"""Education in Citizenship has to be VIP"" (ECtobeVIP) is a project coordinated by the Spanish organization Gandia Youth Council - Consell dels Joves de Gandia along with a total 26 organizations from 21 countries of both the European Union and outside.This project consists a mobility activity of youth workers for attending a training course on human rights as the main axis.A total of 36 young people between 18 and 35 years with equal gender participation, taking place in Gandia between 4 and 12 October.The methodology to be used will be through non-formal education through active and committed participation of the participants giving them the opportunity to learn where they can meet your needs and expectations as far as possible and thereby ensuring the best results working . Workshops, dynamic , visits , talks... will be used to work on the issue of human rights, diversity , languages, cultures and equality.It is intended that through a major dissemination has impact multiplier and sustainable impact , is the participants through learning in this project to create ideas and future social projects in their countries of origin, the host community change vision about prejudices and stereotypes that already exist . It is about reaching young youth workers , opinion leaders , representatives of government agencies, and the local population in general. Contact with participants and these organizations will be maintained to monitor for several months to see the real impact has been through. With the 42 associationsfrom Gandia Youth Council - Consell dels Joves of Gandia , partners from different countries and experts participating in this project , the impact will be very positive and powerful .Some of the benefits expected to be obtained are more social participation , there is a greater cultural awareness , make more tolerance between people, increase motivation for young people to participate in mobility projects , creation of social projects , and as the establishment of contact between the participants after the project finished .Ultimately this project is an opportunity for young people to meet, share , learn from each other and use what they learn to improve the society in which we live."

"The project “""There is a crack in everything that's where the light comes in: moments of resilience"" took place at House Laboratory Cerquosino, Orvieto Italy.The focus of the project was social inclusion, the analysis of migration paths, the fight against discrimination and the concept of resilience applied to our experiences in our lives.Countries involved: Italy, Macedonia, Turkey, Germany, Montenegro, Lebanon, Albania, Palestine, Bulgaria. The project was composed by 3 activities:Activity 1: Mobility Of Youth Workers. Arrival day 19/10/2017, activity dates 20/25, departure day 26/10/2017: training addressed to 18 participants, social workers, animators of educational centers, institutes for foster careThe training was attended by 1 trainer from the applying association, Artemide, 1 trainer from Ibda'a Cultural Center Palestine, 1 facilitator from Centre for Civic Education CCE Montenegro and 1 support staff from Artemide ass. applyingThe aim was to provide young operators, who have to welcome and work with those who left their countries, with new tools to effectively deal with the aid relationship. Methodology: combination between non-formal education, aikido, theatre, workshop on the recognition of personal resources, storytelling Fundamental themes of the Resilience process; re-signification, re-narration, acquisition of internal resources, acquisition of skills that contribute to increase self-esteem, curiosity, critical sense, creativity, adaptability, mitigation and evolution. Particular attention was given to the themes of racism, to the processes of creating prejudices and stereotypes, through direct testimonies of refugee participants in the countries involved in the project.Skills and objectives achieved; a better understanding of the dynamics behind discriminating behaviors, the ability to identify escalation of violence, the causes, a better listening and a more open attitude to cultural diversity, knowing how to share the different methodologies, giving value to oneself, discovery and knowledge of one's own limits , feel a sense of responsibility, confrontation with others, act in a positive way, understand the fertility of error, learn from experience, do not be afraid to change, do not be afraid to try.Activity A2: Youth Exchange. PARTNER: Applying association: Italy- Associazione Artemide Aps. Partner associations: Lebanon,Bulgaria,Montenegro, Germany. Arrival day 05/02/2018,activity dates 6/12,departure day 13/02/2018.House Laboratory Cerquosino – Morrano, Orvieto. 18 young people and 5 leaders participated in the exchange.Activity A3: Youth Exchange. PARTNER: Applying association: Italy- Associazione Artemide Aps. Partner associations: Turkey,Palestine, Macedonia , Albania. Arrival day 09/04/2018,activity dates 10/16,departure day 17/04/2018.House Laboratory Cerquosino – Morrano, Orvieto. 20 young people and 5 leaders participated in the exchangeActivity 2/Activity 3 - The A1 activity participants chosen for the exchange activities prepared the groups for the exchanges.Both indigenous young people from the countries involved and young immigrants participated, and we also managed to have young refugees as they had the identity documents.In the exchanges the participants shared their experiences, made reflections about the restoration of the sense of belonging and of active coexistence, they redesigned their existential and cultural continuity, exchanged experiences and put themselves at stake on the complexity of relationships, rules, of one's own ideas and of others.We have set up inclusion paths without forgetting their specificities and needs, we have valued ourselves as individuals and as a group.The dimension of learning and skills have been many: Study and experimentation of the rules of shared contexts, work in groups, manual skills, know how to reuse and recycle objects and materials, strengthen the ability to communicate in a foreign language, peer education , concrete participation in the organization, living together in a group, personal fulfillment, knowledge and information on other cultures, dealing with conflicts and managing them with a view to transformation, being able to promote actions based on planning, taking account of different points of view, a shared synthesis, foreshadowing the obstacles and making decisions, making choices, enhancing the relationship with others, perceived as a resource for both individual and social growth."

