Inclusive Internet Radio: Our next challange

“Inclusive Internet Radio” (InRadio) is one of many of our approved projects in 2018. It is an Erasmus+ KA-1 youth mobility project where low budget (community) web radio broadcasting is used as a tool of youth participation and social inclusion. It will provide 2 main activities, an advance planning visit (APV) and a youth exchange (YE).

Both activities will be held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania: the APV during January 10-13, 2019, and the YE between March 8-16, 2019 (including travel days).

The project involves youth organizations from Italy, Romania, Lithuania, Poland and Portugal, some of them with great experience in inclusion of disabled young people, others experienced in ICT and knowhow in community web radio. There is also an education institution involved, the High School for Visually Impaired Cluj-Napoca and 2 local partners, the City Hall of Cluj-Napoca and Radio Romania Cluj.

The APV will gather 1 organization/project manager/coordinator and 1 disabled youngster, from each participating partner. The disabled youngsters, participating to the APV, will also participate to the YE and will be actively involved, in all stages of the project, from writing to dissemination and evaluation.

During the APV, participants will discuss:

• Logistical issues, accommodation, food, transportation;
• Risk management, security and safety measures;
• The youth exchange activities in more details;
• Selection and preparation of the participants;
• Dissemination, promotion and visibility plans;
• Financial matters, regarding travel reimbursement, bank transfer procedures, etc.

The YE is involving 35 participants, 15 visually impaired youngsters, 15 non-disabled and 5 youth leaders. For each of the five country groups there will be an accompanying person for the visually impaired/blind participants. The participants will be youngsters acting as volunteers or being actively involved in the partner organizations or in their local communities.

Due to the presence of the blind/visually impaired youngsters and to the usage of more technical tools like ICT and Internet radio, there will be 2 experienced facilitators involved, that will create the necessary space and learning environment, inclusive and accessible for both disabled and non-disabled participants.

The YE concerns the creation of participatory broadcasts that should be used as a tool to encourage new forms of youth participation, social inclusion and on a deeper level, supporting youth employability and entrepreneurship. The YE has also an important inclusive dimension, due to the structure of the participants group. There will be visually impaired/blind and non-visually impaired youngsters working together in mixed groups, in order to achieve common goals.

During the YE, young people with and without visual impairment, will learn to create their own “brand” business that is not mediated by the “world” of adults, but absolutely free of editorial lines, special interests and other impositions. They will be able to influence society and create a “critical mass”, regarding young people who are often subject to social exclusion. This activity also aims to provide to participants very basic technical knowledge that will encourage them to create a community web radio, with minimum or no financial investments and manage it in all its components, making the participants more autonomous and independent.

The project will involve the partner organizations, not only during the dates of the main activities, but also in the phase inbetween them; in fact by exploiting the methods and technical knowledge, young people, with the help of their sending organizations, will be empowered to create radio programs, experimenting new forms of entertainment and attract the curiosity of their communities.

By working together in mixed groups, visually impaired and non-impaired participants will support each other, will learn about their own worlds, hopes, expectations and challenges and will contribute to a better social inclusion. In this way, non-disabled participants will become ambassadors of visually impaired youngsters in their own communities.

The project objectives will be achieved through creative workshops, simulated broadcast, practical workshops with basic technical flavors and ingredients, discussions on young people’s participation, social inclusion and group activities that enable young people to encourage participation and inclusion in the community on all levels, local, regional, national and international.

The methodology to be applied will mainly be based on elements of non-formal learning, especially linked to “learning by doing” guidelines and mixed group activities that will help the participants to work in contact with different cultural backgrounds.

Project partners:

• Asociacija Apkabink Europą – Lithuania
• Asociatia Babilon Travel – Romania (the coordinator);
• Associazione Attiva-Mente – Italy;
• Autonomia e Descoberta CRL – Portugal;
• Liceul Special pentru Deficienti de Vedere Cluj-Napoca – Romania;
• Polski Związek Niewidomych – Poland.

You can download the info pack for applicants for the youth exchange:

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In case you are interested in participating to the youth exchange, please fillout the application form.

For any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at office@babilontravel.net.