Call for Trainers Seminar on new forms of political participation and civic engagement of young people
Description
We have been witnessing a growing interest from policy-makers, researchers and various youth work practitioners in the participation of young people in democratic life. This interest is prompted by a justified concern about low voter turnout, declining levels of civic engagement, low confidence in the institutions of representative democracy and other signs of skepticism, apathy and lack of trust in policy-makers. Young people have become increasingly disengaged from the traditional forms of political and civic participation, a phenomenon that might make us think that young people are simply not interested in democratic life. Nonetheless recent studies, such as one on the democratic participation of young people in Europe, carried out by the London School of Economics on behalf of the European Commission[1], informs us that there is no crisis of democratic participation and that young people cannot be considered to be disengaged; they still participate in their own ways, according to their new interests and lifestyles. Young people seem to have understood that voting is not the only way of making their voices heard and institutions still need to understand and accept that voter turnout is not the only indicator of citizen participation. Young people choose unconventional, spontaneous and sometimes unexpected ways of participation, going beyond traditional institutions. The alternative political and civic participation of the youngest generations takes many forms and has different degrees. Are the alternative forms of participation enough or just preparation for institutional participation? What links exist between the alternative and traditional forms of participation? What type of participation is more valuable? What motivates young people to participate differently? Are all these forms of participation recognized and accepted by institutional actors? Can “Erasmus+: Youth in action” foster these forms of participation? How can youth work support young people in their preferred ways of participation? What are the skills that young people need to take part in these new forms of participation? All these questions will be the starting point of this seminar. Based on research and practice, this seminar will enhance participants’ understanding of new forms of political participation and civic engagement of young people and analyze their connection to traditional channels of participation, as well as discuss their recognition and support by the institutions and society at large. The seminar will be documented and the forms of participation discussed and showcased in the seminar together with other relevant information exchanged during the event will be collected on an Internet platform/publication that will serve as source of inspiration and information for youth workers and other stakeholders. There were several initiatives steered by different institutions tackling the topic of institutional participation and its connection to new forms of participation in democratic life. We can mention the “Get connected” TC on the online participation of young people that took place in Cyprus in 2013, “First stop: the European elections” study visit organized in Malta in 2014 and “Next stop: to vote or not to vote” seminar on electoral participation held in Brussels, Belgium in 2014, all steered by SALTO Participation in cooperation with Erasmus+ National Agencies. The Multilateral Cooperation project “Participation of young people in the democratic Europe” initiated by The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in Germany, “The Reflection Group on Youth Participation” steered by the Partnership between the European Commission and the Council of Europe in the field of youth and the “Hear my voice” conference organized by the German Erasmus+ National Agency and SALTO Participation in Brussels in 2014 are also significant events that looked at the participation of young people in democratic life from various angles. A set of concrete recommendations for policy and practice aiming to “Amplify participation of young people in Europe”[2] resulted from the last 3 initiatives which will feed into this seminar.
- Enrich the understanding of the new forms of participation of young people in democratic life by taking into account the social, political and economic contexts they occur in; - Reflect on the learning process and skills that young people need to get involved in political and civic life; - Assess the opportunities and challenges of the new forms of participation; - Reflect on the role of youth work and the “Erasmus+: Youth in action” programme in supporting young people’s preferred ways of participation; - Stimulate and reinforce the co-operation and exchange of practices and information among participants having different professional backgrounds and experiences of participation.
The seminar will be based on non-formal learning approaches encouraging the active involvement of participants, giving them space to take an active role, express themselves and share good examples of practice. The discussions will be informed by evidence-based research findings and policy documents.
The seminar will take place in Cyprus from 28 September to 3 October 2015.
The participants will be practitioners (youth workers, youth leaders, trainers, activists etc.), youth researchers and policy-makers. We will have 30 participants.
[1] http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/youth/tools/documents/lse_study_on_youth_participation_2013.pdf [2] https://www.salto-youth.net/downloads/4-17-3048/Amplify%20Participation%20-%20Recommendations.pdf Requested trainer profile
We are looking for a facilitator who:
Working conditions
Responsibilities of the facilitator
Fee: - 3 360 EUR (280 EUR per day – 5 days of seminar + 7 days of preparation, evaluation and contribution to the Internet platform/publication). NB! An extra fee can be paid if the facilitator contributes substantially to the Internet platform/publication. Travel and accommodation Travel and accommodation-related expenditures for the preparatory meeting and the seminar will be fully covered by the organizers. Team composition
This seminar is funded by the “Erasmus+ Youth in action” programme. It is co-organised by the Cypriot, Greek, British, Italian, Swedish, Maltese and Hungarian “Erasmus+ Youth in action” National Agencies, in collaboration with the SALTO-YOUTH Participation resource centre. The Partnership between the European Commission and the Council of Europe in the field of youth supports this event. Application & selection procedure
Apply no later than: 01/05/2015
To submit your application, please send your CV (max 2 pages) including 2 references relevant for this seminar that might be contacted. A proposal of the programme outline also needs to be submitted. Please note that Skype/phone interviews might be conducted with shortlisted applicants. The applications should be sent to Raluca Diroescu at raluca@salto-youth.net no later than 1 May 2015. The selection will be finalized by the beginning of May. For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Raluca Diroescu (phone: +32 (0) 2 227 52 82). You will be informed about the selection by: 05/05/2015For more information
Raluca Diroescu, Project Manager, SALTO-YOUTH Participation Disclaimer
SALTO received this call via its website and is not responsible for its contents. Please contact the organiser directly for more information. Please notify of any feedback regarding the call for trainer system.
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