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 2017

Project Topics

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

Project Summary

The SAMEN-programme has built the capacity of volunteers and their organisations in Bolivia, Ecuador, Kenya, India, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Belgium and The Netherlands, as well as the marginalised youth that they work with. This is accomplished by working on four objectives;Objective 1: Improving the life skills of street children and youth at projects in 6 partner countries.Result: Well-prepared Dutch volunteers spend 3-6 months at a project for street children and give life skills trainings to marginalised youth.Objective 2: Build capacity of local teams of volunteers with a focus on promoting self-dependency.Result: Volunteers and staff in partner countries have more knowledge on methodology in working with marginalised youth and promoting self-dependency, and best practices are developed and used.Objective 3: Stimulate active citizenship of Dutch volunteers and their social environment.Result: Dutch volunteers are active in society, and their social environment have a better understanding of volunteering and international development.The activities employed in the program include the following;EVS participants (21) have organized life skills trainings to the marginalised (street) children and youth in partner countries; build and exchanged knowledge with local staff; a Youth Exchange of 11 participants exchanging about life at the street and self-dependency in life; organising life skills training activities together with local young people (12) in Swaziland; a Youth Exchange of 12 participants organising life skills training activities together with local young people (16); EVS-volunteers joined more than 175 local staff meetings of which 50 particularly focused on promoting self-dependency; development of 2 posters about independent life (2); Dissemination of posters to partners in The Netherlands, Europe and partner countries worldwide. Stichting Don Bosco Amsterdam is proud to present this innovative programme, as it enables young people to engage in concrete voluntary activities and exchanging knowledge and experiences with other youngsters from different background and culture. This generates an impact on themselves, but also on marginalised youth, local young volunteers and their organisations. The SAMEN-programme is unique as it is organised by-and-for young people. Returned volunteers remain active in the organisation after their EVS or youth exchange. They continue to be active in all steps throughout the programme. This can be in the youth-board, in organising preparation weekends and in coaching young people before departure. This peer-to-peer methodology is cost effective, makes use of the expertise of returned volunteers and keeps the organisation dynamic.The impact of the programme is at the level of the marginalised youth to have better abilities for positive behaviour to deal with the demands of everyday life. In addition, it impacts the local volunteers, their organisations and their stakeholders, having improved methods of working with youth about the theme of self-dependency. Moreover, it impacts the Dutch volunteers and their social environment, changing their views and behaviour towards volunteering and international development.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 143588 Eur

Project Coordinator

STICHTING DON BOSCO AMSTERDAM & Country: NL

Project Partners

• YOUNG AFRICA INTERANTIONAL AFRICA HUB TRUST
• ASOCIACION PRIVADA DE FIELES SOCIEDAD SALESIANA
• THE SALESIANS OF DON BOSCO REGISTERED TRUSTEES KENYA
• FUNDACION PROYECTO SALESIANO CHICOS DE LA CALLE ZONA NORTE PSCHC-N
• MANZINI YOUTH CARE
• STRATEGIC URBAN RURAL ADVANCEMENT BACKING INSTITUTE
• DON BOSCO YOUTH – NET