<< Objectives >>Project Toolbox addresses the needs of other partners and participants of the successful project implemented in 2019 in Youth Centre Krško called Ego Trip. The basic idea of the later project was to empower youth workers in the field of good mental health through the method of learning by doing. Through different approaches and activities they were able to explore themselves in order to better help the youth in their local environment. The overall feedback was beyond our expectations and so it became a wish for all involved to upgrade and reapply the project. And so, TOOLBOX was born. United under Optimal, the former facilitators of Ego Trip got together and recognised the value of such trainings for the field of youth work. We believe that we must empower and equip ourselves first in order to be able to do the same for others. Given, that most youth workers do not have a professional degree in dealing with mental health we thought of a platform for youth workers that would include different tools, methods and techniques. The youth workers would then be able to choose an appropriate method to suit their situation, environment and target group.Toolbox' goals include talking about positive self-esteem, maintaining good mental health and empowering youth workers to the point where they become confident and successful in their organisations and communities. One of the goals of the project is also the platform with all the necessary tools and methods which will be constantly evolving and upgrading by the different organisations across all Europe.<< Implementation >>The activities in TOOLBOX address topics such as mental health, empowerment, self-esteem, prejudice and inclusion. All activities are very inclusive and demant constant attention, motivation and critical thinking from the participants. The activities NLP, theatre techniques, teambuilding, digital learning and creative conveyance will offer a new insight into youth work and offer guidance and support to all youth workers in their daily work. 21 participants aged 18+ from Slovenia, Cyprus, Greece, Armenia, Ukraine, Macedonia and Hungary will represent 7 different organisations in the Toolbox training in Krško in November 2022. The participants all have previous experience of working with youth, youth with fewer opportunities or are in some way active in the field of youth work.in their work.<< Results >>The focus of project TOOLBOX is on two things. The physical and mental condition of the youth workers and the draft of their tools,methods and techniques used in their daily work with youth. By being exposed to new techniques and working methods at the training the youth workers will become more confident and assertive in their work which will also translate to the work of their organisations. With methods like NLP, theatre, teambuilding and storytelling they will gain new experience and tools as well as a fresh outlook on youth work. It is expected they better their communication, approach and the abbility to include all groups of youth in their work. The main goal of the project is to empower youth workers so they approach difficult situations in their work with confidence, the right tools and the right attitude in order to not only address certain topics but to resolve them sucessfully. All participants will have access to the Toolbox platform where all tools, techniques and methods will be made available to them as well as the priceless feedback and support of their peers.

Active citizens are people who care about their local communities and the places they live in. Many people feel a sense of commitment to their neighborhood and are actively involved in activities to improve the quality of life there, thus being an active citizen for their community. And the more citizens feel that they are able to contribute to their public spaces, the more vibrant their communities will be. As the idea of Placemaking is not yet so widely spread among young people and their communities, the organizers decided that they will need to develop skills and knowledge on Placemaking generally and especially on Creative Placemaking, which is directly connected with the concept of active citizenship and social inclusion. Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community. Placemaking is a collaborative process by which people shape their public realm together and it is fundamentally about inclusion and shared community ownership. An effective Placemaking results in the creation of quality public spaces that contribute to people’s health, happiness, well being and how it makes the people who use it feel about themselves. But if there is no active citizenship, there will be no Placemaking, as active participation of citizens is always in need for new initiatives. Creative placemaking is a powerful idea that can increase civic engagement of young people in the community life and thus bring changes, redefine public spaces and contribute to the development of healthy sustainable communities. Objectives of the Youth Exchange are: -to empower young people to be active citizens, to develop a sense of European citizenship and identity -to bring the idea of Placemaking to young people -to promote Creative Placemaking -to encourage creative and critical thinking among young people, to empower sense of initiative -to encourage involvement of young people in decision making processes that affect them directly and indirectly -to raise awareness on importance of Placemaking in community designing process -to improve leadership skills of young people -to support the active participation of young people with fewer opportunities -to develop intercultural dialogue This YE is designed for young people, youth workers, who are really interested in active citizenship and want to improve their community and the environment they live in by being active citizens.and networking between EU and Neighboring countries Participants for youth exchange project were young people from age 18 to 30, except the group leaders who had no age limit restrictions. From each country 1 group leader and 4 participants (except Spain and Armenia-5 participants +1 group leader from each ).Total number of participants were 32 (including group leaders). The activities that were used are based on non-formal educational methods, both theoretical and practical with semantic sequence. Participants had activities like icebreakers and teambuilding activities, several other methods like inputs, role-plays, simulations, discussions and workshops. The 3 main expected impacts on the participants are new knowledge, developing skills and change in attitude/behaviour.

