KNOWLEDGE vol. 1
Coordinator: Social Youth Development – K.A.NE., Greece
Partners:
Activity A1:
Associação Mais Cidadania (Portugal)
KEY – Innovation in Culture Education and Youth (Cyprus)
CEMEA del Mezzogiorno (Italy)
Activity A2:
Association for Democratic Prosperity – Zid (Montenegro)
Activity A3:
The Nordic centre of Heritage Learning and Creativity (Sweden)
Brief description:
The idea for this project stems from the recognition of the need for better networking and developing the skills of people working in the youth sector, and to improve the services offered by youth structures, particularly in regard to supporting young people with fewer opportunities to develop skills and competencies both at personal as well as professional level.
Wanting to have a more holistic and comprehensive approach, this project consisted of three main activities:
Α1: Long-term EVS activity, involving 4 partner organizations from Greece (coordinator and hosting organisation),Italy, Cyprus and Portugal (sending organizations) and 3 young volunteers from Italy, Cyprus and Portugal. The volunteers supported the activities of the Youth Centre of Kalamata, but also collaborated with institutions and organizations like the Municipality of Kalamata and the Foifa Natural Farm, supporting their activities and promoting volunteerism and Active Citizenship, as well as the importance of the cooperation between active stakeholders and citizens for the development of a local society. Two of the participants in this activity were participants with fewer opportunities (1 facing economic difficulties and long-term unemployment and 1 facing social difficulties and marginalization due to past problems with substance abuse).
Α2: Youth Worker’s training and networking activity (job-shadowing) involving an organisation from Montenegro (sending) and one from Greece (coordinator and hosting) as well as a youth worker, member of the sending organisation from Montenegro. The activity was held in Kalamata , Greece from 19/01/2015 to 09/02/2015.
Α3: Youth Worker’s training and networking activity (job-shadowing) involving an organisation from Sweden
(hosting) and one from Greece (coordinator and sending organization), and a member and volunteer of the sending organization with experience both in working with young people with fewer opportunities, and in education using non-formal learning methods. The activity was implemented in Ostersund Sweden, from 05/06/2015 until 26/06/2015.
The methods and tools of non-formal learning played a key role in the conduct of all three activities of the project, whereas the working programme aimed at meeting the needs and expectations of the participants, with particular emphasis on the facilitation of the development of skills and competences, as well as the exchange of experiences, good practices and ideas.
The project had a confound impact on the participants, through their development of skills at personal and professional levels, as well as on the participating organizations, as it contributed to their capacity building and professionalization -especially in terms of working directly with young people and volunteers-, and consolidated the partnership and collaboration among them. On the other hand, this project promoted the importance of non-formal learning and the skills and competences acquired through it, especially when it comes to supporting young people to strengthen their position in the labour market. It also promoted the importance of youth work and youth work activities.
Some of the ways that the project was promoted outside our organization are:
The e-book, Kalamata Through EVS eyes:
https://issuu.com/kane.kalamata/docs/klmt_through_evs_eyes
EVS café events for the promotion of the European Voluntary Service to local youth:
https://www.facebook.com/events/837870779636625/
https://www.facebook.com/events/1727460994140176/
Organisation of 2 local seminars on volunteerism :
http://www.ngokane.org/index.php/el/localprojectsgr/item/44-invep2
Video about Christmas in Kalamata:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWQfzBY5wq0
The LinK newsletter:
https://issuu.com/kane.kalamata/docs/link_68/1?e=3960530/31387374
Article written by the participant in A3 about his experience:
