Innovative and Creative Youth Empowerment Erasmus Project

Project Title

Innovative and Creative Youth Empowerment

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 youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

The project connected 3 well-established and experienced voluntary organisations – ICYE Finland, FYIE Poland and KERIC Slovakia. The partners joined their expertise and experience to stimulate volunteering of young people aged 15 to 30 at local level. This was achieved through cooperation with local organisations able to offer voluntary work to young people at least once a month. The needs of these organisations were analysed, their staff were trained and supported so that they are qualified to offer a valuable learning opportunity to the young volunteers. The project:
1. monitored local volunteering opportunities for young people in Slovakia, Poland and Finland in 45 local organisations in total
2. tested and implemented a new training module for the staff of these organisations so that they are able to offer qualified support to these young people
3. created some hosting places for EVS volunteers – in the long run
4. strenghtened the cooperation and exchange of good practices at international and at local level within the network of partners, with a special emphasis on cross-sector cooperation
5. an improved quality of youth work at local and international level
6. higher active participation of young people in the life of the community, higher tolerance and understanding in the community

Target groups of the project:

Primary target group: staff of the local partners in each country and staff of the 3 international partners – youth workers, social workers, municipality officers, streetworkers, youth educators, etc.

Secondary target group: local community as such in Finland, Poland and Slovakia

The project activities were 4 international partner meetings (1 pax for the kick-off meeting, 2 pax for all the next meetings), creating 3 Intellectual outputs (2 x data research and a training module) and support activities for local partners at local level. The staff members in local institutions were involved at the research phase in each country. When we tested out the training module, 1 or 2 staff members from some partner organisation took part. This means between 10 to 20 staff members trained in each country.

As a result, we found:
– intensive local voluntary work at local level
– a raised number of Slovak, Polish and Finnish volunteers active at local level in the local partner organisations that have been trained in the project
– a strong and sustainable network among: the 3 international partners
– each international partner and its local partners capable and qualified to host local volunteers
– mutual EVS cooperation among the 6 EVS organisations as well as the 3 experienced international partners
– improved quality of youth work at local and international level
– raised tolerance, understanding and spreading of positive values
– raised active participation of young people and their involvement in local organisations, local municipality and its decision-making process

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 32050 Eur

Project Coordinator

OBCIANSKE ZDRUZENIE KERIC & Country: SK

Project Partners

• MAAILMANVAIHTO RY
• STOWARZYSZENIE CENTRUM MIEDZYNARODOWEJ WYMIANY MLODZIEZY I WOLONTARIATU