Project activities brought together 13 volunteers and 17 partner organizations from 10 different countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Serbia, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain and Ukraine). The project was coordinated by the Polish Robert Schuman Foundation and was entitled “Schuman volunteers go local”. The title came from the main aim of our project, which was to create a sense of identification with European values through social engagement of the volunteers in their local communities in Poland.Among 13 volunteers 4 of them improved their knowledge of the EU and spread it among other young people - Polish students from different schools and European Clubs, whom the volunteers met during their school visits, workshops or individual meetings. Volunteers informed these young people about the EU (its structure, functioning, values and programs), current affairs important for youth, volunteering and educational opportunities. Two volunteers worked in a European Club and have had contact with pupils and students on daily basis, supporting after-school extracurricular activities. Two volunteers were involved in the organization of various European educational projects, which allowed them to acquire project management and organizational skills as well as get to know the work of Polish NGOs.Eight volunteers got practical knowledge about special education and special care while supporting teachers and assisting children with disabilities in special kindergartens. All volunteers improved the complex set of skills needed to work with children and practical knowledge on developmental process of children with specific disabilities. Additionally volunteers’ sense of solidarity and empathy has strengthened motivating volunteers to more active engagement in social care and their belief in the importance of the quality of special education.Additionally, volunteers participated in a series of activities that brought a positive impact on the local level. All volunteers had a common task – to organize “local actions” in the communities of their accommodation. With the guidance of the Polish Robert Schuman Foundation the volunteers discovered their respective neighborhoods, established contacts with local stakeholders and fellow inhabitants. After establishing the needs volunteers planned and prepared local actions engaging their local communities. These activities enabled the volunteers to develop their creativity and sense of initiative, improve their entrepreneurial and organizational skills. The combination of regular EVS activities in respective receiving organizations with additional activities in the broader local community fostered intercultural dialogue, multilingualism, tolerance and respect for diversity.This project, especially its additional local activities, have created new partnerships on the local level and thus started a path for closer future cooperation and a more inclusive and tolerant environment in the hosting communities. Along with the competence gained in their receiving organizations volunteers became more culturally aware and have developed an ability to adapt to different environments easily, which means that their employability on the quickly changing European labor market has also increased.

"n a report issued by the World Health Organization 'Young and Physically Active' specific reference is made to the fact that physical activity plays a key part in young people’s physical, social and mental development. In spite of all the efforts and initiatives created to fight the current alarming rise in the levels of obesity and inactivity rates, concrete results are too few and hard to come by. The costly problem of obesity is affecting our societies at all levels. In the latest study published by Eurobarometer on sport and physical activity, a staggering 59% of those who undertook the survey (27,919 respondents) confirmed that they never or rarely play /exercise a particular sport. The project entitled ""Pame"" is a youth exchange involving a total number of 58 youths from 7 different countries: Spain, Malta, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Ukraine, Greece. There will be 12 accompanying persons & 8 group leaders. The APV will take place from 10th - 11thth May 2019 in Samothrace where the youth mobility from the 10th -15th July 2019 (both plus travel days) in Samothrace. Alter Ego Ngo developed the idea to creat a project with other foreign organizations who are also involved in working with youths with the idea to create a youth exchange involving youths from Europe in mix groups of youth as deaf or hard of hearing and hearing and focus on the importance of healthy living, active citizenship, social inclusion amongst few. The theme and objectives of the project are to develop the young people's understanding, knowledge, and experience on living active and healthy lifestyles, promote active citizenship, social solidarity and inclusion and respect and mutual understandings of different cultures. The general objective of our project is to help and improve the participants’ skills: -to give participants an understanding of the issues that surround healthy lifestyles and youth obesity. This will be done through the multiple activities planned. This falls in line with one of the main priorities identified by the Erasmus+ program and the need to promote projects that tackle such pertinent issues. It is also a means by which important messages will be delivered on how these activities should be open to everyone irrespective of their social background. - to develop a sense of active citizenship so that the participants can raise issues and develop campaigns that will aid youth participation in these issues. Experiencing outdoor activities will provide the participants with the necessary knowledge to encourage others back home to promote physical activity and nurture a sense of curiosity to explore their surroundings and how to stay active. -to highlight the importance of cultural fusion and how through a combination of different cultures we cannot just learn to respect each other but we can also learn how to be more tolerant towards other cultures. Food and sharing of nutritional information and recipes are one of the key tools by which we will highlight and work on this priority. This exchange is an example of a project devised by young people for young people who are not just examples of active youths but are also in a position to continue to pass on these important messages and to encourage more youths to participate. It will bring together youth coming from both EU and non-EU countries and thus it promotes further tolerance and understanding amongst youth coming from different countries. The main activities include a mixture of outdoor activities, physical activities, workshops, discussions, and culinary nights all intended to promote the themes of the project. The expected learning outcomes include: -better understanding issues surrounding healthy lifestyles and youth obesity; - development of interpersonal skills; - exposure and experience of outdoor activities and grass-root sports, encouraging more physical activity amongst youths; - to provide a fusion and better understanding of each others' culture; - to learn how to come up with ideas for the activities and become more familiar with how to disseminate and promote of an event especially during the workshop of the interviews Chora; - to improve the communication skills and be more confident when expressing their opinion; -reach compromises within a team; - be more tolerant and understanding of obstacles faced by other people; -participate in a team by acting as an active participant whilst ensuring that the opinions of others are respected. By carrying out this project, we are hoping to create the start of an exciting journey where we will meet different young people and learn from each other. It is no doubt that today's young generations are tomorrows' adults. Therefore, this experience will help the participants in developing their characters and building self-confidence. The project encourages active participation and an increased sense of citizenship by making participants more aware of the role that they play in society."

