WAFER

promoting active and inclusive European citizenship

among youth, empowering NGOs

This publication reflects only

opinions and views of the authors.

The European Commission and its Agencies

are not responsible for the content.

This is a supplement to “InFormati”

Registered in Palermo, Italy, under # 3/03

Director Pietro Galluccio � info@informa�giovani.org

Printed by Tipografia Vivirito � Palermo

Over a period of 24 months across 2013, 2014 and 2015,

a group of European youth NGOs implemented a project

in the frame of the Action 4.6 of the Youth in Action programme.

This publication reports some of the results and achievement

of the work done in Estonia, Greece, Lithuania, Italy and Portugal

involving some 180 young people and youth workers.

2

WaferWaiting for Erasmus for all

Reflection over innovative ways to promote active and inclusive

European citizenship among youth by empowering youth NGOs

3

A group of European Youth NGOs from diffe-

rent countries came together to develop a

two years long project (2013-2015) involving

more than 180 among youth workers and

young people including par1cipants with

fewer opportuni1es The project called

WAFER (Wai1ng for Erasmu s for All) invol-

ved young ci1zens from six different coun-

tries: Estonia, Portugal, Lithuania, Greece

and Italy.

Main aim of WAFER was to s1mulate and re-

flect upon how to promote European ac1ve

ci1zenship among a wide group of young

people belonging to different cultures and

social backgrounds, involving in par1cular

those youth thar are less likely to enjoy their

civil rights due to their social belonging, per-

sonal history, or physical disabili1es there-

fore promo1ng social inclusion in

interna1onal mobility projects. Eventually

the ac1vi1es organized followed a non-for-

mal approach and applied innova1ve educa-

1onal methodologies by experienced youth

workers. During the implementa1on of this

project, non-formal educa1on has proved to

be the most efficient learning process to

adopted especially by young people facing

discrimina1on and social barriers at various

levels.

Aim of the present publica1on is to reflect

on the adop1on of methodologies of non-

formal educa1on as mean of educa1on on

different issues relevant for youth living in

the European Community. This brief text

aims to be a tool for sharing prac1ces and

provide theore1cal and prac1cal examples

experienced during the implementa1on of

the project WAFER.

This methodology has been applied during

all ac1vi1es of interna1onal mobility of

youth organized under WAFER. This expe-

rience proved how the use of non-formal

educa1on was fundamental to develop tran-

sversal skills and competencies among

youth and youth workers involved in the

project.

In the current era, characterized by a self-

centred percep1on of individuals we face

the risk of considering the "other" merely as

a stranger, someone different from us who

has to be kept far, controlled or feared. This

risk is par1cularly strong in the case when

the "other" is an individual who represent

categories at risk and easily labelled as for

persons belonging to discriminated social

groups, ethnic minori1es, migrants, offen-

ders etc. The young genera1on risk not to

have the opportunity to experience "mee-

1ng the other" as an enriching and honest

experience of discovery of the word, specific

issues and the self. The ac1vi1es organized

during WAFER promoted group work, mu-

tual exchanges and community life, which

proved to be essen1al aspects to acquire

new knowledge.

Thanks to the field experience developed

during these two years of project by the or-

ganiza1ons InformaGiovani (IT), Estyes (EE),

Sci Hellas (GR), Deineta (LT) e Aventura

Marao Clube (PT) and thanks to the reflec-

1ons of the par1cipants of the project, we

are able to share a model of non-formal

educa1on techniques to be used during in-

terna1onal youth exchanges and mobility

ac1vi1es.

This experience cons1tutes the base for re-

flec1on on real life experiences that created

posi1ve changes in youth who experienced

themselves, their limits and poten1als and

the inter-personal rela1ons with other Euro-

pean youth.

Some defini�ons...

For SOCIAL INCLUSION we mean the full re-

cogni1on in dignity and rights of all persons,

also youth with fewer opportuni1es, as ac-

1ve members of the society. It is crucial to

recognize the value of ALL persons and to

increase their par1cipa1on to create peace-

ful socie1es.

This means that also those youth living diffi-

cult situa1ons because of social discrimina-

1on and s1gma or because belonging to

ethnic minori1es or marginalized communi-

1es, facing economic difficul1es or living in

an isolated areas, with physical disabili1es

or young offenders, who were willing to ex-

perience interna1onal mobility. have been

involved in the project.

ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP is the ability of indivi-

duals (adults but also children and youth) to

take an ac1ve role for the benefit of their

community.

