Explore your European Identity

“Explore Your European Identity” will be a 5 day Erasmus+ KA-1 Youth Mobility training course for youth workers and youth leaders, organized in Bulgaria, between April 5-11, 2018. The project encourages participants to develop a deeper understanding of European Identity and Citizenship, and provides them with skills to support the development of active European Citizenship amongst their target groups.

The training course will use the European Voluntary Service as a concrete example of active European Citizenship for young people, as participants will also develop knowledge about EVS, including aspect such as recruitment, training and managing young people as EVS volunteers in both sending and hosting situations. The trainings course is led by an international team of experienced trainers and is open for only member states of the European Union.

The training intends to give opportunities to partners that are members of the European Union to share their experiences and to gain knowledge and new skills in the field of youth work, as well as to establish new contacts and develop common project ideas.

This project will bring together 20 youth work professionals to work together in order to explore European citizenship and the theme of volunteering at a local and European level, for young people from all types of backgrounds.

 The aims of the training are to:

• Develop a greater understanding of European citizenship and identity amongst participants;
• Explore the theme of volunteering, with a particular emphasis on promoting the inclusion of groups with fewer opportunities;
• Advocate for the techniques of informal and non-formal learning;
• Explore the aims and objectives of the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, with particular emphasis on the European Voluntary Service, and to place it in the context of youth work;
• Develop cooperation across Europe and enhance a European network of Youth workers.

The objectives of this project for participants are to:

• Learn about youth work practice across Europe;
• Develop knowledge and skills around the theme of active European citizenship and European Identity for young people;
• Understand the theory and practice of volunteering;
• Explore different techniques for developing volunteering amongst young people with fewer opportunities;
• Share knowledge and experience of recruiting, training and managing volunteers within their own organisations;
• Be able to use techniques of non-formal learning with young volunteers within their own organisations;
• Have a good working knowledge of the Erasmus+ Programme;
• Develop new projects together.

 The training is designed as a process of non-formal learning and peer education using participants’ own experiences in the fields of youth work and international cooperation. To be successful, this will require participants to have an active input in sharing knowledge and experience, and to be willing to learn new skills from the trainers and from each other.

The methods employed during the training will include:

• Verbal and visual presentations
• Small group discussions
• Plenary debates
• Game playing
• Drama exercises
• Study visits
• Cultural presentations

There will be 20 participants to the training and the applicants should fulfil the following conditions. They should have:

• Age 18+;
• At least 2 years’ experience as an organiser of youth projects;
• The ability to use English as the working language throughout the project;
• Willingness to fulfil an open and active role in the training;
• The availability to attend the full duration of the project;
• An opportunity to share new information, skills and contacts within their own organisation;
• An interest and motivation to explore the topic of European Citizenship and Identity, in order to develop a deeper understanding of the main concepts and have the knowledge and skills to include this topic in their own projects with young people;
• An ambition to set up new projects in the field of the Erasmus+ programme;
• A mandate to make concrete agreements with other organizations.

Participants will be selected by the project leaders, based on the:

• Profile of participants as described above;
• Rules of the Erasmus+ Programme;
• Living/working in the European union;
• Experience, expectations and training needs of the applicants;
• Desire to create a balance in the range of participating organisations;
• Desire to create a balance in the range of geographical areas represented, as well as a gender balance.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at office@babilontravel.net