"Towards Collaborative Practice": TCP Social Innovation Lab

This new TCP event will explore how youth work can respond to emerging societal challenges through social innovation and an entrepreneurial mindset. By bringing together key stakeholders, the event will explore trends in generational shifts, the changing world of work, and innovative approaches in youth work. 

After eight successful editions of the "Towards Collaborative Practice": TCP Forum and three inspiring "Towards Collaborative Practice" Study Visits held across Sweden, Italy, UK, Hungary, Spain, Cyprus, Greece and Israel, this will be the first TCP event hosted in the Western Balkans.

More information about the past "Towards Collaborative Practice" activities: 

TCP Community Facebook page 

TCP Spain Highlight Video

TCP Hungary Highlight Video
 

Empowering organisations for social innovation and impact

The event will serve as a dynamic platform for the participants to explore social innovation, showcase inspiring initiatives, and gain practical tools to address current societal challenges relevant to contemporary young people. Further on, it provides opportunities to develop new strategies for youth work development and foster future collaboration between the participants, namely within the Erasmus+ Programme, to generate meaningful impact. The programme consists of keynote speeches, workshops, and field visits, zooming in on how organisations can adapt, remain relevant, and effectively connect with their target groups.

Aim of the event:

The aim of this event is to foster connections, inspire action, and equip participants and organisations with valuable practices to step beyond their comfort zones and innovate within the youth work sector. 

General objectives of the TCP events:

• Provide an opportunity for networking and sharing ideas, tools, methods, challenges and good practices to promote employability and entrepreneurship, especially in marginalized communities
• Highlight the role of social innovation, social entrepreneurship and non-formal learning to encourage and enable young people to sustain their entrepreneurship competences
• Encourage creativity, innovation, participation, solidarity, diversity and social inclusion of young people
• Provide information on Erasmus+ and other relevant opportunities to boost employability and entrepreneurship

Specific objectives of this TCP event:

• Provide visibility for, and increase the understanding of the concept of social innovation and its role in social inclusion processes in youth work
• Reflect on the realities and current challenges of organisations and actors involved in youth work, and take steps towards new and innovative strategies and action
• Share knowledge and practical experiences showcasing how social innovation can address societal challenges
• Inspire participants to create new collaborations/networks and/or entrepreneurial initiatives that address current societal issues relevant for the young people

Youth@Work Partnership:

The event is organised under the Youth@Work Strategic Partnership on youth employability and entrepreneurship of Erasmus+ National Agencies and SALTO Resource Centres. The TCP event is part of the Youth@Work Partnership, alongside other projects tackling youth employability and entrepreneurship, organised by the twelve member Erasmus+ National Agencies and SALTO Resource Centres. More about Youth@Work is available at www.youthatworkpartnership.org and @YouthatWorkPartnership (in Facebook).

Profile of participants

The activity gathers 40 participants from Erasmus+ Programme countries, Eastern Partnership, Southern Mediterranean and Western Balkan countries, with the following professional backgrounds: practitioners from civil society sector, governmental bodies, academia, entrepreneurs, media, schools, business sector connected to the topic of the activity (fostering employability, social entrepreneurship and social innovation in youth work and Erasmus+ Programme).

Safety and accessibility

The venue of the event and the activities are accessible to everyone; the evening programmes are optional. In this event, the partners and organisers follow the principles of safe space, striving to ensure that everyone is met as their own self and that no one has to fear discrimination or harassment. The participants are expected to respect the same principle.