"""Youth Participation as a Pledge for Democracy"" Mobility of Youth Workers - partner countries Location: Estonia, Tartumaa Tervisespordikeskus near Elva Dates: 22.07.2018-30.07.2018 Number and profile of participants: 24 youth workers and leaders above 18 from non-governmental organizations from Estonia, Armenia, Georgia, Czech, ItalyContext/background of project: The idea of ""Youth Participation as a Pledge for Democracy"" has arisen during a youth exchange on gender equality in the frames of ERASMUS + programme in Armavir, Armenia. The representatives of Sustain Development Initiative (Armenia) and MTÜ Tartumaa Noortekogu (Estonia) were participating in the exchange and together has come with an idea to organize a training course in a field of youth participation, which is an important issue in both countries. So, a call for partnership was developed and shared it in online platform, as a result of which 3 NGOs also joined the project. This project arises from the need of filling the gaps in youth participation through capacity building of youth workers and leaders, as all the partners of the project believes that the role of non-governmental organizations is of great importance in this sphere, as they are one of the main pillars to work with young people and foster their participation and civic activism. Objectives of your project: The main goal of this project to build the capacities of youth workers and leaders on youth participation and active citizenship with further goal of fostering effective local level dialogue and advanced democracy. The objectives of the project are the following: 1.Improve knowledge and skills of youth workers/leaders on youth participation and active citizenship in order they become mentors in that field 2.Enhance the participants’ competences (knowledge, skills, attitudes) in fostering and empowering other young people in their communities/countries to participate in decision-making processes 3.Provide/practice facilitation skills, techniques and methodology for organizing local level dialogue forums and advocacy 4.Develop organization's skills to ensure sustainable and effective promotion on youth participation in their communities/countries 5.Facilitate networking and further co-operation between participants and their organizations for active citizenship and advanced democracy across EU member and neighbouring countries.Description of activities: The context of the activities is characterized by a type of program that is based on improvement of knowledge and skills of youth workers/leaders on youth participation and active citizenship on one hand, practicing facilitation skills, techniques and methodology for fostering and empowering other young people in their communities/countries to participate in decision-making processes, on the other hand.Working methods: There will be used group discussions, dialogue, debates, demonstration, presentation, interactive lectures, reflection, brainstorming, simulation, study visit, review. Open Space Technology will also be used during the training for giving participants an opportunity to self-facilitate and discuss issues of their choice. Utilizing of this method will giving them responsibility for creating both their own agenda and experience. It's important to mention, that the participants will mainly learn through practice, by getting more practical skills for facilitation, techniques and methodology, which they will be promoted to use at their organizations for organizing local level dialogue forums and advocacy. Results: The project is expected to impact on the participants, participating organisations and target groups, each one in its own way. The participants will improve their knowledge/skills on youth participation and active citizenship and become mentors in that field. They will enhance competences in fostering and empowering other young people in their communities/countries to participate in decision-making processes as a result of which their ideas and opinions will be raised. Passing professional growth will impact on their positive self-esteem and self-actualization. Participating organizations will have youth workers and leaders who are equipped with practical skills, techniques and methodology, which they can use to organize local level dialogue forums and advocacy on civic activism in their communities/countries. Effective youth participation can contribute to structuring programs, policies and services that affect young people’s lives to adequately address their needs/interests as well as benefiting and contributing to the organization's success. The project will impact on increased status and stature of young people (target group) who will get involved in civic activism. This will foster young people's participation in decision-making processes affecting target group's greater control over their lives, enhancing their sense of responsibility/ownership, feeling of being valued, which can contrib"

Point is to study, how life has been 100 years ago. For example, villages at the coast near Reggio Calabria, has fished for the living, but now they have to find some other ways of life because of the changed circumstances.Youth will interview elderly people and involve them in the process. Then we will reflect, how the life is now, and how we think it is going to be in Italy from 100 years from now. For a monument or a memory piece, youth will build a life size “boat” or some kind of fishes out of drift wood/ trash found from the beach. This Youth Exchange will be based in non-formal learning. Learning is based on youths' experience, motivation and needs. During the exchange, non-formal education methods practice will be used such as presentations, group works, workshops, games, role plays, exercises etc. Our inspiration: It is interesting to see how the world is changing and what is the role of the individual what comes to it. Our actions may seem quite small, but we have to do our personal best so that we can provide a home for the future generations. Maybe we can learn about mistakes done, and also see what has been good.

