Find out more about our projects from the video and scroll down for more information
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
Online Kick-Off meeting (August-September 2017)
We held a series of virtual meetings in order to agree on the technical details and officially launch the beginning of the project. In particular a working group was created, composed of one representative of each partner organisation who was then responsible for the effective and timely implementation of all project activities as well as the general management of the project. In this way it was possible to share tasks and responsibilities according to the competences and human resources of each partner, establish a communication strategy (both internal and external), verify the logistics and the agenda for the upcoming steps and activities, and establish the partnerships with local stakeholders. The applicant organisation was in charge the communication among partners and to preparing all the necessary working materials including the contract for business and technical cooperation with each partner.
Study Visit (Observe phase): Liege, Belgium / 16-23 October 2016
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PARTICIPANTS
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FACILITATORS
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The overall aim of the Study Visit was to explore and analyse examples of good practice in the Province of Liege (Belgium) in terms of methodologies, challenges, approaches, activities and policies of institutions, public bodies, NGO networks, individual organisations, Youth centres, and youth organisations on the theme of youth work and non formal education. Belgium has a very long tradition of development of youth work strategies and innovative non formal education approaches and therefore represented an interesting and fruitful playground to work, learn and practice the interaction between youth work and inclusion of young people in community development. |
Thanks to interactive field visits, meeting with stakeholders, working sessions and planning activities, it was possible to discover efficient and innovative models in youth work that generate positive experiences of inclusion and participation. In a specific session during the study visit, a set of possibilities on how to exploit acquired knowledge in local and international contexts was established, including the development of a series of job-shadowing partnerships within the ORA network. |
Seminar (Rethink phase) Berlin, Germany / 05-12 February 2017
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PARTICIPANTS
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TRAINERS
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The overall aim of the Seminar was to bring together different "modus operandi" and local experiences from all around Europe in order to identify common standards and methodological platforms at the international level concerning youth work and non formal education. In Berlin, the seminar offered the possibility to share experiences, good practices, innovative methodologies, approaches and case studies developed by each partner at the local level. This allowed us to explore the interaction among youth work, non formal education and the inclusion of young people. All the results and outcomes from the seminar constitute the core part both of the handbook and the online toolkit, allowing us to create sustainable and replicable tools for other organizations and stakeholders throughout Europe.
Intermediate online evaluations: February 2017
The working group for the general management of the project realised an intermediate evaluation in order to assess the development of the project in terms of contents, results achieved, financial management, learning outcomes, etc and gave the possibility to adapt some elements where necessary and to plan the Training course in Banja Luka.
Handbook and online toolkit: February-June 2017
Realization and dissemination of the educational handbook which collected the good practice and case studies developed by each partner at the local level, training modules and tools, innovative methodologies and approaches, and the methodological and educational platform developed by participants during the seminar. The same content constitutes the core of the online toolkit that available on the ORA website (www.ora-network.eu). These additional measures of dissemination and exploitation support the promotion of the project results and make them available both to the partners directly involved in the project and to other organisations, institutions, groups and networks.
Job Shadowing (Application): April 2017
One of the first products that resulted from this project was the possibility to apply and develop different job shadowing projects among the members of the ORA network.
All partners gave their availability to organise and run different job-shadowing projects in order to exploit the knowledge acquired during the whole process, to go deeper in the exploration and analysis of good practices, to contribute to the development of high quality youth activities and to implement innovative approaches and methods.
All partners gave their availability to organise and run different job-shadowing projects in order to exploit the knowledge acquired during the whole process, to go deeper in the exploration and analysis of good practices, to contribute to the development of high quality youth activities and to implement innovative approaches and methods.
Training Course (Act phase): Banja Luka, Bosnia Herzegovina / 05-14 May 2017
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PARTICIPANTS
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TRAINERS
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After the Study Visit realised in Belgium (Observe phase) and the Seminar realised in Germany (Rethink phase), the specific objective of the Training Course (Act phase) was to explore new competencies and approaches in different areas of youth work and non formal education. Building from the results achieved in the process up until this point, and especially with reference to the different case studies collected and presented in Berlin, the overall aim of this training course was to transfer and share methods and skills among ORA organisations. Participants had within this training the opportunity to test their new skills and knowledge directly in the field.
