Training Course: Arts for Social Development (14-29 June 2015, Epidavros, Greece) 30/04/015

Training Course

7-17 May 2015 | Bucharest, Romania

The project aim is to help youth workers in understanding the characteristics, methods and upsides of non formal education in developing youth and motivating them.

Learning by teaching Non Formal Education purpose is to help youth workers in understanding the characteristics, methods and upsides of non formal education in developing youth and motivating them.

To reach the purpose of the project and in order to have an impact on the community of Bucharest, we established the following Objectives to the project:

1. Participants will understand the characteristics of formal, non-formal and informal education, they will be educated on the styles of learning and they will understand why non-formal methods facilitate the learning curb.

2. Participants will develop their abilities to work in teams, to sustain a debriefing, to use socio-educational animation as a component of non-formal methods and to develop at least 20 new ENF methods, with the help of which they will contribute in actively developing youth.

3. During the project, the participants will develop a position of understanding the youth with less opportunities and compassion

The 24 Participants should be very motivated to be a part of this project and to understand the upside of non-formal education and methods and we wish that in the end a minimum of 20 new methods will be created.

To help the Bucharest community and to offer the participants the chance to practice the non-formal methods developed together, we decided to hold the activities with teenagers and children from 2 orphanages from the city. This will help the children get new motivation and help their personal growth and the youth workers will understand that they CAN make a change in their community. The youth workers will work 3 days with the youth and in the end they will express their thoughts, feelings and emotions through the Live Exposition that will take place in the middle of the city. We wish to produce an impact at the community level and to help people understand that disadvantaged people need their help.

Another result will be the project’s brochure that will contain at least 20 non-formal methods developed by the participants and their impressions regarding what they experienced during the project. The brochure will be distributed in schools, high schools, NGOs and Children’s homes in all 6 participant countries. The participants will continue the learning process, by writing articles on the blog and a mentoring period that will last 2 months.

Application deadline: 30 April 2015

Date of selection: 14 May 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Training Course: Learning by teaching Non Formal Education 10/04/015

Training Course

7-17 May 2015 | Bucharest, Romania

The project aim is to help youth workers in understanding the characteristics, methods and upsides of non formal education in developing youth and motivating them.

Learning by teaching Non Formal Education purpose is to help youth workers in understanding the characteristics, methods and upsides of non formal education in developing youth and motivating them.

To reach the purpose of the project and in order to have an impact on the community of Bucharest, we established the following Objectives to the project:

1. Participants will understand the characteristics of formal, non-formal and informal education, they will be educated on the styles of learning and they will understand why non-formal methods facilitate the learning curb.

2. Participants will develop their abilities to work in teams, to sustain a debriefing, to use socio-educational animation as a component of non-formal methods and to develop at least 20 new ENF methods, with the help of which they will contribute in actively developing youth.

3. During the project, the participants will develop a position of understanding the youth with less opportunities and compassion

The 24 Participants should be very motivated to be a part of this project and to understand the upside of non-formal education and methods and we wish that in the end a minimum of 20 new methods will be created.

To help the Bucharest community and to offer the participants the chance to practice the non-formal methods developed together, we decided to hold the activities with teenagers and children from 2 orphanages from the city. This will help the children get new motivation and help their personal growth and the youth workers will understand that they CAN make a change in their community. The youth workers will work 3 days with the youth and in the end they will express their thoughts, feelings and emotions through the Live Exposition that will take place in the middle of the city. We wish to produce an impact at the community level and to help people understand that disadvantaged people need their help.

Another result will be the project’s brochure that will contain at least 20 non-formal methods developed by the participants and their impressions regarding what they experienced during the project. The brochure will be distributed in schools, high schools, NGOs and Children’s homes in all 6 participant countries. The participants will continue the learning process, by writing articles on the blog and a mentoring period that will last 2 months.

Application deadline: 10 April 2015

Date of selection: 12 April 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Training Course: Dream Catchers 10/04/015

Training Course

25-30 May 2015 | St Germain au Mont d'or (Lyon), France

The major aim of this training course is to support youth/social workers to develop their competences in empowering young people with fewer opportunities to become aware of, and act on, their dreams and visions of their own futures.

For today’s young people – especially those who are NEET or who have more difficulty accessing mobility and employment programmes – the pressure to “get a job” is great - but employment opportunities are scarce.