All partners of the project promoted in their

countries the value of so-

cial inclusion, ac1ve ci1-

zenship and volunteering

as an important part of Eu-

ropean policies, promo1ng

the interna1onal mobility

programmes of the EU as

an opportunity of growth

for many people.

NON-FORMAL EDUCA-

TION, also known as non-

formal learning, refers to

any planned programme

of personal and social edu-

ca1on for young people

designed to improve a

range of skills and compe-

tencies, outside the formal educa1onal cur-

riculum. It is "purposive but voluntary

learning that takes place in a diverse range

of environments and situa1ons for which

teaching/training and learning is not neces-

sarily their sole or main ac1vity. These envi-

ronments and situa1ons may be

temporarly, and the ac1vi1es or courses

that take place may be staffed by professio-

nal learning facilitators (such as youth trai-

ners) or by volunteers (such as youth

leaders). The ac1vi1es and courses are plan-

ned, but are seldomly structured by conven-

1onal rhythms or curriculum subjects" .

Non-formal Educa1on makes it possible for

young people to take ini1a1ve and involve

others in making small steps towards a bet-

4

ter world. It is based on values and ideals,

which should be at the core of any change

for be2er. It deals with personal, voluntary

involvement, and so the people are driven

by their mo1va1on and beliefs.

Youth organiza1ons and groups use these

types of non-formal educa1on:

*voluntary;

*accessible to everyone (ideally);

*an organized process with educa1onal ob-

jec1ves;

*par1cipatory and learner-centered;

*about learning life skills and preparing for

ac1ve ci1zenship;

*based on involving both individual and

group learning with a collec1ve approach;

*holis1c and process-oriented;

*based on experience and ac1on, and starts

from the needs of the youngster.

It is crucial to introduce this approach

and explain the learning methodology

to the youth targeted at the begin-

ning of the ac1vi1es.

In fact, being exposed to a different

and apparently less structured appro-

ach for the first 1me, youth may per-

ceive it as non serious or less

professional. This is par1cularly trues

in case of youth enrolled in scholar

systems, such as the Italian one for

example, that s1ll give a lot of reco-

gni1on to formal pedagogy where

teachers lecture and pupils listed ta-

king a merely passive role. The same

is not true in the Aglo-saxons coun-

tries where youth are more used to a

par1cipatory learning approach. In

the experience gained during the im-

plementa1on of WAFER we had few

feedbacks from the par1cipants un-

derlying the fact that they were ex-

pec1ng a more "professional"

approach and only in a second phase they

realized how much they learned during

these experiences. To provide an example, a

feedback we received by a young par1ci-

pant was "I wish I could have learned a lot

more theory but my expecta�ons were meat

up to the 90% because I didn't imagine to

meet such an amazing group of people and

learn so much from them". A lesson learned

for this feedback is to always provide an ex-

plana1on of non-formal learning and hw it

works so to make the par1cipants familiar

with the approach and avoid them strug-

gling against this methodology expec1ng

formal teaching and therefore taking the

risk of not taking the best out of the lear-

ning process.

5

Interna�onal Youth Exchanges

1) GREECE, from the 4th to the 17th August

2014 (par1cipants from Greece, Italy and Li-

thuania)

2) ESTONIA, from the 17th to the 30th of

August 2014 (par1cipants from Estonia,

Italy, and Lithuania)

3) ITALY, from the 4th to the 16th of August

2014 (par1cipants from Italy, Estonia and

Portugal)

4) PORTUGAL, from the 17th of June to the

1st of July 2015 (par1cipants from Portugal,

Italy and Estonia)

5) GREECE, from the 1st to the 15th of Au-

gust 2015 (par1cipants from Greece, Lithua-

nia and Estonia)

6) ESTONIA, from the 16th to the 29th of

August 2015 (par1cipants from Estonia, Por-

tugal and Italy)

Interna1onal Youth Exchanges are residen-

1al programmes designed by young people

for young people exploring various issues,

recognized as priori1es by the par1cipants

and matching European policies.

Young par1cipants are from different coun-

tries and speak different languages. For

many of them youth exchanges are the first

opportunity to travel outside their country,

to meet peers from other countries and to

realize the meaning of being a ci1zen of Eu-

rope in prac1se. These experiences put the

youth out of their comfort zone, invi1ng

them to explore their personality, their cul-

tures and to open up to diversity figh1ng

prejudices and fears. Young people are ac-

companied by experienced youth workers

who guarantee the smooth implementa1on

of ac1vi1es organizes following the princi-

ples of non-formal educa1on or learning

through direct experience. Youth workers

are also responsible for the facilita1on of

the group processes, cultural and linguis1c

media1on as long as to assure the inclusion

of all par1cipants. All exchanges included

the par1cipa1on of youth with fewer oppor-

tuni1es: youth with economic difficul1es, li-

ving in marginalized areas, belonging to

discriminated social groups, migrants or

young offenders.

