We’ll Let Youth In Erasmus Project

Project Title

We’ll Let Youth In

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Access for disadvantaged; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

The “Declaration on Promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination through education” of March 2015 identified the risks for the future of European youngsters and the Union itself posed by marginalization and lack of opportunities for young people, called for a joint effort of all EU countries to promote youth participation by ensuring inclusive education, combating geographical, social and educational inequalities by fostering education of disadvantaged young people.
The present project was a strategic cooperation among 3 NGOs from throughout Europe directly engaged in supporting disadvantaged categories of NEET youths through the management of Youth Centers as specialized facilities wherein disadvantaged young people are involved in recreational and educational activities delivered through NFE targeted at empowering them with soft skills, employability skills, civic and social competences.
Many youngsters in European countries face the harsh realities of marginalization and social exclusion in their daily lives. In this respect, the problems faced by disadvantaged NEET youngsters- which represent the main target category in the daily operations of Youth Centers managed by partner organizations- are particularly severe and wide-ranging, as is their overall socioeconomic vulnerability.
Indeed, these youngsters face substantial disparities with their peers in realms as disparate as education, employability, personal development, civic and social participation. Among the most visible symptoms of the foregoing disparities is a substantial percentage of early school leavers as well as engagement in socially and personally disruptive conduits (drug/alcohol abuse, vandalism, violence, petty crime etc.) among disadvantaged NEET youngsters.
A SWOT analysis coordinately enacted by partner organizations further identified the aloofness of disadvantaged NEET youngsters from institutional circuits of education and support (Schools, Associations, Political Parties etc.) as one of the main factors underneath the partial failure of formal setups in providing a comprehensive approach to ensure social integration, employability and personal development of these fragile categories.

“We’ll Let You In” (WLYI) attained the aforementioned goals through a strategic cooperation wherein disadvantaged youth NEETs from each partner organization where involved in three mobility experiences in which they entered into contact with peers from other partner countries, attended common educational activities delivered through Non Formal Education related to each partner’s area of expertise Art, Theatre and Music, as well as worked on the development of shared outputs:
– BMYP Italy – participants created a graffiti in the Youth Cultural Centre of Uri municipality;
– BMYP Romania – participants created and played a theatre permormance for the municipality of Targu Jiu;
– BMYP Sweden – participant creadet and played some concert shows in a flash-mob style in different main meeting points of Helsinborg municipality.
– The Handbook “Tools to InspirAct” is the results of the best practices and experiences gathered during the overall implementation of the project.

At the same time, partner organizations engaged in a sharing of knowledge, best practices and NFE tools whose results were disseminated in the internal structure of each organization, increasing staff professionalism and by consequence the quality of NFE activities delivered in Youth Centers. Promotion and dissemination of outputs and materials by partners through a variety of online and offline tools made sure that the results arrived at in the context of the present project sensibly enhanced and supported Youth Centers and NGOs throughout Europe.

Project aims were:
– Fostering empowerment and inclusion of disadvantaged NEET youngsters through international mobility, peer-interaction and Non Formal Education.
– Raise awareness among policy-makers, NGOs, stakeholders and the general public about the role of Youth Centers as hybrid structures (recreational/educational) supporting youth integration and development (in particular of the most disadvantaged youth categories) through NFE and as such narrowing disparities and gaps left by the formal education system.
– Exchange knowledge, best practices and NFE tools among NGOs from different European countries as a means to collect national/cultural backpacks and toolkits of NFE in order to improve professionalism of youth workers, variety and quality of educational activities delivered in Youth Centers with a view to enhancing quality and effectiveness of youth work in Europe.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 94950 Eur

Project Coordinator

MINE VAGANTI NGO & Country: IT

Project Partners

• CENTRUL PENTRU EDUCATIE SI CONSULTANTA INSTRUMENTE STRUCTURALE
• MOBILIZING EXPERTISE AB
• INTEGRATION FOR ALLA