New Generation of Helpers – Youth Leadership Training Programme Erasmus Project

Project Title

New Generation of Helpers – Youth Leadership Training Programme

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 : Capacity Building for youth in ACP countries, Latin America and Asia

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics:

Project Summary

The New Generation of Helpers – Youth Leadership Training Programme (YOULEAD) aimed at fostering the confidence and competences of a new generation of helpers to influence positively their societies in order to prevent and alleviate human suffering, and to contribute to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world. The Red Cross of Cote d’Ivoire (CRCI), Finnish Red Cross (FRC), Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) and Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) partnered in the YOULEAD project to increase their capacity in youth work through leadership training development. International youth volunteers had raised the need to develop competencies important in diverse leadership positions in local, national or international contexts, within and outside the humanitarian circles, and strengthen their voices in the adaptation to changes in volunteering; a shift towards flexible volunteering and changing needs of volunteers. This project concentrated on a participatory, youth-led process for developing youth leadership training and a corresponding training of trainers for 18-30 year old Red Cross youth volunteers and other interested youth wishing to develop their leadership skills and confidence. The educational approach was built on non-formal training that uses experiential learning methods, such as simulations, exercises and specific skills development. The preparatory work for the trainings was done by a project working group with youth volunteers from each partner country by consulting a wider group of their peers and supported by the staff of the Red Cross . Both trainings were piloted and for that youth volunteers were invited, firstly, to participate in the Training of Trainers and secondly, to co-facilitate the leadership training itself with youth participants. Altogether 36 young people from each partner country took directly part in the pilot trainings, held in Finland. The project produced manuals for the trainings in English, Finnish, French and Swedish which were shared in an online open access format so that the materials can be used and tailored to the needs of any interested actors in particular in the field of youth, volunteering and humanitarian and development cooperation sectors in Europe and beyond. Young people are a tremendous resource for local, national, regional and global development and can make a major contribution to help tackle different socio-economic changes. On one hand, youth are often among the most vulnerable themselves, being affected by conflicts and unstable environments. On the other hand, young volunteers and leaders play a crucial role within their societies as they are responding to local needs in a local capacity. The youth volunteers are the core of the volunteer base and competent human resources whose humanitarian actions are based on their strong personal motivation. Thus, increasing the capacity of the project partners in engaging the youth and strengthening their leadership competencies through the development of a comprehensive youth leadership training programme is crucially important to all strategic aims. The YOULEAD project especially enabled young people from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast and Finland to realize their own potential and gain confidence to take up leadership roles through recognizing their own skills and strengths and to improve the youth’s team management skills, such as peaceful resolution of conflict and understanding group dynamics and team building, and to give an insight into working in multicultural environments and groups. The participating young people represent volunteers and their work in their respective Red Cross Red Crescent (RC/RC) national societies. Each national society (NS) has local branches throughout the country – volunteers are the cornerstone of the movement, as through them, the RCRC Movement reaches communities and is able to support the most vulnerable people in various types of crises.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 119533,62 Eur

Project Coordinator

SUOMEN PUNAINEN RISTI & Country: FI

Project Partners

• ZIMBABWE RED CROSS SOCIETY
• CROIX ROUGE DE COTE D’IVOIRE
• KENYA RED CROSS SOCIETY