The par1cipa1on to Youth Exchanges is a

real innova.ve way to foster social inclu-

sion. Imagine a group of youngster living, le-

arning and working together in a neutral

and safe zone where they can explore who

they are and get to know peers from other

Waferin details

The activities organized to convey the educational message were

international youth exchanges and trainings.

6

7

countries or backgrounds free from prejudi-

ces. During youth exchanges, par1cipants

share their daily life, their interests, their

working 1me as well as their fun 1me with

youth different and at the same 1me

equals. They are exposed to new languages

and cultures and have the unique opportu-

nity to broad their imagina1on and hori-

zons. Among them youth exchanges run

under the principles of social inclusion wel-

come youth that never had the possibility to

travel before, youth belonging to poor fami-

lies, with educa1on difficul1es, young offen-

ders, youth with disabili1es or living in

isolated rural areas or urban

suburbs. All par1cipants, faci-

litated by youth leaders and

coordinators, had the possibi-

lity to understand the value

of diversity ad inclusiveness.

The par1cipa1on to the six

youth exchanges allowed to

explore different themes like

environmental sustainability,

healthy living and ac1ve par-

1cipa1on to civil society, human rights and

migra1ons.

Young people and environmental aware-

ness

Two of the youth exchanges focused on the-

mes related to environmental awareness,

from different perspec1ve.

The exchange held in Italy, took place in

Isola delle Femmine, a small natural reserve

in Sicily, where par1cipant were engaged in

organizing ac1vi1es with and for local youth

about sustainability and supported some

local volunteering ac1ons aimed to re-plant

local vega1on in the reserve’s area.

The Youth Exchange “Let’s Farm and Act To-

gether!" took place in Portugal gathering 19

par1cipants from three countries. It aimed

to empower young people with skills and

knowledge about environment, theatre and

social competencies, involving par1cipants

in ac1ve way. The Youth Exchange included

different moments: prac1cal workshops,

support to local voluntary project related

with environmental issues, studies, leisure

1me, visits to local communi1es, support to

awareness raising campaign on interna1o-

nal volunteering.

During the exchange, a key role was given to

all the ac1vi1es aimed to s1mulate an inter-

cultural exchange and the interac1on

among the par1cipants and with the local

community and to s1mulate a pro-ac1ve ap-

proach toward socializa1on and establi-

shment of personal rela1ons. The main

objec1ve was to give young people an ac-

1ve role in those ac1vi1es, in par1cular rela-

ted to new approaches to farming

(permaculture, biodynamic farm, organic

farm) and theatre allowing them to express

their feelings and their knowledge in a pro-

ac1ve and par1cipatory way.

Some other youth exchanges, like the two

organized in Estonia, were more focused on

I participated to the Youth Exchange in Portugal.This experience was unique, not only I learned many

things very quickly but I also understood what I wantto do in the future.

Too often, the school gives me so many notionswithout any help in putting what I learn into practice.

I learned a lot from the diversity of persons in the groupand from permaculture,

which was mind-blowing for me!

social volunteering a way to link the possibi-

lity to travel for self-discovery and ge1tng to

know other cultures at the same 1me hel-

ping local commini1es in their development.

The aim of the actvi1es organized in Estonia

was to give young people the possibility to

have ac1ve, healthy and meaningful life as

part of a wider group, to enjoy unspoiled

nature and to learn how to live in harmony

with it, also to explore and realize own capa-

ci1es. The program included sport, eco-

hikes, bicycle trips to places of interest,

horse riding, fishing, rowing, sailing with Vi-

king boats, acquaintance with local culture

and many other exci1ng ac1vi1es. “Mens

sana in corpore sano”/ “Healthy Spirit in He-

althy Body” – this was the message of the

exchanges. Besides the programme gave

possibility for intensive contacts between

local youth and their peers from abroad,

showing youngsters the diversity of world

cultures, broadening their horizons and en-

couraging ac1ve communica1on through

games and crea1ve ac1vi1es. A major role

was played by voluntary work for nature

protec1on and to support local community.

Voluntary work included pain1ng of commu-

nity buildings, making wooden toys and

games for the local orphanage, repairing

benches and tables, cleaning local beach

and old seaport from garbage, plan1ng

trees, cleaning old cemetery, li2le renova-

1on works in the local school, clearing pave-

ment, helping seniors living in the

community with some household du1es,

berry picking for the orphanage, plan1ng

trees, etc.