The core of the training was the exploration of different thematic paths identified in Berlin (Community Development, Environmental Education, Art and creativity, Media and Communication) by implementing in the local community of Banja Luka aspects of the case studies presented by ORA members, (which also feature in this handbook, for example Older Brother, Older Sister; New Urban Explorers, Environmental Educational Path etc) in the form of a short educational modules. We held a final collective action (Youth Centre inna City) in collaboration with Zdravo da ste and other local youth organisations.
The final part of the training was used in order to plan the next steps of the project, and the exploitation of results: at one level through local activities and at the international level (through the ERASMUS+ Programme).
The core of the training was the exploration of different thematic paths identified in Berlin (Community Development, Environmental Education, Art and creativity, Media and Communication) by implementing in the local community of Banja Luka aspects of the case studies presented by ORA members, (which also feature in this handbook, for example Older Brother, Older Sister; New Urban Explorers, Environmental Educational Path etc) in the form of a short educational modules. We held a final collective action (Youth Centre inna City) in collaboration with Zdravo da ste and other local youth organisations.
The final part of the training was used in order to plan the next steps of the project, and the exploitation of results: at one level through local activities and at the international level (through the ERASMUS+ Programme).
METHODOLOGY
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The principles of non formal education were applied during all phases of this project (these include the methods of non formal/ informal learning, ORA - Observe, Rethink, Act, experiential and active pedagogy, mentoring and/or peer support and relationship-based activities): all the methodologies that were used and activities that were carried out were designed to ensure the direct involvement of partners and participants at any point during the project in order to promote freedom of expression, exchange and cooperation, interaction, and creativity.
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Furthermore, the methodology used was strongly oriented towards intercultural learning, paying attention to the cultural diversity represented by the partnership (EU and the Western Balkans), promoting a good environment, of mutual understanding and cooperation among all participants. Following the ORA approach the main activities were: a Study Visit (Observe Phase), a Seminar (Re-think Phase) and a Training Course (Act Phase).
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OBJECTIVES
The overall aim of the project was to realize a long-term non formal education process at the international level and among organisations from 8 different European countries (EU and the Western Balkans) designed to empower the youth work that the partners are realising on the field with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and vulnerable groups. The goal was to do this through increasing their capacities for their day to day work, as well as inspiration for providing more services (educational, cultural, social, etc.) for the young people with whom they work, to increase the competences of their youth and social workers in the inclusion of different target groups in the social, cultural, and economic life of their communities.
Project partners have a shared understanding that it is important to offer constantly evolving learning pathways and development opportunities to reflect changes in society and to establish a cross-sector approach to empower young people in their development. On the basis of this observation and following the ORA approach, all partners identified the general objectives for the project together with some more specific ones to be achieved with the three mobility activities that were planned in this capacity building project.
Project partners have a shared understanding that it is important to offer constantly evolving learning pathways and development opportunities to reflect changes in society and to establish a cross-sector approach to empower young people in their development. On the basis of this observation and following the ORA approach, all partners identified the general objectives for the project together with some more specific ones to be achieved with the three mobility activities that were planned in this capacity building project.
General objectives
- to support innovation in and quality of non formal education in youth work through the development of new methodologies and activities and acquisition of competences;
- to improve the youth work that our NGOs are doing on the field with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and/or vulnerable groups in order to empower their social, cultural and economic development and to increase their opportunities for inclusion;
- to reinforce the relationship among partners with the specific objective of planning and realising future projects within the framework of the Erasmus+ Programme using the knowledge and competences acquired during this process. Future projects will represent a concrete opportunity for active involvement and personal and economic development for the young people with whom the partners work.
Specific objectives
Study visit (Observe phase)
- to get to know in detail the examples of good practice in the Province of Liege (Belgium) in terms of methodologies, challenges, approaches, activities and policies realised by institutions, public bodies, NGO networks, NGOs, Youth centres and youth organisations around the theme of youth work, inclusion of young people and non formal education;
- to share among partners and participants elements of knowledge from their different contexts on the themes of youth work, youth inclusion and active participation of young people in the community development;
- to establish a set of possibilities on how to exploit acquired knowledge in local and international contexts including the opportunity to develop different job-shadowing projects among partners to increase the quality of the work done with young people.
