Youth Meetings Movement Erasmus Project

Project Title

Youth Meetings Movement

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Social dialogue; Research and innovation; Civic engagement / responsible citizenship

Project Summary

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has” – Margaret Mead

As members of the Youth Peace Ambassadors (YPAN), we recently participated in several projects on bi-community work, among others, in Cyprus and Kosovo, where we have proven the complexities and hostility towards “the others”. We have also mapped, through interviews with reference actors, network members and participants of our international courses, the most detectable problems for young people in European societies at the local level. The 4 most frequent responses: Lack of integration of youth in political decision-making processes, the disaffection of young people by public affairs, polarization and radicalization, lack of opportunities for work and personal development.

The objective of the project is to empower young people to become leaders in the search for sustainable and peaceful solutions to social problems by equipping them with skills to establish a “Youth Meeting Movement” based on social responsibility, integration and Participatory democracy understood as a complement and useful tool for representative institutions at the local level.

The direct objectives of the project are:
Increase social capital and youth participation in public affairs in local European communities with a democratic perspective.
Develop the participants’ understanding of community building processes, as well as their skills in the management and facilitation of these processes;
Design and test the formula of “youth meetings” understood as a structured and directed meetings.
Design and disseminate the innovative tool “Guide to Good Practices for the Formation of Youth Communities” based on research that ensures a sustainable and scalable impact to other communities and organizations;
Create a proven European reference, with an online presence, quality documentary support, a group of specialized facilitators and a manifesto with accessions of civil society organizations that value European efforts in youth;
Value the tools of participatory democracy for local administration politicians as an articulating mechanism for communication with young people.

There will be several project target groups that will be divided between direct participants, community youth leaders, facilitators of social dynamics that will be trained and will participate in all lines of action throughout the duration of the project. The indirect target groups will be local and international youth, as well as associations. Through an ambitious communication campaign, we intend to disseminate the results and give them sustainability and recognition by relevant actors and public institutions.

The expected results are:

Intellectual production – “The Guide to Good Practices for Community Formation” – the guide for organizing community meetings;
Creation of a bag of community leaders committed to collective impact to strengthen social cohesion in their communities;
21 community meetings in 7 European countries;
Strengthening cooperation between youth organizations throughout Europe and with institutions.

Throughout the project, we will use non-formal education methods that guarantee the acquisition of skills of the young people involved in the project.

The activities planned through the project are: A transnational meeting for planning; Creation of the intellectual product: the Training Guide; two trainings on facilitation skills and sustainability of community building; two online seminars on peaceful activism tools, communication skills and activity evaluation; 21 community meetings in 7 European countries. Multilevel communication campaign and with various target audiences.

The expected impact will be more inclusive local societies with young people, an integration based on the diversity of people’s voices and the empowerment of local youth. A facilitation guide that will increase the knowledge of youth organizations on how to include large groups of young people in decision-making processes.

The long-term benefits of the project would be the creation of the “Youth Meetings Movement”, which will grow and reach the next communities in Europe and beyond.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 42670 Eur

Project Coordinator

Asociación de libre-pensadores de la sierra (LPS) & Country: ES

Project Partners

• Take Action Belgium
• VSI ”Misko istorijos”
• Youth Peace Ambassadors Network Poland
• centro studi sereno regis
• Sende
• NEOLEA GIA ANTALAGI KAI KATANOISI