TOOL FAIR XII - Waves of Innovation

The 12th edition of the International Tool Fair will take place from the 6th (arrival) to the 10th (departure) of November in Varna, Bulgaria, awarded European Youth Capital 2017. The focus of this year’s edition aims to enhance participants’ critical thinking in order to be able to respond to the challenges of the evolving context, in line with the European Commission Youth Priorities for 2018 through innovative and digital youth work approaches. Participating in the Tool Fair XII is an opportunity for participants to shape educational and experiential pathways, to run a workshop and to share tools for learning with colleagues in an international context, as well as to participate in workshops conducted by their peers. Beyond merely experiencing a wide variety of tools for learning, the Tool Fair aims to provide a space to reflect on tools, give and receive feedback, pave the way for their transferability and further development. This way, the Tool Fair XII aims to enhance capacity building skills of the participants and to contribute not only to the learning outcomes of each individual participant but also on the quality of tools for learning and learning process at European level, complementing the two educational tools websites managed by the SALTO-YOUTH EuroMed & Good Practices Resource Centre: the Multilingual Educational Tools Portal http://educationaltoolsportal.eu/ and the SALTO-YOUTH Toolbox for Training and Youth Work (http://www.salto-youth.net/tools/toolbox), in coherence with the European Training Strategy. Overall aim To promote quality in youth work and support capacity building of youth workers Objectives - To enhance participants’ critical thinking in order to be able to respond to challenges of the evolving context, in line with European Commission youth priorities for 2018 (intercultural dialogue, participation in social and political life, social inclusion, entrepreneurship and employability, etc). - To develop – also through innovative approaches, such as open pedagogies and digital practices – the quality and variety of Tools for Learning in the youth field. - To contribute to the educational and experiential pathway of each participant, particularly in relation to the competences of creating and using such tools. - To contribute to the SALTO Tools for Learning strategy via notably the uploading of various resources (tools, articles, publications) in one’s native language Objectives shall be achieved through: - The provision of a safe, inspiring and challenging environment in which to learn - The provision of opportunities to share, discuss and experiment with Tools for Learning - The provision of insights into current contexts and policy developments - A variety of workshops and learning methodologies - The introduction to approaches from others sectors - The support to participants in a pro-active and challenging way - The opportunity to connect the Erasmus+ programme with the culture of the host country. Expected profile of participants: The working language of the event will be English therefore the participants should be comfortable working in English. Applications are open for participants who have created innovative educational tool/s addressing EU Youth Priorities and/or are willing to share and further develop such tools during the Tool Fair XII. People from different sectors such as public and private are invited to apply so that discussions can be held about the transferability of tools into different sectors. Moreover 11 National Tool Fairs are being held prior to the International Tool Fair XII in Tunisia, Armenia, Hungary, Croatia, Turkey, France, Lebanon (tbc), Italy, Malta, Kosovo and Georgia. Applicants pertaining to Hungary, Croatia, Turkey, France, Italy and Malta, interested in applying for Tool Fair XII are requested to contact their respective NA Officer as the selection process shall be linked to the National Tool Fair. Tool Fair XII is particularly directed at: • Youth workers • Trainers, facilitators, coaches • Youth policy makers • People working directly with youth • Youth leaders, leaders of youth groups or representatives of youth organisations (local, regional, national, European, international…) • Representatives of formal education working with youth • Youth project managers • Business sector representatives working with youth • NA representatives Criteria • Able to communicate in English • Devoted to participate in the full process of the activity • Have visions and plans how to use what they learned in their work • Have the potential to develop their competencies in relation to the objectives of the activity Supported actions: • KA1 – Youth Exchanges • KA1 – European Voluntary Service • KA1 – Mobility of Youth Workers • KA2 – Strategic Partnerships • KA2 – Cross-sectoral Projects • KA2 – Transnational Youth Initiatives • KA3 – Structured Dialogue Projects Supported priorities: • Inclusion • Employability • Recognition of non-formal learning and youth work • Development of youth work quality