"<< Objectives >>The training course “Green(washing)?” has been implemented with a dedication to the topics of consumption and green washing to help participants navigate themselves through the great variety of eco and green options connected to social and environmental issues. Over the past couple of years there has been more awareness connected to these issues and also people’s health and wellbeing. Businesses have been catching up on these trends and the amount of green and ecologically friendly products and services is growing. A huge range of green alternatives has been developed, where every second product or service seems to save our planet, animals, people and is organic, natural, eco etc. The question for us remained if that is really so. During the collaboration with our partner organisations, in previous projects and daily discussions, we realised that today's challenge is not anymore to encourage young people to choose better products but to prepare them to be able to distinguish valuable products from green and social washing. Green and social washing refers to situations in which we are told that a certain product or service is good for us, for society, the environment, etc, but in reality it is equally or sometimes even more harmful than more traditional products.During the training course “Green(washing)?” we aimed to equip youth workers, local community leaders and volunteers, youth activists and educators with information and skills which helped them to:-Understand how the process of producing goods looks like (where our clothes, food, cosmetics, electronics, etc. come from, in what conditions they are produced and what are the consequences of it);-Realise where our natural resources come from, how we use them today and what’s the potential danger in the future in relation to that;-Distinguish good, green solutions, products and services from green and social washing;-Critically analyse their daily consumption choices, noticing which of their habits could be improved to become more responsible toward people and the environment;-Create their own solutions, social actions, campaigns, search for relevant information and share them in interesting and engaging ways;-Spread new skills and information, especially among young people by boosting motivation, giving specific tools and building a network of people interested in the topic.<< Implementation >>""Green(washing)?"" was a training course that supported 29 participants from Armenia, Croatia, Georgia, Italy, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Ukraine to become more aware consumers. Unfortunately finally participants from Armenia could not join us due to the difficulties with visa, however since the organisation was involved in the preparatory phase - they are mentioned here.In Greenwashing(?) we focused on equipping them in specific knowledge and skills related to:-The way our goods are produced as well as social and environmental consequences of it;-Distinguishing green solutions which make a real difference from green and social washing;-Existing complex solutions which are or have potential of being real game-changers.Activities implemented by us under the ""Green(washing)?"" project included inter alia:- online preparatory phase, during which we have worked with participants on the preparation for the transnational mobility. We have conducted online meetings with partner organisations as well as with the chosen participants of the transnational mobility, we have also give participants tasks to take care of/prepare before coming to the transnational mobility in Poland- implementation phase - in the form of ""Green(washing)?"" Training Course, which took part in Poland in May 2022. During the mobility, we have conducted educational sessions divided into thematic blocks:1. HEAD (3 days) - during which we focused on the knowledge regarding the phenomena of ""greenwashing"" and ""social washing"", we have been learning about responsible consumption, practicing our critical thinking skills, debating on the topics connected with the theme of the project2. HEART (3 days) - where we were focusing on the feelings and emotions connected to the topic, exploring our values and individual strengths, exploring and connecting to the nature, creating visions of the world we want to live in and checking alternative solutions and good practices in this already, which are already existing and are often successful in our countries (such as circular economy, social business etc.)3. HANDS (3 days) - during which we have been conducting paralel practical workshops (each participant could choose which workshop they are going to attend during each session), where we have been learning by doing - working in the garden, creating natural cosmetics, exploring alternative ways of sustainable living, working with natural materials such as wood, using art as a form of expression, learning more about work with the nature and animals, learning about wild plants, learning how to start a fire and preparing food afterwards)+ 1 day dedicated to the evaluation of the process. - dissemination of results and future plans phase - during which participants were disseminating gained knowledge, experience and skills back in their local communities, with young people and other beneficiaries; we are also already involved in cooperation within our project ""Sustainable Communities for You(th)"" with our partner from Portugal, we have also been invited to become partners in the TC of the Italian organisation.Moreover, an interesting element of the programme was ""Sharing time"", during which participants could propose their own activities - as a result, the programme has been enriched with daily yoga sessions, Krav Maga workshop, healthy lifestyle and