CREATIVE DRAMA FOR TRAINING YOUNG VOLUNTEERS IN INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS Erasmus Project

Project Title

CREATIVE DRAMA FOR TRAINING YOUNG VOLUNTEERS IN INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Access for disadvantaged; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

One of the priorities in EU is increased social inclusion of all young people taking into account the underlying European values, stronger participation of all young people in democratic and civic life in Europe and easier transition of young people from youth to adulthood, with particular emphasis given to young people at risk of marginalization and young people with migrant background. 29,8% of young people 18-24 years old were at risk of poverty and social exclusion in 2011 in EU, but this figure rises at 43% for Romania (Eurostat, 2011). In RO, only 13% participated in volunteering actions(BOT, 2012). In CZ, 15,4 % of young people 18-24 at risk of poverty of social exclusion and % of young people in this age range are volunteering. In IT, in Emilia Romagna Region, there are over 60.000 young people at risk of social exclusion, 1/3 migrants, and 7,2% Italian age18-24 are volunteers.
Aim of the project was to provide non-formal learning opportunities to young people (8-25 years old) with fewer opportunities through a mentoring / intergenerational training program in the volunteering field, using creative drama, and in this way enhancing young people civic engagement and social inclusion. The goal of this program was to offer young generations as mentors seniors volunteers, creating new skills useful for their social development and integration on the labor market. We involved young people with fewer opportunities (under protection/support from social services, from families in difficult social or economical situations, young people with migrant background, with educational difficulties) and active older persons, willing to be mentors for young people and to participate in the educational program along th young generation.
Project objectives were:
-to design a education program in order to provide new learning opportunities in volunteering for young people, in an intergenerational mentoring approach, and using as tools creative drama
-to develop civic skills and social inclusion of young people through education on volunteering and blended mobilities of young people
-to develop educators competence in the field
-to contribute to policies for training youth in volunteering field
The participants were: 49 young people aged 18-25 years old from Romania, Czech Republic and Italy, with fewer opportunities, selected only from the vulnerable categories already mentioned, and 53 seniors volunteers. In all three countries, partners collaborated with social services and other organizations (youth centers, volunteering centers, community centers) and worked in tight connection to the target group, including the young people into the creation of the intellectual outputs (for testing the IO3) .

During the project, the partners from Romania, Czech Republic, Italy and Ireland created several outputs: a methodology for an intergenerational training program in volunteering for young people with fewer opportunities, using creative drama; a Guide for young people “Re-Shaping my Future through Volunteering”; a Policy Recommendation for supporting youth volunteering through non-formal education in intergenerational contexts throughout EU (A Chart of Intergenerational Volunteering); the Film “Youth Voice in Intergenerational Volunteering”. Also, 3 blended mobilities of young people were organized in Romania, Italy and the Czech Republic, with 23 participants who visited different organizations and were trained.
The project approach was highly innovative, using as training method creative drama, which addresses social and cultural issues and are varied in their approach. Creative drama techniques that were used within the training program were creative movements, role play, storytelling, choral speaking, still images and freeze frames, improvisation, socio-drama. As an exploratory tool used with other multi-disciplinary methods to understand, promote and achieve social change, creative drama has proved to be an effective tool to develop social skills and improve civic participation of young people, to create mentoring nurturing relationships between older volunteers and young people, to create inclusive communities, and to support also active aging. Our common goal was to create new practices in non-formal youth education field, targeting young people specific needs, and to promote volunteering to different stakeholders, at large scale. The impact was a more inclusive society, improvement of public policies, a better employability of young marginalized people, increased intergenerational cooperation and active ageing promotion at wider scale, which were achieved by promoting the project, its activities, products and outputs through various channels: meetings, events, social media, websites, mailing lists, articles, National Volunteering Week in Romania having as theme the intergenerational volunteering,means through which 30 000 persons were reached in total.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 144697 Eur

Project Coordinator

Asociatia Habilitas – Centru de Resurse si Formare Profesionala & Country: RO

Project Partners

• The Gaiety School of Acting, The National Theatre School of Ireland
• Asociatia Pro Vobis – Centrul National de Resurse pentru Voluntariat
• ANZIANI E NON SOLO SOCIETA COOPERATIVA SOCIALE
• Evropska rozvojova agentura, s.r.o.