Dissemination & Exploitation of your project results

• Add your suggestions for dissemination and exploitation of a project at the bottom of this page (log in with your SALTO username or create one)

You can "multiply" the results of your project: ensuring the results of your project are used by others, further developed in other projects, carrying out follow-up activities to make the project results more sustainable, adapting (elements of) your project to other contexts, running the project again with different people or in different settings - so that you (or others) can build on the experience of the first project.

Visibility is another term that is closely related to the discussion of 'doing more' with your international youth project. Throughout your project, you can show off the work you are doing. You can use your project to get your organisation into the spotlights, you can highlight the possibilities the Youth in Action programme has to offer other people, you can raise your profile by showing in a coherent way what great activities you are doing,... Doing a project is a valid reason in itself to communicate about your activities, about your organisation and about the Youth in Action programme to the outside world.

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Here are some examples increasing the visibility of your project and working on the dissemination and exploitation of your project results:

• Spread the word: Presenting your experience and showing off your Youth in Action projects to others gives them information that such kinds of projects are possible, potentially also for them. You inspire others to take on European projects.
• Create spin-off effects: You would think that your youth project is mainly for the young people. However, there are lots of people involved with the project: the board, parents, friends, local authorities, community... Involve them for more impact.
• Improve the reputation and recognition of your organisation: If you make it clear that your organisation is behind different projects and if you show the positive results of your activities to a larger audience, this will raise the profile of your organisation.
• Get more funding for youth projects: If you show that your projects have a big impact on young people, the youth sector, youth policy or society in general, then the decision makers will also be more inclined to give money to them.
• Raise the motivation of the young people and youth workers: When you promote your activities and results in different media or at relevant meetings, the people involved in the project will be proud of their achievements. It is great for the group-feeling: Yeah! We did it!
• Increase the sustainability of your results: If you make sure your project is not a one-off activity and use the experience for new projects, for continued learning, for influencing policy, etc. your project results last longer and benefit more people
• Enhance the impact of EU funded projects: When everybody is demonstrating all the great results they achieved and the products they developed in their Youth in Action projects, it will convince others that European projects are beneficial and worth supporting.
• ...

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In this context with the young people who form our target group, dissemination and exploitation of project results can be seen as two fold:

There may have been many failures in these youth's lives and this could potentially be one of their first successes where involvement in this programme actually gives value to their lives. In some small way, their lives could, by the opinion of others, be given value by the fact that they are engaged in a positive programme such as Youth in Action.
On the second point, the target group we refer to in this booklet young people at risk of offending or young ex/offenders, have often had little that they have done given value to.

As we already highlighted many of this target group have had little in their lives celebrated, or given validity to. They have not had these same experiences highlighted as their more engaged peers. This is one of the reasons that we feel that the valorisation of this project is such an important element. It can be the first stage of these young people seeing engagement in something positive as positive!

Sometimes it can be difficult to get the support of your organisation (e.g. board etc) to engage in Youth in Action projects because they take a lot of the youth worker's time and also require co-funding. However the arguments above, and the possible impact a youth project could have, can be helpful in convincing your colleagues or board members to give it a try. When you make clear what youth projects can achieve, they might be more inclined to decide in favour of engaging in an international youth project, or of even incorporating it into a structural part of the youth work you do.

• More to read about dissemination and exploitation of results in the SALTO booklet "Making waves", to download from www.SALTO-YOUTH.net/MakingWaves/
• Add your suggestions for dissemination and exploitation of a project at the bottom of this page (log in with your SALTO username or create one)

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