Pay it Forward Be A Social Entrepreneur International Erasmus Project

Project Title

Pay it Forward Be A Social Entrepreneur International

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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)

Project Summary

PiFbase International was a strategic partnership involving three youth organizations from Sweden, Finland, and Romania. Youth workers and the whole youth sector need to come up with innovative solutions to the challenge of reaching out to youngsters who do not engage in activities that would improve their competencies and employability. There was also a need to equip young people and youth workers with the necessary competencies to successfully manage and support diversity since this will ultimately benefit young people with fewer opportunities and their inclusion in society.
Our overall aim was to improve the quality of youth work when working with disadvantaged groups, by implementing and quality assure an innovative method (PiFbase) in three different countries. The implementation and quality assurance of the method served as a tool to develop and share effective methods and practices in reaching out to marginalized young people.
The objectives were:
* Professionalize youth workers by setting quality standards and ethical and professional codes related to the coaching role and develop high-quality skills and competencies, particularly in their work with inclusion and diversity
*Create space for youth workers to share experiences and know-how in reaching out to marginalized young people
* Create a set of intellectual outputs to support youth workers in their personal and professional development
* Improve capacity building, management, and collaboration skills within the four organizations
* Increase organizations’ ability to work with young people with fewer opportunities through the promotion of social entrepreneurship
* Improve strategies and methods on how to conduct qualitative youth work including collaboration with local communities and initiate cross-sectorial cooperation

Partner countries targeted different groups of disadvantaged youngsters (geographical, socio-economic, refugees, etc.) The project worked directly with youngsters when implementing the PiFbase method, where young people got to learn social entrepreneurship by fulfilling someone else’s dream, in three countries. Activities included a three-part training for coaches covering the themes of learning environment, professionalization of youth workers, social inclusion and diversity, and quality in youth work. To benefit from the transnational part of the project, an experience exchange mobility was also included. The project developed intellectual outputs such as handbooks and toolkits for coaches, learning- and reflection books for coaches and coachees, a quality assurance toolkit, and a training package and game for social inclusion.
The results and impact of the project include (but not limited to)
* A quality-assured method to use when working with young people and social entrepreneurship – the impact will be more youngsters from disadvantaged groups who are active citizens and included in the society
• A training program that has been tested to train PiFbase coaches but also can stand as a model to train youth workers in general -the impact will be more confident coaches and youth workers in general which will result in more qualitative youth work
• A team of certified coaches who can conduct coach training and facilitate the certification of new PiFbase coaches and also use this knowledge when conducting other projects and carry out youth work – The impact will be a professionalization of youth workers and qualitative conducted youth work with trained youth workers
• A method material including interactive tools that can be used in the further implementation of PiFbase but also serve as an inspiration material when developing new projects and methods, especially when working with disadvantaged youngsters. General tools for youth work such as training package and game for social inclusion and quality toolkit – The impact will be more qualitative conducted youth work which will benefit the sector and most importantly the youngsters but also give credibility to both the profession and the sector.
* Cross-sectorial collaboration between NGOs and public and private bodies in three countries – The impact will be a reformation of youth work and bring stronger credibility to collaborate with NGOs

The longterm benefits of the project will be a youth work sector characterized by inclusion, quality, innovative practices and cross-sectorial collaboration which will ultimately improve people’s lives.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 126246,25 Eur

Project Coordinator

Awesome People & Country: SE

Project Partners

• Asociatia “Un strop de fericire”
• Muuramen Innola ry
• Lokalna akcijska grupa Vallis Colapis