Staff training and mentoring Erasmus Project

Project Title

Staff training and mentoring

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits)

Project Summary

Staff training and mentoring

Partner:
Evangelische Jugend Salzburg-Tirol (ejst)
Evangelisch-Lutherische Gemeinde Bozen (ELGBz)
CVJM Oberalster

a) Background and context

In recent years, the circumstances in which young people live and the conditions for youth work have changed enormously (family structures, full-day schooling, media consumption, immigration, interreligious dialogue, etc.). Since the existing training material did not always take this into account, it was adapted in terms of content, media and structure.

Many youth workers are entering and leaving active youth work at a younger and younger age (14-17 years). They have already been well trained by the partners through seminars. However, it has been recognized that they need accompanying support in the respective local groups and in the youth projects. Due to low full-time personnel resources (tendency declining further), this has not always taken place to a sufficient extent – at least not in the ejst and ELGBz.
Mentoring was implemented in order to make the staff training of the peers (of young participants) sustainable. Mentors were sought, trained and then networked.

The three partners have been cooperating across borders for years. As a result of these contacts and cooperation, there was already a good mutual knowledge of the different institutional, educational, financial and social conditions. Over the course of the project, initiatives of the youth work of the others were adopted, reflected upon and jointly developed. The project has deepened the cooperation and guided it into sustainable paths.

b) (achieved) goals

Young people and young adults involved in youth work were prepared for their work in the best possible way and trained accordingly. Existing training courses were analysed, redesigned, tested and continuously evaluated. Competence-oriented learning outcomes (based on the NQR) were implemented and their achievement was monitored by means of assessment procedures. In addition, quality assurance standards were developed and implemented (aufZAQ certification).
In order to further increase the sustainability of the newly designed training, accompanying mentoring was implemented: Regional and local mentors accompany, strengthen and challenge the young staff members in their personal development and activities. Mentors have been trained and accompanied for this purpose.

c) Methodology

Methodologically, the project was based on educational seminars, training courses, accompanying project team meetings and virtual mobility.
Within the framework of these individual activities, the methods usual in non-formal youth education work were used: kick-off lectures, partner/small group work, workshops, games and exercises, field observations, elements of experiential and theatrical pedagogy, intercultural training units, ect., some of which were designed in a participatory way.
The seminar materials developed for staff training and mentoring have already been published online and in print during the project process.

d) Participating and reached groups of people

Within the framework of the project, about 70 staff members, mostly young people, were reached annually through the youth education programmes.
These reached approx. 220 young people, in groups and meetings as well as in projects at the respective places or regions. Over the three years, the number of participants and staff members totalled about 510 persons.
In addition, about 250 staff members and stakeholders in all partner organisations were sensitised to “mentoring” and 40 mentors were trained. In total, about 2,500 people were involved or were reached (parents, teachers, politicians, press, youth workers …)!

e) Results, impacts and long-term consequences

The project makes a sustainable contribution to the development of innovative curricula and education. It further developed existing training courses (peer training) or implemented them (mentor training). The courses and materials can be adapted and used across Europe beyond the three partners. The project homepage, links and publications contribute to this.
The project promoted participatory youth work by taking the experiences and interests of the young people as its starting point and making them the bearers of the process. Young peer workers were strengthened in their personalities and competences, which had a positive effect on youth groups and projects.
The project supported non-formal and informal educational processes (see above) in out-of-school youth work and made their results visible (certificates, public discourse, etc.)

In this way, the project participated in the process of transnational, european youth work in the sense of “strategic partnerships”.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 65425 Eur

Project Coordinator

Evangelische Jugend Salzburg/Tirol & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Christlicher Verein Junger Menschen Oberalster zu Hamburg e.V.
• Comunità Luterana di Bolzano