“Includemyth: Turning Inclusion into Action” – Training course on supporting youth workers run inclusive and high-quality youth exchanges with special attention on inclusion, youth participation, group leader roles, Erasmus+ tools, sustainability, and intercultural dialogue to better support young people with fewer opportunities.
Themes:
Youth participation and European values: Promoting active citizenship, European awareness, and aligning with the Youth Participation Strategy, the EU Youth Strategy and Youth Goals. Inclusion and diversity: Fostering inclusion and supporting young people with fewer opportunities, ensuring their active involvement in youth exchanges.
Involvement methodology: Developing strategies and tools to involve young people in every phase of a youth exchange project, from planning and preparation to implementation and evaluation, ensuring meaningful participation.
Roles and responsibilities of group leaders: Preparing group leaders to take on key roles in inclusive youth exchanges, focusing on safety, protection, and the active engagement of all participants.
Quality in youth work: Promoting Erasmus Youth Quality Standards and equipping youth workers to create impactful and well-organized youth exchanges.
Project development and leadership: Enhancing the skills needed to design, manage, and lead inclusive youth exchange projects effectively with, for and by young people with fewer opportunities.
Sustainability and green practices: Promoting environmentally friendly and sustainable approaches in youth exchanges.
The overall aim of the project…
…is to empower youth workers with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to design and implement high-quality, inclusive youth exchanges that actively engage young people, especially those with fewer opportunities. By focusing on themes such as inclusion, diversity, youth participation, sustainability, and intercultural exchange, our project seeks to strengthen the capacity of youth workers to foster meaningful involvement of young people at every phase of a youth exchange. Additionally, the project aims to equip group leaders with the competencies needed to ensure the safety, protection, and active engagement of participants, ultimately promoting the values of active citizenship, social inclusion, and European awareness in line with the Erasmus+ programme and the EU Youth Strategy.
By the end of the project, participants will:
Youth Participation Strategies: How to align youth work with the EU Youth Strategy and encourage active citizenship and European values in young people.
Inclusion and Diversity Practices: Methods to foster inclusion and actively involve young people with fewer opportunities in all aspects of youth exchanges.
Involvement Methodology: Techniques to meaningfully engage young people at every phase of a youth exchange, including planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Group leadership skills: Roles and responsibilities of group leaders, including ensuring the safety, protection, and active participation of all group members in inclusive youth exchanges.
Erasmus+ Programme and Quality Standards: A comprehensive understanding of the Erasmus+ programme, including its Youth Quality Standards and how to ensure high-quality youth exchange project implementation.
Non-formal learning and key competences: Skills to support young people’s learning through Youthpass and the development of the 8 key competences.
Project development and management: Skills to design, implement, and evaluate inclusive youth exchange projects effectively.
Sustainable practices: Knowledge of environmentally friendly approaches and tools like the Greening the Youth Exchanges Checklist to integrate sustainability into youth work.
The objectives of the training course are:
- Train youth workers practical methods to actively engage young people, especially those with fewer opportunities, in all phases of youth exchange projects—from planning to evaluation.
- Provide group leaders with the skills to ensure the safety, well-being, and meaningful involvement of young participants, emphasizing their role in creating inclusive and secure environments.
- Guide youth workers in using Youthpass to support learning and competence development in young people during youth exchanges.
- Train participants to design, coordinate, and execute inclusive and high quality inclusive youth exchange projects tailored to diverse groups.
- Familiarize participants with tools and resources, such as the Inclusion Meter and sustainability checklists and guidelines to incorporate environmentally conscious practices into youth exchanges.
- Prepare youth workers to navigate cultural diversity, fostering understanding and communication among participants from different backgrounds.
- Initiate inclusive youth exchanges based on the needs and interests of young people with fewer opportunities represented by participants and partners.
- Create an Inclusion to Youth Exchanges brochure in order to give a digital comics’ creation guidelines for group leaders to integrate inclusive practices into their projects.
Who can participate in the TC:
2-4 youth workers on behalf of each Partner who
- are actively involved in youth work and have experience working with young people, especially those with fewer opportunities.
- have experiences at least in one international youth exchange under Erasmus+ programme as a previous participant, group leader, coordinator, etc.
- should be interested in expanding their international networks and learning about best practices in European youth work.
- work directly with youth with fewer opportunities and are interested in enhancing their skills in inclusion and diversity.
- are eligible to receive Erasmus+ funding for youth exchange projects or already accredited to participate or host one.
- ready to take part in the whole TC,
- to be able to communicate English language.
Financial conditions:
The food and accommodation will be provided and paid by the organizers. Travels costs will be counted based on the distance calculator of European Commission and reimbursed either by bank transfer after the course or at the end of the course in cash (in Euros €). It may be that money from European Commission will be late; in that case, as mentioned, you will get your reimbursement after the course by bank transfer (be ready for that).