<< Objectives >>Although many of our national members are aware of the great opportunity of Erasmus+ as a great tool for youth workers and youth empowerment, they lack in many cases deep knowledge and experience on how to successfully identify, apply and report within the program ensuring thou that their impact and their opportunities for youth empowerment are always maximized. The same way, while deeply rooted in non-formal and informal education, they experienced a lack of knowledge and practice on new innovative methodologies that could be applied on their work with the youth and especially to power their work with different groups of disadvantaged youngsters. During YouthProAktivs' General Assembly taking place in Brussels in February 2018, our national members requested a training that could give them a deepen knowledge on Erasmus+ and on innovative methodologies to apply on non-formal education, as well as a space for the exchange of best practices among them. This partnership for the project was built in order to address the following needs:- A lack of clear knowledge and expertise on Erasmus+ (special focus on KA1) and successful innovative methodologies on youth work. - An effort in order to professionalize and increase the quality of youth work and youth workers by providing them with professional tools to develop their work.- An effort in order to present the means and ways that the European Union, through the Erasmus + program, is providing them in order to ensure an effective way to reach marginalize youngsters and to tackle European societal pressing issues.This way, the two main general objectives of this training for youth workers are:- Increase their specific knowledge of the Erasmus+ program, actions, and tools in order to ensure a professionalization of youth work and youth work impact within society. - Increase their specific practical knowledge on new innovative methodologies to be used in the area of non-formal education with a special focus on empowering and developing the skills and engagement of most disadvantaged youth. The training is also following this set of specific objectives: - Increase youth workers knowledge and practice on KA1 mobility projects. - Equipping youth workers and youth organizations with a deep understanding of the common values inspiring the Erasmus+ program increasing their chances to successfully reach and include the most disadvantaged youth and contribute through non-formal education to the creation or more tolerant and inclusive European society.- Improve the professional competences of youth workers equipping them with the skills, non-formal methodologies and working methods needed in order to successfully implement their activities in the youth work sector.- Increase the quality of youth work ensuring that the available tools and means to develop their work are successfully used and implemented.- Ensuring the creation of a space for the exchange of best practices that will help them to identify successful initiatives in favor of their main young target groups.- Increasing the capacity of national youth organizations to operate transnationally and ensuring the establishment of strong and long-lasting partnerships among them.Following the great interest of YPA partners and members after our last General Assembly in September 2018, the coalition decided to reapply for this project after introducing some suggested improvements.The Erasmus+ program through its Key Action 1 is the perfect way to conduct this project that is mainly aiming to support the professional development of youth workers, through the implementation of a transnational training course. The training will count with the expertise of external trainers specialized on Erasmus+ funds and innovative methodologies applicable to youth work and non-formal education and youth projects but will also count with a constant involvement of both partner organizations and participating youth workers throughout the whole duration of the project. This way, we will ensure that they also increase their knowledge and skills to design, execute and disseminate successfully and professionally an international project from the beginning till the end and to increase the real impact on their daily work with young people.<< Activities >>The 29 participating youth workers will respond to an estimated age acceptance between 18-33 years old in order to ensure a much more close and deep understanding of youngsters needs and mentality. All our events and training respect the principle of gender balance as we promote equal access to opportunities as a requisite for a real and successful impact on society and youth work. Out of these 29 participants at least 9 will be youth workers directly working with disadvantaged youngsters. This training course is mainly designed for youth workers that are actively working or volunteering in a youth organization; actively involved in youth work&thinking on starting their own youth organization or youth project&that are actively working with less advantaged youngsters of marginalized youth.All the different stages&phases of this project& its implementation has been co-designed to ensure a real&measurable achievement of the different goals&aimed defined for this project. Following this pattern, the program has also been structured around 9 different types of activities conceived in order to help the achievement of the different goals &outcomes of the project as well as a full&comprehensive involvement of participants throughout them. 1. PresentationsDesigned in order to make sure that youth workers&youth organizations get a deep understanding of the common values inspiring the Erasmus+ program as well as its main implications for youth work&youngsters. The same way, this activity will be also ensuring that youth workers clearly understand why including the most disadvantaged youth&contribute through non-formal educations to the creation of a more tolerant&inclusive European society is a very important priority to be included within youth organization's working plans. 