Interna.onal volunteering as means for so-

cial Inclusion and self-development

As we saw in some of the ac1vi1es descri-

bed above, the project iden1fied voluntee-

ring as an example of non-formal educa1on

method to foster skills development along

with socia inclusion. Social inclusion di-

scourse is showing that volunteering provi-

des social inclusion benefits by enriching

volunteers’ lives and empowering them to

make new choices. Recognizing and valuing

this would enable ‘social inclusion’ program-

mes promo1ng volunteering at major

events.

A discourse linking exclusion to poverty is

based on an analysis of rela1ve poverty as

the prime source of exclusion, although this

can be mi1gated by good health, stable per-

sonal circumstances and frequent social

contact. Exclusion prevents full integra1on

into society and undermines the excluded

individual’s “ability to fulfil the private and

public obliga1ons of ci1zenship”. The social

contacts provided by volunteering might mi-

1gate the material disadvantages associated

with poverty.

Another view is that exclusion arises in so-

ciety where iden1ty and status are largely or

8

most obviously associated with publicly visi-

ble consump1on, which many people are

unable to a2ain, and this is exacerbated by

rising social inequality.

This raises the possibility that volunteering

could contribute to inclusion through provi-

ding a sense of worth and status indepen-

dent of material wealth. This view is

supported by a review of volunteering pro-

grams for the unemployed which iden1fied

benefits of ‘a sense of belonging, or purpose

and rou1ne to their lives; gaining self-confi-

dence, learning new skills, as well as volun-

teering leading to other opportuni1es,

including employment’, and concluded that

‘the benefits gained from volunteering can

o"en go much wider than those coming

from paid employment’.

However, volunteering is an alterna1ve to

paid work in providing many of the ele-

ments of social inclusion. Stable personal re-

la1onships and frequent social contacts are

considerable rewards of volunteering. Vo-

lunteering provide integra1on into society.

It allows volunteers to express ac1ve ci1-

zenship by ‘giving something back’, and to

express an affinity with their hometown.

Volunteering provide a sense of worth and

status independent of material wealth.

Volunteering can also be a way to deal with

iden1ty problems. For example, people who

are unable to find work because of age, di-

sability, or ill health, can escape the s1gma

a2ached to these statuses by performing

volunteer work.

A concrete example is given by the par1ci-

pa1on to the youth exchanges of young of-

fenders who were undergoing proba1on

periods at the 1me of their par1cipa1on.

They have had the possibility to explore

themselves and their iden1ty in an interna-

1onal context far from their home were

they felt labeled for their ac1ons. They had

the possibility to take an ac1ve role develo-

ping a sense of pride toward their contribu-

1ons to the project.

To involve youth with fewer opportuni1es in

volunteer projects is not always easy. O"en

the youngsters are introverted and hesitant

to try new fields of ac1vity. it is therefore

crucial to find keys to link new challenges,

which promote self-development such as

social volunteering, with some of the pas-

sions of the youth. During the youth exchan-

ges organized in Estonia for examples, the

connec1ng factor was that the project inclu-

ded a lot of sport together with voluntee-

ring. The majority of par1cipants developed

non-compe11ve behaviors, helping and

suppor1ng each other. Thanks to the par1-

cipa1on to sport and group ac1vi1es, they

reflected on the values that they wanted to

share with the local communi1es, which

were reflected in the ac1vi1es of volunteer

in the local orphanage.

The ac1vi1es based on Non-formal Educa-

1on give much a2en1on to inclusion of girls

and boys that are at risk of social exclusion.

To these young people, involved in ac1vi1es

that otherwise would be unreachable to

I faced the reality of people suffering for being displacedand this was a really touching experience.

I’ve always seen myself as an unlucky person, but taking part in the exchange Iunderstood how difficult situations in life can be and how lucky I’m...

...and I felt a bit stupid for wasting many of the opportunities I was given by life.

9

them, are given instruments and opportuni-

1es to grow, confront and in some cases, of

rehabilita1on and social re-integra1on.

Human rights and ci.zenship

The youth exchange held in Greece was fo-

cused on the theme of migra1on, human

rights and therefore ci1zenship on a broa-

der sense. Once again, adop1ng a non-for-

mal approach by means of doing prac1cal

aci1vites with young refugees

and peers from other countries

and having a first hand expe-

rience of the issue helped the

youth to develop cnsciousness

and reflect on these topics

star1ng from a personal expe-

rience.

