Category Archives: PROJECTS

EcoInnovate Youth Work

EcoInnovate Youth Work

  • PROJECTS

Project Overview

The “EcoInnovate Youth Work” project aims to foster green entrepreneurship among youth workers and their organizations, promoting sustainable development and ecological innovation. By leveraging the Erasmus+ framework, the project seeks to create a lasting impact on youth work practices, empowering young people to become active contributors to a green economy.

 

Project: Ecologically Innovative Approaches to Youth Work Activities in the Field of Entrepreneurship (EcoInnovate Youth Work)

Duration: 01.06.2024 – 31.01.2025

Reference Nr. KA153-YOU-8AEACDED

Grant Amount: 31.029,00 EUR

Grant institution: Erasmus+ (National Agency: OeAD (Österreichische Austauschdienst)

 

What's About

The project “EcoInnovate Youth Work” is committed to preparing young people for success in tomorrow’s green jobs. Youth across Europe are playing a crucial role in driving the innovations necessary for sustainable development. This project creates significant opportunities for green entrepreneurship, reinforcing the idea that today’s youth are tomorrow’s entrepreneurs. By enhancing their green entrepreneurial intentions, we aim to contribute to the sustainable development of the economy.

 

Our focus on green entrepreneurship involves creating products and services that promote environmental sustainability, reduce resource damage, solve environmental problems, and generate new employment opportunities. Transitioning to a green economy means fostering new types of entrepreneurship, ideas, and businesses, which in turn provide new economic opportunities. Research indicates that while green entrepreneurship is still emerging, it is growing faster than overall entrepreneurship globally and spans various sectors, including architecture, design, finance, and software.

 

Protecting the environment and leaving a clean world for future generations are central to our project. As societal attitudes towards nature and green production evolve, the importance of energy conservation, recycling, and promoting reusability becomes more evident.

 

This project responds directly to the needs communicated by our youth workers, staff members, and volunteers, who emphasized the lack of skills for sustainable and green practices, especially innovative approaches like the circular economy. They also highlighted the need for practical curriculums to organize effective workshops in their communities.

The Objectives

The primary goals of the project are:

 

  • Enhancing Competencies: Increase the skills and abilities of 18 youth workers from the partner organisations to implement youth work activities with ecologically innovative approaches.

 

  • Capacity Building: Develop the capacities of partner organizations to enhance existing and create new youth work activities that integrate sustainability, circular economy, and entrepreneurship.

 

  • Promotion: Promote the Erasmus+ Program and the Youthpass certificate as tools for youth development and learning recognition.

 

  • Educational Workshops: Conduct multiplication educational workshops in local communities to disseminate the project’s results.

Activities

  • Training Course: A nine-day training course in Berlin from September 13-22, 2024, involving 18 participants. It includes workshops, self-reflection sessions, and cultural activities aimed at enhancing the competencies of youth workers in green entrepreneurship and circular economy principles.

 

  • Evaluation Meeting: An evaluation meeting from December 2-7, 2024, in Berlin, involving 12 participants. This meeting will focus on assessing the training outcomes and planning for further dissemination and sustainability of the project’s impact.

Project Impact

  • Youth Workers: Improved competencies to deliver high-quality educational activities focused on green entrepreneurship and the circular economy.
  • Young People: Indirect benefits through enhanced youth work practices, preparing them for green jobs and the transition to a circular economy.
  • Partner Organizations: Strengthened capacity to deliver innovative and effective youth work activities.

Project Partners:

Youth Power Austria (Applicant Organisation)

Okret (Partner Organisation) spin-okret.org

Youth Power Germany (Partner Organisation) yp-de.org

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Through a Gender Lens: Young Women in Sports

Through a Gender Lens: Young Women in Sports

  • PROJECTS

Project Overview

The project is designed to address the significant gender disparity in sports participation among youth, as highlighted by the concerning trends of girls dropping out from sports activities and engaging less in physical activities outside of school. Drawing upon the youth and sports strategies outlined by the Federal Ministry of the Arts, Culture, the Civil Service, and Sport of Austria, which emphasizes youth health and well-being through increased physical activity in schools, our initiative aims to balance the scales of gender representation in sports teams. Currently, male participation significantly overshadows female involvement, with statistics indicating a 74% to 26% ratio in favor of males. Our goal is to achieve a 50% representation rate for women in sports teams, aligning with the national strategies for youth and sports.

