Cherry on the cake - youth exchange in the context of a long term work with groups of young people

If you have already led a Youth Exchange -at least once- you probably know that it can be a life-changing experience for the participating young people. Not only that, organising a Youth Exchange with partners from other countries has the potential to upgrade your local youth work practice, and take it to the “next level”.

With Cherry on the cake 2020 we would like to offer you a special journey. An opportunity to discover long term work with groups as first hand experience. With focus on preparatory phase and follow-up activities, which will be implemented to support training course. The whole process is designed as holistic approach to youth exchanges and it can also offer a simulation of phases in youth exchanges.

Training course Cherry on the cake will be held online and consists of 3 phases: (see detailed description in downloaded file)

1. Preparatory activities

Kick-off meeting and 3 further meetings (6., 8., 15. and 27. 10. 2020) with individual and group work in between. 

2. Training course

3. - 5. 11.2020

3. Follow up activities 

Tuesday, 17.11. and 1.12.2020

AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of the training course is to deepen the understanding of the potential and possibilities of a Youth Exchange as a tool for non-formal learning in long-term work with young people.

The training concept has been developed as a means for systematic support for organisations working with young people from Erasmus+ Programme Countries and the West Balkan region, who already have the basic understanding and experience in Youth Exchanges. The TC is also an opportunity for contact making and partnership building.

The course has been developed by the SI NA and SALTO SEE RC and has been running on a yearly basis since 2012, each year being revised and improved.

Objectives of the programme are to:

• Explore the use of digital tools in a meaningful way in different phases of a Youth Exchange.
• Explore the potential of Youth Exchanges for motivation, learning and empowerment in long term work with young people.
• Identify the challenges of international setting a Youth Exchange brings and reflect on how to approach them.
• Increase the participants’ understanding of the importance of involving young people in all phases of a Youth Exchange and the tailoring it according to their needs.
• Online activity will focus on several aspects of this objective: 
  a.support the involvement of young people from local level activities to international setting
  b.specific challenges of local/international youth work in current reality (post COVID out break situation);  
  c.the unclear modality of youth exchanges in next generation of Youth Programme; 
• Increase the participants’ understanding of the role of a Youth Leader in all phases of a Youth Exchange. 
• Develop participants’ competences to recognise the potential for learning in all phases of a Youth Exchange and support the learning processes of everyone involved. 

TARGET GROUP

The training course aims to bring together 20 participants from the Erasmus+ Programme Countries and the Western Balkan Partner Countries who:

• Work with young people on a regular basis (youth workers, youth leaders…);
• Have implemented at least one Youth Exchange within the Erasmus+ Programme as a youth leader;
• Are ready for long term commitment to this Training course;
• Are interested in leading Youth Exchanges in the future and build quality partnership;
• Are interested in integrating digital approaches and tools in their work with young people in Youth Exchanges;
• Are capable of working in English;
• Are at least 18 years old.

The training course will be run by two trainers with extensive experience in the field.

IMPORTANT: We are carefully following the development of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. The activity will be implemented in accordance with the rules and guidelines of the Slovenian health authorities and with all required safety measures and adjustments. In case the epidemiological situation worsens, the activity will be carried out online with adjusted content and duration. Participants will be informed about any changes in due time. We invite you to check the information on the safety of your European travel by using the interactive tool Re-open EU.