“Citizens and Voluntary Action (CAVA)” was a training course held between 2 - 9 February 2019 in Cambridge, UK for 31 youth workers from programme countries under Erasmus+ Key Action 1 (KA1): Learning Mobility of Individuals, Mobility of Youth Workers. The project was led by Balik Arts and organised by a consortium of partners from France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey. The project came about in consultation with the partners, all of whom work with volunteers, and aimed to highlight the importance and value of volunteering, particularly for young people; and enhancing the skills and knowledge of youth workers from the partner organisations for working with volunteers and encouraging further volunteering. Volunteering is an important element of active citizenship, where young people can become involved within their society, make a constructive contribution, and at the same time acquire new skills and experiences that will make them more employable and be of long-lasting value to society especially in the light of rising unemployment figures. Societies would fall apart if active citizenship doesn't take place. Youth organisations therefore have an important duty to encourage, educate, train and engage their beneficiaries. The training course has supported the professional development of youth workers by increasing their competences to provide more qualified services to young people on a local, national or international level in order to train young people about active citizenship and volunteering. We have used non-formal education methods during the training course, including games, field visits, interacting with experts, screening/watching/having a post screening discussion of a film on a concrete example of volunteering. We have brought in or visited a number of highly professional representatives of relevant organisations or individuals to run workshops to cover a variety of aspects of active citizenship and volunteering. These included Cambridge Ethnic Community Form, Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service, Cambridge Hub, Liberal Democrats MEP Candidate, three academics from Anglia Ruskin University, an academic from LSE (for the post-screening discussion of the chosen film), Cambridge City Council Community Development Officer, Sargeant at Mace and various NGO representatives.

"<< Objectives >>The ""BORN TO BE ALIVE"" project was a youth exchange, an informal education program for young people aged 18 to 30. The 30 participants (including the leaders) were actively involved in activities related to the nature and the environment and came from countries in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea with a large geographical dispersion in order to maximize results and added value. The exchange hosted by association of volunteers FTHIA IN ACTION in Raches Fthiotis and Lamia, in collaboration with youth groups and organizations from France, Slovakia, Denmark and Spain. The duration of the main mobility was 7 days in total from 05th to 11st of May 2022 while the days of 04th and 12th of May were the travel days.The OBJECTIVES of the program were:- Develop a computer and mobile application with Scratch and promote it to schools and Environmental Organizations. The application will have free access to alert and educate young people, to find solutions, exchange ideas on climate change and protect the planet's delicate balance- To share digital applications for the Environment with big audiences (videos, presentations, digital storytelling) that will highlight changing behavioral preferences, consumer habits, and lifestyles- Support schools to provide instruction and materials to teach climate change- To foster the imagination and creativity of young people living in the digital age- Develop skills in areas related to Sustainability, strategies, tools and methodologies in the field of green areas and future curricula that meet the needs of the season (eg saving resources, reducing energy and waste consumption, compensation CO2 emissions, sustainable food choice and mobility, etc.)- Explanation of actions in Europe to protect and correct the balances of our Sensitive Environment- Promoting sustainability, ecological awareness, awareness of issues such as climate change, waste treatment / recycling, human footprint in nature and recycled forms of energy- To know what extreme weather conditions are and how they affect human activities, to study climate change in the past and their impact on the natural and anthropogenic environment.Activities at LOCAL and EUROPEAN level:To achieve the goals, the exchange program used informal and non-formal training methods such as discussions, presentations, workshops, field visits, hiking activity in the nature, sports activities, digital tools, display and dissemination of results and actions for health, sports, social inclusion and exclusion. Participants learned to apply skills in practice, created new design ideas to connect with the environment and evaluate the significance of it while they also learned and understood in depth concepts such as the weather, climate and ecological footprint. Moreover they had the chance to interact with the local community and promote the set goals. They learned that being close to the environment and taking care of it gives well-being and mental health that can lead to higher self-esteem, confidence and a better quality of life.The METHODS that used were:Learning through work, workshops, sports activities, teamwork, role-playing games, presentations and collaboration. Participants completed and received YOUTHPASS as well as Certificate of Attendance from the Municipality of Lamia. It is an important tool for promoting intercultural dialogue, contributing significantly to the development and promotion of important social, cultural and educational values, such as impartiality, tolerance and mutual respect, solidarity, respect for rules, team spirit and self-discipline.