Empowering Youth Workers to Reach Out Young Migrants and Refugees Erasmus Project

Project Title

Empowering Youth Workers to Reach Out Young Migrants and Refugees

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: Integration of refugees; Migrants’ issues; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Youth workers and social workers play an important role in helping migrants overcoming problems they encounter in a new society and integration. Youth work has much to offer in services for migrants and refugees. From a skill base that integrates intrapersonal and inter-personal helping with the practicalities of assisting people to find their way around the social welfare system, youth workers and social workers can respond to the complex needs of young refugees within an understanding of the wider context of family relationships and social institutions. That’s why it is important developing youth workers’ knowledge, skills and competences in helping refugees and migrants.
In order for youth workers to feel prepared to work with immigrant and refugee youth, training program must offer trainings that can help youth workers gain necessary knowledge and skills specifically related to the unique needs, assets, challenges and strengths of immigrant youth. For youth workers that will work with immigrant youth, training program need to develop supplemental training materials that specifically deal with issues they may encounter in these unique relationships. Topics that can be covered include: tips and ideas for helping a young person with language and acculturation issues, activity suggestions involving cultural sharing, good practices related to working with families, listening skills and understanding both assets and challenges of the migrant and refugee population.
Considering all these needs, the main OBJECTIVE of the project was to develop and test an innovative training curriculum for youth workers to support them in reaching out to young migrants and refugees, and increase youth workers’ competences and foster their professional development.
The specific objectives of the project were:
1) to analyse the training needs of youth workers
2) to develop of an innovative training curriculum for youth workers who work with young migrants and refugees.
3) to train youth workers with this new training curriculum
4) to increase professional knowledge and skills of youth workers in the area of migrant and refugee work
5) to improve the quality of the youth work
The project consortium was consisted of 6 organizations from different backgrounds:
• A university experienced in the European projects and migration issues (Yasar University, Turkey, coordinator)
• Two youth civil society organizations active in the field of youth projects and volunteering work (United Societies of Balkans, Greece and Eski Avrupa Gonullu Hizmeti Gonulluleri Genclik Dernegi, Turkey)
• A network of social cooperatives providing services for the migrants and refugees (Formazione Co&So Network, Italy),
• A social service provider for youth (Jugend am Werk Steiermark, Austria).
• A public organization providing services for the migrants and refugees and involved in several European projects in the area of youth. (İstanbul Valiliği,Turkey),
The main activities involve; developing and implementing a needs analysis survey, developing new training curriculum and training materials, organizing local testing sessions to test developed materials; organizing a short term joint staff training event, organizing 4 local multiplier events and one joint international multiplier event, other dissemination activities and quality assurance and evaluation activities.
The main results, outputs and impact attained were: 1-Better understanding of the needs and expectations of the youth workers in terms of reaching out to the young migrants and refugees. (IO1. Need Analysis Report)
2-Development of an innovative training curriculum for youth workers the content of which is based on the need analysis as well as analysis of current literature and research results on the subject. (IO2. Training Curriculum and Materials)
3-Development of a Trainers’ Handbook containing tips and recommendations for trainers. (IO3. Trainers Handbook)
4) Implementation of the training programme, training of youth workers at a joint staff training event, increase in professional knowledge and skills of youth workers in the area of migrant and refugee work
5) Improvement of the quality of the youth work.
All together more than 500 people come in direct contact with the project, learn about the outputs and provide feedback and opinions. Their awareness regarding young migrants and refugees and importance of the youth work are increased. The knowledge, skills and competences of youth workers who joined the training events are also increased. Furthermore, for partner organizations, the training of their staff with a new training program increased the quality of their services.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 192708,69 Eur

Project Coordinator

YASAR UNIVERSITESI & Country: TR

Project Partners

• JUGEND AM WERK STEIERMARK GMBH
• ISTANBUL VALILIGI
• UNITED SOCIETIES OF BALKANS ASTIKI ETAIREIA
• FORMAZIONE CO&SO NETWORK – CONSORZIO DI COOPERATIVE SOCIALI SOCIETA COOPERATIVA SOCIALE
• Eski Avrupa Gonullu Hizmeti Gonulluleri Genclik Dernegi