The Real Deal

Every youth exchange has a huge potential towards learning opportunities for young people and promote active participation. Are you interested in focusing on quality aspects and deepening this out in your next youth exchange? This Contact Making Event will provide you with support for partner finding, the project idea development and project implementation. Besides this, several training elements focus on competence building of each participant within the non-formal educational setting created, with a particular attention towards working around themes and programme building. CONTEXT Over the past years, many youth exchange projects have been developed and run between organisations from different countries. An exciting and challenging intercultural encounter! In order to strengthen the partnerships and especially the quality of these projects, this partnership building activity aims to provide the needed support and training elements for the participants who intend to organise such a youth exchange in the near future. The first The REAL DEAL took place in Finland in September 2012. Due to the successful outcomes, this event was repeated several times over the past years. “The REAL DEAL” will take place in a (rural) village in the centre of Belgium, Vossem – Tervuren. Combining the experiences over the past years with the ‘Rural Centre of Non Formal Education’ (in Vila da Marmeleira – Portugal) where international events are fully in betted in the local community, this Belgian village seems to us an excellent setting to organize The REAL DEAL, focusing on the following aspects: • Young people as actors in the different steps of a youth exchange, supported and coached by youth workers. • The local community as the integral supporting structure of a youth exchange . • The impact and permanent mark on a local community as a result of a youth exchange. The above features will not only be discussed and analysed, but will also be based upon real practical experience during the Partnership Building Activity, experiencing first hand such a local involvement. AIMS & OBJECTIVES To build up partnerships for future youth exchanges • To provide a platform for developing international youth exchanges in a strong partnership • To explore, exchange and discuss different ways how a youth exchange can contribute to empowerment of young people, within the different phases of the youth exchange. • Share and explore ideas, experience and areas of common interest in the intercultural settings. • To explore and experience local impact and involvement • Explore different quality aspects and features within a youth exchange TARGET GROUP The partner building activity is open for voluntary and professional youth workers, working directly with young people, and plan to organise a youth exchange within the frame of the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme. If you have a potential partner to organise a youth exchange with, please encourage the partner to apply for this partner building activity. Participants should be at least 18 years old. Be aware that this Partner Building Activity will be in English. The team can give extra language support in Portuguese, Dutch and French when necessary, but there is no permanent translation. TRAINERS TEAM FOR “THE REAL DEAL” Dirk Devilder (BE) Jo Claeys (PT) and the local population of the village, besides the NA officers.