Our Projects

(Re)imagining the Youth with LSP

WHAT IS TC ABOUT?

The main idea of Training course to equip youth educators with innovative tools, to show practicallyhow to use it and apply it in youth work and solve youth problems. Thus we want to help young people to be aware (through educators as stakeholders) of own creative potential and be able to use it in achieving own goals. For this purpose, we have designed a programme which will lead them to final destination - improved and developed Creative confidence - step by step.

GOALS

RTY initiative aim is to provide an affective and practical creativity development tool for youth workers and with its help to strengthen the creative confidence of young people they work with. This will be covered by 1. Empowering youth educators to think in innovative ways of approaching youth related topics and develop creative solutions to increase the impact and efficiency of youth activities. 2. Developing innovative methodologies that increase effective participation of all project-actors.

PARTICIPANTS

We will happy to host participants from 7 countries – Estonia, Poland, Cyprus and Spain, Lithuania, Italy and Malta. - background: educator (any type), youth worker, teachers, authorities in the field of education. - participant should be 18yo or over. - participant should be able to communicate in English. - participant should take part in the whole period of the TC - participant should actively be working with youth and/or be motivated on Lego Education and Creativity topics and ready to promote activities in own community. - selected participants are in charge of organising a local event (seminar, workshop etc) for own community within the month and a half after TC comes to an end. - selected participants are in charge of dissemination and visibility activities of the project.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND YOUTH WORK

About the project

The consequences of the COVID 19 pandemic on the emotional and mental health of young people across Europe are still incomprehensible, and especially in the coming months will be extremely important to support young people in overcoming these challenges. The role of youth workers, coaches, teachers becomes very important in the life of young people in order to provide relevant and validated information, but also in supporting their learning process and their personal and social development.

Emotional intelligence (EI) has emerged as an important construct in youth work programmes and positive youth development activities, linked to successful adaptation, social integration, and well-being. Given the scope of many research and youth work programmes outcomes, many civil society organization, schools and community agencies have begun incorporating EI - based interventions into youth work and community programs aimed at enhancing youths’ socioemotional functioning and reducing instances of violence, delinquency, and other maladaptive behaviours.

Emotional intelligence has long been neglected within the development of competences for both youth workers and young people. Youthpass and the 8 Key Competences clearly show us the recognized position that emotional intelligence has in youth work: there is no real evidence of the use of emotional intelligence at all. However, we can see some traces of emotional competence learning, such as personal and social well-being, or skills and attitudes essential for conducting intercultural learning activities: empathy, distance from social roles, tolerance of ambiguity or even capacity to use the psycho-social functions of culture in learning processes.

Objectives

-Promote the awareness of the importance of EI and provide tools for developing EI through education and youth work activities.

-Enhance youth workers’ emotional intelligence so they can communicate with learners more effectively, support their learning process better and become more compassion leaders and youth workers

-Provide methods for developing emotional intelligence in youth and provide tools for improving empathy

Raise understanding of the role of emotions in motivation and pursuing goals

-To promote the common fundamental values of cooperation, respect for diversity, intercultural dialogue and compassionate youth work

Participants

Youth workers, community workers, trainers, coaches and youth work organizers, organizers of volunteer work and volunteer structures in their own organizations and/or local community - who are facing emotional challenges and have profesional doubts how to properly respond to requests and/or psychological needs of their beneficiaries and young people.

In principle, it is the youth workers, trainers, coaches and youth work organizers, organizers of volunteer structure and who face the professional challenge of working with young people and their emotional problems that keep them from developing to their full potential.

THINKING WITH HANDS

THE PHILOSOPHY

This training course is designed for Youth Educators who willing to develop the personal focus on Design Thinking and problem solution techniques in work with youth in own community. The programme is focused on 5 stages of Design Thinking: Discovery, Interpretation, Ideation, Prototyping and Evolution. We will get throughout all these stages by working with a real case – exploring local youth community. You will also experience a lot of workshop based on creativity skills and mindset by e.g. using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY techniques or creating the stories via storytelling narratives. TC involves the participation of people with special needs.

Participants

BRICKS WITH MEANING

THE PHILOSOPHY

The main idea of Training course to equip participants with innovative tools, to show practically how to use it and apply it in work and solve problems

Objectives

BRICKS WITH MEANING initiative aim is to provide an effective and practical creativity development tool for youth workers and with its help to strengthen the creative confidence of young people they work with. This is covered by

Empowering youth educators to think in innovative ways of approaching youth related topics and develop creative solutions to increase the impact and efficiency of youth activities.

2.Developing innovative methodologies that increase effective participation of all project-actors.

Example of activities:

Day 3 the status of community citizen) –inequalities, Differences Short recall of day 2.

