Upskilling youth organizations for the inclusion of people with ASD

<< Background >>As described in the application, multiple researches have been investigating the quality of life and overall functioning of youth with ASD. A consistent finding across studies was the importance of social participation and its correlation with improved quality of life. These studies described the negative impact of social isolation and lack of community integration for youth with ASD, emphasizing the need for more social support resources.In other words, participation in community & social activities is beneficial for a young person’s health and development, including those living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).Prior to this project, inclusion projects have been primarily focused on youth with physical disabilities and little attention was directed to youth with ASD and their inclusion in youth initiatives in their communities. In order to tackle this issue, there was a high need for the upskilling of local and community youth organizations in order for them to be able to include youth with ASD in their initiatives and match their services with this present and future need to support the psychosocial development and independence of people with ASD.<< Objectives >>The project aims were to provide youth workers and youth organizations with a new, innovative and accessible learning opportunity on ASD. More specifically, the project’s objectives were:To support the participation of ASD youth in youth organizations’ activities To increase the attractiveness and accessibility of youth work for ASD youthTo provide the necessary training methodology and tools to youth workers in order to include ASD youth in their workTo provide organizational support to youth organizations to include ASD youth in their initiatives by upskilling their administrative and management staffTo provide youth training opportunities adjusted to ASD needs<< Implementation >>The project implemented the following activities:- Online & face-to-face transnational project meetings- A learning mobility activity for youth workers (3-day program)- Desk research on skills’ gap of youth organizations on ASD- Field research including national interviews with youth workers & interviews with families and individuals with ASD as well as professionals working with them- Mapping and identification of the specific learning needs of youth workers on the topic of ASD- Mapping & inventory of existing best practices in the inclusion of people with ASD in youth work- Development of a Guide for youth organizations on how to include people with ASD in their activities- Creation of training outline, teaching methodologies and training plans for youth workers- Development of educational material and training resources for trainers- Pilot training of 75 youth workers in total- Creation of piloting methodological framework- Networking and identification of participants for the pilot implementation with the participation of individuals with ASD- 5 pilot youth programs (1 in each country) with the participation of 15 youth with ASD- Reporting on the pilot implementation- Collection of the experiences from project implementation and development of a step-by-step roadmap on how youth organizations can adopt the project methodology and results in their activities- Creation of the e-learning platform and the online resources for youth organizations and workers in the field of the project- Mapping and collection in one portal of international online resources- Finally, towards the end of the project 5 Multiplier Events were organised, one in each partner country to promote the project, its results and outcomes among its target groups and stakeholders.Throughout the project, newsletters, dissemination posts, articles etc were created and uploaded on the platforms of the project as well as shared by social media, internal and external channels, at conferences etc. to continually ensure the project's impact and sustainability. << Results >>The project outcomes are directly linked to the project results and activities:R1 Youth organizations 4 ASD: A Guide for youth organizations on structures and strategies for the inclusion of people with ASD was created. The Guide is public available through the online platformThe guide presented to the youth workers was the first result of the Erasmus+ project YouthASD and contained crucial information about what ASD is, the different areas in ASD, how to communicate with people with ASD, which considerations to take when communication with people with ASD, how to create a safe and inclusive environment, including the organisational structures as well as how to support your staff in ASD-related skills development.R2 Youth workers 4 ASD: Inclusion methodology and training program for youth workers on how to reach people with ASD was created, including 5 developed modules:Module 1; Introduction about ASD and communication with youth with ASDModule 2; Understanding cognitive and social development in Youth with ASDModule 3; Description of the youth needsModule 4; Creating a safe and inclusive environmentModule 5; Communicating with parents and managers in youth organisationsThe training modules aimed to show youth workers how to reach and include people with ASD in their activities. It addressed their need for specialized knowledge and further professional development in creating the framework for these activities to increase youth workers' capacity to implement ASD-inclusive activities and raise awareness among youth workers on the challenges people with ASD face.R3 Youth programs 4 ASD: Pilot youth activities for people with ASD was conducted. The piloting of the activities was based on the guide, the training modules, as well as a methodology guide and lesson plans developed during R3During the development of R3, a LTTA for youth workers was held. It was of utmost importance for the successful implementation of the project for the following reasons:It was an opportunity for the youth workers who finished R2 and wished to participate and practically implement youth programs under R3 to exchange expertise and come closer to the project, understand its objectives and the consortiumIt was a chance for the youth workers to work together in the development of their youth programs, ensuring quality implementation of R3 in all partner countriesIt was an opportunity for the youth workers in R3 to work together and commonly define the pilot methodology of the project.It created a pool of trained professionals which will ensure the sustainability of the project for the futureThe piloting activities were based on a 3-day youth program, where each youth worker was free to design their own youth program with the following values:The necessary safety measures are effectively put in placeThe youth program promotes EU citizenship, EU values and valuable skills for the youthThe youth program foresees the socialisation of neurotypical and ASD YouthWhen planning the activities, the ICF model was introduced as a planning tool, and templates for lesson plans were provided – the youth workers had the option to use these provided tools if they were relevant to the chosen activities.The activities were carried out in the 5 partner organisations from the consortium. During the three-day activities' piloting, valuable information was collected and compiled in national experience reports and finally compiled in a transnational experience report.R4 Resources 4 ASD: Online resources for youth organizations and youth work, public available through the online platform on ASD. There is a lack of resources for youth organizations and youth workers on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and how to include young people with ASD in their activities. This e-learning platform aimed to equip youth workers with material and methodologies related to ASD, but also to offer resources to youth organisations such as templates and guidelines so they can create their own inclusion strategy.Apart from the above mentioned, the project also had results relating to dissemination:Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy and calendar, with an outline for the approach, the public identity, the target groups and channels of the project.Moreover, a website of the project was prepared as well as project flyers, publication templates, press release templates etc.Lastly, at the end of this project we had the following outcomes:Enhanced capacity of youth workers and organizations on how to manage & include ASD individuals in their workBetter accessibility to high quality activities for ASD individuals and their familiesBetter understanding of the skills’ gap of youth workers in the field of ASDInclusion of people with ASD and skills development for themAll material was translated in the five partner languages and public through the online platform5 multiplier events were held to promote the project, its results and its outcomes among trainers, professionals, families and young people with autism and other stakeholders in order to increase the sustainability and impact of the project for the future.