"The aim of the project "" Becoming a citizen of earth"" was to offer seven young Europeans the opportunity to volunteer in projects concerning different social issues, working with and for the benefit of people in various circumstances. The volunteers were encouraged to bring forth their own ideas to engage the patrons of the organisations they will work with. All placements have been based mainly on human interaction, so they constituted a great opportunity for the young people to become fully integrated into the communities they served, to form meaningful connections with its members, and to become comfortable with living in a new, culturally different environment. All projects had a planned duration of 12 months, but due to some visa issues one of the participants only managed to perform 10 months of voluntary service. The projects focused on using artistic and physical ways to engage the target groups served by the hosting organizations and to find activities that they enjoy, to offer friendship and support, and to help them work through differences and various barriers that they might have faced. Thus, the volunteers got the chance to experience new cultures, learn new skills, and use creativity in work environments that involve people in various circumstances, such as young children in the Waldorf Kindergarten and other young volunteers from several countries and cultures at the AUS office, but also groups that live with different social disadvantages, such as the elderly at Grund, who often face social isolation, or the mentally ill at Ásgarður and Geysir. The aim of integrating these young volunteers into Icelandic culture and community was met through these work placements and activities arranged by AUS, which helped them adjust to a new culture and hopefully learn from it. They were also able to enhance their professional and personal skills while doing their voluntary work and other free time activities. The volunteer for the AUS office - Anna Gordiichuk - came from Ukraine. Her project started later than planned due to some visa issues, which meant that she was only allowed to come to Iceland in November 2017. However, she did manage to complete her entire service period, finishing her project after 12 months in 2018. Geysir hosted Ján Jakub Ilavský from Slovakia, instead of Michala Matuchova. After some months, however, a decision was made that it would be best for him to leave Geysir, and so he finalized his volunteering term at the AUS office. Ena Uzelac, who was supposed to be one of the volunteers at Grund, was replaced by Sandra Juzbasic from Croatia. The other participant - Meike Tiedemann - was from Germany. Both girls managed to bring a positive change into the lives of Grund's residents by motivating and helping them to stay active both physically and mentally, and their experience was so rewarding for them and everyone involved, that they both decided to stay in Iceland after their volunteering period and become full-time employees at the elderly home.Two other volunteers from Germany were welcomed to Iceland, hosted by the Waldorf Kindergarten: Johanna Scheib and Neitah Eckerlin. They were the youngest of the seven volunteers, but reported that these 12 months were a very pleasant and useful learning experience for them.Larysa Bondar, also from Ukraine, was the volunteer at Ásgarður. Her term was the shortest, as her arrival was also delayed to November 2017 due to visa issues, and she had to leave Iceland in August 2018 because she had already made different plans. Regardless, her time in Iceland was a very fruitful and pleasant one, as she managed to bring a very positive contribution to her project, and reported to have had a great time. Within this project, volunteers were mostly impacted through their host placements, the people they met and the activities they took on. The activities they performed helped them develop on both personal and professional levels, experience living and working in a new, multicultural setting, become more socially and culturally aware, forge lasting bonds with people from all over the world with all sorts of backgrounds, gain valuable life skills and competencies that could significantly improve their future prospects, and have an overall enriching and unforgettable experience, all while contributing to a greater good, serving diverse groups of people in need, and having a positive impact on their lives. In addition to the volunteers, participating organizations also benefited from this project. Hosting organizations, especially, were aided in working towards their vision of a greater good. More importantly, however, through the presence of the EVS volunteers, a significant positive impact was made on the lives of several groups of individuals served by these hosting organizations."