<< Implementation >>The youth exchange ""BORN TO BE ALIVE"" included a number of informal learning activities such as research, discussion, lectures, visits, field activities, nature work, music, theater and cinema, dance, construction. Also digital applications such as creating Scratch application for mobile and computers, storytelling, video creation, digital poster, logo creation and digital review. The project followed the strategic plan developed by the participants which were: Investigate-Create-Discuss-Reflect and aimed to: build sustainable environmental awareness among young people and reduce the environmental footprint. It was a dynamic, creative non-formal education program. The methodology that used was: Outdoor Learning by Real Experience, Open space, role-playing games, ""body learn"", presentations and discussion. Thelanguage of the exchange was English, but native languages were also strengthened. The youth exchange activities were divided into 4 logical and solid steps, where each step had its own meaning and significance.PART 1: introduction to the concepts of design such as nature, weather, climate change and environment.PART 2: answers given to questions related to the main topics of the project.PART 3: was the practical part of the exchange.PART 4: they learned about opportunities for young people in the context of Erasmus +. They made video clips and promotional material about the significance of being close to the environment and taking care of it as well as the role it should play in our lives. An evaluation and self-assessment made. The evaluation was based on the feedback of the participants by completing the Youthpass certificates. They took part in a public event to promote the goals. They interacted with the local community, presenting the final results.The team consisted of different youth or environmental organizations. Distribution of Mediterranean Partners (Fthia in Action, Greece and Spain ASOCIACION JUVENIL ALMENARAS) to Central Europe (YOUTHFULLY YOURS SK, Slovakia) to Northern Europe (TERA-MAISE DE LA'EPE DE LAURON , France and DANISH YOUTH TEAM, Denmark) and their different cultures brought added value to the youth exchange.It was supposed to be 30 young people with their 6 leaders but due to some problems our Cypriot partner organization could not attend the exchange. So in the end, there were 25 young people with their 5 leaders. All participants ranged in age from 18-30 while there were just a couple of leaders above 30 years old. Fthia in Action young members were university students. The French were young people involved in community activities mainly in naturalistic activities. Young Slovaks were mainly employed as substitute teachers, or volunteers and the Danish young were unemployed activists. Spanish participants were artists and amateur actors who use to offer volunteer work to children and the sick people. They were creative, active, they loved to learn and to offer, to teach and to be taught, to experiment. They had huge supplies of energy, disposition, respect for human beings and the environment and they were extremely motivated to participate in every single activity. All of them are persons who love informal education, teamwork and engaging with nature.They know English and ICT. A lot of them were newcomers. They had the guidance and support of their leaders and the Fthia In Action team. Ten of the participants belonged to the NEET category and the youth exchange was a great opportunity for them. All the necessary preparations had been made to avoid exclusion and inequality. The leaders were persons with extensive experience in informal environmental education. They have organized international events in the past, they have digital skills and they speak foreign languages. They had also worked as Trainers and Youth Workers.<< Results >>The impact was on stakeholders, their organizations, other target groups, local community and their countries.IMPACT ON PARTICIPANTS:-Young people acquired a range of knowledge and skills, as well as knowledge and understanding of various social issues. They got an overview of the current situation in their country and general in Europe about climate change and its effects.- Improvement of their digital and linguistic abilities and became more active and competitive- Changed their lifestyle and ecological footprint- Experienced informal education and the importance of protecting the planet for our future- Managed to meet other cultures in person and became more open and tolerant of other cultures, religions and tribes. They no longer believe in stereotypes.- Have an increased incentive to participate in YiA projects- Increased voluntary engagement and community involvement- Acquired management, project and action skills and key competences- NEETs now are going to have more job opportunities and integration in society- The concept of European citizenship was strengthened at various points.LOCAL COMMUNITY - OTHER groups- friends, classmates, parents listened to stories about the exchange and other countries.- the skills, abilities, application of different methods were promoted to other target groups and Local community- the participation of young people and the local community in the Erasmus + program is now increased .- the youngsters of Fthiotida got familiar with interculturalism Cooperation with forums and associations were widespread and was the beginning of new partnerships with the network of municipalities.- Students and teachers benefited from the Scratch application- There was an exchange of good practices as a basis for the creation of new approaches. Climate change demonstrations and a range of other events such as training seminars, open days, expert discussions, national and European conferences etc. are no ready to start taking place.- increased of informal education activities- a network of local bodies for the climate change was developed and expanded.- the local community became more tolerant of other cultures, with understanding and solidarity- voluntary actions, supply and social work increased - the concept of active European citizens was strengthened at various points.NATIONAL LEVEL- The exchange presented its results nationally and involved other stakeholders (students, teachers, and policy makers). The Scratch game application was promoted in schools and environmental organizations to educate the public in an easy and fun way.- Other youth groups and organizations were set up and involved in Youth in Action programs.EUROPEAN - INTERNATIONAL LEVEL- Made strategic use of the exchange- Creation of a network of regional, national and European agencies, organizations and stakeholders working on the same pattern.-Visiting through saltoyouth.net, Eurodesk, the Erasmus + results platform, ecoschools and Earth charter provide material to anyone who wants to look into the matter in the future.- The policy of states on climate change is now positively changed and its effects are mitigated.RESULTS:The various tangible results of the exchange are creating a poster, logo, digital game Scratch, ""What is climate change for me"" video and background video. We really hope that the program has long-term effects such as the establishment of close partnerships between organizations and the development of new projects in the field of youth, especially in the Mediterranean area, and we are working with great desire on that."