The theme of the youth ex-

change held in Greece was Human Rights in

general, with a focus on the right to free

mobility and an1-racism. Youth reflected

about the no1on of borders and on the mo-

1va1ons and difficul1es of migrants, asylum

seekers and ethnic minori1es to access sa-

fety. The largest refugee camp of Greece is

exactly located in Lavrio where the ac1vi-

1es took place and par1cipants had the

possibility of interac1ng with

some of these refugees and their

children (they are mostly from Af-

ghanistan and Kurdistan) in crea-

1ve and sport ac1vi1es. There was

a big focus on reflec1ng and co-le-

arning ac1vi1es, about the reality

of migra1on, border policies and

inclusion in Europe. The aim was

at the same 1me to raise the awa-

reness of European issues and the

need for a thorough reflec1on

about our values, to counteract

the influence of extreme right movements

on society. Experts on the topic have been

invited to have open discussions with the

youngsters. Following this training part, the

par1cipants organized outdoors ac1vi1es

and shows to raise awareness about this

topic in Lavrio, with the Greek popula1on.

Thanks to this experience the par1cipants

developed tolerance and openess toward

the difficul1es faced by migrants and asy-

lum seekers and got a grasp of the comple-

xity of the topic. This level of emphaty and

understading was possible only thanks to

the direct experience.What is special about

Non-formal Educa1on in fact is that indivi-

duals are the actors ac1vely involved in the

educa1on and learning process and those

who evaluate results and achievements.

10

…I learned the courage to challenge myself,to share my experiences as a way of self-reflection.I also learned to accept other opinions than mine…

…not to judge straight away.Prejudices are often wrong and it is better not

to associate people with the way they look.I also learned different ways to approach a conflict.

Interna�onal Training Courses

1) Portugal, from the 14th to 21st of Fe-

bruary 2015

2) Italy, from the 6th to the 13th of June

2015

3) Greece, from the 10th to the-17th of July

2015

The training courses organized during

WAFER were meant to be residen1al lear-

ning processes, where youngsters and pro-

fessionals ac1ve in the field of youth had

the possibility to learn new approaches to

educa1on, experience together new metho-

dologies develop prac1cal skills and compe-

tencies and at the same 1me share best

prac1ces and tools.

All training courses were focused on increa-

sing of ac1ve par1cipa1on of young people

and their ac1ve ci1zenship and to empower

youth organiza.ons and their

social effec.venes. Par1cipants

were youth workers, youth lea-

ders and ac1ve volunteers

which were interested to take

more ac1ve role in society and

youth work. Some of the par1ci-

pants belong to disadvantaged

backgrounds: youth with econo-

mic difficul1es, living in isolated

rural areas and NEETS.

Training courses followed a non-

formal educa1onal approach

which is reflected in a complete

learning circle that can be de-

scribed in four steps:

1) explana1on of theory

2) direct experience of the theory (learning

by doing)

3) reflec1on in group and with the trainers

of what was experienced

4) replica1on of the experien1al learning

and sharing the knowledge with a wider

community and peers (during the training or

once back in everyday life and work se3ng).

This approach encourage ac1ve par1cipa-

1on and exchanging knowledge of par1ci-

pants and allow all of them to ac1vely

contribute and to create space for sharing

ideas. Experienced youth workers and youth

leaders shared best prac1ces, tools and me-

thodologies and the young volunteers sha-

red their fresh ideas and crea1ve approach.

The training courses aimed to build specific

capaci1es on two topics: youth leadership

and access to new programmes for youth

mobility.

The training course organized in Portugal

"VolunteerACT!" aimed in par1cular to give

par1cipants basic competencies to design

European youth project with a special focus

on promo.on of ac.ve ci.zenship of young

people. It aimed to train a group of ac1ve

volunteers and staff person on promo1ng

ac1ve and conscious ci1zenship among

young people, in par1cular among young

11

people from underprivileged backgrounds

in order to increase their ac1ve role in so-

ciety, their percep1on of being “actors” and

not “spectators”, of being subjects of rights

and du1es.

Par1cipants were from the beginning en-

couraged to present themselves and share

their different understanding about what

ac1ve ci1zenship means. This aproach allo-

wed them to see different points of view, to

put their own opinions in prospec1ve and to

deeply understand the concept. Groups of

discussions were formed to exchange past

experiences and also to discover mutual in-

terests and various na1onal reali1es. They

talked in depht about future plans and sha-

red ideas for new projects, In this way par1-

cipants were naturally encouraged to create

networks for future collabora1on.

The groups formulated discussed about

quality in youth led projects aiming to pro-

mote ac1ve ci1zenship. They set common

criteria to be respected in future project

eventually reinforcing the base for future

collabora1ons. These criteria were applied

during the second phase of the training

when par1cipants develped new projects

proposals dividend into groups of interest.

