Training Course "Cherry on the Cake" – increase the visibility of your Youth Exchange

An essential part of a Youth Exchange is the involvement of young people from the early stages of generating ideas all the way to the closing of the project. If given a possibility to be involved from the beginning, the period when young people learn extends far beyond the time spent in the international setting. Youth Exchanges therefore gain greater meaning when understood in the context of linking the European dimension to the regular youth work practise in the local level. Nevertheless, often the significance of Youth Exchanges remain unknown beyond the participating young people and project organisers themselves if visibility and dissemination and exploitation of results have not been sufficiently planned and accordingly carried out along with the implementation of the project. This training course therefore focuses on how youth leaders can increase the impact of Youth Exchanges by recognising, capturing and effectively communicating the results of the project. This activity has a long-term approach and includes weekly reading assignments six weeks prior to the residential activity based on the publication “Cherry on the cake” -Advice for quality planning of Youth Exchanges https://www.salto-youth.net/rc/see/resources/seepublications/cherry-on-the-cake/ . The publication covers the implementation of a Youth Exchange project by addressing each phase of the process: drafting, planning, preparation, implementation, conclusion and dissemination of results with the focus on what young people can learn and how youth leaders can support the process in each phase. Participants will get their own copy of the brochure at the training course and another one to take back to their organisation. After the residential training course the participants will have a chance to consult the trainers of the activity regarding the topics covered during the training course when preparing their applications. Objectives of the training course: • Exploring the role of Youth Exchange in long-term work with young people; • Developing competences in planning appropriate visibility as well as dissemination and exploitation of results of Youth Exchange as an integral part of the entire project cycle; • Discovering quality aspects of Youth Exchange associated to partnerships, non-formal-learning, international dimension and safety of young participants; • Increasing the understanding of the roles of a youth leader in all phases of Youth Exchange. Profile of participants: Youth workers / youth leaders, who: • have implemented and/or led a group in a Youth Exchange; • have concrete plans to apply for and carry out Youth Exchanges in the near future (first half of 2017) as a part their long-term work with local young people; • are interested in developing their competences in increasing the impact of their future Youth Exchanges; • are passionate about work with young people; • are at least 18 years old; • come from Erasmus+ Programme Countries or the Western Balkan region. Background: The training module known under the brand name “Cherry on the cake”, developed by the Institute MOVIT, the Slovenian National Agency for the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme, in cooperation with SALTO South East Europe Resource Centre builds on the understanding of Youth Exchange as a highlight within a broader process of non-formal learning in youth work. It aims at discovering the potential of Youth Exchange as an instrument for building young people’s competences through active participation in developing the project. Training courses for youth workers and youth leaders on the topic have been organised since 2012, first in the national level in Slovenia and later internationally. The programme of activities will be carried out by two trainers: Snezana Baclija Knoch (Serbia) https://www.salto-youth.net/tools/toy/snezana-baclija-knoch.1941/ and Sašo Kronegger (Slovenia) https://www.salto-youth.net/tools/toy/saso-kronegger.2317/