"The Maison de l'Europe des Yvelines (MdEY) is an association under the 1901 law and therefore without equity capital. That is why we need to obtain co-financing from other organisations - public and private - in order to carry out this mobility. The 2-year project for which we requested and obtained co-financing in 2017 concerned 22 young vocational training trainees and two MdEY employees, partly co-financed by the Ile-de-France Region, the Mission Europe at the Yvelines County Council, the Fondation Moral d'Acier and the Fondation SNCF. This is the 8th ""Mouv'in Europe"" project that we have successfully submitted to the Erasmus+ Agency in Bordeaux. As far as vocational training trainees (SFP) are concerned, we have sent 22 young people according to the terms of our commitment: aged 18 to 26, registered in Local Mission (ML) and the Employment Pole, in the process of reorientation or in search of professional development. They were trained at the MdEY by competent and attentive staff, and completed a 92-day internship (90 effective days on duty and 2 days of approach) in line with their professional project. They respected their commitments to the sending structure: attendance at the training sessions, completion of 30 hours of courses on the Online Linguistic Support platform, reply to information emails sent regularly by the youth coordinator, attendance at the debriefing, writing the participant's final report and the final level test on OLS. They also respected their commitment to the host companies on site: punctuality, reliability, daily presence at the internship; they carried out all the tasks/missions entrusted to them. They received their Europass Mobility at an official ceremony in the town hall of Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 12 June. Each Europass includes for the first time an Open Badge, a digital and evolving recognition of their involvement in this mobility. In addition, the Fondation SNCF filmed the preparation of two young people for this programme: their journey will be broadcast via advertising channels on the ""Transilien"" trains. Many returning youth are already employed or have resumed their studies. Two MdEY staff also benefited from mobility. In their case, the objectives were: to increase their autonomy, their performance, and the transmission of the knowledge acquired during their internship with the FPS, but also with the employees/volunteers of the MdEY. As we will detail in the following sections, these targets have been largely exceeded despite a change of destination (prices far too high for Finland). On the other hand, these two mobilities have enabled the beneficiaries to acquire new skills. On her return, the association's youth coordinator reviewed its training content to make it even more effective for young trainees. The Administrative Coordinator reused the skills acquired during the preparation of an Erasmus+ dossier entitled ""Competency Set"", the Adult Education component, which has just been approved by the Erasmus+ Agency. Finally, these two mobilities have considerably strengthened our network as an active associative structure on a European scale: creation of new contacts and expansion of the network which will make it easier to find new host companies for FPSs and to work together with new partner structures. By 2020-2021, are planned thanks to these contacts: a youth seminar in Germany (KA1) and a new strategic partnership (KA2). The youth coordinator presented her mobility on the local radio station Radio Sensations in Yvelines in order to promote the mobility of staff, its challenges and the benefits for the structure to the general public. Finally, we would like to point out that our commitment to quality has been perfectly implemented by an ever-improving organisation and more efficient monitoring."