At the same time, many youth workers – whilst understanding the need of society to see these young people “fitting in” - would like to create the kind of safe environment to help young people develop their competences in a wider sense than that of simply being able to “find employment” or “start up a business” – but, really, to discover what competences they already have – and explore what dreams and passions they might have for creating not only a better future for themselves – but, potentially, also for making more of an impact on the world they live in….

During this training course, participants will be encouraged to

1. explore creative tools, methods and attitudes they can develop to create a safe learning environment where young people can be aware about their strengths and develop self confidence 

2. support young people to reconnect with their own dreams and passions and step out of their comfort zones

3. develop their competence to guide, coach and accompany young people in their learning processes

4. meet with their counterparts from other countries to develop and share best practices, tools and methods

5. get to know more about how to use Erasmus+ Programme to meet the needs of young people with fewer opportunities.

Target group: The TC is open to participants coming from various fields working with young people from diverse backgrounds - especially those who are NEET – who want to be better equipped to empower young people to access services, employment and mobility opportunities.

The course will be delivered in English – and a draft programme will be circulated in April.

Application deadline: 10 April 2015

Date of selection: 21 April 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Training Course: SMS “Show My Skills” 20/07/2015

Training Course

25-30 September 2015 | Siwa Oasis, Egypt

Training course on personal development plan,leadership,social entrepreneurship, communicate through an environment of non-formal learning, intercultural and outdoor experiential learning and designed for young people active in youth organizations.

“Show My Skills” is a 6-day seminar about youth empowerment. The seminar aims to help participants recognize their life paths, therefore understanding their life competencies and foreseeing their role in social innovation in a global society. It starts with an individual approach to a global result and it is intended to give tools for the participants to develop future projects in the field social entrepreneurship.

The aim of the training course is to focus on

the mobility of youth and Learn to pay attention to a Personal development Plan and recognize the full impact of learning mobility in their societies

The objectives:

* To provide participants with different tools of education for acquiring their knowledge and developing skills and competencies.

* To Learn about the non-formal learning method and different tools used in youth work and working with groups in outdoor activities connecting with a spectacular natural environment.

* Develop participants to become aware of what they need to achieve. It will be useful to record their values and principles and reflect it to their mission in life.

* Encourage the participants to use their creativity to express ideas and provide them with a platform for their creative work,networks

* Encourage work in international cooperation projects, and empower them to become great leaders.

* raising awareness of the participants in their individual impact in social reality .

Methodology 

'Show my skills' will communicate through 4 key topics using non formal learning with intercultural and outdoor experiential learning

* Key 1 Day 1

- (Presentation) the facilitator will use activities for the presentation of the group, the team,program and objectives 

-(Team building activities) getting to know each other and a building a group 

- (Life line ) use activity for understanding

of participants’ life paths

* Key 2 Day 2

- (My Skills) the facilitator will use activities to recognition of participant’s skills 

- (My Future) milestones for a life project

* Key 3 Day 3 

-(The world looking at me ) understanding the

world around us and its impact on us.

-(My-Our world ) raising awareness of our individual impact in social reality .

* Key 4 Day 4

- (what we can do ) understanding the

role as youth leaders in social innovation.

- (what we will do ) creation of future

activities and projects to be developed in the future.

- (evaluation of the meeting )

Target group:

The Training course is open for youth workers, youth leader’s, young entrepreneurs. young people active in youth organizations, volunteering, project managers 

For more information download the PDF file .

Email: info.smsitc@gmail.com

Application deadline: 20 July 2015

Date of selection: 21 July 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Seminar / Conference: RAY Triangular summit - International youth work and mobility: Research evidence for policy and practice 15/04/2015

Seminar / Conference

11-13 May 2015 | Vienna, Austria

The conference will present the research findings of the RAY network for an informed discourse on how these findings can contribute to youth work practice and youth policy development.

THE CONTEXT 

The RAY Triangular Summit ‘International youth work and mobility: research evidence for policy and practice’ is organised by the network for the ‘Research-based Analysis and Monitoring of Youth in Action’ (RAY) in the Framework of the Erasmus+: Youth in Action. The RAY Network was established in 2007 and involves a growing range of research institutions, researchers and National Agencies of the European Union’s Youth in Action Programme (YiA) across Europe. Through RAY, the network seeks to explore the effects of Youth in Action, in particular on young people, youth workers and youth leaders and other actors involved in projects funded by the programme.