They gained many prac1cal skills and kno-

wledge about project wri1ng. Through inte-

rac1ve exercises par1cipants went step by

step through project cycle managment, ex-

changing best prac1ces and of project ma-

nagment.

The last part of the training was

dedicated to prac1cal aspects of

youth work as leadership, work

in interna1onal enviroments,

how to ac1vely involve and mo-

1vate other youth and local

community. This part was stron-

gly focused on the personal de-

velopment of par1cipants.

Through simula1ons and role

playing games they improved

leadership skills, group manag-

ment and conflict solving skills.

Par1cipants organized a visibility

event targe1ng the local community, in this

way they had possibility to plan together

and create a prac1cal event.

The training Course organized in Greece,

"Act4Peace" took a place in Athens, in the

Parnitha mountains. Topic of the training

course was ac.ve ci.zenship and promo-

.on of peace and non-violent behaviours.

It aimed to give to mo1vated young volun-

teers the necessary competencies to plan

and coordinate youth projects, taking into

considera1on the promo1on of human

rights, social inclusion and non-violent me-

thods.It also aimed to provide inclusive in-

sight on the involvement ofyoung people

from disadvantaged backgrounds in interna-

1onal contexts such as youth exchanges, in-

terna1onal voluntary projects, intercultural

environments.

Par1cipants discussed the role of the youth

leader and through a role-play they discove-

red different responsibili1es of the youth

12

leader. Par1cipants experienced themsel-

ves as leaders, improving own leadership

skills and find their own leadership style.

Second part of TC was focused on group

management and how to involve young

people and support them in the crea1on of

the group. Par1cipants exchanged different

teambuilding ac1vi1es and learned how to

adapt them to the needs of different group

of young people with fewer opportuni1es.

Social inclusion was one of the priori1es of

project through discussion of study cases

par1cipants gain basic competencies to de-

sign projects involving deaf young people

and other categories at risk like for example

young offenders.

One whole day was dedicated to the pro-

mo1on of non-violent communica1on

and conflict solving. Par1cipants in-

creased their knowledge about diffe-

rent strategies for conflict solving.

Through simula1on games, they had

the possibility to prac1ce non-violent

communica1on and ac1ve listening. In

addi1on, crea1ve methods were intro-

duced, through forum theatre par1ci-

pants searched solu1ons for the

conflict situa1on which they experien-

ced.

Both training courses were designed in

a way to encourage young volunteers

to take more ac1ve role in the society,

to mo1vate them to coordinate youth

projects providing them with the ne-

cessary prac1cal competencies.

The training course organi-

zed in Italy, focused on the

new genera1on of program-

mes 2014-2020 for Youth

and socially oriented organi-

za1ons.

In par1cular, a special a2en-

1on was driven to Erasmus+,

Europe for ci.zens, REC –

Rights, Equality and Ci.zenship.

Par1cipants shared their experience, with

problems and opportuni1es raised with new

programmes and analysing how each pro-

gramme can best fit their interests and

needs.

Possibili1es to fund social youth ac.vi.es

with different programmes were explored

with concrete examples.

The training was not only aimed to train

youth workers and social workers of the par-

tner organiza1ons, but was the occasion to

plan together new poten1al projects to be

implemented in the frame of the mul1 an-

nual programme of ac1vi1es of InformaGio-

vani network

13

…I realized that I have the capabilities to make my dreams and my organization’s projects true and that

there is always something new to learn…

…I learned that my opinion counts and that in order toachieve a better outcome everyone should listen to

others' opinions…

InformaGiovani has a decade long expe-

rience in working with young offenders and

youth at risk of being in conflict with the

law.

Different studies conducted at the interna-

1onal level show the rela.on between

youth deten.on and gradua.on describing

how youth in prison are less

likely to complete educa-

1on. The Italian Juvenile Sy-

stem consider

imprisonment as a puni-

shment to be avoided as far as it possible in

case of minor offenders to avoid recidivism

in criminal ac1vi1es.

On the contrary, young offenders undergo a

process of rehabilita1on and reintegra1on

with the social services. The length of this

period, called proba1on period, is determi-

ned according to the gravity of the crime

commi2ed and the decision of the Judge.

Once recognized the fact that imprisonment

has to be avoided as far as it is possible, to

foster the reintegra1on of the minor and in

order to protect the "best interest of the

child" (art. 3 of the UN Conven1on of the

Right of the Child). The further step is to

iden1fy the best educa1onal methodolo-

gies.

