Creating Youth Workers – The Formal Education Edition Erasmus Project

Project Title

Creating Youth Workers – The Formal Education Edition

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: Research and innovation; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The project Creating Youth Workers – the formal education edition, reflects young people’s right for access to high quality youth work conducted by competent professionals and their right to participate in decision making processes on issues that affect them, such as the issue on the education of the youth support providers.it responds to the need for deeper analysis of the existent formal and non-formal education opportunities for youth workers, and at the same time addresses the lack of formal education opportunities for youth workers in many countries and the need for greater and more intense synergy between formal and non-formal education for youth workers in Europe. It also tackles the need for development and constant revision/update of the existent education approaches and opportunities for educating youth workers in accordance with the ongoing trends, changing needs and realities of young people. It proposes innovative cross-sectoral approach to developing/updating competency based formal education program for youth workers reflected in involving youth, youth workers, formal and non-formal educators and education experts, and youth workers’ employers in that process.

The main aim of the project is to improve the access of young people to high quality youth work services and contribute towards greater understanding, professionalisation and quality development of youth work in Europe by proposing new approach in developing coherent and flexible competency-based education for youth workers, that takes into account existing practice, new trends and arenas, as well as the diversity of youth work.

The objectives of the project are:
• To explore and describe formal and non-formal educational approaches, programs, curricula, resources and practices in the involved countries;
• To analyse and define key factors that need to be taken into account when developing different formal education opportunities for youth workers having in mind diversity of youth work, existing practice, new trends and arenas, as well as the ETS competence model for youth workers;
• To develop Guidelines for innovative cross-sectoral approach in developing competency based formal education opportunity for youth workers;
• To intensify the synergies between institutions that are providing education in the field of youth

As part of the project, coordinated by the Union for Youth Work Macedonia, the partners involved in the project People and Work Unit, Wales, Beyond 96 Youth Club, Ireland, and the Tallinn University Estonia, will organise several events and will produce A Compendium of education opportunities for youth workers in Estonia, Wales, Ireland and Macedonia and Guidelines for innovative cross-sectoral approach in developing competency based formal education opportunity for youth workers that will be introduced and disseminated to other professionals interested in and working in the fields of youth work and in the fields complementary to youth work. It is expected that the project will present the characteristics of the education available to youth workers in involved countries and propose a set of key factors that need to be taken into account when developing/updating different formal education opportunities for youth workers having in mind diversity of youth work, existing practice, new trends and arenas, as well as the ETS competence model for youth workers. Additionally, it will propose methodology for innovative way, meaning by using cross–sectoral approach, when developing and/or updating competency based formal education opportunities for youth workers and introduced colleagues to the importance of the new proposed approach and on ways how they can apply such approach in their work. On the other site, by creating opportunities for working together, the project will result with intensifying the synergies between different providers of education for youth workers in and between providers of education, youth work employers from different countries. All this increases the possibilities for supporting youth workers in becoming more competent and compatible on the labour market which for young people will mean improved access to high quality youth work activities designed and implemented by competent professionals.

Project Website

https://creatingyouthworkers.com

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 52832 Eur

Project Coordinator

SOJUZ ZA MLADINSKA RABOTA SKOPJE & Country: MK

Project Partners

• TALLINN UNIVERSITY
• Beyond 96 Youth Club
• People and Work Unit