THE PURPOSE 

The conference will present the research findings of the network as a starting point for an informed discourse on how these findings can contribute to youth work practice and youth policy development. The conference will furthermore explore current research projects in the fields of learning mobility and international youth work.

THE PARTICIPANTS

The conference will bring together some 100 researchers, practitioners and policymakers in the field of international education and learning mobility from all over Europe with a non-exclusive focus on youth work and youth policy.

Invited are, in particular, researchers with an interest in a related theme including learning mobility, youth sociology and/or intergenerational studies; practitioners in the field of international youth work and mobility; representatives of European youth organisations; national agencies of the Youth in Action Programme; national agencies of the Lifelong Learning Programme; representatives of National Youth Authorities; members of the YiA Programme Committee and the EU Youth Working Party; and representatives of the European Union, the Council of Europe and the Youth Partnership.

More information on the RAY Network can be found under: http://www.researchyouth.net

the publications of the RAY Network can be found under http://www.researchyouth.net/publications/

Further details (the draft programme) are attached

Application deadline: 15 April 2015

Date of selection: 23 April 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

E-learning: THE ART OF BEING EUROPEAN - Online course (1st edition) 08/04/2015

E-learning

20 April - 17 May 2015 | Portugal

This Training Course lead by the portuguese team of the european project NFelearning funded by ERASMUS + aims to give you the keys to open new doors and horizons about European Citizenship, Mobility Programs and other European Cultures and Realities.

PRESENTATION OF THE TRAINING COURSE: 

European Citizenship can be considered as a comprehensive concept and practice of citizenship, with many cultural, social, political and economic dimensions. In nowadays can be also a way of thinking and acting.

European citizenship is not given to you but you can voluntarily decide to take actions for a better Europe, in co-operation with others living anywhere on this continent or in other parts of the world.

This Training Course will give you the keys to open new doors and horizons about European Citizenship, Mobility Programs and other European Cultures and Realities.

STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE:

- 4 Modules of 5h each (online + activities)

- 1 Module per week

MODULE 1: EUROPA NOSTRA: Past, Present and Future of Europe

MODULE 2. HOW EUROPE WORKS: European Institutions and their Functions

MODULE 3. CULTURAL DIVERSITY: Europe a Mosaic of Cultures

MODULE 4. EUROPEAN MOBILITY: Learning, Employment and Business Opportunities

OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING COURSE:

- Critically explore the meaning relevance and implications European citizenship in community work in all its dimensions;

- Promote and facilitate the active use of european programmes and structures in support of community work on European Citizenship, including the "Erasmus +" and "Europe for citizens";

- Experiment and explore the potential of European Citizenship for active democratic change in society;

- Associate the participants with the current discourse on European Citizenship (its concepts, formal meanings and expressions);

- Exemplify the connection between European Citizenship, Human Rights, Democracy and Intercultural Learning and the underlying values.

Application deadline: 8 April 2015

Date of selection: 12 April 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Training Course: CONNECTOR 2.0 17/05/2015

Training Course

30 June - 6 July 2015 | Cluj-Napoca, Romania

What? The right place for anyone interested in effective learning Who? Learning facilitators from all educational fields What? Interactive activities, methods, workshops, trainings, performances, networking, projects Why? To share, learn, experiment

This is the open call dedicated to the participants. If you want to apply as facilitator, check the facilitators open call available at http://www.erasmusplus.ro/evenimente-det/vrs/IDev/155

What?

A learning event putting together youth workers, adult educators, school or vocational teachers, trainers and all type of learning facilitator that will work and learn together in interactive workshops and performances.

Learning happens! Everywhere. In the classroom, in the university but also in the middle of the community (be it on the street, in museums, pubs or park). CONNECTOR is about showing how to do it and how to actively involving all the members of the community in a participatory manner.

Thus, the participants will have the chance to learn not only from each other and the facilitators, but together with the community members as well.

Who and how to participate?

Anyone and everyone interested in active learning: practitioners, trainers, facilitators, teachers, educators, support staff, representatives coming from adult education, formal education (school or university) or vocational training.

200 participants + 30 learning facilitators funded by the organizers through Erasmus+ programme. Application for the participants is done under this open call. The Romania National Agency for Eramus+, as host organization, will cover for those that are approved the food, accommodation and logistical costs. In some cases (for participants coming from Neighouring countries) could cover the transport costs as well. 

