Semifit - Seminar for intercultural trainers - is a space for experienced trainers from different fields to exchange competences and experience on the different domains of intercultural trainings.SemiFit is an example of Peer and Lifelong Learning where trainers have the chance to share their competencies and experiences and learn new concepts from peer trainers. In SemiFit, every participant is actively involved in the preparation and design of the learning space: content and flow.Semifit is an ongoing initiative for trainers to further develop their competences and network with each other. During two 8 days long seminars in Sinzig, Germany, in March 2015, 50 trainers from 30 different countries will join this SemiFit on Training Design, having the first one focus on Creativity and Gamification and the second on Social Impact Projects.Specific objectives to the seminar:People: Bringing together trainers from different fields,Space: Designing a space of co-creation and active participation,Topic: To develop and exchange competences and experiences on specific areas of training,Resources: Co-Creation of tangible resources as a result of seminars’ activities,Follow-up: Participants will implement what they have gained (methodology, tools and connections) in their local reality.SemiFit is a needed environment for trainers to come together, take different roles and approaches and to be critical upon the methods that they use in their work. Gathering qualified people from different training fields - business, student organizations and social work - and with different interests facilitates feedback, space for innovative approaches and new opportunities, creating an environment for learning and sharing.

The study-visit will focus on the analysis of the institution of Youth Ambassadors and their contribution to the process of Structured Dialogue. They will also discuss the good practices which have been applied in each Member State of European Union. The decisions arising from the process of Structured Dialogue directly affect young people therefore the educational meeting aims to exchange thoughts, ideas and further cooperation between those directly involved.Also within the visit will be held special meetings with the following policy makers: the former Commissioner for Education , Culture , Multilingualism and Youth for Europe Ms. Androulla Vassiliou, with Mr. Marios Epaminondas Head of the Education Ministry of the structured Dialogue with the President of the Youth Board of Cyprus Mr. Panayiotis Sentona. It will also take place a meeting between the participants and the Head of Structured Dialogue in the European Youth Forum Ms. Lucille Rieux.The result of the study visit is to create an implementation form setting out all the best practices recorded in each Member State of European Union in the context of the institution of Youth Ambassadors, in order to strengthen more the process of Structured Dialogue.

<< Objectives >>With the Blockchained Youth Work we wish to tackle the insufficient recognition and validation of youth work, and address them with digital innovation. Our objectives are to :Create a quality framework for educational practices in the field of youthPilot the innovative platform based on the blockchain technology for the validation, recognition, quality assurance and supply of youth work relevant learning outcomesAdvocate for the quality of youth work at national, regional and EU level.<< Implementation >>Core activities are:Analysis of educational practices in partner’s countries (training offer) and existing quality parametersNeeds analysis of various stakeholdersDevelopment and testing of block chain platform and user friendly appsCreating a visual identity of the project and platformSeveral testing events on national and international levelPiloting the platformCollection of national key issues related to youth work recognition and validationAdvocacy activitiesQuality dissemination<< Results >>Main results of the Blockchained Youth Work are to:build 1 blockchain platformdevelop quality framework based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of educational practicesinclude at least 25 organizations in the pilot training certification process, and at least 50 certified trainings on platformanalyse key issues in partner countries related to youth work recognition and validationimplement quality advocacy plan on quality of youth work and sustainable innovative solution

"National Youth Council of Slovenia, together with its partner organizations from Austria, Belgium and Slovenia, recognize the need to regulate the validation and recognition of non-formal education and informal learning in Slovenia, EU Member States and at European Union level, both, in the youth sector and beyond. Non-formal education enables personal development and realisation of young people’s goals, and considerably contributes to their employability. Hence non-formal education contributes to social and economic well-being, and empowers young people to become autonomous, creative and active citizens. Non-formal education in youth work significantly contributes to lifelong learning and to strengthening of young people’s competences. By regulating the recognition of non-formal education, its outcomes and actors, the competences it provides and the tools used to record them, the EU will pay heed to both the needs of its youth and European trends. The aim of the project is to improve the recognition of non-formal education, increase awareness among various stakeholders of the positive effects it has and empower providers of non-formal education in the youth sector, which will result in increased quality of these educations. In doing so, we wish to emphasize the importance of a holistic approach to the organization and implementation of education. When we talk about recognition of non-formal education, we understand it as validation and recognition of the effects of non-formal and informal learning. Project activities can be divided into two groups. The first set is comprised of analyses of the current situation regarding the recognition of non-formal education in the countries of the project partners and on the EU level, as well as drafting recommendations for upgrading existing systems of recognition of non-formal education at all levels. The second set of activities represent study visits, meetings of project partners and organization of conferences, which are meant to raise public awareness about the effects of non-formal education, transfer of knowledge and best practices between the project partners and their home countries and dissemination of the project results. We will carry out: - Training for the stakeholders from the youth sector on non-formal and informal learning, - Conference on the importance of non-formal and informal learning in the formal education, - Conference on the importance of non-formal and informal learning for young people entering the labour market, - National Conference in Austria, - Study visit in Belgium where we will explore their system of recognition of non-formal and informal learning in formal education,- Two transnational meetings of project partners and- Establishment of an expert group in Slovenia, which will be advised in the process of establishing a ""youth worker"" national vocational qualification in Slovenia. A key prerequisite for the successful implementation of the project will be exemplary cooperation of the project partners, based on mutual respect and dialogue, and simultaneous upgrade of project activities on the basis of continuous evaluation and correction of the direction in which we move as a team. With project activities, in particular the proposals for amendments and upgrades for education systems we will set a trend, which will enrich the field of education and to offer youth, as well as all other interested parties, additional way to acquire the knowledge and skills needed in today's society."

