EmpowerYou(th) – Training of innovative models and methods in youth work Erasmus Project

Project Title

EmpowerYou(th) – Training of innovative models and methods in youth work

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: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)

Project Summary

The project reacts to a growing need for renewed models and methods of youth work and a conceptualisation of current approaches, as identified by Trudi Cooper in the European Commission paper “Working with young people: the value of youth work in the European Union”. Cooper stated that “renewed models of youth work are ‘urgently needed’ as a theory base to explain the contribution of practice to others outside the occupation”.

Besides this theory basis, also new methods for youth work are needed as the context in which youth work takes place is constantly changing: Nowadays, young people face a number of new challenges that originate for example from increasing migration, multi-culturalism, the threat of radicalisation, youth unemployment, social exclusion, the lack of a sense of a European identity, and the increasing digitalisation of all facets of life.

In order to support young people in facing these challenges, youth workers need the necessary knowledge, skills and competences on how to best tackle them. Therefore, the main goal of the project is to promote high quality innovative youth work by equipping youth workers with methodological and practical tools to respond to current social challenges and meet young people’s needs for inclusion, empowerment and engagement.

In order to meet these aims, the project plans to organise comprehensive trainings for youth trainers and regional workshops to equip trainers and youth workers with the necessary tools mentioned. Also, an online toolkit will be developed, which analyses existing challenges and approaches to youth work, practical tools to current challenges as well as providing innovative and contextualised models and methods for youth workers and trainers. The project therefore facilitates innovative youth training on a regional, contextualised basis and the transfer on a European level.

The lead applicant Eurodiaconia is a European network of social and health care services and social justice actors and is experienced in coordinating projects across borders and in disseminating content via its vast network. Many of the over 30 000 associated organisations in the network work with young people. The five partner organisations are members of Eurodiaconia and are local and regional providers of social services and have many years of experience in working with youth in different areas, running e.g. intercultural youth centres, offering volunteering services and community engagement activities, counselling, free time activities as well as specialised support for marginalised groups. The different profiles and experiences of their youth workers enable the partner organisations to provide expertise on different approaches to youth work and their qualities. In order to develop the curricula for the training for trainers and the regional workshops as well as the online toolkit, the partner organisations will gather and discuss theoretical and practical concepts of youth work, and identify innovative elements. The discussion on theoretical approaches is based on a mapping by Eurodiaconia which will be prepared before the start of the project; the practical and innovative input is provided by youth experts and young people themselves from the five partner organisations which share their experiences and ideas for effective and innovative concepts of youth work. Based on this phase of the project, training curricula and the online toolkit will be developed and training events will be held in several of the partners’ home countries for up to 20 youth workers each and related stakeholders.

The result and impact of the project will be enhanced knowledge and competences of youth workers regarding current societal challenges youth is facing today, as well as comprehensive ability to conceptualise methods and models in youth work. Thereby, the quality and effectiveness of youth work shall be enhanced, and better ways to address current challenges shall be found, not only in the countries of the partner organisations, but as well in other countries and organisations which will be able use the online toolkit as means to gain enhanced knowledge and competences as well. In the long-term, the enhanced competences of youth workers shall benefit youth directly as more effective and adapted approaches to youth work and to current challenges help young people to better cope with them.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 58999,25 Eur

Project Coordinator

EURODIACONIA AISBL & Country: BE

Project Partners

• Västerås stift
• STIFTELSEN KIRKENS BYMISJON OSLO
• Diakonie Kosova
• SLEZSKA DIAKONIE
• COMMISSIONE SINODALE PER LA DIACONIA