well-being workshop (focused on food and nutrition), workshops focusing on sharing culture, customs and discussing current reality in: Georgia, Moldova&Romania, Ukraine and Portugal. The participants involved in the training were youth leaders, youth workers, community leaders and local volunteers as well as activists and educators interested in developing their knowledge and skills in the field of responsible consumption. As a partnership we managed to keep a balance between our target groups, in order to have different perspectives and to share our diverse experiences. People who participated in the training were all motivated and willing to exchange knowledge and good practices from their countries and represented organisations during the mobility as well as to share new knowledge, skills and experiences gained during project with other people, especially youth. They were able to share results offline, for example, by leading meetings and/or workshops or other sessions for young people and local community representatives but also online via social media platforms.The participants of this project were selected through the network of the partnership and they fulfilled the following criteria, having:-A good understanding of the situation of young people in their community and / or national context;-A good understanding of the needs in the field of youth;-At least a basic understanding of non-formal education purposes, framework and educational approaches;-Motivation to take part in a mutual learning process and in an intercultural and challenging setting;-A basic level of English.<< Results >>Tangible results of ""Green(washing)?"" are:-On the spot actions prepared by participants during the training days, such as an awareness action on consumption and waste;-Dissemination actions planned during the last day of the training and implemented after;-Daily report describing all implemented activities and sessions conducted during the training available for all participants and partner organisations with ready-to-use inspirations for activities-A list of recommendations of how participants as well as partner organization can become more sustainable and ecological in their daily work.The impact of ""Green(washing)?"" on, amongst others, participants, partner organisations and their youth, was:-Becoming more aware consumers, being able to recognise real green and eco solution and distinguish them from green and social washing;-Equipping them with concrete tools and sources of valuable information related to consumption, useful in their daily work with young people;-Raising their motivation for responsible choices related to different kinds of consumption;-Getting experience in presenting information in an interesting and engaging way and preparing actions related to consumption such as the awareness action.Participants of ""Green(washing)?"":-Changed their attitude toward consumption and are able to make more conscious consumption decisions becoming role models for the young people they are surrounded by and work with on a daily basis;-Improved their critical approach toward consumption, but also other aspects of life, learning how and where to check facts related to particular topics;-Became more careful with information they provide and pass on to youth, researching properly before sharing;-Encouraged other young people to develop their own critical thinking, question things around and compare different sources of information instead of believing tout court media, marketing and advertising;-Got equipped with new tools and methods to use directly in their work with young people;-Know how to create actions and workshops related to consumption, where to check information and how to present them to young people in an engaging way;-Know how they can become more responsible consumers, starting from small advice which can be introduced in daily life (for example buy local, use second hand, etc) up to big, complex solutions (for example circular economy, permaculture);-Developed their social skills, above all working in a diverse team, communication, empathy, conflict solving, which are useful in any kind of social work, including youth work;-Broadened their local and international network, getting new potential possibilities for youth work with.Other impact on participants include:-Raising their professional competences and qualifications within youth work;-Increasing their knowledge and awareness about needs and challenges within the partnership countries, their local communities and as a response the opportunity to better respond to these needs in implemented international projects;-Embracing differences and needs represented by participants from different backgrounds, realities including those with fewer opportunities.Partners of ""Green(washing)?"":-Gained motivation, knowledge and skills how to become more ecological and sustainable in the real meaning of those words (which includes being able to distinguish between real eco solutions and green washing);-Already introduced small changes, for example using less paper, recycling waste, considering choosing public transport rather than cars or planes, etc.;-Have been encouraged to introduce some change also at the level of organization strategy and policy;-Take more aware decisions regarding their daily actions, taking environmental and social costs into account;-Have access to a full daily report with the description of the exercises used during the training, ready to be used as an inspiration for future activities implemented in the organisations;-Broadened their network of international collaborators, especially from countries participating in Greenwashing and countries from Partner Regions;-Have developed ideas for future international collaboration."