"Participation for all citizens is enshrined as a fundamental right in the Treaty on the European Union where it is stated that “every citizen shall have the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union. Decisions shall be taken as openly and as closely as possible to the citizen”. There is, however, a big gap in the participation of young people and the structures and bodies that are meant to represent them. Unlike the theory that young people are not motivated and involved, young people are engaging in new and innovative ways that are not always fully understood by their elected representatives. This gap is recognized in the EU Youth Goal nº 9 mentioning that “young people are underrepresented in decision-making processes which affect them although their engagement is crucial to democracy”. And more than underrepresentation, it is important to understand that participation is about sharing and redistributing power and that even in the structures and mechanisms where youngsters are present, their voice, engagement, and decisions are often not accounted for. The Youth Goal n°9 is moreover the protagonist of the upcoming Youth Dialogue led by the German presidency of the Council of the European Union. Local Youth Councils are widely recognized as great instruments to combat the tendency local governments might have to decide for and instead of youngsters, but they too can be improved in order to, following Hart's model, avoid manipulation and tokenization of youth participation.Local Youth Councils have two main dimensions: one is pedagogical and the other is civic and democratic. For many youngsters, local youth councils are the first contact with more formal democratic means. It is through and during their participation in these councils that they are ""learning to participate"". It is important hence not to disappoint the young people taking part (by tokenizing them or manipulating their voices, not following through with what they decided...), but also to encourage them and make them believe in the democratic process, which can they have multiplier effects on their peers. We believe that decision-making processes and structures should be appealing, inclusive, and provide meaningful participation for the young people involved in them.AIM AND OBJECTIVES: In line with the European documents mentioned, this project aims to strengthen young people’s democratic participation at the local and regional levels by improving upon existing local youth councils processes and practices. The project sets the following objectives:- Map current practices and structures of Local Youth Councils in the participating countries in order to extract key learnings in order to improve the existing structures;- Develop competences of the stakeholders involved in the Local Youth Councils;- Raise awareness and improve the knowledge of the pedagogical and civic purpose of Local Youth Council in the democratic education of youth;- Foster the quality, impact, reach and evaluation processes of Local Youth Councils, as standards for youth participation in the decision-making process;- Advocate and mainstream the development of Local Youth Councils in Europe as crucial instruments of youth participation.We also aim to pursue several tangible and intangible results during and after our project implementation such as:Tangible Outcomes: - Document mapping of different existing structures of Local Youth Councils in participating countries;- Improved capacity of youth workers and municipality representatives to implement local youth councils as mechanisms of youth participation in decision-making processes- Creation of guidelines for sustainable, inclusive and participatory local youth council created from the analysis of different models of Local Youth Councils and composed by quality indicators and real-life examples of existing local youth councils;- Report of project activities (Training Course and local activities implemented);- Visibility and dissemination of project products (no. of downloads and page visits, no. of participants in the activities, no. of applications received, etc.).The project will start in February 2021, directly involving around 50 participants and last for 18 months. They will be mapping directly best practices from Youth Council and they will also be involved in the evaluation, monitoring and dissemination of the results of the project, as well as its follow-up. The main project activities will be:- 1 Training course on “Quality assurance in Local Youth Councils”- 2 Transnational partners’ meetingsThe project partners expect that the project has a European-wide impact in supporting the creation and/or improvement of local youth councils around Europe; in building a strong network of local public bodies and civil society organizations advocating for this instrument of local democracy. and disseminating local youth councils through the good practices collected and than published."