Project title: Y.D.E.A. – Youth Development through Emotional Intelligence
Programme: Erasmus+, KA1, Programme Countries – Mobility of Youth Workers (4 October 2022 deadline)
Applicant: CVS-Bulgaria
Venue, dates: Emen village, Bulgaria, from 9 to 16 June 2023 (9th June is the arrival day and 16th June is the day for departure)
Participants profile: youth workers, trainers, educators, project managers, project coordinators, workcamp coordinators, staff and board members, activists interested in social inclusion.
Number of participants: 25+ 2 trainers + 2 support staff
Partners: CVS-Bulgaria runs this project in a partnership with SCI Italy, SCI Austria, SCI Germany, OWA Poland, Zavod Voluntariat (Slovenia), VSI Ireland, EstYES (Estonia), Para Onde (Portugal), CID (Republic of North Macedonia), Xeracion Valencia (Spain), EYCB (Czech Republic), System & Generation (Turkey), Youth for Equality (Slovakia).

 

Background of the project

An increasing number of young people in Europe express concerns regarding their future, due to the current challenges which affect society: climate change, pandemic, international conflicts and their economic consequences (inflation, unemployment, increase of public debt). According to recent research, this scenario produces anxiety, depression, stress, apathy, lack of perspectives among young people,
especially those with fewer opportunities and those who suffer from marginalisation. Compared to formal education institutions, NGOs have the potential to react more quickly and more effectively to young people’s demands. For example, international voluntary workcamps have proved particularly successful in promoting autonomy, self-esteem, empathy and solidarity among young people, in Europe and worldwide. However, knowledge and skills of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Emotional Intelligence (EI) are still not sufficiently widespread and developed among youth workers. This is also due to the high costs of training in this sector and to the lack of specific expertise in the network.

 

Aim and objectives

In the light of this scenario, the main aim of this project is to equip youth workers of the participating organisations with skills and knowledge in the field of Emotional Intelligence, Social Emotional Learning and Emotional Awareness to promote more effectively youth development and social inclusion. The specific objectives of the project are:
• to develop non-formal educational tools, models and practice based on SEL and EI, and focused on the current needs of young participants, to be adapted to the educational formats of the organisations;
• to develop and consolidate the sensitivity and the expertise concerning mental health issues within the organisations, the network, the IVS movement and in youth work in general;
• to strengthen the capacity of the organisations in creating synergies with formal and non-formal education bodies, to reach-out and include in their activities young people with fewer opportunities and those who are most affected by the current upheavals and socio-economic uncertainties.

 

The project has 4 main components:

1. 90-minute preparatory online meeting and digital preparatory tasks (May 2023)

The online meeting will be held a few weeks before the beginning of the training course. It will last 90 minutes and will involve the participants, the trainers and the representatives of CVS-Bulgaria. It will be a chance to start getting to know one another, to share details on the project, the venue and the logistics, and to answer questions. Participants will be invited to perform creative preliminary tasks, using an online platform such as “Padlet”, which will help them understand the topics to be addressed during the training course.

2. Y.D.E.A. Training Course (9 – 16 June 2023, Emen, Bulgaria)

Each day of the training course will include 4 non-formal education sessions, which will involve participants in creative, interactive and awareness-raising activities focused on Emotional Intelligence. The trainers will propose team-building activities, group-work, “learning-by-playing” sessions, spaces for learning, sharing, evaluating and reflecting. There will be the chance to relax, meet local organisations and visit the surrounding area.

3. Participative development of the output – “Emotional Cards” (after the training course)

During the last day of the training course, participants will start developing the “Emotional Cards”, a creative non-formal education tool which will help youth workers to boost emotional intelligence, social inclusion and social emotional learning in their activities. The development of the output will continue online through a participative effort of the whole group and under the coordination of CVS Bulgaria.

4. Final online meeting to present and disseminate the project results

The Final Online Meeting will be a 1-hour online event planned at the end of the year / beginning of 2024, to officially launch the tools and presenting the project results and impact.

The training course

The training course will be held in Emen village, Bulgaria, from 9th to 16th June 2023. It will propose interactive non-formal education methods, which will allow participants to combine theory with practice. These are the “highlights” of the training:
• background on the main influential studies on cognitive psychology, social psychology, SEL and EI (D. Goleman, P. Salovey, CASEL);
• analysis of the most urgent young people’s needs concerning mental health and the impact caused by the current social challenges (pandemic, climate change, conflicts, economic uncertainties, social exclusion);
• practicing emotional intelligence through the “4M model” (from “The Educator’s Practical Guide to Emotional Intelligence” by David Caruso, Lisa Rees, David Adams). Through practical exercises and the analysis of real cases, participants will learn how to use the model to manage emotions constructively in their daily work; • each day will conclude with an active session (“Learning by Playing”) where participants will test and play NFE tools (games, energisers, team building sessions) to foster wellbeing and social inclusion;
• a workshop to learn how to design and manage a learning output, which will be further developed by participants’s youth work practice after the training. The trainers will be Mauro Carta and Katerina Stoyanova.

Check out the Call for participants and apply by 16th May 2023!

The project “Y.D.E.A.-Youth Development through Emotional Awareness”, 2022-3-BG01-KA153-YOU-000100088 is supported by Erasmus+ Programme, under KA1, Youth workers mobility

 

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