TC Ability - raise your ability to work with disability (13-18 May 2013, Portugal)

What is TC Ability about? The training aims to: * Give you a better understanding of disability within youth work (key concepts in the field of disability, human rights, respect & responsibilities) and create a disability-friendly concept of youth work (mainstreaming). * Develop youth worker competencies, tools and confidence to involve young people with disabilities in your activities. Create professional skills to work with people with disability and do active outreach to young people with disability. * Focus on abilities rather than disabilities to improve the interaction between young people (with and without disabilities) but also with the adults around them. This would lead to a socio-cultural change of approach towards disability and inclusion and promotes non-discriminatory attitudes and combat stereotypes. Who is the training course for? This is a training course for 25 youth workers or unemployed people, who want to gain skills, tools and confidence to work with people with mental, physical and sensory disabilities. The course is aimed at youth workers WITHOUT experience in working with disability, but who would like to include young people with disabilities in their activities – or learn to work better with them. * Working language is English. Applicants should be able to work in (international) English. * The course is open for all Youth in Action programme countries (EU countries, EFTA, Croatia and Turkey). * Even though the course is not specifically aimed at youth workers with a disability, these youth workers are encouraged to apply if they want to learn to work with young people with other disabilities. We can adapt our programme accordingly and welcome assistance persons when needed. Dates and Venue * From Monday 13 May (arrival date) to Saturday 18 May 2013 (departure date) – 4 working days. * In Bragança, 2 hour drive from Porto, Portugal – the venue is wheelchair accessible. * Selected participants should arrive before 16h00 at Porto airport on 13 May to allow airport transfer. * Selected participants will be lodged in double rooms with a person of the same gender.. Provisional programme * 13 May: Arrival, welcome dinner, ice-breaking & get to know each other * 14 May: Expectations, group dynamics, disability in your country, intro to youthpass, intercultural evening * 15 May: Reflections about key concepts (disability, inclusion, rights,...), prepare yourself and your group to work with disability, reach out to young people with disability, free evening (optional activities by participants) * 16 May: How to adapt your activities to make them accessible for young people with disabilities, adapting methods, combating disability discrimination, project visits and dinner in town * 17 May: Shift from disability to abilities, resources to work with disability, action planning, youthpass, evaluation, farewell party * 18 May: Departure of participants Methodology We will use non-formal educational methods – based on learning by doing and exchanging. Participants should be ready to actively take part and contribute to the programme. We will ask participants to prepare themselves before the course (e.g. collect information on disability, on the situation in their country, contributions to free time activities, etc.). Application & selection procedure * Do you fit the target group? Does your NA want to send participants (and pay for your travel if selected)? Did you check if your NA collects a participation fee? * Then apply online by 1 April 2013 midnight CET. Log in with your SALTO username & password, or create one. * Your sending NA will do a pre-selection according to their priorities by 15 April 2013. * The organisers will attribute the 25 available places according to the NA priorities. * We will inform you about the selection results in the week after 15 April 2013. Team and partners The TC Ability is a cooperation between the Portuguese National Agency for the Youth in Action programme and the SALTO Inclusion resource centre and co-funding from the Spanish National Agency. Two experienced international trainers will take the group through an interactive learning process, supported by expert inputs where needed. The Portuguese & Spanish NA covers the hosting costs (programme, local transport, food and lodging) and SALTO Inclusion contributes to the programme with its expertise. The sending National Agencies cover the travel costs of the selected participants (in exchange for a ‘participation fee’). The course is also supported by the local authority and disability organisations in Bragança.