"Despite the prevalence of 15% of youth having one or more disabilities in our general population, hardly any youth is aware how to interact and communicate with their young peers with disabilities. Even the basic principles of barrier free communication are hardly known.Young people with disabilities want people to know more about their feelings, and want to communicate, in order also for their peers to gain a better understanding of disabilities, also in adult life. Disability Matters launch package (UK) stated that 25% of Britons do not feel confident communicating with a child with disabilities.(Young) people with disabilities encounter many different forms of attitudinal barriers that hamper a communication with mutual respect:• Inferiority: Because a person may be impaired in one of life's major functions, some people believe that the individual is a ""second-class citizen."" However, most people with disabilities have “compensating skills”.• Pity: People feel sorry for the person with a disability, which tends to lead to patronising attitudes. People with disabilities generally don't want pity and charity, just equal opportunity and be part of their youth peers community.• Hero worship: Most people with disabilities do not want accolades for performing day-to-day tasks.• Ignorance: People with disabilities are often dismissed as incapable of accomplishing a task without the opportunity to display their skills.• The Spread Effect: People assume that an individual's disability negatively affects other senses, abilities or personality traits, or that the total person is impaired.• Stereotypes: The other side of the spread effect is the positive and negative generalisations people form about disabilities. Aside from diminishing the individual and his or her abilities, such prejudice can set too high or too low a standard for individuals who are merely human.• Backlash: Many people believe individuals with disabilities are given unfair advantages, however they do not get special privileges rather just equal opportunities.• Denial: Many disabilities are ""hidden,"" such as learning disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, epilepsy, arthritis and heart conditions. People tend to believe these are not bona fide disabilities needing “accommodation”.• Fear: Many people are afraid that they will ""do or say the wrong thing"" around someone with a disability. They therefore avert their own discomfort by avoiding the individual with a disability.Making youth aware of these very basic aspects in interaction with a peer with disabilities is a first step in solving the problem, while in a next step barriers need to be broken down by applying proper and accessible interaction/communication methods.These 2 steps are at the core of the project, aiming to impact young people, thus investing in the future, and providing the proper basis for spill over effects into society, and into the working environment.The project wants to help youth communities increase their understanding of disabilities and reduce the fear of approaching or being approached by an individual with disabilities, by applying the peer support model.Target groups- Youth workers and leaders- Student leaders- Student bodies- Youth organisation responsibles- Disability youth organisations responsiblesBeneficiaries- Youth volunteers, youth organisation members- Student bodies/Youth council members- PwD youth organisation members- PwD youth- (Disabled) Students- Youth NGOsThe project will therefore create:- a handbook ""ABC to inclusive communication with my peers with disabilities"": This booklet will address a wide range of disabilities, how it affects communication and how to cope with it to ensure qualitative communication can take place. - inclusive youth volunteering awareness campaign: The awareness campaign will focus on how youth can be prepared to communicate in a polite yet efficient manner with peers who have a disability, with a mutual satisfaction.- mobility events for youth workers: A range of practical workshops will be organised in all partner countries, together with mobilities between partner countries regarding good practices that will be identified via brainstorming sessions among youth from different countries, and in attendance of youth with disabilities.- establish an inclusive communication peer support hub in every partner country to support uptake by target groups and stakeholders, as well as support all participants in mobility events.This set of communication skills for youth is universallly needed (disability knows no borders) and transversal since it is applicable not only to youth environments, but equally to the working environment, as well as family life. After all, people with disabilities should be intrinsically fully part of society (inclusive citizenship).The project consortium brings together 7 partners from 4 countries (Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece)."

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.

Le projet a consisté en l'organisation d'un séminaire de travail regroupant 35 représentants de conseils nationaux de jeunesse et de ministères en charges des questions de jeunesse en vue d'évaluer dans quelle mesure le processus européen de Dialogue Structuré a pu apporter un impact substantielle aux politiques de jeunesse des pays concernés. Le séminaire a eu lieu du 7 au 10 novembre 2016 à Lille. Les participants ont consacré une journée à cartographier les progrès accomplis et à les analyser, puis une journée était consacrée à la création d'outils et à la diffusion de bonnes pratiques pour renforcer la qualité de la mise en œuvre des résultats européens du dialogue structuré dans leurs pays. Enfin, la dernière journée de travail a permis à chacun de se projeter dans son quotidien pour travailler cette dimension. Enfin, un dialogue avec l'équipe de la présidence Maltaise de l'UE a permis à chacun d'anticiper sur la mise en oeuvre du 5ème cycle de Dialogue Structuré.

The importance of youth work for the implementation of youth policy is described in a variety of documents on the European level such as the European Youth Strategy (2019-2027) and a number of documents of the Council of Europe, thanks to which it is transferred into the national policies of the member states as well. In Bulgaria, the recognition of youth work and the opportunities for its affirmation are still under development. In the national legislation and framework, youth work is mentioned as a term, but there is no definition or clear agenda for its development present. With the National meeting “Youth Work from A to Z” we aim to bring forward the role of Youth Work (YW) as an essential instrument for the implementation of the national policy for youth and to outline the steps for its development in Bulgaria. For this purpose we will:- analyze the current situation and the benefits of youth work, discuss and outline steps for its development in Bulgaria through bringing the different stakeholders together; - develop specific solutions, which could facilitate the dialogue on youth work on national level and in this way contribute to more effective and efficient youth policy in Bulgaria.- develop a consensus policy document that reflects the views of the various stakeholders; The national meeting will be held between 6-11 October 2020 in Pernik, bringing together over 120 participants - young people, youth workers and representatives of youth organizations, youth houses, youth centers, youth centers, representatives of local and national authorities, experts at national and European level and other interested parties.The main activities of the project include a thorough preparation phase, quality project management and holding the National meeting '' Youth Work from A to Z ''. The monitoring, evaluation and dissemination activities are directly linked to the policy document and the final report and will target a wider range of stakeholders who have not attended the meeting.The methodology for the project implementation is based on the previous experience in planning and carrying out the previous 10 National Meetings in the last 12 years and uses established models for planning and implementation of activities from the core of the project team - the Organizing Committee. The methods that will be used in the project are mainly interactive ones from non-formal education, which have proven to be effective in achieving the desired results - panel discussions, presentations, lectures, group work, youth studio, youth fair, civic dialogue and more.As a result of the project and the organisation of the National Meeting, the role of 'youth work' as a tool for implementing youth policies will be promoted, a definition will be adopted and concrete steps for its development will be identified. A final report will be drafted, reflecting the views and opinions of the participants during the debate, as well as a consensus policy document. Participants' awareness of the current state of youth work in the country and in Europe will be increased, taking into account the effects of the pandemic with COVID 19 as well. As part of the meeting, a National Youth Fair will be held with at least 40 youth organizations from all over the country.In the long run, the project will contribute to: - recognizing youth work as a key tool for implementing local and national youth policies; - the adoption of a definition of youth work and the various forms of youth work, the development of quality standards and its inclusion in the Law on Youth and the National Youth Strategy;- supporting the provision of quality services for young people in the future; - assisting the municipalities in the implementation of quality youth policies and youth work at the local level; - increased motivation of the participants for development in the field of youth work and in youth organizations; - building partnerships and implementing joint activities between participating organizations and individuals.The project will engage young people in the development, implementation and monitoring of policies that affect them, through their full involvement and active participation. The National meeting “Youth Work from A to Z” will contribute to mobilizing youth work in tackling key challenges young people face, in line with the cross-cutting areas outlined in the 11 European Youth Goals.