2 Exercises& 3.ActivitiesThese types of activities co-designed by all partner organizations are fully participatory non-formal elements of the program with the main aim of deepening into the different topics proposed throughout the program through intercultural learning &by better experiencing and understanding the commonalities&also the different feelings with regard to these topics in different countries&groups. 4. Parallel Sessions 5. General Assemblies 6. WorkshopsCo-designed in order to improve the professional competencies of youth workers equipping them with the skills, methodologies&working methods needed in order to successfully implement their activities in the youth work sector. The same way, they are the instruments that we will be using in order to achieve our goal of training the youth workers on specific knowledge on the Erasmus+ program, actions& tools what will clearly ensure higher standards& professionalization of youth work&youth work impact within society. These activities will ensure that youth workers gain a better knowledge on how to target, include and successfully have an impact on most disadvantaged youngsters when defining and implementing their activities and applying for Erasmus + Funds (with a special focus on KA1). These sessions will allow participants to gain or improve their direct practical skills on writing EU projects (KA1) through a realistic simulation of the project definition and application process and a special focus on most disadvantaged youth groups. 7. Self and group evaluation sessions &8. Discussion & ReflectionThis set of activities will make participants reflect on how all the different acquired knowledge, skills&attitudes contribute to the general increase in the quality of youth work&thus of youth empowerment. The same way, they will create a space for the exchange of best practices that will help them to identify successful initiatives in favor of their main young target groups&especially most disadvantaged and marginalized youngsters. Through discussion and reflection activities participants will gain a better understanding of policies and practices in another European country and will be encouraged to think about their own national context and how it compares. The different evaluation sessions during the program will represent reflection point for youth workers on their process of self-evaluation through the use of the YouthPass. The final self and evaluation session is aiming at ensuring that youth workers finish successfully their process of self-evaluation thanks to the use of the YouthPass and with an up to date Europass CV. 9. Ice-breakers and networking eventsFinally, all the different ice-breakers and networking events have been designed to directly increase the capacity of national youth organizations to operate transnationally by establishing strong and long-lasting partnerships among them as well as to better experience and benefit from intercultural learning and multiculturalism. All the activities proposed as well as the different phases of the whole project are expected to have a real positive impact on the quality and professionalization of youth work. << Impact >>According to the general and specific objectives set up for this training, participants, participating organizations and other target groups are expected to experience the following positive impact:Youth workers will experience an improvement of their professional competencies through - The reinforcement of their contextual knowledge on the Erasmus+ Program goals and priorities; the different Erasmus+ actions (special focus on KA1) and programs and the different aims, priorities and best practices for each one of them and the positive impact that the Erasmus+ program brings to society especially in the youth sector.- The reinforcement of their technical and practical knowledge on the different steps in order to successfully apply for an Erasmus+ project (KA1); the best tips and advice for successfully writing an application and the knowledge for a better reporting and management of mobility tools.- A wider knowledge of different innovative methodologies that they can apply for non-formal learning and how to better use them and adjust them to the needs of most disadvantaged youth groups. - They will increase their sensibilization and awareness regarding their work for the empowerment of the most disadvantaged youth through the reinforcement of their knowledge on the best activities and methodologies to be applied when working with less advantage or marginalized youngsters. They will thus increase their level of engagement toward the inclusion of less advantaged and marginalized youngsters as well as a more open-minded approach to different issues, conflicts, and youngsters backgrounds.