Please check the costs section (in the right side of the screen) fro more details

Aiming to connect as many learning fans as possible, the event will be open to all those interested relevant persons, willing to self-fund or who can cover its costs from various sources. Those willing to be part of the event, please fill in the form available here.

Last year we managed to put together 300 people from 30 countries. Can we do better in 2015? Around half were supported directly, the other half came via various projects, supported by their organization or self-funded.

Participants are expected to be:

- actively involved in their organization

- motivated and open to experiment highly interactive learning methods and tools as well as to share them through performances in the Cluj-Napoca community in the last tow days of the event

- engaged throughout entire period of the event

- able to put in practice and share the experience and methods acquired in their local community on their return.

Learning facilitators

Are those interested to deliver trainings / workshop sessions in the first two days of the event and prepare together with the participants a performance for the last two days.

Please do mind that facilitators need to subscribe separately on this link: http://www.erasmusplus.ro/evenimente-det/vrs/IDev/155

The costs for travel, meals and accommodation for the facilitators will be covered by the Erasmus+ National Agency in Romania. (30 places available for youth, education and training sectors). Please do mind that this is valid for the facilitators only, for participants check the costs section to see how they can be covered.

Why?

Learning by doing and focusing on the participants’ needs and experience are key elements to personal and professional development.

With these in mind, the main objectives of the event are:

- to promote nonformal learning in Europe and Romania

- to create connections between nonformal learning, formal education and vocational training

- to develop a space for identifying the common needs and challenges of all the stakeholders involved

- to develop solutions for the identified problems, challenges through projects and network activities

- to create a collaborative space for sharing methods, instruments, practices and efficient ideas for learning

This edition aims to carry on the legacy started in last year, aiming to make CONNECTOR a European reference point regarding effective and nonformal learning in the following years.

How?

The event is based on sharing, learning and experimenting with thematic days.

Day 1 – Incubator+ (sharing)

After a brief official opening we will get down to work. The day will be dedicated to the exchange of ideas, practices and experiences among participants aiming to identify network activities and projects that can be developed collaboratively. 

Incubator+ will use an "unconference" methodology inspired by Open Space Technology. As fruit for thoughts, in the opening we will start with several inspirational speeches related to educational topic that matter.

Days 2 & 3– Lab+ (learning)

We learn all life long. We use in the process our brains, but we should not forget about our heart as well. Learning effectively is helped by engaging method activating dealing both with our thoughts as well as our feelings approaching knowledge, skills as well as attitudes.

Learning methods and tools (such as forum theater or improvisation theater, storytelling, graphic facilitation, street animation, drumming etc.) will be shared by experienced facilitators in parallel workshops and training courses (one workshop per participant). Selected participants will be able to choose among the methods/tools before CONNECTOR starts. 

Examples of such activities can be found in the playlist available at http://www.nonformalii.ro/resurse/video/laborator-nonformal-2013-playlist (English subtitles)

Days 4 &5– Lab++ (experimenting)

Participants will put in practice the methods they experienced during days 2&3 in the local community through shows, performances or other type of interactive activities. In this regard we will cooperate with a local festival: Jazz in the Park.

Willing to connect as many nonformal passionates as possible, the event will be open to all those interested relevant persons, self-funded or who can cover its costs from various sources.

Where?

The event takes place in a city with a vibrant cultural and social life, Cluj-Napoca, the 2015 European Youth Capital.

This event is funded by European Commission through the Erasmus+ Programme.

Application deadline: 17 May 2015

Date of selection: 29 May 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Training course: TurnINC: A turning point to Inclusion 06/04/2015

Training Course

20-25 May 2015 | Portugal

Turning points are those moments in your life where your path changes direction. The TurnINC Training Course is the beginning of a journey for newcomers working on inclusion within the Erasmus+ Youth in Action.

Do you work with young people with fewer opportunities at a local/national level? 

Are you aware of the work that is happening in other European countries?

Have you ever considered using European funding programmes for supporting your work? Or do the applications for these programmes scare you?

Are you open to explore international opportunities for and with young people?

Would you like to meet other inclusion workers?

If any of these questions spark an interest, this training is for you!!

For years inclusion and participation have been a priority within the European Youth programmes and several projects have demonstrated that the participation in international activities can be a turning point in young people’s lives, however there are still many young people who don’t have access to these opportunities. The aim of this training course is to empower youth workers, youth leaders and educators new to the Erasmus+ Youth in Action to grow the participation of young people with fewer opportunities within the programme.

