Creating Youth Spaces that Connect, Inform & Empower

DESCRIPTION OF THE TRAINING COURSE

Creating activities for young people is easy. Creating learning spaces where they feel safe, think critically and take action is much more challenging.

Every day, youth workers facilitate learning experiences, yet many struggle to intentionally design environments that build trust, encourage meaningful dialogue and transform participation into real ownership and community action.

So how can we intentionally create youth spaces that truly Connect, Inform and Empower?

"Creating Youth Spaces that Connect, Inform & Empower" is a 7-day Erasmus+ training course bringing together 20 youth workers from across Europe to explore a practical framework for designing meaningful non-formal learning experiences.

Through experiential learning, participant-led facilitation, practical workshops and peer exchange, participants will discover how to create psychologically safe learning environments, facilitate Media and Information Literacy and reflective dialogue, and design participatory learning experiences that promote youth leadership and community action.

Throughout the training, participants will exchange good practices, test and refine facilitation methods, and contribute to the development of a practical youth work resource that can be transferred into their everyday youth work practice.

AIM

To strengthen youth workers' competences to design psychologically safe and inclusive learning environments, facilitate meaningful learning through Media and Information Literacy and reflective dialogue, and empower young people through participatory non-formal education and community action, contributing to EU Youth Goals 1, 4 and 9.

OBJECTIVES

O1: Equip youth workers with practical approaches to designing psychologically safe, inclusive and participatory learning environments that foster trust, belonging and active participation.

O2: Develop youth workers' competences in facilitating meaningful learning through Media and Information Literacy, dialogue facilitation, critical questioning and reflective debriefing.

O3: Enable youth workers to design participatory learning experiences that promote youth leadership, shared ownership and community action.

TARGET GROUP

• This training course is designed for youth workers, trainers, facilitators, youth leaders, project coordinators and volunteers from European Union Member States and countries associated with the Erasmus+ programme
• Whether you are already experienced or just starting your journey in youth work, this training is for those who want to strengthen their facilitation competences, create meaningful learning experiences and empower young people through participatory non-formal education.
• Participants should be actively involved—or motivated to become involved—in youth work, youth organisations or Erasmus+ projects, and ready to actively contribute to an international learning environment.

ACTIVITIES

Day 1 – Building the Learning Community
Getting to know each other, creating a psychologically safe learning environment, setting expectations and introducing the Connect–Inform–Empower Framework.

Day 2 – Creating Spaces that Connect
Designing inclusive learning environments through intentional learning design, group dynamics and participation.

Day 3 – Facilitating Learning that Informs
Exploring Media and Information Literacy, dialogue facilitation, critical questioning and reflective debriefing.

Day 4 – Learning from Practice
Study visit exploring youth participation and inclusion, followed by observation, reflection and group discussions.

Day 5 – Designing Learning that Empowers
Creating participatory learning experiences that promote youth leadership, shared ownership and community action.

Day 6 – From Ideas to Practice
Participant-led workshops, peer feedback and collaborative development of the final youth work resource.

Day 7 – Learning Transfer & Future Action
Evaluation, Youthpass, dissemination planning and transferring learning into future youth work practice.

WHAT TO EXPECT

We learn through practice.

This training is built on experiential learning, combining practical workshops, simulations, participant-led facilitation, peer learning, a study visit and structured reflection. Rather than simply discussing methods, participants will test them, receive feedback and explore how to transfer them into their own youth work practice.

The learning journey follows three interconnected stages:

CONNECT – Designing psychologically safe, inclusive and participatory learning environments.

INFORM – Facilitating meaningful learning through Media and Information Literacy, dialogue and reflective practice.

EMPOWER – Designing participatory learning experiences that promote youth leadership, shared ownership and community action.

By the end of the training, participants will leave with practical methods, fresh inspiration, new professional connections and concrete tools they can immediately apply in their own youth work.