 

Project: Through a Gender Lens: Young women in Sports

Duration: 31.12.2023 – 30.12.2024

Reference Nr. 2023-1-AT01-KA152-YOU-000121753

Grant Amount: 27,930 EUR

ERASMUS+

What's About

Our project is designed to address the significant gender disparity in sports participation among youth, as highlighted by the concerning trends of girls dropping out from sports activities and engaging less in physical activities outside of school. Drawing upon the youth and sports strategies outlined by the Federal Ministry of the Arts, Culture, the Civil Service, and Sport of Austria, which emphasizes youth health and well-being through increased physical activity in schools, our initiative aims to balance the scales of gender representation in sports teams.

 

Currently, male participation significantly overshadows female involvement, with statistics indicating a 74% to 26% ratio in favor of males. Our goal is to achieve a 50% representation rate for women in sports teams, aligning with the national strategies for youth and sports.

 

To tackle the issues of retention and dropout rates among women in sports, our youth organization, in collaboration with partners from Austria, Türkiye, Spain, Portugal, and the Czech Republic, will explore and address the social and youth-based factors at play. This collaborative effort aims to foster a European dimension in finding mutual solutions to enhance women’s participation in sports, making sports and physical activities more relevant, motivating, and accessible to women, especially those at risk of dropping out.

 

Our project’s objectives and activities are closely linked with the Erasmus+ program and Youth Exchanges, aiming to dismantle gender and social barriers to sports participation. Through interactive activities promoting active participation, we will facilitate knowledge sharing among youth organizations across Europe, fostering a culture of advice, mentorship, and support for including women in sports and physical activities. Our approach is grounded in the belief of shared leadership among partners, echoing the ethos of the European Year of Youth 2022.

 

Key initiatives include:

 

  • Creating enjoyable and engaging sports activities for women, ensuring satisfaction and opportunities for achievement.
  • Adapting sports practices and provisions to be more inclusive, accommodating all young women.
  • Involving women in key roles within sports groups and programs, reflecting diverse perspectives and interests.
  • Ensuring sports activities, settings, and facilities are accessible and safe for women.
  • Emphasizing the importance of respectful, encouraging, and knowledgeable coaching.
  • Implementing strategies to maintain women’s involvement in sports, seeing through a gender lens.

The Objectives

  • Increase Female Participation in Sports: Achieve a balanced representation of women in sports teams, aiming for a 50% participation rate to match the youth and sports strategy guidelines set by the Federal Ministry.
  • Address Dropout Rates: Systematically examine and address the social and youth-based factors that contribute to the high dropout rates of women from sports activities.
  • Promote Gender Equality: Work towards reducing gender barriers and social barriers to sports participation, thereby encouraging more women to engage in and stay committed to sports.
  • Foster European Collaboration: Bring a European dimension to the project by involving youth organizations from Austria, Türkiye, Spain, Portugal, and the Czech Republic to create mutual solutions for increasing women’s participation in sports.
  • Enhance Accessibility and Motivation: Ensure that sports and physical activities are relevant, motivating, and accessible for women, particularly those at risk of dropping out.
  • Facilitate Knowledge Sharing and Mentorship: Encourage the sharing of knowledge, advice, mentorship, and support among youth organizations across Europe to promote the inclusion of women in sports and physical activities.
  • Support Active Participation: Aim for the active participation of young people through interactive activities, supporting the network of Erasmus organizations and fostering active engagement in sports.
  • Implement Inclusive Sports Strategies: Develop and implement strategies to make sports more enjoyable, engaging, and accommodating for women, ensuring their full participation and satisfaction.
  • Promote Leadership and Role Models: Include women in key roles within sports groups and programs and highlight the importance of respectful and knowledgeable coaching to keep women engaged in sports.
  • Improve Communication and Respect: Improve English language speaking skills among participants, promote mutual respect, partnership, and support for equality in sports.
  • Build Positive Attitudes towards EU Cultures and Values: Foster a positive attitude towards EU cultures and values among women, aiding in the harmonization of EU educational systems and promoting better EU citizenship through transnational cooperation.