Objectives:

• To explore the challenges of participation for young people with fewer opportunities in European activities.

• To look at the difficulties that inclusion workers face in engaging young people with fewer opportunities in international projects.

• To promote the potential of the Erasmus + Youth in Action programme as a tool to promote the social inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities.

• To offer a space to generate future action.

This Training course is designed for participants who are:

- Youth workers, youth leaders and educators who are involved in inclusion projects and are interested in applying within the framework of the Erasmus+ Youth in Action programme

- Newcomers/first applicants in the Erasmus+ Youth in Action programme

- Over 18 years old

- Able to communicate in English

The course methodology in this training is based on experiential learning and non-formal education, in an atmosphere where participants can learn from each other (peer learning) and feel empowered to initiate their projects.

Application deadline: 6 April 2015

Date of selection: 20 April 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Training of Trainers for European Erasmus+: Youth in Action Projects 2015/2016 31/05/2015

Training Course

25 September 2015 - 9 July 2016 | Bulgaria, Germany, Belgium - FR

The major aim of this training course is to train trainers who have the competences and the motivation to contribute to the improvement of the quality of projects within the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme of the European Union.

This Training of Trainers lasts a year and consists of 

• three residential seminars 

• an international training project you design and run with some other participants 

• ongoing e-learning 

• ongoing mentoring with one of the course trainers as your mentor 

• learning commitments

The dates for the three residential seminars are:

1st seminar 25 September - 4 October 2015 in Bulgaria

2nd seminar 12 -21 February 2016 in Germany 

3rd seminar 3-9 July 2016 in Belgium

This course requires a considerable time investment from the participants: in total you should plan at least 55 days: 

• 28 seminar days (including travel)

• 12 days overall for the training project (preparatory work, prep meeting and the course itself)

• 15 days (on average 1-2 days per month) for following the personal learning commitments, the online work, peer learning, mentor talks etc.

Within this Training of Trainers course (ToT-course) participants have the chance to further develop their competences as a trainer. In line with the European Training Strategy in the frame of Erasmus+: Youth in Action programme the ToT-course considers the following competences to be essential when working as a non-formal education trainer within the Youth in Action programme:

• The competence to understand and facilitate individual and group learning processes.

• The competence to design educational programmes.

• The competence to direct one´s own learning (Learning to Learn)

• The competence to co-operate successfully in teams.

• The competence to communicate meaningfully with others. 

• Intercultural competence.

Participants enter the ToT-course with various levels of prior experience as trainer as well as competences developed - consequently, the learning needs of participants are different. The educational approach implemented in the ToT-course intends to allow for these different learning needs to be identified and pursued. At the core of this process is the competence of the participant to direct his/her own learning. The group as a source for peer learning and the trainers as facilitators of these learning processes are essential pillars of this approach.

Participants are expected

• To have been already involved at least three times in a team of trainers designing, implementing and evaluating a training course in the framework of Non-Formal Education.

• To have had international experience in the youth work field with a function of responsibility (not only as a participant) – organising international youth projects, leading a youth exchange, mentoring EVS volunteers, etc.

• To have the potential and need to develop training competences and act after the course as a trainer for European Erasmus+: Youth in Action projects and/or for training courses organised by the National Agencies of the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme.

• To show initiative and willingness to self-direct their own learning process.

• To be prepared to reflect on and question their own beliefs and approaches as trainers.

• To be able to run training courses in English.

Further information can be found at www.salto-youth.net/ToT

Application deadline: 31 May 2015

Date of selection: 30 June 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Training course: Coaching Lab 06/04/2015

Training Course

17-25 May 2015 | Pärnu, Estonia

"Coaching Lab" is a Training Course that will take place in Pärnu, Estonia, 17-25th of May, 2015.

This Training Course is specially designed for youth workers, representatives of NGOs, which already have an experience and are actively involved in the work of their organizations. Participants are expected to know and clearly understand the target group they work with, needs of their local communities and especially needs of young people.

According to objectives of the training course and its programme, we expect participants with interest in personal and professional development; learning techniques and practicing coaching in their organizations and local communities; building partner network and finding organizations for future cooperation; intercultural learning and developing key competences.

We expect participants to be able to communicate in English, as this is the only working language that will be used during the activity.

