SPY | P.O.D. Association

Co-funded: European Union, Erasmus+ Program – Key Action 1, Mobility of youth workers
Period: 01.01.2019 – 30.09.2019
Place: Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain

Context:

Participation in our communities is vital for development and social development and cohesion. Young people are engaged in political parties, youth organisations, local NGOs, faith-based organisations and many participate actively in an informal way, doing it within their communities or in the big online community. However, there is still a significant challenge we need to address when we are talking about engaging young people directly in local and small communities.Youth have traditionally been excluded from community organizations and civic roles, but now they can participate in local decision-making at multiple levels. Although they have some instruments to make their voice heard, it is important to enrich their potential through action – volunteering, active citizenship and youth participation.

Objectives:

To improve the level of key competences and skills of young people, including those with fewer opportunities, as well as to promote participation in democratic life in Europe, active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and solidarity;
To develop competences of 11 youth workers on how to develop sustainable intervention programs through volunteering, solidarity, youth participation, active citizenship programs in small communities and rural areas;
To guide 11 youth workers into making the difference between volunteering (formal and informal), active citizenship and youth participation in small communities and/or rural areas in 5 different EU countries;
To guide participants into identifying their own suitable way of getting involved in democratic processes and community intervention actions when working with different types of beneficiaries such as young people in rural areas or young people from small communities, marginalized youth and people with fewer opportunities;
To discover and understand similarities and differences between small communities in different cultures and how can tackle the most important challenges through international cooperation.

Activities:

Training course, 07.04.2019 -14.04.2019, which will involve the 11 participants in a structured learning program aimed at developing specific competences in working with young people to better address their needs, especially to involve them in sustainable intervention programs (Volunteering, Youth Participation, Active Citizenship Programs)

Partners:

Poland, Fundacja Centrum Aktywnosci Tworczej

Croatia, PRONI Centar za socijalno poducavanje

Greece, POLITISTIKI

Czech Rep., EUROPEAN YOUTH CENTRE BRECLAV