Young offenders o"en belong to families

with economic constrains and poor literacy

and discriminated social backgrounds. In

14

Non formal educa�on

Why is it effective with young people with fewer opportunities?

The case of young offenders

"Regular” youth Youth with criminal or

Mafia�like attitude

Conflict with adults Identification with the family

Tendency to take distance from the family Identification with cultural family code

Membership in several peers groups Attachment to the family

Tendency to break rules and transgression Conformation to rules

(different from respect)

Tendency to express feelings Strict control of emotions

Interest in change Refusal and fear of change

Flexibility Rigidity

Caring family Hierarchical family

No initiation rite Many initiation rites

Perception of jail as a punishment Perception of Jail as a reward and

recognition of adulthood

...even drugs didn’t make me see the world as I saw itduring the exchagne: an amazing experience that I’ll

never forget...

Southern Italy, where InformaGio-

vani is mostly ac1ve, young offen-

ders tend to develop a "mafia-like

a0tude" since a very early age, en-

couraged by their family, commu-

ni1es and social context. This

a3tude can lead to a rejec1on of

formal ways of educa1on and esta-

blished educa1onal roles (schools).

Previous table shows some diffe-

rences of a3tude between youn-

gsters from normal non-criminal

families and those belonging to cri-

minal families or families with a cri-

minal culture.

Such a big difference in percep1on

of personal rela1ons and of reality is to be

taken into account when thinking about

educa1onal methodologies and tools for

young people.

Young offenders benefit par1cularly from a

non-formal educa1onal approach to kno-

wledge. In this case, the choice of Non-for-

mal Educa.on is synonymous of

overcoming social and cultural barriers,

knowledge and confront with the other;

non-formal methodologies, outside and in-

side Juvenile Jus1ce ins1tu1ons, become

the tool to overcame prejudice and

rela.onal difficul.es, to override mu-

tual fears.

Addi1onally the prac.cal approach

and the numerous manual ac1vi1es

implemented during youth exchanges

and other interna1onal mobility pro-

jects, are well perceived young people

with poor educa1onal and school

level, because prac1cal work make

them able to show their capabili1es

and make them feel peers among

peers.

O"en young offenders lack the space

as well as the experience and ability

to reflect about their life and their mistakes.

They live surrounded by a community who

labeled them and they are not free to disco-

ver who they really are and what they want

to be. They live from one day to another,

from event to event.

Imprisonement has o"en turned into a cri-

minal school: data recorded all over the

15

world and also in Europe show that the

“classic” punishment used to counter youth

crime turn into a further damage for the

whole society.

Using non-formal educa1on methodologies

is therefore not a ma2er of “humanity” or

“forgiveness”, but an effec1ve method to

actually counter recidivism, by means of

promo1n a real new ci1zenship among

young offenders.

Young offenders need to set new

goals in life, but firs they need to

understand, or be2er “live and

touch” other possibili1es, expe-

rience them and feel that con-

crete alterna1ves are possible.

Par1cipa1on in interna1onal mo-

bility, Erasmus projects and vo-

lunteerism allow them to escape

from they everyday reality and

compare their life with that of

peers from different countries

and background, broadening

their perspec1ve and understan-

ding of the world and also provi-

ding a free space to develop new

skills and knowledge.

It is not always easy to involve

young offenders in these kind of

ac1vi1es.

The majority of them has to

overcome cultural barriers, ste-

reotypes and, o"en, also the op-

posi.on from the original

family.

But normally, a"er a first moment of fear

and suffer from the absence of the well-

known models that confirm their usual self-

percep1on (all aspects hidden behind an ag-

gressive behavior), a sense of discovery ari-

ses, together with proudness for being able

to meet the challenge and reaching new

goals.

For this reason it is very im-

portant the presence of ex-

perienced youth workers

who can be there to support

them in the most shaking

moments, build their self-

esteem, help them in the transla1on from

one language to another and help in under-

standing mixed feelings.

16

……I realized that there are so many different point ofviews to describe the world.

And I had the opportunity to be seen not as a criminalbut as a boy with its capacities among other boys and

girls with other capacities...

It was possible to realize a project like

WAFER thanks to the funds provided by the

European Union under the scheme of the

Youth on Ac1on programme 2007-2013,

which now is part of the new programme

Erasmus+ 2014-2020

Erasmus+, the

new EU pro-

gram for edu-

ca1on, training,

youth and

sport, is aimed

at boos1ng

skills, employa-

bility and sup-

por1ng the

moderniza1on

of educa1on,

training and

youth systems.

