Mix it up, shake it up Erasmus Project

Project Title

Mix it up, shake it up

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

The project Mix it Up, Shake it up – redefining follow up of international youth events was meant to address such specific needs and provide sustainable solutions for overcoming this challenge in many youth organisations. It was meant to last from 01.05.2018 till 31.12.2019 and involved 6 partners (Project 2020 in United Kingdom, YEU International in Belgium, ADEL Slovakia, CID Macedonia, CGE Erfurt e.V. and USB Greece).

Alas, this did not pan out this way and that national agency decided with no particular evidence to terminate. *insert shrug emoji here*

From experience, when working on an international level there is always the challenge on how to transfer the outcomes of different mobilises afterwards within the local organisations. Sometimes this is because to mobilities achieve nothing (the majority of time, lets be honest) or it is because when you have organisations that actually care (like ourselves) there is no realistic support or methodology on how to do this. If there is, its not advertised well. There is often lack of experience on how to ensure the follow up or the transfer of the knowledge back in the organisations, or in some cases the organisation is not able to provide specific support for the people who were part of the mobility (a lot of the time because a lot of sending organisations are just making money on charging people to take part in projects for cheap tourism) to implement and transfer what they learned. Additionally, there is also a need for following the long-term effect and impact of the mobility to the beneficiary, as it is very difficult to track them.

The aim of the strategic partnership was to develop guidelines and capacities for quality follow up of different youth processes, transfer of learning from international to local and national environment, and offering space for more active engagement of youth leaders within the civil society and youth field.

The objectives of this strategic partnership were:
• To strengthen the capacities of youth organisations towards a better use of the knowledge and experience of participants in the post mobility period
• To develop clear and easily implementable strategies and mechanism on how to ensure the follow up and impact in the local community after a youth mobility
• To explore the possibilities of measurement of impact from mobilities in the daily life of the participants in a long-term perspective
• To offer space for a structured way of knowledge-sharing between different local and international youth organisations and to encourage future collaborations
• To promote meaningful active participation of youth leaders within civil society organisations and the youth sector
• To provide the participants and partner organisations with a set of Online tools that can be used for a better and more effective communication and management inside the organisations

One of the clear answers of the faced need is the use of Online tools and mechanisms that are mostly available and accessible for all the young people. Another answer id for national agencies to actually visit to projects and organisations and see what is happening with young people, rather than go by paperwork as right now the academic liars are taking the mickey and the national agencies are damaging top notch youth work in action. The NA may not like to hear this, but it is a fact. The training we were to have were a part of presenting the possible online tools that can be used inside the organisations for better communication and management. These tools were to be useful for the partner organisations to have pre- and post- mobility communication and coordination with the youth worker (participant).

The project was to unfold into the realisation of 3 intellectual outputs:
• Publication: Effective follow up of International youth mobilities on local level
• Online support platform for impact assessment with information and learning modules for other organisations or youth workers
• Set of recommendations towards youth organisations and institutions on what kind of structural changes they can make to be more inclusive

The impact of the project in the long run was to contribute towards development of stronger youth organisations as well as call out the fake ones, with a lot of know-how gained from the international level, with developed quality volunteer management systems that will engage more young people in different social, cultural and political processes.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 42499 Eur

Project Coordinator

HIRAETH CIC & Country: UK

Project Partners

• CENTER FOR INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE ASSOCIATION
• UNITED SOCIETIES OF BALKANS
• CULTURE GOES EUROPE (CGE)- SOZIOKULTURELLE INITIATIVE ERFURT EV
• YOUTH FOR EXCHANGE AND UNDERSTANDING INTERNATIONAL AISBL
• A.D.E.L. – Association for Development, Education and Labour