- to share among partners and participants elements of knowledge from their different contexts on the themes of youth work, youth inclusion and active participation of young people in the community development;
- to establish a set of possibilities on how to exploit acquired knowledge in local and international contexts including the opportunity to develop different job-shadowing projects among partners to increase the quality of the work done with young people.
Seminar (Rethink phase)
- to share experiences, good practices, innovative methodologies and approaches, and case studies developed by each partner at the local level in order to explore the interactions among Youth Centres, non formal education, and the inclusion of disadvantaged young people;
- to develop a methodological and educational platform (including example of exercises and activities) starting from basis of the ORA methodology (Observe Rethink Act);
- to collect both in a publication (handbook) and in an online toolkit the good practice and case studies developed by each partner at the local level, and the methodological and educational platform developed by participants during the seminar.
- to develop a methodological and educational platform (including example of exercises and activities) starting from basis of the ORA methodology (Observe Rethink Act);
- to collect both in a publication (handbook) and in an online toolkit the good practice and case studies developed by each partner at the local level, and the methodological and educational platform developed by participants during the seminar.
Training course (Act phase)
- to reflect on the role of youth work and non formal learning in fostering both the social and human capital of young people;
- to train youth workers, youth leaders, managers of youth organisations, and volunteers in innovative approaches in different fields (education, environment, community development, art and culture) of youth work;
-to acquire new competences, skills and learn new methodologies in order to be able to support young people in Europe through the complex transitions that they are facing (in education, employment and inclusion) and to increase the quality of inclusion projects.
- to test in practice, in the local community of Banja Luka the new competences acquired, and to plan the exploitation of results both at a local (starting from the local initiatives already planned) and an international level (through ERASMUS+ Programme).
- to train youth workers, youth leaders, managers of youth organisations, and volunteers in innovative approaches in different fields (education, environment, community development, art and culture) of youth work;
-to acquire new competences, skills and learn new methodologies in order to be able to support young people in Europe through the complex transitions that they are facing (in education, employment and inclusion) and to increase the quality of inclusion projects.
- to test in practice, in the local community of Banja Luka the new competences acquired, and to plan the exploitation of results both at a local (starting from the local initiatives already planned) and an international level (through ERASMUS+ Programme).
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Due to the economic and employment crisis affecting all of Europe, more and more young citizens do not have any trust in their futures, suffer from increasing marginalisation (and/or self-marginalization) in and disregard for the public sphere. Moreover access to existing social rights is becoming more and more difficult (due to the economic crisis the majority of EU countries have experienced cuts to public funds at both the national and municipal levels in the social and cultural sectors, including youth work) which at the same time reduces the possibility for young people to contribute to the development (social, cultural, economic, and environmental) of the community in which they live. Young people have also been directly affected by the economic crisis that started in 2008, particularly on through the effect on the labour market. One in four young people under 25 are unemployed in the EU (Eurostat unemployment rate among the under 25 year olds – 2012 annual average in the EU 27 was 22.8%) and the situation is even worst in the Western Balkans (http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.1524.ZS - Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labour force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment: Albania 29,2% - Serbia 49,5% - Bosnia Herzegovina 57,5%).
In this context, considering the growing complexity of our globalised society and the social issues facing young people today (including the issues of bullying, early school leaving, special educational needs and cultural needs) it is fundamental to recognise the value and the role of youth work and non formal learning in fostering both the social and human capital of young people. As shown by the EU Youth Work report (Working with young people: The value of youth work in the EU - European Commission, February 2014) youth work plays a significant part in equipping young people with skills that are needed to advance in the labour market and in the sphere of education; as well as for their own personal development and well-being.
Youth work has been growing in importance on the political agendas of the vast majority of countries across Europe, but there is still some distance to go in order to reduce the gap between "plans" and "actions", including the need to support the bottom up processes of youth work organisations. This is because existing programmes do not reach many of the young people who could potentially from youth work (in 2012 only one young person in five took part in the activities of a youth club, leisure time club or a youth organisation, Flash Eurobarometer n°375 - Survey European Youth: participation in democratic life). Also those who work with young people (youth and street workers, social services and youth organisations, volunteers, teachers, etc.) face chronic funding issues and poor support, whilst trying to encourage attitudes and lifestyles aimed at achieving social justice and active participation, developing new youth services, and creating a higher standard of youth work.