More than 4

million people will receive support to study,

train, work or volunteer abroad.

How can Erasmus+ help you?

Erasmus+ offers exci1ng opportuni1es to

study, work, volunteer, teach and train

abroad in Europe and e beyond.

It is aimed at students, trainees, appren1-

ces, pupils, adult learners, young people, vo-

lunteers, professors, teachers, trainers,

youth workers and professionals of organi-

sa1ons ac1ve in the educa1on, training and

youth sector.

Taking part in the programme helps you to

develop personally and professionally; you

will gain valuable interna1onal experience,

broaden your horizons, experience new cul-

tures and discover new ways of working.

Erasmus+ is of par1cular benefit to young

people who can learn new skills to improve

their employability,

acquire life skills, and

develop their confi-

dence.

Organisa.ons

Educa1on, training,

youth and sport orga-

nisa1ons across all

sectors of lifelong le-

arning can apply for

funding to offer op-

portuni1es to their

staff and learners and

to take part in innova1ve projects to im-

prove prac1ce and influence policy. Era-

smus+ is aimed at further and higher

educa1on ins1tu1ons, schools, and voca1o-

nal educa1on, adult educa1on and youth

organisa1ons ac1vely involved in delivering

formal and non-formal educa1on, training

and youth work, as well as organisa1ons de-

livering spor1ng ac1vi1es. Organisa1ons

could be educa1onal ins1tu1ons, local au-

thori1es, public or private organisa1ons

(such as small, medium or large enterprises,

social enterprises, non-profit organisa1ons,

associa1ons and non-governmental organi-

17

Erasmus+

The new European Programme

for Young people and Youth workers

sa1ons), public spor1ng bodies, spor1ng or-

ganisa1ons, leagues, and clubs at any level.

Please note that the legal basis of the pro-

gramme is such that par1cipa1on of sole

traders, partnerships and unincorporated

associa1ons in Erasmus+ is strictly limited.

You can consult the Erasmus+ 2015 Pro-

gramme Guide and the UK ap-

plica1on guidance for further

details or contact us to find out

if your organisa1on is eligible to

take part in the programme.

Students

Erasmus+ supports higher edu-

ca1on students to study abroad

for up to one year in another

European university or to gain

valuable interna1onal work ex-

perience in a European organi-

sa1on. Appren1ces and

students in further or voca1o-

nal educa1on can also benefit

from an interna1onal expe-

rience by taking part in a traineeship abroad

or a2ending a European VET school.

Young people

Young people and those working in the

youth sector can take part in a youth ex-

change or a volunteering scheme.

Staff

Staff, teachers, lecturers and support staff,

including volunteers and youth workers, can

explore best prac1ces and gain professional

development through teaching or training

broad.

What can you do?

Youth exchanges

Groups of young people can organise a

youth exchange with other young people

from one or more EU country las1ng five to

21 days. Young people

from different coun-

tries meet and live to-

gether to jointly carry

out a work pro-

gramme designed and

prepared by them be-

fore the exchange.

This could be a mix of

workshops, exercises,

debates, role-plays, si-

mula1ons and out-

door ac1vi1es. They

allow young people to

develop competences;

discover new cultures,

habits and life-styles

through peer-learning;

and strengthen values

like solidarity, democracy and friendship.

European Voluntary Service

Young people can take part in volunteering

opportuni1es, las1ng from two weeks to 12

months, through the European Voluntary

Service (EVS).

EVS gives you the chance to experience

other cultures and languages up-close and

the opportunity to try out the type of work

you might like to do in the future. Future

employers will like the fact that you have in-

terna1onal experience and you will be able

to impress them at interviews with your

new-found skills.

...and very much more...

18

The Erasmus+ Programme has itself an informa1on system, built on the Eu-

rodesk network. It has has offices and front offices in several ci1es in all Eu-

ropean countries. In these front-offices you’ll find all informa1on about

Erasmus+ and also about several other opportuni1es and ini1a1ves for

youth and youth workers.

The full list can be found at

www.eurodesk.org

The Programme is managed at na.onal level for some ac.ons and at cen-

tralized (Bruxelles) level for others.

Each Na1onal agency can provide you usefull informa1on.

The full list is available at

h/p://ec.europa.eu/youth/partners_networks/na.onal_agencies_en.htm

If you are living in a country where our partners are based, you can contact

Associazione InformaGiovani

www.informa-giovani.org

Aventura Marao Clube

www.aventuramaraoclube.com

Deineta

www.deineta.lt

Estyes

www.estyes.ee

Sci Hellas

www.sci.org

19

Erasmus+

How to get more information