Building 2 individual models: on how I do perceive my current status; how do others perceive my current status Present 2 models, leave them intact

Day 4

Short recall of day 3

Build individual model of vision of your status in the community in 6 months

Present the elaborated model, compare it to current status model, define and stipulate problems and gaps which are obstacles between the two. Make a list of individual bullet points of problems common and not common and put it on the wall by the beginning of day 5. Leave the models intact

LETS LEARN ABOUT CIRCULAR ECONOMY

About the project

The world nowadays is increasingly under pressure. Climate changes are threatening the existence of humans and other organisms that walk this planet. Possible solutions exist and they are reflected in the sustainable development and application of the circular economy. The development of a circular economy is seen as key to improving the environment and creating positive societal change. In 2015 the European Commission adopted an action plan to help accelerate Europe’s transition towards a circular economy, boost global competitiveness, promote sustainable economic growth, and generate new jobs. Circular Economy aims at lowering our impact on the environment, but it also fosters more cooperation, more solidarity and more activity at local level.

Objectives

The aim of the project is to help further improve the level of green business culture in Europe by providing the youth with knowledge and concepts in the field of the circular economy.

Among the objectives of the project are the following:

To make participants aware of the principles of circular economy, by the sharing of tools, knowledge and competences that can make those young people promote circular economy in their local areas.

To raise awareness and understanding of circular economy and its benefits over a traditional linear economy for more brighter future of the EU
To equip youth workers with knowledge and overview on the EU circular economy policies and practices.
To promote prevention and present new methods of waste recovery.
To empower youth workers to engage youth and advocate for greener environment without producing waste, following a circular economy approach.
To educate and raise awareness of youth workers on the key concepts of sustainability and circular economy.

Build the capacity of youth organisations to be able to inform and guide youth towards a circular economy and to explore their entrepreneurship and innovation potential.

Participants

Profile of the participants:

persons who feel a strong calling to participate in this project and have strong and relevant motivation for joining the process. The motivation should be a blend of personal and professional factors.
Keen on the topic of circular economy and environmental topics and working actively in the sphere
who want to learn more about the environment, climate change and discover the natural solutions that Economy provides into addressing the everyday needs of societies through re-using products in the most efficient and less energy way possible.
Motivated to work on the development of their personal and professional competencies in an international setting

socially active youth workers/volunteers with a role in local communities and interested in promoting circular economy and zero practices in their local contexts.

PLAYING THE CHANGE

WHAT IS TC ABOUT?

Training course aiming at building competences of educators and youth workers in supporting youth-led initiatives promoting intercultural exchange and strengthening cultural identity hence contributing to the development and strengthening of local communities.

GOALS

Objective #1

to share realities in the local communities of educators and reflect on the challenges young people face related to their identities and community involvement.

Objective #2

to reflect on possible ways to support active participation of young people in community development activities in intercultural environment.

Objective #3

to develop new local initiatives aiming at strengthening cultural identity or/and promoting intercultural exchange for young people.

PARTICIPANTS

Youth workers, educators, practitioners, volunteers who:

- have experience working with young people in their local communities.

- who are motivated to learn and share their experiences with others.

- who are interested in promoting intercultural dialogue and exchange.

- who are committed to supporting youth-led initiatives and promoting cultural identity.

PAR PARTICIPATION ACTION RESEARCH FOR ENVIROMENTAL PROTECTION

About the project

The project "Participatory Action Research and Environmental protection" is rooted in the urgent need to empower communities, particularly youth and marginalized groups, to take an active role in sustainable development. In today's world, the challenges of climate change, resource depletion and social inequality are increasingly pressing, and these issues disproportionately affect vulnerable communities. Yet, the solutions to these global challenges are often developed without the meaningful involvement of those who are most impacted. This project recognizes that for environmental protection efforts to be truly effective, they must be inclusive, engaging the voices and contributions of all stakeholders, especially those traditionally marginalized. The project seeks to bridge this gap by fostering a participatory approach where communities are not just recipients of solutions but active contributors to the creation and implementation of those solutions

Objectives

By addressing these needs, the "Participatory Action Research and Environmental protection" project will contribute to building more resilient and empowered communities, capable of leading their own sustainable development efforts.

Objectives:

· Equip participants with an understanding of PAR methodology and its application in environmental protection projects.

· Train youth workers and community leaders in using PAR to involve young people and marginalized groups in environmental protection efforts.

· Train the participants how to engage communities in co-creating solutions that are relevant to their specific contexts and challenges.

· Strengthen the ability of participants to facilitate inclusive discussions and decision-making processes around sustainable development.

Provide tools and strategies for youth workers and community leaders to lead environmental protection projects that reflect the needs and priorities of their communities

Participants

Youth workers who are:

Motivated to work on the development of their personal and professional competencies in an international setting
socially active youth workers/volunteers with a role in local communities and interested in promoting PAR methodology in their local contexts.
Highly involved in activities related to environmental protection and willing to promote it among young people in their local community.
Be eager to spread the new knowledge, skills and ideas!
Youth leaders/workers who wish to build capacity within their NGO and gain new skills as well as aiming to activate themselves to encourage other people from their community to become responsible for positive changes and be a part of the transformation, and who wish to develop international partnership with the other participants.
Ready to work in a mix-intercultural learning environment, to contribute to successful project implementation;
are able and prepared to work in English are motivated and willing to commit to working on the objectives of the training,
Being motivated and able to share the project results in his / her local context and involved in dissemination and follow up process;

They have to be able to attend the full duration of the training course and fully committed to act as multipliers after the end of the training course.