Activities

This project, set to unfold over 7 days at Youth Power in Austria, aims to delve into the patterns and barriers of women’s participation in sports. Through a survey titled “What’s Stopping Women Being More Active?” and a Youth Focus Group Meeting, we will gather insights into the challenges faced by young women in sports within the systems of various participating youth organizations. The project will explore strategies and teaching techniques to increase women’s involvement in sports teams and activities. A key outcome will be the development of “How to Make Sports Better for Women and Coaching through a Gender Lens” toolkits, designed to share knowledge and experiences across all beneficiary organizations.

 

A highlight of the project is the organization of a “Volleyball Tournament” aimed at providing young women with a platform to develop new skills, foster teamwork, and boost self-esteem and confidence. Following this, the “Be an Ambassador for Women- Youth Organization Piloting Process” will implement the created toolkits across partner organizations, ensuring the project’s impact extends beyond its immediate participants.

 

The project will involve 30 young women and 6 group leaders, chosen for their lack of prior opportunities in sports due to gender biases or other barriers. These participants will include students and a group leader, with the latter being licensed coaches or active sports professionals, ensuring a rich blend of experience and guidance.

 

This initiative not only prioritizes women’s inclusion and diversity in sports but also aims to empower young people from diverse backgrounds, promoting active European citizenship and personal and professional development. Through focusing on the patterns of women’s participation, influences on their involvement, and examples of innovative practices, the project seeks to inspire more women to engage in sports, fostering a lifelong commitment to physical activity.

Project Impact

This initiative aims to significantly boost female participation in sports and physical activities across various organizations and centers in Europe. Key goals include:

 

Youth Power Austria and AENİE each aim to increase young women’s participation by up to 50%.

Ordu Youth Center targets a 60% increase in female youth, workers, and leaders’ engagement in sports.

European Youth Center Břeclav and Asociación Cultural y Deportiva La Hoya each plan a 55% rise in female participation in their sports activities.

Internal Association of Active Cities, with support from the İstanbul Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports, aims for a 50% increase in female youth in sports teams.

 

To achieve these goals, each partner will:

 

  • Have effective youth coaches to mentor young women in sports.
  • Establish a women’s council to focus on increasing women’s participation.
  • Adopt a whole-youth approach to engage women in sports and offer opportunities to become young Sports Ambassadors.
  • Implement personal development programs designed for women, encouraging their entry and ongoing involvement in sports.
  • Monitor the impact of these initiatives to overcome barriers to women’s participation in sports, ensuring equality and empowerment.

 

The project envisions creating an environment where both female and male students benefit equally, fostering equality in sports through EU values and transnational partnerships. It aims to close the gender gap in sports, challenge conventional ideas of women’s participation, and inspire more women to become active. Aligning with the European Parliament’s directives and the European Strategy for gender equality, the initiative seeks to promote equality and empower women in sports at all levels, mainstreaming equality in sports education and policy across EU Member States.

Project Partners:

  • Youth Power Austria – Austria
  • ASOCIACION CULTURAL Y DEPORTIVA LAHOYA (ES)
  • EVROPSKE CENTRUM MLADEZE BRECLAV EUROPEAN YOUTH CENTRE BRECLAV Z. S. (CZ)
  • Ordu Genclik Merkezi (TR)
  • ULUSLARARASI AKTIF SEHIRLER DERNEGI (TR)
  • ASSOCIACAO EDUCATIVA NACIONAL DE INCLUSAO E INOVAÇAO NAS ESCOLAS (PT)

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Digital transformation of Inclusive Youth Work.

Digital transformation of Inclusive Youth Work.

Project Overview

This project aims to empower NGOs for the digital transformation of inclusive youth work. It focuses on creating innovative digital solutions that are effective at various levels, from local to international. The initiative seeks to enhance the quality of youth work by integrating innovative digital learning methods, specifically targeting the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities.

 

Project: Digital transformation of Inclusive Youth Work.

Duration: 01.01.2023 – 31.12.202

Reference Nr. 2022-2-HR01-KA220-YOU-000096214

Grant Amount: 250,000 EUR

ERASMUS+

 

What's About

Funded by the Agency for Mobility and EU Programs under the Erasmus+ program’s Key Action 2, the project is set to continue until December 31, 2024. It focuses on empowering youth, especially those facing economic, geographic, social, and cultural barriers, a need that became more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Key activities of the project include creating a unified digital transformation strategy for youth work, developing five inclusive informal training programs for youth workers, establishing a Virtual Inclusive Center with diverse digital tools, and conducting a public campaign. The expected outcomes are comprehensive, ranging from the development of high-quality training programs and a digital educational platform, to enhancing digital skills within the participating organizations and engaging marginalized youth in the project and Erasmus+ programs.