They should be ready to work in a group of people from different cultural and social backgrounds, be tolerant and respectful towards the other participants.

During the activity the participants will discover themselves, learn about coaching in youth work, practice coaching techniques, including NLP, and gain a lot of practical experience by coaching each other.

Application deadline: 6 April 2015

Date of selection: 7 April 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Training course: IN BETWEEN - Supporting youngsters in transition childhood to adulthood 31/03/2015

Training Course

17-23 May 2015 | Reichenau a.d. Rax, Austria

Training course for youth workers, social workers and others who are working with young people in transition from childhood to adult and who are asking themselves how to support young people in a more holistic way.

• What does it mean to be adult?

• What does childhood mean?

• How does the journey from childhood to adulthood work?

• How do I know when my youngsters are in this journey?

• What questions can help me to support the transition of the young people I´m working with?

• What are the limits of youth work in supporting transition?

During the course we would like to deal with the bio - psycho - social - spiritual aspects of the changes / personal development young people go through while moving from childhood to adulthood. We would like to look at our current practices and discover ways to incorporate more consciously all these aspects in our work. Based on the sharing of our previous personal and professional experiences we would like to build up youth workers confidence and understanding of these processes to be more prepared to deal with such changes while working with young people. 

We have decided to talk about transition from childhood to adulthood as a way of looking at those young people who are no longer children - and often not yet perceived as adults. 

We want to work on incorporating the transition process of teenagers and the teenagers themselves in society in order to make the process more productive, exciting, lively and advantageous for their own lives and for society as a whole.

Approach - Methodology:

We will combine different types of experiential activities, discussions and sharing of experiences – including, for example, rites of passage/ rituals deriving from different cultures.

Our objectives:

a) Create a common understanding about what is meant by “transition from childhood to adulthood”.

b) Draw attention to emerging issues that we may come across when working with young people in transition (like ambiguity, our being role models, identity…)

c) Reflect on the way we deal with the 4 dimensions (bio - psycho - social - spiritual) of personal development in our work. 

d) Offer space to discover and share tools, ways, activities, methods… to support young people in their transitions.

e) Explore what changes we can make in our work as youth workers to support young people in transition processes.

The Training is not directly related to:

Although they may be a part of the emerging conversations based on the work of the participants we will not deal in depth with the following issues:

• Entrepreneurship, employability, citizenship, participation

• Housing, job seeking and other practical support to the transition from living with parents to living independently

• Psychotherapy, psychological support in developmental psychology or emergence processes

• General “recipes” that can be used in whatever the context, country or situation

The team of this TC are not psychotherapists or psychologists – but we are more than happy to share our own experiences coming from working with young people in transition phases.

Target group:

People working with young people: youth workers, social workers and youth leaders who are working with young people in transition between childhood and adulthood.

Group size: 24

Participant Profile:

We are hoping that participants who attend will:

• Be keen to learn from each other during discussions or peer exchange.

• Be willing to share the learning outcomes of the TC in their organizations and local communities.

• Be able to communicate and work in English (which will be the working language for the whole training course). 

• Be able to attend the whole duration of the training course.

Working language: English

Application deadline: 31 March 2015

Date of selection: 17 April 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Training course: Dive into yourself! 30/05/2015

Training Course

4-11 July 2015 | Croatia

Training course on personal development and experiential non-formal learning in outdoors method and tools, designed for youthworkers, youthleaders, trainers and interested individuals (teachers, educators, project leaders, project managers, volunteers).

Dive into yourself! is an 8-day training course, taking place in Croatia from 4th to 11th July 2015. in a challenging environment of the Velebit mountain and the Adriatic sea.

Learn about yourself and the world around, dive into your own personal virtues and weaknesses, and experience the experiential learning through activities in nature.

Learn about the Outward Bound non-formal learning method and different tools used in youthwork and working with groups in outdoors.

Learn about leadership, communication, team-work, effective learning, decision making and problem solving.

Outdoor activities are the tools we use to achieve goals of the training: walk, hike, sleep under the stars, scuba dive and discover your strenghts on this training.

Detailed information about the training course can be found in the info letter.

Application deadline: 30 May 2015

Date of selection: 14 June 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Photo of last Language Exchange

Hello everyone! Yesterday we celebrated our last Language Exchange of March before having our Easter holiday. We hope you had a good time.

