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FunderEuropean Commission
Funder Contribution €60,000.00
Funded underERASMUS+ | Partnerships for cooperation and exchanges of practices | Small-scale partnerships in youth
Project code2022-3-DE04-KA210-YOU-000095033
Open Access mandatePublications: NoResearch data: No
Identifiers
Description
<< Background >>In our daily work, we often find that both young professionals and the young people we work with on a daily basis (our target group are mainly socio-economically disadvantaged) have little connection with Europe and the EU in particular. Overall, the EU is too far away for many people, especially young people. Politics as such, but political participation, is often far removed from the reality of our target groups' lives, and this is especially true for Europe.Young professionals lack knowledge about the programmes available to them and the EU's contribution to youth work in general. The EYWA is a very theoretical construct, even for professionals experienced in European project work, which makes it difficult to grasp. If professionals can hardly explain what it means, it is almost impossible to communicate it to young people.We also know that young people need role models for their own development, role models who do not necessarily have a smooth or academic educational background. It was important for us to fill knowledge gaps and explore approaches to translating this into youth work. To do this, we worked locally with young professionals and young people in a variety of workshop settings.<< Objectives >>Our main objectives were to familiarise (young) professionals with EYWA and the Bonn Process and to develop and test a methodological approach for different target groups. We also wanted to reach professionals who are the first in their families to pursue an academic career. We were able to reach the target groups as well as Masters students and those in their practical year who are already working for us. Through the workshops with young people/our target groups, we aimed to introduce them to EYWA, European issues and participation in European programmes. This was particularly relevant in the context of this year's European elections. Inclusion was a key consideration throughout. The workshops with young people were conducted with very diverse groups: recently arrived young migrants, young people with lower educational backgrounds, young people in education programmes, etc. Overall, we reached a very diverse target group. While the workshops in Germany were exclusively for young migrants, the participants from Austria came from classes of the 'Ausbildungs-Fit' programme, a preparatory measure for vocational training. The participants from our Dutch partner were involved in their field of outpatient youth care and counselling.<< Implementation >>Workshops (ws) on national level: three for professionals and two for young people in each country, and two international events in Vienna and Groningen.A total of 158 people attended all ws and the two international events:- 73 in the ws for (young) professionals, 28 more than proposed.- 53 in the ws for young people, 5 more than planned.The first international meeting in Vienna in January 2024 was attended by 19 professionals and young people, and the final meeting in Groningen by 13 participants. Both international events were two-day events; the national workshops were all one-day events; the German event for the young people was a short series of three one-day workshops, one more as planned, as the participants wanted to work longer on the topic and on their creative way of dealing with EU and EYWA issues. This third German WS was financed from our own resources and we had more participants in the workshops for the professionals. After the event in Vienna, the young Austrians expressed the wish to participate in Groningen, be part of the evaluation, and meet young people again. With their own funds, all partners were able to send young people: three from Austria, two from Germany, and two from the Netherlands.<< Results >>As a result of this project, we have realised that there is a significant amount of work needed to engage our (disadvantaged) target group with Europe and its institutions. It is crucial to introduce them early (in schools and in youth work) to the benefits of the EU and how every individual (especially young people) can benefit. While young people do show interest, they also find it too complicated. European politics generally does not easily resonate with them as it feels too detached from their daily realities. We used similar and sometimes different approaches in our national seminars with young people. This has both validated our methods and provided us with new techniques. The creative approaches used in the national workshops in Germany were enriching for both partners. Focusing on diversity and gender in introducing young professionals to the topic of EYWA was new and previously unaddressed in the practice of our Austrian and Dutch partners. From Austria, we learned how political education is handled for all age groups and how to integrate European topics into youth employment support. From our Dutch partner, we learned how prospective and young professionals are integrated into European work in the organisation.
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<< Background >>In our daily work, we often find that both young professionals and the young people we work with on a daily basis (our target group are mainly socio-economically disadvantaged) have little connection with Europe and the EU in particular. Overall, the EU is too far away for many people, especially young people. Politics as such, but political participation, is often far removed from the reality of our target groups' lives, and this is especially true for Europe.Young professionals lack knowledge about the programmes available to them and the EU's contribution to youth work in general. The EYWA is a very theoretical construct, even for professionals experienced in European project work, which makes it difficult to grasp. If professionals can hardly explain what it means, it is almost impossible to communicate it to young people.We also know that young people need role models for their own development, role models who do not necessarily have a smooth or academic educational background. It was important for us to fill knowledge gaps and explore approaches to translating this into youth work. To do this, we worked locally with young professionals and young people in a variety of workshop settings.<< Objectives >>Our main objectives were to familiarise (young) professionals with EYWA and the Bonn Process and to develop and test a methodological approach for different target groups. We also wanted to reach professionals who are the first in their families to pursue an academic career. We were able to reach the target groups as well as Masters students and those in their practical year who are already working for us. Through the workshops with young people/our target groups, we aimed to introduce them to EYWA, European issues and participation in European programmes. This was particularly relevant in the context of this year's European elections. Inclusion was a key consideration throughout. The workshops with young people were conducted with very diverse groups: recently arrived young migrants, young people with lower educational backgrounds, young people in education programmes, etc. Overall, we reached a very diverse target group. While the workshops in Germany were exclusively for young migrants, the participants from Austria came from classes of the 'Ausbildungs-Fit' programme, a preparatory measure for vocational training. The participants from our Dutch partner were involved in their field of outpatient youth care and counselling.<< Implementation >>Workshops (ws) on national level: three for professionals and two for young people in each country, and two international events in Vienna and Groningen.A total of 158 people attended all ws and the two international events:- 73 in the ws for (young) professionals, 28 more than proposed.- 53 in the ws for young people, 5 more than planned.The first international meeting in Vienna in January 2024 was attended by 19 professionals and young people, and the final meeting in Groningen by 13 participants. Both international events were two-day events; the national workshops were all one-day events; the German event for the young people was a short series of three one-day workshops, one more as planned, as the participants wanted to work longer on the topic and on their creative way of dealing with EU and EYWA issues. This third German WS was financed from our own resources and we had more participants in the workshops for the professionals. After the event in Vienna, the young Austrians expressed the wish to participate in Groningen, be part of the evaluation, and meet young people again. With their own funds, all partners were able to send young people: three from Austria, two from Germany, and two from the Netherlands.<< Results >>As a result of this project, we have realised that there is a significant amount of work needed to engage our (disadvantaged) target group with Europe and its institutions. It is crucial to introduce them early (in schools and in youth work) to the benefits of the EU and how every individual (especially young people) can benefit. While young people do show interest, they also find it too complicated. European politics generally does not easily resonate with them as it feels too detached from their daily realities. We used similar and sometimes different approaches in our national seminars with young people. This has both validated our methods and provided us with new techniques. The creative approaches used in the national workshops in Germany were enriching for both partners. Focusing on diversity and gender in introducing young professionals to the topic of EYWA was new and previously unaddressed in the practice of our Austrian and Dutch partners. From Austria, we learned how political education is handled for all age groups and how to integrate European topics into youth employment support. From our Dutch partner, we learned how prospective and young professionals are integrated into European work in the organisation.
