Youth Worker`s Network Erasmus Project

Project Title

Youth Worker`s Network

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: Pedagogy and didactics; Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development)

Project Summary

The purpose of the project is
(1) to provide the youth work with essential foundations: theoretical definitions based on science and research, and essential knowledge of each expert, who work with people,
(2) to prepare a library of all quality literature produced in the context of the development of youth work and based on the needs of youth workers,
(3) to offer future youth workers as well as already working youth workers a training program that will also present all the contents of the first purpose within the framework different sets of lectures that offer not only basic knowledge, but also specialized knowledge and opportunities for further thinking; and
(4) to develop an additional professional document, which the Slovenian youth sector needs for a very good time. We will develop a collective agreement for the youth sector.

We noticed that most of the new youth workers start their youth work carriers by being active in one of the youth groups, who participate in various projects of youth centres. They can also be newly employed through the measures of active employment policy in Slovenia. These youth workers, as well as many experienced youth workers who have been active in the youth sector for many years, have developed youth work through their own feelings and some methodology, which was collected on various projects and trainings. All the competences they developed in those years were mostly unplanned, and by learning certain “tricks”. Youth work in the countries of all three partners has no yet developed educational program. Youth workers mostly get answers to questions – how to perform some activity for young people – but not also – why to perform a certain activity for young people.

It is hard to find extensive literature that would explain the background and specifics of the target group, professional psychological and pedagogical explanations of learning, motivation, deviant behaviours etc. The whole youth knowledge is based on one’s own experience and on feelings, which does not place youth work next to the recognized professions. There are not adequately trained youth workers to work with young people. Youth sector does not have an adequate scientific basis and support, and therefore faces significantly less value and importance in political decisions. No such training is available. There are some training courses carried out by national agencies or by Salto Youth, but they are available for a small number of selected youth workers who will upgrade their knowledge, while the “elementary school” for youth workers still does not exist. Organizations also do not have the time and resources to prepare one person for everything they ought to know, and it makes sense for network organizations to prepare a comprehensive elementary school and specialization for youth workers.

The project is comprised of the MaMa Youth Network (Slovenia), the Youth Union (Slovenia), the KEKS Network (Sweden) and the Youth of Croatia Network. We will all cooperate with a team of 3 to 5 experts who will contribute in one way or another to the program. Some will explore and prepare content, and others will put these contents in the training program. In addition, we plan to cooperate with at least 18 youth workers from all three countries who will be pilot training participants and will provide responses and suggestions to the prepared program.

In addition to the pilot training program and the proceedings, we will prepare a draft collective agreement for employees in the youth sector for the Slovenian youth sector. All three partners will also prepare three multiplicative events in order to present the project and results of the project outside of our basic partnership.

We expect youth workers who will take part in pilot training or a regular training after the project by gaining new knowledge and reflection about their own work attitude and the quality of the organisation as well as youth work in their country. We also want to raise some new questions or concerns and offer new insights about the youth work. We expect youth workers to think critically (we think in a good way) about their role and youth work in general. We expect the project to develop more educated and informed youth workers / participants, critical opinions and good new ideas for the development of quality youth work, which will not be focused exclusively on project learning or employability of young people but will treat young people comprehensively.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 135813 Eur

Project Coordinator

ZAVOD MLADINSKA MREZA MAMA & Country: SI

Project Partners

• Sindikat studentov, dijakov in mladih brezposelnih
• MREZA MLADIH HRVATSKE
• KEKS STODFORENING