Family Trainer International – Network to empower families at risk and single parents Erasmus Project

Project Title

Family Trainer International – Network to empower families at risk and single parents

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The objective of the strategic partnership “Family Trainer International – Network to empower families and single parents” was to
strengthen the target group of disadvantaged families and single parents trough a qualification of social workers and volunteers
working in the social sector to facilitate an equitable participation in social, cultural and political life in a national and transnational
context.
The “Family trainer international” works according to the motto: “spot and strengthen the strengths”
The project “Family Trainer International” therefore effects different social structures on different educational levels. It takes action
on with the heterogeneous and challenging field of working with disadvantaged families and single parents, in the sector of
advanced training and qualification for qualified employees and volunteers in the social sector and also embraces the political level.
• The seven partner organizations already work with families and single parents so far mainly on a local base and succeeded to expand
and intensify the approach
• All partners are non-profit organizations which want to offer high-quality formats to (one parent) families that due to the
economic difficulties of the target group can only cost little.
• Furthermore, all partners operate in the field of (non-formal) education and social work.
• Connections to the regional family policy
These priorities were combined to the strategic partnership and they built the base of the project work together.
For three years the coordinating organization worked with so-called voluntary “family trainers” already. This approach had proved to be
sustainable in the national context and met with great interest of our partners, especially abroad.
The project strategy allotted first of all the conception of the training curriculum “Family Trainer International”. In that training course
there were 28 multipliers from all partner organizations and 2 trainers participating. In the theoretical part featured of the target
group, socio-educational basics and methodological approaches were taught and steadied.
In the start of the training a discussion of the term “families” in various characteristics was stimulated, needs of the target group
were derived and ways of integration were defined. A sensitization took place – single parents were no so called (one parent) families and we agreed on the term, that “family is the base of society in every country”.
Other contents were:
• The legal system to work with the target group on a country comparison level;
• Communication and crisis management especially in the area of family work;
• Planning template for family work in theory and methodically application
• Concrete methods of non-formal learning that apply for the work with parents and kids together
• Portfolio of appropriate methods
• Intercultural training flanked the entire training, (tools for bridging the language barriers)
The theoretical part was followed by two practical modules in which the multipliers applied to the theoretical basics. Families and single parents were actively involved in the two modules.
All the results of the training mobilities led to the publishing of a training manual, translated in every language of the participant countries to perpetuate and disseminate the knowledge. This also enabled a transnational adaptation of the training curriculum.
Political lobbying also was essential for a sustainable improvement of the situation of the target group. The political level was involved from the beginning of the project. The project partners established contacts to multipliers in the regional family policy. The variety of local activities led to a strategic multipliers event and to the agreement on common guidelines of the subject “inclusion of disadvantaged families and single parents”. Thus, the political discourse was stimulated and the perpetuation of lobbying the target group was supported. A meeting in Brussels in 2019 to present the common political claims is foreseen.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 181075,6 Eur

Project Coordinator

“NaturFreunde Deutschlands” Verband für Umweltschutz, sanfter Tourismus, Sport und Kultur, Landesverband Thüringen e.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• CENTRO PER LO SVILUPPO CREATIVO DANILO DOLCI
• Magisztrátus Alapítvány
• Mihai Eminescu National College
• Stowarzyszenie Rozwoju i Integracji Mlodziezy
• Point Europa Ltd