Open to change Erasmus Project

Project Title

Open to change

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; EU Citizenship, EU awareness and Democracy; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship

Project Summary

The project Open to change represents a strategic partnership in the youth field which aims to address insufficient opportunities for participation in the life of society among vulnerable young people by creating specific paths for enhancing awareness and behaviors of active citizenship and participation. The partners involved in the project are organizations from Romania, Turkey, Lithuania and Italy. The project will be developed on a period of 21 months. The overall goal of the project is to increase youth participation among disadvantaged youth communities from the partner countries and its specific objectives are:
-By the month of December 2020, 16 youth workers from the partner countries will review organizations youth participation programs and design and implement process changes through sharing practices, concepts and activities, resulting in more efficient and coherent educational programs in the field of youth participation.
-By April 2021, partner organizations will have delivered 1 international mobility on active citizenship, democracy and participation to 36 disadvantaged youth participants aged 16-22 years old.
-By June 2021, 36 disadvantaged youth from the partner countries will create and implement 12 youth-led projects promoting participation and community involvement.
Target group of participants is represented by youth operators and disadvantaged youngsters from the partner organizations who will participate in teaching training learning activities on youth participation build by the partners through cooperation and exchange of experiences/practices.
Project main results will refer to:
• Study – Collection of concepts, practices, activities on HR topics – active citizenship, democracy and participation across the partner countries – surveys organized at local levels/regional/national with representatives from at least 30 organizations from the following profiles: school, municipality, NGO, school inspectorate, Youth/students councils (if they exist in the partenr country) and surveys targeted to young people from the local community – at least 100 respondents.
• New expertise on how to promote youth participation as a complementary educational path for boosting youth social inclusion as result of the study and share of practices, challenges, concepts and activiteis between partner organizations
• 16 youth workers/operators from 4 countries will acquire concrete competences to create mechanisms to support the meaningful participation of young people, thus resulting in more efficient and coherent educational programs in the field of youth participation and moreover fostering empowering environments for enhancing youth social inclusion in various EU communities.
• 36 Disadvantaged youngsters will acquire knowledge, competences and skills needed for them to become empowered to take control of their lives, the project will enhance their ability to meet the challenges of today, to broaden their knowledge of new cultural contexts, availability and ability to accept and recognize the differences in each of these contexts and to gain European consciousness.
•A common learning program which will contain a set of non formal educational activities created by the youth operators in the field of active citizenship, democracy and youth participation targeted to disadvantaged youngsters from the partner countries, build on the experiences, practices and methodologies shared and united from the partner countries
•12 youth-led projects planned and implemented by youngsters themselves in the partners local communities ( 3 projects implemented in each partner country)
• At least 24 different stakeholders (schools, local authorities institutions, NGOs, social institutions) involved in the projects developed by the youngsters ( at least 2 stakeholder per local youth led project)
• A dissemination brochure which will show examples of best practices and proven techniques for implementation of participation programs in youth sector disseminated accross partner countries and their international networks
• About 3000 people across EU to be informed about the project results, taking part directly or indirectly in the proposed activities, including the youth-led projects
•Raised awareness of disadvantaged youth regarding the benefits of their participation in international mobility opportunities, thus enhanced inclusive access to educational opportunities at EU level
•Exchange of expertise among youth workers and other educational representatives in regards of fostering social inclusion through participation
•Strategic support for the application of participation mechanisms within local communities, through establishment of partnerships with relevant bodies as well as through the relevant know-how gained by partners, allowing the better sustainability of such programs in future.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 61863 Eur

Project Coordinator

Centrul International pentru Educatie & Country: RO

Project Partners

• ASOCIACIJA TAVO EUROPA
• ORIEL ETS
• Nevsehir Il Milli Egitim Mudurlugu