Voice & Action

Aims & objectives

We are dedicated to fostering youth engagement at the local and international level. To achieve this, we will empower 29 youth workers with essential skills, efficient tools, and supportive programs. Our goal is to bridge the gap between young people and democracy.

Today's youth increasingly participate through alternative means such as activism, volunteering, and online movements like climate activism. As youth civil society evolves, it shifts from hierarchical structures to a more diverse and interconnected network.

However, many youth civil society organizations face challenges like restrictions on their freedoms of association and expression, contributing to a "shrinking space for civil society."

In Europe, it's crucial to recognize and support various forms of youth participation in democracy. Despite this, many young individuals still feel disconnected from democratic structures, highlighting the ongoing need for their involvement.

Given the upcoming 2024 European Parliament elections and the rise of extremism, promoting active citizenship and youth participation is more vital than ever. The Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programs reinforce this objective.

Therefore, our objectives are:

1. Enhance the skills of 29 youth workers in promoting youth participation through knowledge exchange, sharing success stories, and implementing attractive programs.

2. Raise awareness and promote active citizenship among local youth through engaging campaigns and empowerment initiatives.

3. Build the capacity of European NGOs to empower youth in local communities through collaborative campaigns and international projects.

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

The project gathered 29 participants, youth workers from Romania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and France from the partner NGOs' staff pool (long-term volunteers, social workers, educators, social pedagogues, community development facilitators, counselors, trainers, facilitators, and other related staff implementing non-formal activities), who are actively involved in promoting active citizenship and youth participation;

Training methods used & main activities

Our daily program was divided in 4 - 1:30 hours sessions, 1 hours reflection/evaluation and inter-cultural evenings. In terms of NFE methods (indoor-outdoor), we have used in a holistic approach:
- Energisers before each session;
- Plenary inputs by trainers/experts;
- Guest speakers/study visits - opportunity to listen and observe how ‘others do it’;
- Presentations of participants;
- Digital content creation sessions (videos, posters, e-guide);
- Topic-related board games;
- Team-building, ice-breaking activities;
- One-to-one, group work based on discussion, debates, brainstorming, sharing ideas;
- Learning by doing - especially when testing the tools and undertaking practical exercises;
- Role-play, world-café, forum theater;
- Study cases, problem solving scenarios;
- Cultural awareness activities;
- Open spaces sessions where participants choose their topics of interests;
- Thematic board games;
- Daily reflection/evaluations of the learning process.

Outcomes of the activity

Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/voiceandactiontrainingcourse

Booklet - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_2G4RKpGoXYNhde99Z_GP4zznHHBEIRE/view?usp=drive_link

Campaign Videos:
1.

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

I was the trainer.

I worked on this training for 9 days as a full time trainer.