Youth Work Recognition with Self-Assessment and Accreditation Erasmus Project

Project Title

Youth Work Recognition with Self-Assessment and Accreditation

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 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits); Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)

Project Summary

The project was set around the trend of youth work recognition, which is enhanced both on European and national, level. The idea of youth work recognition often can be seen as a two-fold process: on one hand, directed to the youth work providers aiming to make their work effective and to provide space for real and meaningful support for young people, while on the other hand, ensuring that youth workers are competent for the job. The project was coordinated by Opportunity Global, with partners from Lithuania (Institute for policy research and analysis) and Macedonia (Center for Intercultural Dialogue).
The project’s main aim was to strengthen the recognition of youth workers competences and assessment of the quality of youth work providers by capacity building of youth workers and evaluators based on the principle of self-assessment and peer-assessment.

Objectives of the project:
1. To build capacities of youth workers to be able to provide peer-review of their work and self-assess their competences within a given competence framework for youth workers (portfolio)
2. To raise awareness on the need to develop learning to learn competences within youth work and motivate youth workers for lifelong learning
3. To develop and try out specific recognition tools for youth work providers (quality label tools) and for youth workers (recognition portfolios) as examples of non-formality in the recognition of youth work
4. To develop participants’ understanding and knowledge of various forms of youth work systems and discuss their applicability in different contexts
5. To exchange good practices of youth work recognition between youth workers and their associations from the 3 participating countries but also at European level

The project addressed the following questions/issues:
1. How to ensure youth workers are learning and developing within the youth field in a meaningful way
2. How to make peer-reviews and self assessments in the youth field among youth workers as a tool for personal and professional growth
3. How to ensure youth work providers (organisations, institutions) are following some minimum quality standards when delivering their youth work programmes
4. How we can learn from the different processes that take place in the 3 corners of Europe which will enhance our work back home (UK for its tradition in youth work and its well structured system, Lithuania with its peer-based recognition and youth work development and Macedonia with its non-formal accreditation systems of youth work)

Key project activities included:
Training course on assessment of youth workers competences (C1): the training aimed to build capacity of youth workers and decision makers in the youth field about the need for quality assessment and provide ideas of assessments.
Creating tools for assessment of youth work providers and self assessment and peer-review of youth workers. Within the preparation of the tools initial testing will be done to minimum 5 youth work providers and minimum 20 youth workers
Youth Work material – overview of tools and practices of youth work recognition and assessment of youth workers in UK, Lithuania and Macedonia.
Study visit on youth work recognition (C2) in Lithuania in order to share examples of peer-reviews in youth work.
A training course on quality label for youth work providers (C3), aimed to build capacity of youth workers and decision-makers to conduct assessment of the quality of provided youth work in a specific entity.
Dissemination workshops for national youth work recognition (E1) which were held in UK, Lithuania and Macedonia.
Seminar “Assessing the assessment – where next?”(C5) aimed to provide an overview of the process and to draw conclusions related to recognition tools developed by the project and their applicability in youth work and beyond.”
Overall, the project attained a semnificative impact at local, national and international level throughout the long term process of dissemination and the activities we implemented during and after the project. Youth workers at local level and international level shared with us their expertise and good practice and contributed to the building of our final output. They tested new tools to help them assess their own experience, but they also gave us ideas about methods which helped them increase the confidence in themselves, as youth workers and develop in order to help the young people they work with, to find they own way to grow and develop.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 81125 Eur

Project Coordinator

OPPORTUNITY GLOBAL & Country: UK

Project Partners

• Politikos tyrimu ir analizes institutas
• ASSOCIATION CENTER FOR INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE – KUMANOVO