Why Youth Work Is Good Erasmus Project

Project Title

Why Youth Work Is Good

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Inclusion – equity; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Needs of young people (further YP) are constantly changing and youth work (further YW) and youth workers has to be able to adjust themselves and their programs to these changes. In last year’s use of digitalization is growing unstoppable. The main users of these technologies are YP who are attracted to digital content and less and less interested in “ordinary” or we can even say old approaches in YW. This means that we, who work with them, also need to embrace digitalization and use their tools in order to attract, include and motivate YP. On other side with using more and more digital technology YP are more alienated from each other and some of them are even in risk of social exclusion. That is why in this case needs of YW and YP are same, notably embracing digital technology and learning how to use it, how to make content/program for youth and how to motivate YP to be included in lifelong learning, active and socialized.
Based on that our project MAIN OBJECTIVE was: Increased capacity to work with youth and reinforce cooperation with partners from other countries through exchange of good practice in youth work and learning from each other’s.

Cornerstone for achieving our objective was implementation of 3 short term joint training’s for partner’s staff. On each training, every partner have send 2 representatives which are or focused in their organization of YW area / approach. Based on that, this project have include 32 YW / partner’s staff. Beside YW we have directly include in project 120 young people through 8 dissemination events in 4 countries.
Main activities of the project was:
– A1/M1 Preparation activities – during which we had kick-off meeting in Bulgaria. There we sign agreements, divide task and responsibilities and prepare for first logistical and visibility tasks;
– A2 Analysis of national framework for youth work – By late spring we started analyze of all partner countries national framework’s / structure for YW;
– C 1-3 considered implementation of 3 training’s – each training had his topic / focus that is described in other part of final report. We used training’s also for sharing examples of good practice as well as presentations of situations regarding YW structures in 2 country per training;
– A3 Preparation & production of tangible outputs – Here we have worked creation and production of 2 movie’s from the records that we collect through interviewing different type of people as well as records from dissemination activities;
– M2 Second partners meeting – here we have checked the movies what are finished and give instructions for those who didn’t finish it and we did the same for examples of good practice. In addition, we were preparing ourselves for dissemination activities.
– A4 Dissemination – Due to situation COVID-19, we managed to implement 8 of planned 12 dissemination activities in period of last 4 months of project duration. Activities that was planned for end of February and whole March and April have been canceled;
– M3/A5 Final evaluation – considers last project team meeting that we held it on line as it was impossible to travel abroad for any of the partners due to COVID-19 situation. Discussions and evaluations that was planned to be implemented on TPM3 we manage in larger part to finish on on-line meeting.

Results that we have achieved are:
– Increased capacities of partner organization for youth work;
– Increased competences of participants / youth workers;
– Created two video / movie;
– Created one good practice examples workbook;
– Transferred / used partner’s example of good practice;
– Implemented 8 dissemination events.

Impact that project have envisaged on specific groups were:
Participants: improved competencies and experience in provision of youth work and opportunities for young people with fewer opportunities, improved multi-cultural and inter-cultural competencies through international partnerships and participation on international events.
Participating organizations: improved competencies, professionalism, project development and management, methods / approaches and tools to work with young people.
Target groups: better / more interesting approach to young people, innovations in attracting and inclusion young people in non-formal and informal learning, increased social inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities, increased level of motivation for volunteerism and participation in community, more youth using the services of partner organizations.

Potential long-term benefits are:
Impact on community at large through increased number of socially included young people, number and scope of activities produced in local or regional community in which we are including all sectors and then all sectors contribute to development of youth work and inclusion of young people.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 66396,15 Eur

Project Coordinator

UDRUGA ZA PROMICANJE INFORMATIKE, KULTURE I SUZIVOTA & Country: HR

Project Partners

• ALTER EGO
• SDRUDZENIE ZNAM I MOGA
• FUNDACJA CENTRUM AKTYWNOSCI TWORCZEJ
• ASOCIACION CAZALLA-INTERCULTURAL
• SOCIALNA AKADEMIJA – ZAVOD ZA IZOBRAZEVANJE, RAZISKOVANJE IN KULTURO