because of the critical situation facing young refugees and migrants in Europe, with the intention of supporting youth workers, trainers and facilitators who seek to deepen and develop their experience in teaching Permaculture Design Courses (PDC) with a focus on young refugees and migrants. The project coordinator and the principal trainer chose the Training Permaculture Teachers (TPT) format for this project because it demonstrates the best non-formal educational methodology and research, and equips youth workers with tools and strategies to foster ""critical thinking and a sense of initiative in young people"", which is crucial in avoiding marginalisation and the religious radicalisation that may later occur in young migrants. They will come to understand the world in terms of connections - between people, economies, and governing structures, and how to create the conditions for humans to flourish on a societal level, as well as how to develop beneficial relationships with the natural world in support of them and the climate change challenges. Today's youth can benefit tremendously from these tools, learning to view the world as full of connections instead of isolation, and of solutions instead of problems. The TPT activity serves to empower youth workers by offering a valuable intercultural learning opportunity to connect and cooperate with their peers from Europe in order to build mutually beneficial relationships, and it improves their level of key competences and skills in the field of non-formal education. This training focuses on the creative possibilities and best practices of sustainable solutions, gained from Permaculture communities, ""transition town"" initiatives, networks of ecovillages and sustainable movements towards a regenerative future, which also serves to de-escalate xenophobia and nationalist violence against migrants. The non-formal and empowering nature of Permaculture is well-placed to embrace an uncertain global future that includes the mass movement of people. This Design system offers theory and practice to support ""bottom up"" designs and solutions to complex problems in the process of building self-sustainable social and built environments. As described in the Project Description section, the main objectives of PDCs are to demonstrate the suitability of Permaculture in treating the issue of migration in Europe, and the usefulness of the TPT course to get young refugees and migrants trained up in these fields. As well, the TP4R project links very strongly to the general objectives of the Erasmus+ programme (please check the Project Description section for more details).TP4R aims to provide an empowering response to mass migration which facilitates meaningful transitions for those who are forced to migrate. GSV has been inspired by Rosemary Morrow's work, and one of the main objectives of this project is to offer solutions to the challenges facing refugees, migrants, and society as a whole in a time of mass migration, climate change (which the U.N. has declared a major factor in the migration of people from Africa and the Middle East, along with war and economic factors), and political instability. Other objectives of the course include providing practical tools and training for teachers who work with displaced young adults, in line with the Erasmus+ 2019 focus on how ""youth work [and] non-formal learning activities can significantly contribute to address the needs of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants and/or increase awareness about this issue within local communities"". These tools and the training itself are described in detail in the Activities-Participants section, answering the question: ""Which learning outcomes or competences (i.e. knowledge, skills and attitudes/behaviours) are to be acquired/improved by participants in the activity?"", as well as in the Timetable in the Annexes section of this application form. The TP4R partners will experience and learn how to encourage and support each other to develop their full potential, become active European citizens and change agents, implement projects and work in effective, creative collaboration to bring about positive and sustainable transition in the society.This project is the first one of intended series of cross-border co-teaching initiatives between the participants, and the potential use of the Youth Exchanges opportunity of Erasmus+ to include young refugees on a local level with the support of the rest of the partner organizations and the (expanded) P4R network of certified Permaculture teachers. Rosemary Morrow herself is the supervisor of this project.<< Activities >>GSV plans to implement only one activity this year, which is the week-long TPT intensive training in Bulgaria. It includes theoretical sessions on non-formal teaching and pedagogy; participatory exercises where the students practice teaching and working together in different size groups; debates and discussions on how to support and encourage the integration of young refugees and migrants in Europe; and how to work together along with the P4R network of Permaculture designers working with refugees in continuation of the TP4R project after the training ends. The activities offered are designed with the method of non-formal, learner-centered, lifelong education. This approach will engage and motivate the participants in the process of their own learning; invite critical testing rather than passive acceptance; will encourage them to reflect on what they are learning and how they are learning it; and facilitate their collaboration. Each day has a structure, which includes four main sessions of one and a half hours each, as well as these components: - Daily Opening and Welcome; - Gathering; - What's On: An agenda for the day's work;- Exercise/activity and debrief; - Energiser; - Exercise/activity and debrief; - Daily Wrap-up and Closing.For more details on the activities please refer to the Timetable in the Annexes section of this Mobility for Youth Workers project where a lot of details are presented for every session.GSV has decided to select three youth workers per organisation/country (aside from the four trainers: one from Spain, and three from Bulgaria). The TPT principal trainer and the coordinator have sought to include the profile of participants that are either already working with refugees, but need certification and methodology in teaching Permaculture, or need Permaculture Designers in their organisations that are willing to include young refugees in their educational practice. For instance, Marguerite Kahrl from the Italian partner organisation and the P4R network is an artist, Permaculture Designer and educator, also a co-founder of the Association Con MOI - an informal group of Italian and migrant citizens who strengthen social and human bonds through the sharing food, skills, time and mutual attention. One of Con MOI’s first actions was to stimulate reciprocity and reduce waste in an urban community with the recovery and redistribution of surplus food that could no longer