"<< 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 >>""Schoolclash eV"" together with partners initiates a project ""Go for hi-king"" which is based on sports, outdoor education & social inclusion. We noticed that Europe citizens are very frustrated because of current changes & new wave of discrimination, hate & anger is starting in the continent again. Huge number of racist crimes in Europe has risen as well, especially hate crimes against Muslims following Paris attacks. There is an urgent need to reduce social tensions, to raise the level of tolerance, to promote the understanding & accepting each other despite the cultural & religious differences. Our aim is with the use of sport as development tool to foster solidarity and social inclusion. Idea of YE came up after the meeting of young people in one of the YE. The interest of future partners was shared and they expressed their willingness to participate in this activity which will tackle the issue of lack of tolerance and explore it through different kind of methods. We are combining every days active lifestyle with non-formal education methods in youth work. The specific objectives of this project: 1.To reach personal development which helps to understand ourselves and reflect on own behavior & behavior of others. 2.Challenge the perception of the structures within our society that undermine social inclusion or foster discrimination 3.Overcoming the stereotypes of different religious 4.To raise awareness on the topic of discrimination 5.To build a broader understanding of what an inclusive attitude means and to start inter cultural and inter- religious dialogue 6.To understand the connections between culture and sport and to understand the inter cultural aspects of sport 7.To raise the sense of empathy towards other people.Next to the general objectives we have the following goals: 1. To engage partners and participants therefore the project's continuation could be planned; 2. To involve local volunteers so they could be motivated to initiate similar initiatives by their own; 3. To encourage significant changes of the mindset in participants so they could bring changed to they communities; 4. To refine methods of education through sport; 5. To build a stronger partnership with organisations; As we will use sport for an educational purpose, it is essential to make good use of the mentioned above non-sport components. We will do it in a structured, reflective & a planned way. The context of non-formal education & its methodology provide this insight in planning learning process while using sport. This type of working requires many elements which go from using sport & physical exercise in order to provoke a strong lifelong learning outcome such as improving tolerance, solidarity or trust among nations. The importance here is to conduct a process where sport & hiking become tools for support to achieve the educational goals first. In this case the sport itself becomes secondary to the educational purpose.<< Activities >>The main activity will consist of the Youth Exchange in the Kakheti Region, Georgia from 2-13 August, 2019. The APV will be held in the Kakheti Region, Georgia from 8-10 July, 2019. We will be 8 partners(40participants in total)from Germany, Portugal, The Netherlands, Lithuania, Georgia, Russia, Armenia & Ukraine. Gender balanced group of young people, falling in age group of from 18 to 26 Years. During both activities we will focus on creating a community and with that leaving a special trace from each participant. To be more precise, the majority of the Georgian participants will have an IDP background and will be coming from deprived urban areas. In their specific social environment they face particular hardships in economic concerns, health service access in difficult and traditional structures dominate the social life, resulting in limited personal freedom if comparing their situation to their peers in the urban centers. The participants from the programme countries(Germany, Portugal, The Netherlands, Lithuania) will be composed of mixed groups of youth with fewer opportunities, refugees and migration background which makes their access to societal welfare more complicated and equal access to education and the labor market is not guaranteed. The reason for letting youth with fewer opportunities have priority of participation is to encourage them to be active and show that experience is available for everyone. With this we hope they will gain confidence and a wish to seek adventure. However, if it turns out that some candidates with none of specific qualities contact us, and they have a sincere interest in the project and other basic qualities, we will be adaptable, because we do believe that Youth Exchange projects should be open to everyone, and we believe in giving a chance to everyone.<< Impact >>Goals of our project are very related to objectives of the Erasmus+ which will be reached during the activities.We will focus strongly on the pedagogical dimension of outdoor used in a non-formal educational context to provoke a positive social change: the Exchange will be based on the principles and practice of non-formal education taking into account participants’ needs, motivations and experiences. A variety of methods will be used to allow the involvement of participants with different learning styles and to ensure a balance between theory and practice. We will use many useful manuals for Non- Formal Education.At the end of the YE, we will make a eye-catching video promoting inclusion which will be spread through social media in all over the Europe.The organisations represented at the activity are not only invited to be partners in near-future activities, but also to “spread the word” about the possibilities of the E+ programme in their local & organisational networks. The fact that 8 organisations from 8 different countries will be represented on the YE will multiply the impact on their respective local communities and target groups. They are asked to spread the results among their networks and partners. Each partner commits to continue the local activities with learning outcomes from the project. We do expect that young people will establish new partnerships and will develop concrete projects within Erasmus + programme, using conscious lifestyle as a core. We consider local transfer workshops as additional measures of dissemination and exploitation of results achieved during this project.In general, all the impact is very related either to the educational outcomes of the Activity or with dissemination of information about the E+ programme and the project in general."