<< Objectives >>You Press http://youpress.org.uk is an award-winning social enterprise based in London, which is currently run by volunteers and creative artists to support young writers and poets to bring their words and art to a wider audience. Our projects involve empowering young people to find their voice and be heard. This involves challenging stereotypes and stigmas about young people and communities (through creative arts and writing).ScribersHive was already one of our most innovative and locally successful projects in London but we wanted it to grow. It is a platform for young writers, storytellers and change makers age 16+, with a strong social purpose to empower young people to find their voice and be heard through writing and creative arts. Through the project, they connect to social issues, topics, stories & debates in a unique and interactive way.This was our second Erasmus+ project. Our objectives were:1. To internationalise our work, build partnerships with like-minded organisations around Europe, and participate in further projects, thereby offering more opportunities to the young people we work with, most of whom are from minority communities or disadvantaged backgrounds.2. To build on the first Erasmus+ project which we ran in 2018-19, in order to help us to grow our reputation with sponsors and stakeholders, and so increase our reach and impact to our target groups.3. To create a platform for young people around Europe to report on social, cultural and migration issues through creative media4. To develop the competences of youth workers, young people and partner organisations by sharing a creative methodology for working on societal issues.5. To bring the ScribersHive process to a European level to enable more young people access to writing, graphics and broadcasting skills 6. To increase awareness and understanding of migration-related issues from a cultural perspective, and appreciation of intercultural barriers and opportunities7. To promote Erasmus plus and spread awareness of the programme and what can be achievedThe project results were written articles, graphics and video / podcasts. These are currently available via the Erasmus+ results platform but will soon be publicly presented on our new ScribersHive website (currently under development, due for launch May 2023). The expected longer term benefits are increased public awareness and understanding of European intercultural and migration-related issues, and getting more young people involved in reporting these issues.The project supported the objectives of Erasmus+ because it developed skills and employability, promoted creative innovation in youth work, and empowered young people. It was also about reaching out to marginalised young people, promoting diversity, intercultural dialogue, common values of freedom, tolerance and respect of human rights. It focused on enhancing media literacy, critical thinking and sense of initiative of young people. It also embodied inclusion, multilingualism and open access.<< Implementation >>The project consisted of 2 phases, with local activity in between:Phase 1 (activity A1): training course in Greece. Participants learned about ScribersHive, and were trained on how to use journalism (and other creative writing), graphics, podcasting and video making to raise awareness of social and cultural issues. They heard from experts and activists about the issue of migration in Europe. They took part in a full simulation of the ScribersHive process based around these issues and made action plans for working with young people in their home locations.Phase 2 (local activities): work with young people to produce written articles about social or cultural issues relating to migration. The written articles from country / group A were then passed to young people in country / group B, B to C, and C to A. Each group was asked to interpret the article they had received, and create a graphic (comic strip or other artwork) from it. A final exchange of material from one country / group to another involved a second reinterpretation of the original theme, by turning the graphics into podcasts or short videos. All finished materials (written, graphic and digital) were collected by You Press for publication on our website.Phase 3 (activity A2): final creative workshop, evaluation meeting and showcase / dissemination event in London. Participants came together again to review and disseminate the project results, and to plan follow-up activities.7 countries were originally involved in the project: Armenia, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Slovenia, Ukraine and UK. However, two partners (Italy, Slovenia) did not send any participants despite initial enthusiasm. The total number of participants, including trainers, was 32. They were mostly younger youth workers or volunteers working or regularly participating in cultural activities with You Press (UK) or the other partners, with an interest in creative writing, arts or film making. Many were selected because of having fewer opportunities, particularly social, cultural, economic and geographical.<< Results >>The results of the project exceeded our expectations. Every group has produced written, graphical and audiovisual media outputs, which we initially disseminated in a public exhibition at a social and cultural centre in west-central London (the Anti-Tribalism Movement centre). As mentioned, the individual outputs are currently available via the Erasmus+ results platform, but the exhibition as a whole is in the process of being transferred to our new ScirbersHive website, due for launch within the next 2 months. This project provided a platform for intercultural learning and brought together participants from many different cultural and social backgrounds and gave them the tools to create many different local activities and pan-European cooperation which resulted in a showcase event in which all the results were presented and disseminated to a wider audience.This non-formal education project has extended our international collaboration to several more EU and partner countries and promoted the ScribersHive concept around Europe, creating the foundations for future links and projects. Our own team at You Press has become more internationalised and outward-looking.As their first international project, this has been a life-changing experience for many of the participants, particularly those from ethnic minority communities in the UK. Some of them have already gone on to participate in other Erasmus+ projects. Lasting inter-cultural friendships have been made.The project has had the following impact:- For participants (enhanced youth work skills and techniques, personal and professional competencies)- For young people reached indirectly through local activities (youth voice, active citizenship, intercultural learning)- For partners and other organisations (open access materials arising from the project; new creative methodologies; networking)- For communities (engagement of young people in reporting and discussing societal issues).The project has promoted key objectives of Erasmus+ for youth mobility, youth work development and internationalisation. It also embodied inclusion and multiligualism (particularly because local activities can be carried out in any language).Outputs from the project have been made available on an open access basis through our website.YouthPass was used to record, measure and validate learning and achievement on the project.