be sold. In her work, Marguerite creates models and prototypes to stimulate cultural change. She holds a certificate for Permaculture Design, but not for teaching Permaculture, and she will benefit greatly from this course as she is already involved in valuable project that includes youth back home, which can be presented to the rest of the participants on the TPT course in Bulgaria, thus enriching the knowledge of the trainees.The teaching team wants to give the chance to actual young refugees (and not just youth workers) to take this training course after completing a prerequisite PDC before the TPT. The countries that can send such youth workers to the TPT activity (thus having the role of Group Leaders) are Spain, Italy, Germany, Norway and Greece, especially the last one that recently gave certificates to a number of refugees after the completion of their April 2019 PDC in Lesvos. The contact persons of each one of these partner organisations will be responsible of choosing the best students from their local communities of refugees and migrants. They are listed in the Activity Flows section of this application form as Participants with Fewer Opportunities. Each on of the other partner organization is encouraged to include at least one youth worker from their country, who is facing some sort of difficulties and is experiencing challenges or obstacles. They are also listed under Participants with Fewer Opportunities in the Activities section. The Bulgarian participants are all from rural areas and unemployed, and are willing to include their Permaculture projects in the iLAND international learning and networking demonstration sites platform, where a Permaculture Teacher certificate is a prerequisite on top of the PDC one.There is no age limit for all the participants, but a requirement to work with young people, and their role requires some more experience and background in the field of Permaculture Design. So part of the selection criteria will be to:- Have the prerequisite PDC certificate;- Work with young people;- Work or intend to work with young refugees;- Be actively involved in the local community;- Have some practical experience in Permaculture Design.<< Impact >>Most of the participants are experienced Permaculture Designers, and some of them are already teachers, but they all need the internationally-recognised certification, which this course provides. Secondly, they are all involved actively in projects back in their countries - either with young people or refugees, and quite often with both. Some of the organisations are willing to start working with young refugees, but as this is a very sensitive topic, many individuals do not know where to start from and this training course aims to empower them, to give them the needed confidence and strength by providing an abundant toolkit - pre-designed especially for teaching Permaculture to young people and refugees, created by the internationally-renowned Australian Permaculture Designer and founder of the P4R network, Rosemary Morrow, who is the direct tutor of the main trainers of this course and a supervisor of the whole TP4R project. As a result, the team expects to reach out to more marginalised groups all around Europe - to teach them regenerative practices based on the Permaculture ethics, principles and strategies. Also, following the expressed needs and objectives of the partners, the organisers and teachers of this training expect to expand the P4R network in other/new Programme countries that were not involved in its work before. In that sense, participants from Ireland, Finland and Norway are especially needed in this training as the standards in their countries allow them to create high quality products out of their work. On one hand, countries like the host - Bulgaria, can benefit from the course on one hand by creating the first TPT courses for young Permaculture Designers in their native language (thus the need to include three Bulgarian co-teachers to gain the needed experience with the principal trainer Alfred Decker), and on the other, to include young refugees and migrants in their PDCs while cooperating with more advanced in the field European organisations.The participants will feel much more confident to teach Permaculture with the newly acquired methods and techniques, thus contributing to their sending/partner organisations' future projects that include youth. The target groups of the partners are various, but mostly students, youngsters, children, local communities and young refugees. The latter will benefit greatly from working with the Permaculture trainers as they will be able to illustrate the regenerative and sustainable solutions that Permaculture design can offer from different perspectives (social, economic, ecological, etc.).The formal education is not responding adequately to challenges such as mass migration, climate change, economic crises, etc. The non-formal educational methodologies are more adaptable and suited to meet them, they are inclusive of and inspirational to the upcoming generations. The youth workers will be empowered by this training thanks to the innovative and participatory forms of learning to facilitate youngsters towards sustainability and new creative answers for this rapidly changing world. As a measure to augment the impact of the training, all participants of the training course will be requested to organise at least one follow-up activity, which will be the organisation of a PDC for young people (if possible refugees and migrants) in their local areas based on the prototype model created during the TPT course. The participants will feel much more confident to teach Permaculture Design with the newly acquired methods and techniques, thus contributing to their sending organisations' future projects that include youth. Additional follow-up activities will be the ongoing partnership opportunity of organising Youth Exchanges in the partner countries. The last day of the training course will be dedicated to evaluation and to the planning of future collaborations, networking activities and projects. As mentioned before, all the participants will be invited to suggest cross-border co-teaching initiatives and will be presented the Youth Exchange opportunity for future collaboration through Erasmus+.As follow-up activity it is expected that the participants will do public presentations of the project through their sending/partner organisations. They will adapt the texts prepared by the Media team of the TP4R project by writing articles to be published in local or online news. It is expected also from them to disseminate the project results through networking events and social media. All these activities will ensure the sustainability of the results of the project and increase its impact on different levels.The TP4R project is expected to have a significant impact at all levels: local, regional, national, European and international. Please check the Follow-up section for more details, also for the specific impact on each one of the partner organizations."

