Intercultural sensitivity is all around

Themes of the Training course: Nowadays interculturality is part of our everyday life and work. People who work with young people face with several challenges to be in a situation which based on cultural background and they don’t know how to react or don’t understand why they react how they react. Ambiguity is everywhere, among young people and between young person and youth worker. It is essential nowadays to develop and improve our intercultural competence with emphasis on intercultural sensitiveness because we don’t have to travel to an other country to face with different culture, different cultures come to us, different cultures are around us. That is a really positive change nevertheless we have to learn to handle our fears and learn to understand, tolerate and accept each other and to learn to live together. Youth workers have to be prepared for that and provide support for young people they work with to become interculturally sensitive for each other and go through the phases of intercultural sensitiveness and understand their and others’ reactions. Milton J. Bennett made a fantastic theory called Developmental model of intercultural sensitiveness which can be used in youth work and put it in practice in everyday lives and work of youth workers. The academic model can be adapted to youth work activities which gives opportunity for youth workers to support young people to understand each other and improve their abilities to function together even they represent a Muslim and a Jewish family. The overall aim of the Training course is to train youth workers, youth leaders, teachers, social workers, etc. on use the Milton J. Bennett model in their daily work and lives in order to improve their intercultural competence to work with different target groups e.g. minorities, immigrants, Roma young people, etc. 8 phases of the model have to be understood by youth workers and share methods, tools and techniques how they can support young people from different cultural background to reach the certain phase or go forward to the next phase in local level then invent new youth projects e.g. youth exchanges, EVS and trainings in order to improve intercultural competences of young people in European level according to the proposals of Erasmus +. Learning objectives of the Training course are: - Getting acquainted with the theory of Milton J. Bennett: Developmental model of intercultural sensitiveness; - Develop and improve intercultural competence through the model as recognising phases of the model: Ambiguity; Getting to know other culture; Understand other culture; Tolerance of differences; Acceptance of differences; Appreciation of diversity; Adaptation; Ability to function in other culture. - How this theory can be used in practice in the daily lives and daily work with young people with fewer opportunities of youth workers, youth leaders, teachers, social workers, etc. - Invent new Key Action 1 Mobility projects for young people and youth workers as youth exchanges and EVS for young people, trainings for youth workers on intercultural sensitiveness according to the proposals of Erasmus + Programme. The methodology of the Training course: The training course will be learner-centred because first of all the people who work with young people having different cultural backgrounds have to be aware that how sensitive they are interculturally and how much they need to improve their intercultural competence. So an experienced trainer team will prepare participatory and creative methods of non – formal education through the phases of the model of Milton J. Bennett and youth workers can through all phases and make self – assessment regarding to their own intercultural competence with special focus on intercultural sensitiveness. Meanwhile they have to consider how they can support their target groups to go through these phases in their lives as well and share, exchange and invent methods, tools and techniques to develop and improve to reach or go further from the certain phase. Therefore, the training course will be theoretical and practical. Theoretical part will be the self – assessment part regarding to own intercultural sensitiveness of participants based on the Model. Practical part will be to share, exchanges and explore methods, tools and techniques to support young people with different cultural background to go through the phases. Then invent international youth projects to experience interculturality in European level. The whole training course is aimed at putting the Developmental model of intercultural sensitiveness into local and European youth work practice. The methodological flow of the project: - Get to know the Developmental model of intercultural sensitiveness made by Milton J. Bennett; - To adapt the academic model to youth work reality through self –assessment and dialogue space; - Go through the 8 phases of the model: Ambiguity; Getting to know other culture; Understand other culture; Tolerance of differences; Acceptance of differences; Appreciation of diversity; Adaptation; Ability to function in other culture and share, exchange and explore methods, tools and techniques how they can be used by with and for young people with different cultural backgrounds; - Invent new youth projects as youth exchanges, EVS and training supported by Key Action 1 Mobility projects for young people and youth workers according to the proposals of Erasmus + Who can participate in the Training course?: - At least 18 years old and there is no upper age limit! - Youth workers, youth leaders, teachers, social workers, etc. who are directly working with young people who are having different cultural backgrounds; - Having youth work experiences; - Ready to take part in the whole training course; - Have organizational support for further youth activities; - To be able to communicate English. Eligible countries: Italy, Hungary, Finland, Turkey, Spain, Romania, Greece, Malta, France, Croatia