- The will experience a positive impact in the development of soft skills such as communication and analytical skills, leadership skills, team-work, negotiation, and problem- solving, effective planning, networking skills, language skills, and drafting skills.All these benefits will have a direct positive impact within the partner organizations. In addition to all these common benefits, partners are also expected to:- Benefit from an active exchange of best practices in order to better identify successful initiatives in favor of their main young target groups.- Benefit from an increased capacity to operate transnationally through the establishment of strong and long-lasting partnerships among partner organizations.- Benefit from the experience gained by the youth workers participating in the project that will become much more engaged within the organization, thereby triggering positive outcomes on the social level and providing inspiration to the organization for potential future activities, projects, and initiatives.- Benefit from a much more accurate and reliable knowledge about the Erasmus+ project, Structure Dialogue and Youth Strategy what will increase the quality and possibilities of their projects and activities.Finally, other targeted groups, especially through our communication and dissemination campaign, will also experience the following positive impact:- Local and national youth organizations working on the youth sector will increase the impact of their activities through a deeper knowledge on the tools for youth empowerment provided by the Erasmus+ program.- The local Youth with a special focus on marginalized youth will boost their professional and personal skills through a better knowledge of the different opportunities that Erasmus + program is offering them.- National Agencies will improve their communication with the different national youth actors and will benefit from the spotted best practices implemented by other National Agencies.- International organizations from partner countries will increase their knowledge on the different opportunities for youth empowerment that the Erasmus+ program is also offering to them. - European stakeholders working on Erasmus+ will benefit from first-hand feedback coming from the main beneficiaries of the program. - EAECEA will also benefit from first-hand feedback coming from the main beneficiaries of the program. - Members of the European Parliament from the CULT Committee working on Erasmus+ will benefit from the support of all the different youth stakeholders working on the sector as well as from the experience of those youth workers from their own national counties. This project is designed in order to have a positive impact on youth empowerment through better use and information of all the available tools provided by the program Erasmus+ as well as new innovative non-formal methodologies. This way, the project will have a direct impact not just on the participating youth workers and partner organisations but directly on the youth and most marginalised youth as well as on all the different related stakeholders that could benefit of Erasmus+ for the empowerment of the youth both local, national, internationally and at the European level.

"<< Objectives >>In the 21st century, youth unemployment remains a ""key"" concern for the EU which, following the crisis of the Coronavirus pandemic, has increased considerably; is therefore working more vigorously on different initiatives to help young people find quality jobs. In August 2020, the youth unemployment rate in the EU was around 17.6%, and Spain was one of the countries with a rate well above the average of around 40.4 % of the unemployed among those young people under 25 years of age (being higher in women).In this context, the Training Course ""GUIDELINES FOR THE CREATION OF SUSTAINABLE YOUTH SELF EMPLOYMENT"" was launched with the aim of exchanging best practices, coordinating initiatives and resources as effectively as possible, developing alliances, channelling the work in coordination with other bodies, both public and private, in an effective way, prioritising the employability of young people through sustainable self employment, active citizenship and a sense of belonging to the values of the UnionIn this context, 13 organisations from European countries, many of them with a high rate of youth unemployment, have been brought together with the aim of developing skills and creating new guidelines for the exchange of good practices aimed at encouraging selfsustainable employment for social transformation and the social and labour market integration of young people, especially the long-term unemployed and inactive.The activity will be held in Las Rozas Madrid from December 16 to 21, 2021 where a total of 30 workers/ youth experts in the treatment with young people who collaborate or work in vulnerable environments will attend, two trainers/ and facilitators/ asGENERAL OBJECTIVE: to develop new skills and guidelines for the creation of youth self employment through the implementation of sustainable business models; creating new tools, methods and mechanisms for action. Respecting and protecting the environment, working in a network, reducing the wage gap, expanding digitalisation for the inclusion of the most disadvantaged and long-term unemployed youthSPECIFIC OBJECTIVES-Promoting experiences of good practice and the exchange of knowledge, values and initiatives to improve access to employment for young people -Combating youth unemployment and inactivity by increasing skills and competences- Improving youth skills through non-formal education-Facilitate gender equity and strengthen equal opportunities for young people regardless of ethnicity, religion or belief, disability or sexual orientation-Creation of job opportunities in line with emerging markets by promoting productivity and employability, in cooperation with the social partners.