<< Objectives >>The project V.I.C.A. – Improving skills of IVS activists in the field of Volunteering In Conflict Areas aimed to strengthen organisations' commitment and capacity in the field of volunteering in conflict areas. The specific objectives and main activities were:- the empowerment of young activists through a Training Course (June 2021): young representatives from European NGOs have learnt knowledge and skills on conflict resolution, peacebuilding, volunteering in conflict situations, constructive engagement with local communities, evaluation and impact measurement techniques;- the involvement of the activists in practical projects: after the first training course and during the summer season, participants were supposed to have the opportunity to be involved in practical projects organised by the networks of the IVS movement (mainly international workcamps), focused on peace, volunteering in conflict areas and promotion of human rights; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were forced to drastically reduce the number of their voluntary opportunities in 2021.- the development of specific educational tools with the participatory contribution of experts and young activities: an updated version of a toolkit on volunteering in conflict areas was produced, that would be distributed and promoted on behalf of the whole IVS movement, peace activists, NGOs, institutions, students and other beneficiaries.<< Implementation >>There were two main activities implemented:A1. Training Course on Volunteering in Conflict Areas (originally foreseen to take plan in Serbia hosted by Mladi Istrazivaci Srbije Udruzenje, but due to the pandemic, it was converted in an online format).A2. Evaluation Meeting (originally foreseen to take plan in Greece hosted by Kinisi Ethelonton Service Civil International Ellas, but due to the pandemic, it was converted in an online format).The participants were representatives from the partner organisations who have experience or cooperation in the International Voluntary Service and are motivated to learn more and contribute to the peace-building and peace work, volunteering, conflict resolution, cooperation with local communities, intercultural communication.Due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and to its persistence in 2021, the original project timeline and the format of its activities had to be changed. At the beginning, we postponed the event dates hoping that the pandemic situation would pass away soon. As time passed by and we continued monitoring the public healthy situation and international mobility conditions, it was not feasible to pull out resources to organise a residential event involving so many international participants. As such, it was necessary to convert the A1 training into an online format. After the discussion with the trainers and key stakeholders, we decided to adapt the training into 5 daily online sessions with individual exercises work through a Moodle developed by CCIVS and the project experts, held on a weekly basis in June and at the beginning of July 2021. After the A1 training, participants were supposed to join workcamps and short-term projects related to the topics of the training, but the pandemic disrupted this plan, as the organisations belonging to the International Voluntary Service movement were forced to drastically reduce the number of their voluntary opportunities in 2021, as it happened in 2020. In the light of this scenario, also the format and the contents of the A2 meeting had to be changed accordingly. Instead of implementing it in a residential format in Greece hosted by Kinisi Ethelonton Service Civil International Ellas, it consisted of a series of 5 online sessions in December 2021, including an open conference “Palestinian Youth: Challenges and Opportunities”, which was held on 8 December 2021. In A2, participants should have shared their experiences following the “practical phase” in voluntary projects after the A1 training; as this was unfortunately no longer possible, the A2 meeting emphasized its focus on collecting ideas and contributions for the development of the updated toolkit on volunteering on conflict areas, and to evaluate the first training, providing additional in-depth analysis on the topics previously addressed. Of course, the changes have an impact on the project, most of all concerning its methodology. CCIVS, the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR) of Coventry University, the trainers, the hosting organisation and all the networks involved in the project were looking forward to starting the activity in Serbia, which was carefully prepared and planned taking into account a residential format, including visits and interactive methods. In spite of this, the A1 online training was particularly appreciated by the participants and their organisations, thanks to the diverse methods proposed by the facilitators and to the added value and competence provided by the 2 CTPSR experts. We hope to be able to propose again the training in its originally intended format in the near future, as the cooperation with the CTPSR was highly positive and the interest of participants on the topic was very strong. Further adaptations were made to the team, as the CTPSR expert originally identified for the residential format (Dr. Chas Morrison) was not available to conduct the online meetings due to a serious family issue related to the pandemic. Alternatively, the CTPSR proposed 2 experts, Dr. Zainab Mai-Bornu and Yasin Duman (PdD Candidate), who contributed to the training under the coordination of the facilitator and team coordinator Mauro Carta (free-lance trainer and NFE expert). We would like to extend our gratitude to the French National Agency and its project officers as they were very supportive to give guidance and advice during the activity implementation and adjustment related to the pandemic.