"„I did not want to be a spectator anymore“ – these words from Martin Luther King describe precisely the main aim of the training course ""Everyday Heroes"". Discrimination, violence and racism are everywhere prevalent – bullying in schools, hate speech and hate crime against migrants, refugees, minorities, vulnerable groups and LGBTs, racist insults against people who seem to be ""different"" as well as sexual harassment. Civil courage essentially describes two things: a persons courage to speak out in the public sphere, and readiness to stand up and help their fellow citizens in time of need. One's ability to judge and act upon civil courage comes when one clearly senses injustice. The training course ""Everyday Heroes"" aims to empower 33 youth workers, youth leaders and educators from Albania, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and United Kingdom to develop ways to combat hate speech, and strengthen support for human rights through non-formal education and awareness-raising actions from 12 to 18 November 2018 in Dresden, Germany. According to Mark Albon, head of Countering Violent Extremism at the Commonwealth Secretariat “Hate and intolerance are the currency of violent extremism. We must make it ‘our common cause’ to offer strong alternative narratives that emphasise people’s fundamental human rights, build inclusivity in our societies and diminish the efforts of those who would seek to sow division and discord across the world.” The main aim of the training course ""Everyday Heroes"" is the promotion of civil courage based on democratic values. To reach this overarching aim, five intermediary objectives are defined: - Raising the participants’ awareness about democratic values - Developing social and cognitive skills - Strengthening self-efficacy of the participants - Encouraging personal responsibility - Building self-esteem and self-confidence The training course raises the participants’ awareness regarding the need for civil-courage in their daily life. The participants will learn how to take action and defend principles of justice, fairness and morality as well as to speak up in situations marked by injustice and racist discrimination. The participants will learn how to stand up for their opinions and rights and understand that silence is not a solution. The training course includes the following pedagogical guidelines: - Enabling self-determined and holistic learning processes through non-formal learning methods and theatre techniques such as Forum Theatre and the Theatre of the Oppressed - Discussions, team-building activities, group work, simulation games, role playing and plenary sessions based on the interests and personal experiences of the participants - Opening-up experimental fields instead of judging the behavior and the actions of the participants - Using performative and visual arts as well as digital media as tools to encourage dialogue and cultural interaction as well as to work on the design of campaigns against Hate Speech The methodology of the training course is based on theoretical inputs, action-promoting simulation games and interactive exercises. The learning content offers numerous opportunities to reflect on one's own actions and to exchange ideas with the other group members. The training course offers on the one hand basics about moral courage, different factors and forms of violence and hate and the causes of missing help behavior. On the other hand, learning situations are provided, in which reality is simulated, and a comprehension of feelings and experiences through the simulation games can be realised. Each of the participants will be actively involved and will be encouraged to recreate occasions for civil courage and options for action. To be able to tailor the training course to the needs of the group, the expectations and fears are queried at the beginning and integrated into the content. The training course will be concluded by an evaluation, but also during each training day, phases of reflection and discussion are planned. It is aspired that the participants will learn how to stand-up and take action in situations where hate, violence, discrimination and racism are observed and that after this training course the youth workers and youth leaders and educators will transfer their knowledge and skills to the young people of their local communities so that a multiplier effect is achieved. An online guidebook about civil courage will be published and will be available on the website of Jugend- & Kulturprojekt e.V. and its facebook page which will include a variety of methods and techniques in order to promote civil courage in non-formal education. It is envisaged that a civil courage Network will be created at European level where youth organisations, refugee and migration centres as well as organisations that promote Human Rights will be actively involved."