-Search for new sustainable and inclusive business models with protected, adapted and healthy work environments -Creation of quality services to meet individual needs, providing quality jobs and encouraging entrepreneurship.-To strengthen the effectiveness of active employment policies by extending the ""Youth Orientation"" in different bodies, both public and private at local, regional and European level-Consensus between active labour market policies working in a network and uniting synergies-Promote alliances and communication strategies to give greater visibility to the opportunities offered by the Erasmus+ programme: supporting future projects targeting young people.METHODOLOGY:Experimental methods of non-formal education will be used, where youth workers will participate actively in all stages of the project, sharing and developing their skills, capacities, knowledge and experience that will help them face the challenges. Through plenary discussions, theoretical presentations, role-playing games, simulations, individual reflection exercises, working groups, feedback exercises, etc. with a program that will provide a plural and multi-dimensional perspective to better understand the challenges towards youth self-employment, As support, at the end of each of the days of activity (for half an hour) a ""COUCHING TUTORIAL"" with experience in ""Youth Employment Orientation and Self-employment"" will be available to the participants.The purpose of the project activity will be oriented towards youth self-employment through the creation of sustainable companies based on a circular and social economy.<< Implementation >>The project ""Guidelines for the Creation of Sustainable Youth Self-Employment"" is a mobility of youth workers where they will meet in order to create new guidelines and exchange experiences aimed at promoting sustainable and social youth self-employment.The training course will include 13 organizations and 30 youth experts from Europe. The project activity will take place in Las Rozas (Spain) in the hotel ""TH"" from 16 to 21 August 2021 that will serve to offer new tools, knowledge and skills to youth workers; and thus, to value the good practices acquired in their workplace and in their organisations in their countries of origin, and then to transmit them at local, regional, national and European level.During the sessions, different self-directed learning methods will be combined where participants will take initiatives, with or without the help of others, diagnosing learning needs, formulating their learning goals with methods aimed at reflection and self-examination, simulations, mental and virtual maps, creative and participatory activities and dynamics. Directed by the trainers/ as and supported by a ""tutorial coach"" that motivates them and support techniques that channel their objectives strengthening personal development, raising awareness, generating responsibility and building self-confidence through non-formal education methods.ACTIVITIES TO IMPLEMENT:During the six days of activity, the youth workers will carry out different activities supported by the trainers that will help them to achieve the objectives, in time, both those of the Erasmus + program and the subject to be discussed. Activities:1-Workshops on Equal Opportunities in the workplace, youth unemployment and self-employment, sustainable business models, employment discrimination and reduction of the wage gap, sustainability and circular economy, types of social aid for entrepreneurship, policies of employability in the EU, labor rights, labor orientation and mentoring, actions of the Erasmus + program and the importance of the Youthpass Certificate.2- activities to break the ice and create a climate of trust3-Relaxed and intercultural sessions: sharing culinary and leisure moments, visit the ""Employment Department"" of Las Rozas to learn about the actions that are being carried out for youth self-employment.Each partner will actively participate in all stages of the project, collaborating in the selection of its participants, proceeding to the visibility and dissemination of the good practices acquired, ensuring the exchange of experiences; as well as, the creation of a work network.PROFILE OF YOUTH WORKERS:-That they have knowledge in sustainable and social circular economy models through the balanced use of natural resources with clean innovation technologies.- Youth experts with experience in other similar Erasmus + programs and in actions on Youth Orientation for self-employment.-Training in the economic-social area with a desire to learn and develop a job well done.