Blend-IN: Intercultural Management and Communication for Youth Organisations Erasmus Project

Project Title

Blend-IN: Intercultural Management and Communication for Youth Organisations

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) ; Integration of refugees; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Blend-IN is an ambitious 18-month project set to tackle the existing mistrust and non-tolerance among the different communities that live in Europe through educating youth workers. The current proposal is designed in the complex context of Europe that is not as united as it was, a field for rising Eurosceptics and growing tensions. Still, young people all over the continent have similar interests and problems and present the driving force for enacting positive change. Therefore, they are the societal groups that strive to change the narrative and demonstrate how intercultural partnerships could be born to blossom. Taking into account these dynamics, the Blend-IN partnership is driven to contribute to the pan-European efforts to promote the value brought by tolerance and diversity.

Blend-IN will provide youth workers with the unique opportunity to obtain knowledge and practical experience related to inter-cultural communication and management in a different, dynamic format. The creation of the simulation game, which aims to immerse the youth workers in realistic situations and point them to the correct solutions is a precedent for this kind of training of youth workers. Blend-IN will provide a more interactive environment, which stimulates situations of intercultural communication and management case studies, related to initiatives with a more integrated approach towards youth work and network activities.
The simulation will be an innovative mix between real-life practices and a gamified experience, which immerses the youth workers in an authentic and stimulating environment. This will, on the one hand, increase their willingness to learn, and on the other hand, predispose them to accepting new outlooks on life, open them up to intercultural communication more, and nurture in them a kinder outlook on management.

Our main objectives in reaching Blend-IN’s overall aim are:
– Design and develop an online multilingual simulation platform;
– Elaborate training methodology for implementation of the simulation game in both online and offline environment;
– Organise a 4-day Joint Staff Training to prepare 12 youth workers for piloting Blend-IN Simulation platform;
– Deliver a blended mobility to 24 youth workers;
– Promote intercultural management and communication across youth and youth workers’ communities in 6 partner countries and across Europe (via 3 Multiplier events).

The main impact dimensions can be summarised as follows:
1. Youth workers from partner organisations will improve their:
– overall knowledge and expertise in managing diversity and tolerance, as well as developing and implementing initiatives in situations of intercultiral communication;
– different skills in the field of community-building and maintaining a diverse and inclusive youth network or youth project;
– digital skills in using the online tools provided by the Blend-IN platform;
– motivation and skills to engage in international collaboration work with other youth workers in the field and inspire others to also seek know-how for proper intercultural communication.

2. Youth will have the opportunity to:
– reap the benefits of participating in networks, which are now adequately equipped to manage diversity and tolerance;
– awareness and skills in intercultural communication and management, passed on from youth workers;
– awareness in the current social and political situation, as well as the opportunities and challenges, which arise for diversity and tolerance as a result from that;
– the opportunity for they themselves to get the intercultural management and communication education through the Blend-IN platform.
3. Other partners’ staff will improve their:
– knowledge on international know-how in the field of the project;
– skills for international research and development work;
– intercultural communication and management.

4. Youth workers and young people engaged through dissemination activities will improve their:
– awareness on the current situation for diversity and tolerance;
– awareness of the positive effect of awareness and knowledge in the field of intercultural management and communication;
– motivation to use the Blend-IN platform and educate themselves on the covered topics;
– get free, effective and proven advice, education and case studies in the form of interactive and dynamic simulations on the Blend-IN platform.

5. Other stakeholders (youth training providers, youth networks, local and international communities) will improve their:
– awareness as to the methodological aspects of intercultural management and communication;
– understanding of the benefits of intercultural management and communication;
– opportunities to motivate and educate their members for free and with excellent and proven methods;
– cooperation prospects with peer organisations from different countries and sectors.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 128857,72 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITY OF PELOPONNESE & Country: EL

Project Partners

• CELJSKI MLADINSKI CENTER, JAVNI ZAVOD ZA MLADINSKO KULTURO, IZOBRAZEVANJE, INFORMIRANJE IN SPORT
• priME Academy AG
• PRAVO I INTERNET FOUNDATION
• AKADEMIA LEONA KOZMINSKIEGO
• TDM 2000 INTERNATIONAL