Training course: Get Your Message Across! 30/03/2015

Training Course

15-20 May 2015 | Budapest, Hungary

A training course to support NGOs working in the youth field in learning how to define and effectively communicate their mission and vision in order to improve their possibilities to establish cross-sectoral cooperation within the Erasmus+ programme.

We believe that a clear vision helps you to reach your goals and communicate meaningfully with stakeholders: that's the idea behind "Get Your Message Across", a 4-days (travel days not included) interactive and experiential training course for NGO’s operating in the youth field that are interested in working on their communication skills. This course will work with creative methods to support participants in becoming more aware on how they communicate their identity, and to provide space and tools for them to develop partnerships with further stakeholders thus improving their own sustainability.

In his TED TALK “The Clues to a Great Story”, the director and film-maker Andrew Stanton says:

«The children's television host Mr. Rogers always carried in his wallet a quote from a social worker that said, "Frankly, there isn't anyone you couldn't learn to love once you've heard their story." And the way I like to interpret that is probably the greatest story commandment, which is "Make me care". Please, emotionally, intellectually, aesthetically, just make me care. We all know what it's like to not care. You've gone through hundreds of TV channels, just switching channel after channel, and then suddenly you actually stop on one. It's already halfway over, but something's caught you and you're drawn in and you care. And that's not by chance.»

Nowadays the reality of a big number of NGOs operating in the youth field is a condition of isolation where organizations often struggle to provide their services, due to lack of energies, funds and, most of all, support and cooperation with their local communities, institutions or other stakeholders. What organizations often lack is actually just a clear vision of what their mission and beliefs are, and the ability to meaningfully share and communicate them and make the outer world care. Only when people can locate themselves inside a story they will truly belong and participate in its narrative, and that's exactly why we can’t really be in relationship with others if we don’t know where we stand ourselves.

The main objectives of the training course are:

- To raise awareness of the need of a clear vision and mission for NGO’s working in the youth field to develop a meaningful communication with different stakeholders;

- To promote the importance of creativity as a fundamental communication skill by providing different creative tools and methods;

- To improve entrepreneurial skills within the partnership building process by exploring what we can learn from good practises in the business field;

- To encourage the establishment of cross-sectoral cooperations which can be supported by new quality activities implemented in the frame of the Erasmus+ Programme;

Profile of participants:

Our target groups are youth workers and youth leaders representing existing or establishing NGOs operating in the youth field. The participants are expected to:

• Be able to communicate in English;

• Be ready to challenge and engage themselves in a creative process;

• Be curious to discover more about cross-sectoral cooperation possibilities;

• Be ideally willing and committed to invest some time in working individually on their learning commitment also after the training course, out of the frame of the seminar;

Methodology:

Within this 4-days training course the participants will have chance to experience a diverse mix of creative and artistic methods, good practises from the business field, group work, discussions, field visits and exchange of experience. We believe that through these methods we can explore the topics of the course and connect it with reality and examples from other fields open for cooperation with NGO’s. Some of the key elements of the programme will be:

• Movement and improvisation theater - as a tool for getting to know each other and yourself;

• Storytelling - we’ll explore how storytelling can be used as a method to define and communicate your NGO’s mission and vision and „get your message across”;

• Clowning - as a method to explore different aspects of communication. We see the clown as a particularly interesting character, as its language is based on setting a common goal and establishing an emotional connection together with its audience. We’ll offer a workshop on some clowning techniques as well as the opportunity to experiment interaction and communication with a real audience;

• Insights from the business field - in order to communicate effectively, we need to know our partners well. During the training course we will compare communication strategies of the non-profit and for-profit sector, to learn each other’s language. 

• Field visits – we’ll offer to participants the chance to visit some of the good examples and cross-sectoral cooperation in Budapest as a way to inspire them for future actions back in their NGOs.

The final part of the programme will be dedicated to explore how all these elements can help NGOs to foster cross-sectoral cooperation projects and especially how the new Erasmus+ programme could be used as a resource for that.

The Team:

Dorit Fauck, Germany 

Valters Melderis, Latvia

Mafalda Morganti, Italy 

Réka Széplaki, Hungary

Application deadline: 30 March 2015

Date of selection: 10 April 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Seminar on how to improve the promotion of the EVS and EVS quality project implementation 12/04/2015

Seminar / Conference

26-30 May 2015 | Rome, Italy

The Seminar will focus on new approaches to promote EVS, involving different stakeholders also from the formal education sector.

