Informal Revision: Integration of non-formal education approach to the formal education system for youth empowerment at local level

Armenia - 27 October- 04 November 2017 Germany- 31 March - 09 April 2018 Tackling youth unemployment, social exclusion, intercultural communication and youth participation continues to be a policy priority for European and national governments, but the need to empower young people is increasingly recognized in this process. We see youth empowerment as an attitudinal, structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority, and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people, including youth and adults. In other words, empowered young people will be exercising power over one’s life by being skilled, critically aware, and active in creating community change. Long Term Training Course Objectives: - To unite efforts of youth workers coming from formal and other youth field backgrounds for youth empowerment at local level by using non-formal education - To build a necessary set of competences for proficient use of non-formal education instruments and tools for youth empowerment at local level - To introduce the values, principles of non-formal educations - To discuss the recognition of competences gained by non-formal education - To provide the possibility to plan, experiment and to get feedback to the non-formal education activities - To discuss and introduces the ways of integration of non-formal education activities to the system of formal education - To provide the opportunity to assess the quality of non-formal education activities and youth empowerment process at local level - To build a network and to create joined actions in order to address current challenges Activities: This project has two main Activities and three stages. The first activity, which is considered as the first stage, is aimed on training participants about non-formal methods of learning and their practical use. The second stage is a “homework” stage where participants will apply the gained information in their home countries/organizations/contexts. And finally, the last activity and stage is aimed on reflection, perfection of gained competences of participants, which will lead to sustainable dissemination and follow up. This concept seems to us as the best way to really “educate” educators and to allow them to obtain new competences, which they will use to improve their teaching approaches. Note: For the detailed descriptions and objectives of the training courses, please refer to the attached Call for Participants.