Active youth in photos: learn and share

<< Background >>In order to be efficient and visible, civil society organizations and arts schools need to develop strategies to support youth workers and front-line practitioners to take a comprehensive look at the role of creative and digital practices in development of young people’s competencies and the promotion of intercultural dialogue and tolerance. In this context, the exchange of good practices, training in photography, and cooperation in a multicultural context (work on the E-Albums) stimulated the innovative and creative capacities of young people. On the one hand, the organistions need the capacity to support young people with a complement of skills that help them become active citizens. On the other hand, the organisations need to promote and make visible their efforts. This partnership aimed at fostering youth workers’ ability to empower young people in the digital sphere because photography goes beyond raising awareness.The E-Albums created by the consortium act as a gateway towards acquiring knowledge about best practices in youth work and local and international volunteering initiatives for various causes, as well as raising awareness about contemporary challenges young people are facing. << Objectives >>This Erasmus+ cooperation project aimed at advancing both the professional and personal development of youth workers and building the capacity of partners’ organisations through the exchange of best practices via photographic and digital methods. During the work on the E-Albums, partners boosted the creative and pedagogical competencies of youth workers and young people.The project's goal of enabling the exchange of good practices, knowledge, and expertise in photography and digital tools in youth work was attained during the transnational training courses, which allowed the transferability of skills between participants. Hence, the consortium managed to empower and support a core group of young people from migrant, minority, and fewer opportunity backgrounds from partner countries. In this way, we invested in the social capital of young people by developing and improving their creative skills, sensitizing them to important youth issues, and furthering their positive growth. Youth workers had the opportunity to capitalize on their creativity, knowledge, innovation, and potential to drive change and address challenges affecting the development of their target groups.<< Implementation >>There were two transnational project meetings and two Learning, Teaching and Training Activities implemented. The kick-off meeting was held between February 19-20, 2022 in Copenhagen, in Denmark. The first learning, teaching training activity was held between October 12-16, 2022 in Bari, Italy. The second transnational project meeting was held between May 4-5, 2023 in Tallinn, Estonia.The second training course was held between July 30-August 5, 20223 in Varna, Bulgaria. Throughout the project, all partners have worked on the creation of the E-albums—the main deliverables of this cooperation partnership. Partners have also created a promo video for the festival. Also, all partners had implemented local learning and training activities for young people, especially involving youth with fewer opportunities. Promotion and dissemination activities began before the project proposal was funded and continue after its completion. Throughout the project, frequent online management meetings as well as monitoring activities were carried out. All mobilities, local and dissemination efforts were evaluated. << Results >>The main tangible outcome of the project primarily consists of the created E-Albums for the purposes of fostering photographic and digital skills throughout the promotion of best practices in youth work and volunteering. Alongside, there were digital photography exhibitions implemented by partner organizations. The improvement of the capacities of organizations active in the fields of youth work and notably in the areas of creativity, in addition to the enhancement of the professional development of youth workers and educators through the exchange of good practices and experiences, constitutes an important part of the intangible results.The joint creative endeavors—work on the e-albums in an intercultural context—are another important benefit, providing for intercultural exchange and dialogue. Furthermore, the skills gained through this training are readily applicable in youth work contexts. The project’s transnational dimension contributed to a more comprehensive outlook on European values, trust building, mutual understanding, and networking that led to continuous collaboration between partners. It resulted in new Erasmus+ projects and side initiatives.