Maria Zygomani

Current occupation

Student

Work experience

Facilitator in an Erasmus+ Key Action 1 Training (youth Worker Mobility): Organizer: Momentum World (www.momentumworld.org) in partnership with the Association of Active Youths, Florina (www.oenef.eu) Title of Event: “Into Europe” Composition of team: 27 people from 9 different EU countries (3 from each country-partner) Target group: Youth workers aged 21+ who have limited or no experience of international work with young people before. This project will give youth workers a first hand experience of a youth project in an intercultural environment. Duration: 8 days.

Facilitator in an Erasmus+ KA1 - Youth Exchange: Organizers: Association of Active Youths, Florina + Tipperary Regional Youth Service, Ireland Title of Event: “Opportunities on Board” Composition of team: 28 teenagers (14 from each country) and 6 leaders (3 from each country) Target Group: teenagers aged 15-18. The main goal of the program was to improve the skills of young people to be able to use their free time in a constructive way while ensuring physical and mental health. In addition, the project seeks to develop the idea of an active citizen as a way of making good use of leisure time. Duration: 16 days (8 days spent in each country).

Facilitator and co-trainer in an Erasmus+ KA1 - Youth Exchange: Organizer: Association of Active Youths, Florina + BRADOG Regional Youth Service, Ireland Title of Event: “Future Values for Youths” Composition of Team: 20 teenagers (10 from each country) and 6 leaders (3 from each country) Target Group: teenagers aged 15-18. The main goals of this project were to set up a common ground on which participants are encouraged to understand the principal values of Human Rights, to break down prejudices and stereotypes around refugees and asylum seekers, to go deeper and to get involved actively in their local communities and last to open up space for organised participation in several educational actions against discrimination. Duration: 17 days (8 days spent in Greece and 9 spent in Ireland).

Facilitator and co-trainer in an Erasmus+ KA1 – Youth Exchange: Organizer: Association of Active Youths, Florina. Title of event: “Youth Vibes for Europe” Composition of Team: 31 people from 6 different countries (5 people each). Target group: aged 18-40. The key aim of this project was to improve the skills and competencies of our young people. We plan to do this by identifying how to best use their leisure time in a constructive manner in terms of their physical and mental health, and also in terms of developing active citizenship as a healthy use of leisure time. This project promoted participation of young people in decision-making both in their lives and also within the organization - particularly in developing leisure time programs that are active, challenging and creative, that can in turn be implemented by other young people. Duration: 9 days.

Facilitator and co-trainer in an Erasmus+ KA1 – Youth Exchange: Organizers: Association of Active Youths, Florina + Tipperary Regional Youth Service, Ireland. Title of event: U.N.C.R.C. (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) Composition of Team: 30 teenagers (15 from each country) and 6 leaders (3 from each country) Target group: teenagers aged 15-18.

Facilitator and co-trainer in an Erasmus+ KA1 - Youth Exchange: Organiser: Association of Active Youths, Florina + Momentum World (www.momentumworld.org), Luton. Title of event: “Virtual Town to Real Town” Composition of Team: 24 Young people from 2 countries (12 from Greece & 12 from UK). Target group: aged 15-19. The theme of the project was “what makes a town”. Activities were based around questions of citizenship, local economy and amenities, how a town is organised, etc. Preparation for the project was included as fun exercise to build a “virtual town” using Minecraft™ which was used to compare the “real town” of Florina. Young people were also encouraged to find out about their own home town.

Facilitator an co-trainer in an Erasmus+ KA1 - Training Course (Training Practice Project through Training of Trainers) Organiser: Partner Countries and NAs - Ireland, Greece, Germany & Belgium. Title of event: JUMP IN: How to develop Youth Exchange Projects (https://www.salto-youth.net/tools/european-training-calendar/training/jump-in-how-to-develop-youth-exchange-projects.7842/) Target Group: 19 participants from 8 different countries over 18 year old. The aim of this training was to offer an international learning experience for youth work practitioners who wanted to learn about the opportunities of Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme. It supported practitioners to develop their competencies in setting up quality Youth Exchange projects for young people with fewer opportunities. Jump In also provided for most participants a strong positive first experience of international youth work and motivated them to use the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme going forward in their work with young people.

Facilitator and co-trainer in an Erasmus+ KA1 - Training Course: Organiser: Association of Active Youths, Florina + Tipperary Regional Youth Service, Ireland. Title of the project: Developing Entrepreneurial Abilities Laboratory II (DEAL II) Composition of team: 30 young people from 9 countries. Target group: youth workers/leaders and young people with fewer opportunities over 18. The aim of the project, including both events (Ireland & Greece), was to equip youth workers, youth leaders, project managers, youth that are involved or plan to be involved in social entrepreneurship initiatives, with the necessary tools and competences regarding social entrepreneurship. The activities ensured an entrepreneurial approach to address challenging issues of communities and to encourage and support the development of a new generation of social innovators and social entrepreneurs.

I have also worked in the framework of European Voluntary Service as an EVS mentor. Our organisation is active in this area every year since 2012. My role was to guide, organise activities and mentor our EVS volunteers.