"By the project "" European Campus - Together for European Citizenship"" the vocational training center Campus CIFOP in Angoulême, France open up its doors for hosting European volunteers in order to promote the intercultural exchange and to raise European awareness among their students. The project will be coordinated by the French organization TERA-Maison de l’Europe de la Charente. The EVS project will take place in the suburbs of Angoulême (L’Isle d’Espagnac). The hosting organization Campus Cifop will host three volunteers coming from Latvia, Italy and Spain for an 11 months EVS project starting in September 2016. The main idea of this project is to give local students the possibility to meet other Europeans. The project takes place in a rural area where the young people oftentimes have not the possibility to go abroad to discover other cultures. There is generally no high awareness for European citizenship and intercultural exchange. By inviting European volunteers, Campus Cifop wishes to foster the intercultural exchange. Unfortunately racism and stereotypes are current problems that we as educators have to deal with and we recognize that the ideas of extreme right wing parties gets more and more support especially from our young generation. We as an educational institution working with these young students consider that we have an important role to play in order to prevent any kind of radicalization and to promote non-discrimination through education.We are convinced that sharing positive experiences in a non-formal way on an everyday basis together with people from different backgrounds is the key to create a greater tolerance among the young European generation and that is why we want to give a positive example by hosting European volunteers in our team. Through the activities organized by the volunteer the local students will learn more about European citizenship and different cultures. Exchanging with other Europeans in a non-formal ways helps to promote mutual understanding between young people from different social, religious and ethnic backgrounds. This EVS project will therefore have a long lasting positive impact on the local youth regarding the fight against stereotypes and racism. We are convinced that the understanding among nations can be driven forward through intercultural exchange. The volunteer will be involved in all socio-educational activities of the school. One of the main activities of the volunteer is therefore to organize activities, events and games in cooperation with the social workers at the school in order to- present their own country, its culture and language- to inform the students about the possibilities of going abroad with the European Voluntary Service and other European programs- to raise awareness about European citizenship by talking about Europe, the European Union, its history and its institutions- help to organize cultural projects, field trips and activities for and with the students- foster the dialogue and intercultural exchange between the students in order to fight against stereotypes and racismThe project will certainly have a positive impact on the personal growth of the volunteer who has lived in a foreign country for several months. They will improve her French skills, gain professional experiences in the work with young people in the education system and will become more independent. We also hope to encourage the French students to go abroad through the information work about European mobility programs thanks to the volunteer. In a long run we hope to establish a strong partnership between the French sending and the European hosting organization in order to envisage further European projects."

The Project Socio Naüm, in the neighborhood of Son Roca, emerged in 2000 driven by the congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, to cover needs identified in the neighborhood.We look for two volunteers, aged between 17 and 30 years, collaborating in our project, no specific qualifications or experience required, what we value is the motivation of the person and is a dynamic person who likes to relate to other young people and having a desire to learn and share their experience. We highly value the young people have had prior volunteer experience in their country of origin.The objectives of socio-educational project Naüm are to support children / and youth in the neighborhood of Son Roca to promote their development in all areas of his life focusing on their training and academic and social integration, personal development and healthy habits.The various objects related to the program below relate to the project will work transversely through the European voluntary activity carried out by young people, as well as the different activities that take place as project coordinator entity.- That the volunteers who are part of the SVE acquire the skills necessary for their personal, educational and professional development.- To promote the social integration of all of them.- Facilitate cultural exchange and promote multiculturalism.- To promote youth mobility.- Create a link and connection between the EVS (European and local) volunteers in our community.To achieve the objectives we will implement different activities:YOUR ACTIVITIES OF EDUCATIONAL AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIESweekly sessions of 2 hours, 17 to 19 hours. The activities consist of socio-educational and recreational workshops and crafts, theater, cooking, social skills, IT and sport.Activities to be carried out in this area depending on the age of the groups: Workshop craft; Fine motor skills workshops; Workshop recycled objects, social, physical and personal development, social skills workshops, workshops body language, workshops kitchen, workshop and aesthetic body images; lectures on drug prevention and healthy lifestyles; Theater workshop; workshops knowledge of the environment itself; Film Workshop; Workshop rights and duties of childrenCooking workshops 2:10; Workshop and new technologies; Sports shop, trips and excursions; information on the SVE.PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES AND SOCIO A CIVIC CORNER (BOOST SCHOOL)Support group and individual activities during summer school (August).Activities and contacts with parents. Interviews and regular contact with the families.Educational support during the school year.Last half hour of conducting activities games and group dynamics more playful. (Using computers, games, yard games, football, ...)SUMMER SCHOOLThe activities are conducted Monday through Friday from 8 to 14:30.trips to the beach or excursions are made; group dynamics; Sports: football, basketball, bowling, baseball, ping pong; gimkana the neighborhood: Olympic, photographic; Relaxation and massage workshop .; Crafts; Cooking workshops; Healthy snacks daily; Outputs in the neighborhood; Social skills; Theater; Cinema; Computer workshops; karaoke; various workshops with recycled materials; 2 hours of hard school reinforcement every day of the month of August; day camp involving children escoleta.• It also would perform an administrative part, consisting of filing any documents or information regarding users and their activities during the week, as well as to disseminate the project and the activities carried out.The project will not only have a positive impact on the SVE volunteers entity but the impact will reach the young people of our community of between 17 and 30 years and the district of Son Roca, the different youth workers and, indirectly, to the families of these young people. In addition to visualize the benefits offered by the European Voluntary Service and the learning experience it provides, it is to strengthen the comprehensive development of young people who come to the socio-educational project Naüm.Long-term benefit will be that both the motivation, tolerance, respect for other cultures, and the desire to participate in a European project for the youth of our community will be significantly increased impacting increased youth mobility within the group of 17-30 years of our community.