SAMEN Capacity building youth and street children Erasmus Project

Project Title

SAMEN Capacity building youth and street children

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)

Project Summary

The SAMEN-program has built the capacity of volunteers and their organization in Bolivia, Kenya, India, Ecuador, Swaziland and the Netherlands as well as the marginalized youth that they work with.

This is accomplished by working on three objectives;
Objective 1: improving the life skills of street children and youth of the project in the 5 partner countries.
Result: Well-prepared Dutch volunteers spend 2-8 months at a project for (street)children and give life skills training to marginalized youth.

Objective 2: Build capacity of local teams of volunteers.
Result: Volunteers and staff in partner countries have more knowledge on methodology in working with marginalized youth, and best practices are developed and used.

Objective 3: Increase the citizenship of Dutch volunteers and their social environment.
Result: Dutch volunteers are active in society, and their social environment has a better understanding of volunteering and international development.

This program worked in a consortium of 8 partner organizations namely; Stichting Don Bosco Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Surabi (India), Stichting Don Bosco Youthnet (The Netherlands), Proyecto Don Bosco (Bolivia), Salesians of Don Bosco (Kenya), Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw (Belgium), Fundación Proyecto Salesiano Chicos de la Calle (Ecuador) and Manzini Youth Care (Swaziland). Stichting Don Bosco Amsterdam was the applicant and has functioned as coordinating organization within the consortium.

The activities employed in the program include the following;
EVS participants (20) have organized life skills training’s to the marginalized (street)children and youth in partner countries; A youth exchange of Dutch participants (15) organized life skills training activities with local young people (10) in India; EVS-volunteers joined more than 100 local stafmeetings of which 14 particularly focused on informal learning; Development of best practices on life skills training’s and informal learning (30); Dissemination of best practices to partners in the Netherlands, Europe and partner countries.

Stichting Don Bosco Amsterdam is proud to present the results of this innovative program as it enabled young people to make their voluntary activities more concrete, and it has not only impacted themselves but also marginalized youth, and local young people and their organizations.

The SAMEN-programme is unique as it is organized by-and-for young people. Returned volunteers remain active in the organization after their EVS or youth-exchange. They continue to be active in all steps, preparing new volunteers. This can be in the key group, in organizing preparation weekends, and in coaching new young people before and during their departure. This peer-to-peer methodology is cost effective, it makes use of the expertise of returned volunteers and it keeps the organization dynamic.

Total costs according to final financial statement:
Capacity building activities: € 24.211,99
Budget Youth Exchange: € 19.664,00
Budget European Voluntary Service: € 63.340,00
Total costs: € 107.215,99

EU Grant: € 98.395,56

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 131069 Eur

Project Coordinator

STICHTING DON BOSCO AMSTERDAM & Country: NL

Project Partners