For these reasons the priorities of this Capacity Building project were to address the increasing demand for a professional standard in youth work activities and the needs expressed by several organisations engaged in youth work (Youth Centres/Clubs, youth organisations, social development organisations, etc.). These needs were identified as raising their capacity to perform better and provide more useful services (educational, cultural, social, etc.) for the young people with whom they work.
All the partners in this project are engaged in youth work and play an important role in the development of the citizenship of young people and the community in which they live. Through previous experiences of working with young people as well as through activities in which the current needs were identified, there is a shared understanding among the project partners that it is important to offer constantly evolving learning pathways and development opportunities to reflect changes in society and to establish a cross-sector approach to empower young people in their development.
The overall aim of the project was to empower the youth work that the partnership carries out on the field in order to generate innovative approaches in their daily activities, to acquire new methods and quality tools, to provide the possibility for youth workers to develop skills and competences in order to be able to support the complex transitions young people in Europe face today (education, employment and inclusion).
We believe also that this project fits the EU Youth Strategy and its eight fields of action (Education and training, employment and entrepreneurship, health and wellbeing, participation, volunteering, social inclusion, youth and the world, culture) exploring the possibilities of finding shared standards concerning Youth work and non formal education and creating methodological platforms among organisations coming from different European regions (EU and the Western Balkans), as well as creating a sustainable and replicable model for other organizations and stakeholders throughout Europe.
In this context, considering the growing complexity of our globalised society and the social issues facing young people today (including the issues of bullying, early school leaving, special educational needs and cultural needs) it is fundamental to recognise the value and the role of youth work and non formal learning in fostering both the social and human capital of young people. As shown by the EU Youth Work report (Working with young people: The value of youth work in the EU - European Commission, February 2014) youth work plays a significant part in equipping young people with skills that are needed to advance in the labour market and in the sphere of education; as well as for their own personal development and well-being.
Youth work has been growing in importance on the political agendas of the vast majority of countries across Europe, but there is still some distance to go in order to reduce the gap between "plans" and "actions", including the need to support the bottom up processes of youth work organisations. This is because existing programmes do not reach many of the young people who could potentially from youth work (in 2012 only one young person in five took part in the activities of a youth club, leisure time club or a youth organisation, Flash Eurobarometer n°375 - Survey European Youth: participation in democratic life). Also those who work with young people (youth and street workers, social services and youth organisations, volunteers, teachers, etc.) face chronic funding issues and poor support, whilst trying to encourage attitudes and lifestyles aimed at achieving social justice and active participation, developing new youth services, and creating a higher standard of youth work.
For these reasons the priorities of this Capacity Building project were to address the increasing demand for a professional standard in youth work activities and the needs expressed by several organisations engaged in youth work (Youth Centres/Clubs, youth organisations, social development organisations, etc.). These needs were identified as raising their capacity to perform better and provide more useful services (educational, cultural, social, etc.) for the young people with whom they work.
All the partners in this project are engaged in youth work and play an important role in the development of the citizenship of young people and the community in which they live. Through previous experiences of working with young people as well as through activities in which the current needs were identified, there is a shared understanding among the project partners that it is important to offer constantly evolving learning pathways and development opportunities to reflect changes in society and to establish a cross-sector approach to empower young people in their development.
The overall aim of the project was to empower the youth work that the partnership carries out on the field in order to generate innovative approaches in their daily activities, to acquire new methods and quality tools, to provide the possibility for youth workers to develop skills and competences in order to be able to support the complex transitions young people in Europe face today (education, employment and inclusion).
We believe also that this project fits the EU Youth Strategy and its eight fields of action (Education and training, employment and entrepreneurship, health and wellbeing, participation, volunteering, social inclusion, youth and the world, culture) exploring the possibilities of finding shared standards concerning Youth work and non formal education and creating methodological platforms among organisations coming from different European regions (EU and the Western Balkans), as well as creating a sustainable and replicable model for other organizations and stakeholders throughout Europe.
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