The Seminar will focus on new approaches to promote EVS, involving different stakeholders also from the formal education sector. The aim of the seminar will be to involve more youngsters to choose EVS as a valid opportunity to develop skills useful in their transversal learning process (formal and non formal learning).

Aims and objectives:

The overall aim is to understand the real value of the EVS experience in terms of personal development, skills and ability development, competences acquired.

This should be fostered through:

- increasing the knowledge about EVS, basic knowledge in EVS in general and about the framework Programme Erasmus+: Youth in Action

- reflecting about roles, responsibilities, challenges and needs concerning EVS

- sharing best practice and tools for supporting EVS

- discovering the latest news about EVS in the framework of Erasmus+:Youth in Action Programme

Who

The Seminar will involve 60 participants. It’s recommended for representatives of associations of ex volunteers, mentors, EVS project officers, teachers

What?

This training activity offers the opportunity to share with a wide target group the way how to promote EVS and involve more young people. 

The educational approach of the seminar is based on non formal education methods as well as the contribution of participants and on active participation in all parts of the programme. 

Working language will be English – participants need to be willing and able to actively participate and communicate in English throughout the whole activity.

Application deadline: 12 April 2015

Date of selection: 26 April 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Seminar / Conference "UNI&NFL Developing Intercultural Competence” Seminar 08/04/2015

Seminar / Conference

20-23 May 2015 | Konstancin - Jeziorna , Poland

The seminar is a further step of the long-term project “Among Others” which aims at exploring how non-formal methods can be used to enhance and develop intercultural competence in higher education.

The seminar is a further step of the long-term five country project “Among Others” which aims at exploring how non-formal methods can be used to enhance and develop intercultural competence in higher education. Objectives of the project are: to introduce non-formal education and international cooperation into higher education; to develop intercultural competence of future youth workers and teachers to improve the quality of youth work and to encourage the use of Erasmus+ Youth Programme in working with young people.

Workshops developing intercultural competence of University students are, or will be, delivered at national level in Poland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Hungary and Czech Republic.

Objectives of the seminar are:

• To evaluate the Among Others/UNI&NFL project

• To share the concepts, contents and outcomes of national project activities 

• To explore new approaches to developing Intercultural Competence at European and global level

• To promote and encourage the use of Erasmus+ Youth as a tool to develop Intercultural Competence 

• To further develop the co-operation between non-formal education and higher education

Target group of the seminar:

• Trainers involved in the national project activities (Among Others/UNI&NFL)

• Staff of Higher Education Institutions interested in the development of Intercultural Competence and use of non-formal methods 

• Trainers and facilitators involved in developing Intercultural Competence in non-formal education and higher education

• NA representatives/Coordinators

Applicants should be available to actively attend the full duration of the seminar, motivated to prepare themselves before the seminar, should be minimum 18 years old and should be able to communicate and work in English.

This seminar is open for the residents of the Erasmus+ Programme Countries (participants from Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Poland and UK will be given priority).

Date & venue

- From 20 to 23 May 2015 (participants are expected to arrive on the 20 May before 16:30; departures are planned on the 23 May after lunch).

- The seminar will take place in Konstancin-Jeziorna (in the neighbourhood of Warsaw), Poland.

Application deadline: 8 April 2015

Date of selection: 20 April 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.

Seminar/Conference Act It Out 07/04/2015

Seminar / Conference

30 April - 7 May 2015 | Stradonice, Czech Republic 

Act It Out! is seminar gathering youth workers from areas with high concentration of socio-pathological phenomenas and are interested in theatre tools to use them in their youth work.

During the activities of the seminar we will introduce theatre methods and tools which might be useful for youth workers from this areas. Participants will experience various methods themselves and they will learn how to modify them in order to make them suitable for their local environment. Act It Out is project of non-formal education, be ready for discussions, goal-oriented games and interactive workshops.

Participants will be encouraged to share their good practice in open-space sessions. Last day will be dedicated to networking and development of local and international projects.

Participants shall be:

• youth workers and youth leaders carrying out prevention of socio-pathological phenomena in their local community

• able to communicate in English

• 18 years old and more

• open to share their experience and opinions, ready to actively participate

Application deadline: 7 April 2015

Date of selection: 12 April 2015

More info: Salto Youth. We will help you to translate and do your application. If you have any doubt, please leave your comment below or contact our coordinators.