Project place: Brussels, Belgium
Project dates: 8th to 16th December 2017
Application deadline: 23rd October 2017
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The Project “The Hero’s Journey” is a KA1 Training Course targeting 30 youth leaders, youth workers, educators, active volunteers and staff members of our partner organizations. The training will take place in Brussels (Belgium) in December 2017 and will involve a total of 15 different partners from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Egypt, Portugal, Kosovo*, FYROM/Macedonia, UK and Ukraine.
The main objective of the project is to develop and promote a new positive narrative of inclusion, giving the chance to young europeans and young migrants to meet and share their stories (their journeys) in order to match them with the needs of the communities they live in. To do so, we plan to train youth workers (and educators, staff members, volunteers, etc.) on two complementary methodologies and approaches: on one side, participants will learn how to use storytelling as a tool that can foster unique encounters and create inclusion (sharing a story is like sharing a bit of ourselves with the people around us: this is the perfect cure to any form of intolerance and radicalization!) … while on the other side, they will explore and further develop the concept of “community matching”. This consists in observing local communities and realities in order to find inclusion opportunities that would match with the dreams, hopes and competences of the asylum seekers/migrants/refugees previously met. Participants will therefore transform themselves in storytellers and sociologists, and they will be mentored, in their search for new inclusive methodologies and tools, by interns and volunteers (all migrants and refugees with granted asylum) from the Brussels-based refugees project/network “Tandem”. Through the TC, we will build the personal and professional capacities of youth workers and educators to deal with the needs and claims for inclusion in the local communities we live in.
The project also foresees the following expected results:
– A final publication, developed as an online interactive platform, in which thoughts, reflections stories of migrations developed as “modern fairy-tales” will be presented;
– each “fairytale” (story) will have different open finales among which users will be able to choose: in this way, the platform will show them different opportunities (already existing in their communities) and actions (something that they can also initiate, from daily behaviors to voluntarism) that would allow to reach the “inclusion happy ending;
– Promotion of the concept of “community match”, defined as the opportunity to match the stories, skills and knowledge of the migrants with the needs and opportunities of the community they live in. This will be partially addressed in the final publication and web platform. However we believe the approach should be further developed and tested: for this reason, partners already committed to develop some topic-related local activity, that will allow to test different tools and to better observe the local community (and the possibility to have … a match!);
– A social campaign aiming at changing the perception and view of local communities towards migrants and refugees: the campaign will play on empathy and strong-impact data that could move citizens and young people to take action in some way. We will develop the campaign thanks to the practical labs that are included in the training course (as tests of Storytelling methodologies).
The starting point of any sustainable integration policy should be the respect for migrants and refugees as individuals, with their own stories, dreams and competences. We feel that youth organizations and European youth can have a great role in addressing this gap and in finally promoting inclusive and tolerant societies, both at the local and at the international level.
The specific objectives of the project will be:
- To contribute to migrants and refugees integration by promoting intercultural dialogue, inclusion, tolerance and mutual understanding;
- To promote a change of perception towards migration and refugees, within young people and communities;
- To avoid generalization and promote “real life encounters” / to meet refugees and collect their stories;
- To raise awareness on the feelings, hopes, needs, fears, dreams, expectations, competences and skills of migrants/refugees;
- To explore and develop the concept of “Community matching”;
- To foster the role of youth organizations in creating sustainable integration and bridges among young refugees and young Europeans;
- To increase the quality of youth work by providing youth workers and youth organisations with additional tools to address inclusion and integration needs in local communities and in Europe.
Methodology:
Non-formal education methods will be used throughout the youth exchange as we strongly believe in its power to develop the competences of young people. In this process of learning, there are no teachers and students. The activities are organised according to the needs of the participants while the sharing of experiences in healthy environments of trust and mutual respect is encouraged. Specifically, we will use, explore and develop storytelling methodologies and tools.
PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS:
- Between the age range of 18 to 30;
- Are able to work in English;
- Youth workers, active volunteers, educators, junior trainers, youth leaders, representatives of youth organisations, staff members, etc.;
- Active involvement in the partner organisation;
- Readiness of applicants to be involved in self-directed learning process;
- Motivation to take part in the project;
- Level of responsibility and motivation to put in practice the gained knowledge and skills and help the organization evolve;
- Commitment to put in practice the action plans that will be developed;
- Commitment to share their competences/experience and implement the dissemination plan;
- Willing to share their experience with CID
The inclusion of participants with fewer opportunities will be encouraged, in particular for participants with migrant and/or refugee backgrounds.
ACCOMMODATION and FINANCES:
All costs related to accommodation and food will be covered by the hosting organization.
Travel costs will be reimbursed up to 70% of costs up to 275 EUR. Reimbursements will be done based on actual travel costs upon presenting the original documents and in accordance with conditions described in this call as well as with YEU standard reimbursement procedure.
Participation fee: 30 EUR
Sending fee: 500 MKD