<< Results >>Through this project, CCIVS has achieved:creating contents and methods to clarify CCIVS approach to volunteering in conflict areas, in order to clarify its specificities;strengthening its commitment to work in the field of peace and conflict resolution; reinforcing the partnership with the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (CTPSR) of Coventry University;providing valuable contributions to young activists and volunteers also during the months of the pandemic, when many projects and activities were suspended;sensitising stakeholders on the needs of preparation for volunteers who will conduct volunteering activities in conflict areas;updating the Toolkit on Volunteering in Cconflict Areas (published in 2008).In addition, the project was able to make a contribution and impact on the following aspects: 1) to provide definitions and clarifications on key-concepts: conflicts, reconciliation, international cooperation, volunteering in conflict areas.During the A1 Training, the facilitators had the chance to clarify the IVS approach on volunteering in conflict areas, using also visual inputs provided by a professional graphic artist. The 2 experts from CTPSR provided further definitions on key concepts, through study-cases, documentaries and research. In the A2 Meeting, participants were invited to reflect on the knowledge they gained through the meetings and they expressed positive feedback concerning this area. 2) to develop skills, competencies, and personal qualities needed to provide an active contribution in IVS peace projects, especially those implemented in conflict areas;This objective was addressed using interactive methods and proposing in-depth analysis on topics related to projects in conflict areas, share of personal experiences. The residential format and the following practical phase would have reinforced for sure the achievement of this set of skills, but participants were satisfied with the quality of contents and methods proposed by the facilitators and the experts. Working in break-out rooms, participants were invited to analyse specific scenarios, inspired by real situations in conflict areas, and to propose viable and constructive solutions, which were discussed in plenary with the feedback of the experts and facilitators. 3) to raise participants’ awareness and sensitivity on specific dynamics: conflict resolution, intercultural communication, volunteers’ expectations, gender and environmental issues, code of conduct and role of volunteers in conflict areas.This objective was met not only through the training course, but also during the second meeting in December, including the online conference which allowed participants, and a wider audience, to better understand a specific scenario (Palestine). During the training, the CTPSR experts presented a documentary which focused on conflict related to gender and environment (Exploitation of Niger delta). These specific cases were instrumental in providing concrete examples on the interconnections existing between conflict and social phenomena, and to better illustrate the possible interventions (through research, campaigns, voluntary actions etc). Finally, the participatory development of the updated toolkit on volunteering in conflict areas gave participants a chance to consolidate their learning process.

"The project ""Building peace in diversity. Attention to special needs"" wanted to promote social inclusion and living together in diversity, to generate democratic values, through the networking of organizations from different countries. This EVS offered to the volunteer Anna Jacobs the opportunity to participate in a community formed by people with functional diversity, social and health professionals and volunteers. The volunteer of FADEAM has been part of a unique community and understood how it is managed from within an organization that believes in the holistic coexistence and the exchange of experiences between different realities. The volunteer had a great opportunity to train and be trained in inclusion, human work and social transformation. The attention is based on the relationship established with the person with disability, giving a family dimension and integrative to all areas of the person. We can confirm that we reached the overall objective to promote international volunteering as a participatory tool towards intercultural coexistence, tolerance and promotion of youth participation. The specific aims were to provide a series of practical tools to encourage young people on the social inclusion and on living toghether in diversity . The project involved a volunter during 9 months in FADEAM organization. With these timing Anna was able to understand the full cycle of the project, participate in all stages and learn from them as well as to have a participatory, proactive, proactive and committed role. It has been a great experience to Anna and to all the community at Avets."