 

The project’s design ensures that its impact extends beyond local and national levels, reaching European and global scales, particularly through its emphasis on informal education in a virtual environment. This broad reach is expected to set a precedent for best practices in the field. The project underscores the importance of cross-sectoral cooperation and effective communication strategies for disseminating results and maximizing impact.

The Objectives

 

We shall strengthen NGO’s for digital transformation of inclusive youth work by developing innovative digitalsolutions that are applicable at local, regional, national, European and international levels. By adopting innovative digital methods of learning, we want to increase the quality of youth work and encourage the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities. With dissemination we want to reach a large number of actors and strengthen transnational and cross-sectoral action.

Activities

  • Develop 4 strategies for the digital transformation of work with young people at the local level
  • Develop 5 inclusive nonformal training programs for youth workers, through the organization of innovative bootcamps.
  • Development of the Virtual Inclusive Center (EduLab, map of digital nomads youth workers, 5 e-learning systems, mobile application, Sharing is caring tool with categories “green, digital and inclusive” and Virtual study buddy)

Project Impact

  • Innovations to increase the quality of inclusive YW, applicable at the local (Strategy) and international level (non-formal inclusive programs, VIC) developed
  • Marginalized youth empowered to learn in a virtual environment
  • CSO’s strengthened for the digitialization of YW
  • Transnational and intersectoral cooperation achieved
  • Contribution in the creation of solutions for the green transition in accordance with the European Green Plan realised.

Project Partners:

  • YOUTH POWER GERMANY e.V. – Germany
  • Udruga za promicanje aktivnog sudjelovanja Studio B – Croatia
  • YOUTH POWER/UNG KRAFT – Sweden
  • Youth Power Austria – Austria

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Our first steps in Strategic Planning

Our first steps in Strategic Planning

  • PROJECTS

Project Overview

The project sets forth several objectives, including empowering members and youth workers by enhancing their strategic planning skills and knowledge, creating five strategic planning documents (one for each partner organization), and strengthening partnerships among the organizations. Ultimately, the project aims to facilitate the development of new projects on a European level, fostering continued support, education, and growth among youth workers and their organisations.

 

Project: Our first steps in Strategic Planning

Duration: 01-09-2021 – 30-09-2022

Reference Nr. 2021-1-HR01-KA153-YOU-000011244

Grant Amount: 46.514,00 EUR

ERASMUS+

What's About

The project aims to address the lack of regular strategic planning skills and knowledge among youth organizations, employees, members, and volunteers. It has been observed that many NGOs in the community either lack a clear strategic plan or possess ones that are lengthy, difficult to comprehend, and rarely utilized.

 

The need for such planning has been underscored through discussions among partners in previous Erasmus+ projects, highlighting the significance of having a direction that adds meaning to daily activities and impacts the local community positively.

 

Recognizing that the environment is continuously evolving, there’s an acknowledged need among the project partners to revisit and revise their strategic plans. This necessity stems from the desire to better align their visions, missions, goals, and projects with the aim of optimally serving their communities and beneficiaries.

 

The collaborative nature of the partner organizations working on this project also emphasizes the importance of undergoing the strategic planning process collectively. This approach is intended to foster mutual support, enhance cooperation, and promote growth and development among the organizations involved.

 

The project sets forth several objectives, including empowering members and youth workers by enhancing their strategic planning skills and knowledge, creating five strategic planning documents (one for each partner organization), and strengthening partnerships among the organizations.

 

Ultimately, the project aims to facilitate the development of new projects on a European level, fostering continued support, education, and growth among youth workers and their organizations.

The Objectives

Objectives of the Training course (Activity 1) are:

  • To enhance cooperation between our youth workers and organizations
  • To improve our local and international teamwork by getting to know stages of group development and how to communicate in an assertive and effective way
  • To share info about our organizations, their visions, missions and values
  • To get to know the importance of Strategic planning process and how and why it can benefit our organizations
  • To provide youth workers with practical tools of Strategic planning which they will be able to use in the future and which will contribute to their professional development and also to organizations’ development
  • To explore Erasmus+ programme as a tool that can help to achieve objectives of our Strategic planning
  • To reflect on the experience of the learning process using the Youthpass certificate and frame of 8 key competences.