- With the ability to detect the personal and professional development needs of young people and implement new activities aimed at personal and professional development-Worker with empathy, interpersonal understanding, active listening, proactive, with the ability to learn and with initiatives-Ability to analyze, search and manage resources- Willing to work as a Team developing inter-professional relationships at all levels and expanding their network of contacts.Digital skills:• Digital knowledge applied to your professional development in your workplace.• Efficient digital communication with tools and in digital environments• Networking: ability to work and cooperate in digital environments• Ability to motivate and self-motivate to do a job well done with creativity in the search for alternative solutionsPROFILE OF TRAINERS: two accredited SALTO expert trainers, with experience in different Erasmus + programs and experience in Youth Employment Guidance through non-formal education methodology. Its main qualities are:• Empathy and capacity for expression• Active listening and conflict resolution• Ability to motivate young people towards self-employment initiatives• Able to use and pick up non-verbal cues.• Didactic-methodological domain with skills to lead the group<< Results >>It is expected that the first impact of the project will be on the youth workers themselves through the logo of their learning objectives and the good practices acquired; as well as the development of a specific set of skills and knowledge that will serve them for their daily work, within their partner organisations and in other bodies involved. Developing a broader understanding of the problems of youth unemployment and the acquisition of new guidelines aimed at the creation of sustainable businesses and self-employment, designing their own Business Plans and teamwork.On a personal level, youth workers are expected to develop new skills and methods of active participatory work; at the same time, they will acquire new tools for self-evaluation and reflection by creating a ""shock"" plan professional improvement that will have an impact on the employability of young people through self-employment, increasing their language skills by being more open and tolerant while respecting cultures, developing a sense of European identity and expanding its capacity to operate internationally with a network of contacts, committing more to self employment through entrepreneurship.The most important impact will be related to the quantitative transferability of good practices acquired between the participating organisations and other organisations involved at local level, developing new initiatives to combat youth unemployment by driving change within their communities.Local youth will discover their own initiatives and business ideas for a successful start-up and will be supported, at all times, by youth workers and local organizations through individualized and group mentoring, by instilling entrepreneurship in them. So they will be able to increase their autonomy in the search for opportunities, knowing and training the key competences to design the professional future. This, in turn, will significantly revert to the development of the communities themselves, where young people/women will interact with other entrepreneurs by exchanging good practices. It is also expected that this project will develop and increase the visibility of the Erasmus+ programme and the possibilities it offers to young people.With the implementation of the project it is expected to have a direct impact on organizations, youth workers/workers, local communities, youth policy-makers and other bodies to be aware of the need for youth entrepreneurship that responds to three strands of impact: economic, social and environmental. Promoting sustainable consumption behaviour, broadening horizons and targeting available resources."

"<< Objectives >>The Erasmus+ Youth Exchange ""Shut the FAKE up!"" is a project designed by young people from Italy, Latvia, Poland, Germany, France and Spain.The basic objectives of the Youth Exchange are:* To counter fake news with the voices of European Youth* To share European values in contrast to ""exit"" phenomena as Brexit* To stand for solidarity and unity remembering that history separated us, and today we want to stay together* To tackle fake news, propaganda and false information circulating both online and offline* To remind young journalistis about ethics and truth* To raise our own youth narrative of Europe against Euroscepticism* To spread youth work through the Erasmu+ ProgrammeWe want to meet in Scilla, Reggio calabria (South of Italy) to transmit our own thinking about how do we like European values and dislike fake news, propaganda and any other phenomenon breaking ethics!<< Activities >>The teams are composed by 1 Youth Leader + 4 young participants aged 18-30 years old. We will be 30 European young people.The groups are especially happy to welcome participants who have obstacles of geographical, cultural, social and economical background in order to empower their voice together. The activities previewed are simulations and analysis of fake stories and news, using instruments to unveil propaganda, role-playing, videos, and local action jointly with the local stakeholders.<< Impact >>The result of the Youth Exchange is the mere ability to raise the voice about European values and deconstructing fake news, propaganda and extreme Eurosceptic ideologies."