<< Objectives >>The youth exchange “What’s Your Story?” is about Active Citizenship, empowering young people to have engagement and participation in society, valuing contributions made by themselves. It involves starting to care about one’s family and friends, neighborhood and environment, volunteering to help out others, simply being active in expressing ideas or actions for solutions to global issues. There is also very essential engagement - participation in democratic decision making processes in local, national and international levels. Taking into account the following factors we have come with the idea to have a world with more Active Citizens, which can lead to more positive encounters within and between communities and cultures, characterized by openness and a desire for mutually positive learning and benefit. As a tool for raising awareness about active citizenship and its role in society among citizens, we will use Digital Storytelling. During the 8-day project, participants will get to know each other, about the topic and digital storytelling and get relevant knowledge and skills to make their own STORY. Objectives of the project are:To raise awareness about Active Citizenship, Human Rights and DemocracyTo promote intercultural dialogue and social responsibility among young people and impulse their engagement in community lifeTo encourage creative and critical thinkingTo give the opportunity to learn and broaden knowledge and skills about Digital Storytelling as a means to spread the message To create a safe atmosphere where cultural dialogue can occurTo contribute to the promotion and development of non-formal learning<< Activities >>The methodology of the project will be based on different methods of non-formal education (role plays, simulations, teambuilding games, group work, discussions, icebreakers, outdoor activities, etc.). The whole project consists of the two-day APV (Advanced Planning Meeting) and the eight-day YE (Youth Exchange) which will bring participants from 5 countries - EU and Eastern Partnership.The youth exchange is designed to involve 4 participants + 1 group leader per each country. Participants' age limit is 18-30, whereas group leaders have no age limit. Overall participants will come from different cultural, geographical backgrounds. << Impact >>Course Learning Outcomes are:- To define what is meant by active citizenship and understand active citizenship values- Critically to engage with these ideas/definitions in relation to their own experiences and expectations- To consider the usefulness of ‘active learning for active citizenship’- To develop some personal ‘tools’ for active citizenship- To explore being a potential “active citizenship storyteller” while using digital storytelling tool- To deal with a really interesting intercultural dialogue and learn its external and internal features and learn- To Think, Pair, Share

<< Objectives >>The training course “LOOK INSIDE” was created with the intention of drawing the attention of youth workers to the importance of identity and offering them the opportunity to explore and experiment new methods and tools aimed at promoting interculturality and respect for diversity.In summary, the objectives of “LOOK INSIDE” were:- Promote intercultural learning and knowledge on issues such as identity, prejudice, stereotypes, intercultural communication, etc.- Develop practical skills necessary for the organization of international projects and the skills to be a facilitator/trainer- Empower participants to play an important role in the development of society- Create a space of mutual respect and free of prejudice where good practices and experiences can be exchanged- Foster creativity and innovation in youth work- Strengthen cooperation between partner and programme countries to participate in the Erasmus+ programme and specifically between the partner organizations.<< Implementation >>The training course “LOOK INSIDE” involved 20 youth workers from six different countries: Portugal, Spain, Serbia, Italy, Ukraine and Armenia. Cultural differences were an enriching element in “LOOK INSIDE” where issues related to identity and self-determination had a lot to do with the culture and origin of the participants. Thanks to the precise selection process we managed to have a very diverse group in terms of age, experience and opportunities.The program of activities was based on the use of non-formal methodologies that allowed the participants to acquire knowledge in a friendly and effective way. A space for non-formal learning was created and through this space the participants fostered their autonomy, leadership, flexibility and other skills and competencies that would serve them both in their professional and personal lives. The theoretical knowledge was combined with practical exercises to guarantee their understanding. Most of the planned activities were participatory and interactive in nature with the aim of enhancing the participants' sense of initiative and active participation.In summary, youth workers took part in: *Learning activities* Group activities and games to reinforce the team spirit of the participants and favor their socialization* Cultural activities<< Results >>According to our initial plan, the participants began their “journey” by questioning themselves about their identity and exploring their own personality and cultural identities. The end result was a better understanding of the role of their identity and how people perceive the world. The activities carried out helped youth workers to reflect on their identity; understand the concept of identity; motivate them to investigate in depth the factors that have an impact on their identity. All of this resulted in a remarkable improvement in their critical thinking, sensitivity and empathy towards diversity.At the end of “LOOK INSIDE” youth workers were also better able to interact with youth and carry out their daily work without stereotyping or judging, which would have a positive impact on their activities and relationships with young people with different backgrounds.The opportunity not only to develop but also to implement their own activities involving the rest of the participants resulted in a notable improvement in the necessary skills to carry out their daily work.At the end of the project during the final evaluation, the participants in “LOOK INSIDE” shared that one of the most important results of the project are the new tools and methods that they have learned from both the trainers and participants.