 

Objectives of the Evaluation meeting (Activity 2) are:

  • To get to know in details about the process and results of local workshops which will lead participants of the TC for all relevant stakeholders in order to revise and produce final Strategic planning documents
  • To share challenges faced by different partners/participants in coordinating Local planning workshops
  • To share information about the impact that the Training course and the Local planning workshops has made on our participants and other youth workers, volunteers and coordinators in our organisations
  • To discuss the impact of the developed Strategic planning documents on our organizations
  • To develop recommendations for other NGOs when going through the Strategic planning

Activities

Training Course: “Strategic Planning – Step by Step”

 

When & Where: July 4th to July 13th, 2022, at the Youth Hostel in Zadar, Croatia.

Participants: 34 individuals, including staff and trainers from five partner countries, with six participants from each country.

Outcome: Participants will engage in an intensive training course, culminating in the creation of strategic plans for their respective organizations.

Local Planning Workshops

Post-Training Implementation: Participants will conduct workshops within their organizations to adapt and refine the strategic plans developed during the training course.

 

Evaluation Meeting: “Evaluation of Our Strategic Planning Process”

When & Where: May 5th to May 13th, 2022, in Zadar, Croatia.

Participants: 14 individuals, including representatives from each partner organization, staff, and the trainers involved in the initial training course.

Purpose: To assess the strategic planning process’s effectiveness and make necessary adjustments.

 

Participant Composition

Diverse Representation: Each partner organization will include a manager, field staff, and a beneficiary to ensure a holistic perspective in the planning process.

Inclusivity: Efforts will be made to include participants with fewer opportunities, ensuring at least one representative per partner organization.

Age & Gender Considerations: Participants will primarily be aged 18 to 35, with a goal towards achieving gender balance, aiming for a mix of approximately 60% female and 40% male participants.

Project Impact

This project had a significant impact on the participants involved, notably enhancing their professional development. Participants were equipped with both the theoretical knowledge and practical tools necessary for strategic planning. They learned not only the foundational aspects of strategic planning but also gained hands-on experience with its tools, understanding their application in various contexts. Furthermore, through topics such as “Stages of group development” and “Communication,” participants enhanced their interpersonal skills and attitudes toward working collaboratively on challenging issues. This improvement transcended professional boundaries, enriching their personal lives as well, and molded them into leaders and motivators within their organizations and communities.

 

The project also profoundly influenced the target groups of our NGOs. Youth workers, members, and volunteers improved in organizational management and the utilization of human resources. The strategic planning process equipped them to better navigate environmental changes, focusing on more significant issues and projects, thereby enhancing organizational efficiency and capacity. As a result, NGOs could refine their focus, shifting attention away from lesser initiatives towards those with a more substantial impact on their goals.

 

Moreover, the management of human resources, time, and finances saw considerable improvement, enabling NGOs to better meet the needs of their target groups. Activities, projects, and programs underwent rigorous revisions to ensure they were genuinely beneficial and impactful for the target groups. This ensured that services and activities provided were more closely aligned with the actual needs of beneficiaries. To guarantee this alignment, each organization included at least one beneficiary in the training course to guide the strategic planning process in a direction that favored the target groups.

 

Youth workers were empowered to support young individuals eager to participate actively in society. The organizations, already facilitators for youth engagement, enhanced their support by providing workshops on strategic planning, a crucial component for achieving their objectives. This project enabled youth workers to offer more comprehensive support, including assistance with local donors, municipalities, and the legal framework for establishing NGOs.

 

Participating organizations received strategic planning documents that served as valuable resources for their activities with beneficiaries and interactions with stakeholders and donors. These documents and the strategic planning process fostered stronger relationships with a broad spectrum of stakeholders and brought coherence to various organizational segments, uniting them towards common goals. Organizations learned to prioritize efforts and resources effectively, maximizing their potential to fulfill their missions.

Project Partners:

  • UDRUGA RINGISPIL 8 (HR)
  • YOUTH POWER/UNG KRAFT (SE)
  • INSTITUT ZA RAZVOJ CIVILNOG DRUSTVA (RS)
  • YOUTH POWER AUSTRIA  (AT)

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