"""Beingpreneur, Be business, Man!"", a Mobility Youth Project (TC), aimed to enhance the entrepreneurship skills of 25 youth leaders and workers, through non-formal learning, to promote innovation and creativity to young people in ways that are relevant to employability. The training course took place in Durres, Albanian in November 15-23, 2015 and hosted 25 youth workers from the Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, Greece, Turkey, Macedonia, Romania and Macedonia. The project was implemented by Open Doors Center, Albania. The project objectives are:•To provide youth workers with knowledge how to drive young people in their personal development through Non-formal learning methods;•To highlight the role of the Key-Competencies within Youth pass for finding a job and supporting young people in the process of acknowledging of these competencies•To foster inclusion and empower youth workers who work with youngsters with fewer opportunities to start new initiative toward youth entrepreneurship•To improve youth workers' competencies on fostering entrepreneurship initiatives of young people and promoting their active participation;•To promote Entrepreneurship Education, sharing of knowledge, ideas & good practices among participants.•To promote intercultural dialogue and valorizing the active contribution of all participant•To provide knowledge on “Erasmus +”program on how to use international mobility experiences – EVS, youth exchanges as well as youth initiatives - as a tool to motivate young people and how to guide them in the project writing phase •To establish a network of all participants The project addressed the Erasmus Priority “Young people entrepreneurship”, provided the participants with the necessary skills to empower young people’s spirit of initiative, stimulating their mobility and their active participation in society. The enhanced competences equipped the participants with an important set of skills and made them confident youth workers.Furthermore, during the program participants have developed several viable concepts for future youth projects and established new cooperation between the involved organizations. In addition promoting of Erasmus program, especially international mobility of youth have highly motivated participants and local youngsters in their efforts to face the life challenges.The developed youth worker competencies of the participants have directly increased the capacity of the youth organizations in areas which they are active, enhancing the quality of their activities. The young people in their respective communities indirectly benefit from this and it contributes to the quality of activities in the overall field of youth work.Intercultural learning and European citizenship has been developed through working in an international group, while the sense of belonging to Europe is created through solving various issues together. As well, by addressing a positive response to diversity has ultimately benefit young people with fewer opportunities and their inclusion in society.The program used non-formal education as the basis of learning, and learning to learn practices, lifelong and life wide learning. Methods were process and practice oriented. During the course participants developed new project proposals for their continued work in their organizations afterwards."

The last months were marked by a renewed European focus on the Western Balkan (WB) region accompanied by a new EU strategy and the visit of the Jean-Claude Juncker to the region in early March 2018. Among many obstacles on the path of WB countries joining the Union is also corruption. The latest Special Eurobarometer 470 shows that more than 60% of EU citizens think that corruption is present in their country; the corruption perception index shows a far bleaker picture for WB. Not only is corruption an impediment to joining the EU, it also has considerable impact on the economic sector, society and individuals. Thus the consortium designed “Fighting Corruption — Expanding the Union” — a project that uses a bottom-up approach to tackling corruption through educating youth workers (from the EU and WB), designing a toolkit and developing non-formal education methods, through which youth workers from partner countries will empower youth to address cases of corruption. The consortium includes 11 organisations from 10 countries (5 from the EU and 5 from WB)Fighting corruption is a crucial priority both in EU28 and WB countries. The majority of initiatives targeting corruption are aimed at decision makers and are thus distinctly top-down in character. While these initiatives are crucial in establishing rule of law, they often overlook the fact that corruption is entrenched in culture and the most effective long-term strategy for fighting it is to make it culturally unacceptable. And in this young people are the key target group — they are the future leaders, entrepreneurs and civil society actors.Objectives:- Increase the level and intensity of cooperation between programme countries and partner countries from WB. Related to this is also the long-term aim of creating a robust youth anti-corruption platform focused on the WB but working with a decidedly inter-regional and trans-sectoral perspective.- Increase the capacities of youth organisations based in WB.- Increase the competences of youth workers in WB, the EU and beyond.- Educate youth about recognising, reporting and fighting corruption.- Establish the image of the EU as a supranational entity taking a stand against corrupt practices.- Design a toolkit for educating youth about corruption.- Educate the general public about corruption in their country and ways of opposing it.Activities: - 2 transnational project meetings- 3 mobilities of youth workers (at least 22 participants per activity)- 1 youth exchange (at least 50 participants)Outputs:- toolkit- 3 webinars- webpage- 5 cultural events / public interventions- 4 press conferences- 1 conference