International Countryside

Do you want to meet other youth workers from countryside, villages, rural centres and small towns, where distances, human resources and size of the organisation can cause challenges for international youth projects?

We know that international youth work can be done in in villages and small towns, regardless of the challenges. We also know the impact of these projects can be much larger in small places than large cities.

Participants from rural places

Do you carry out regular youth work or youth activities in a rural setting? If you are working in a public or non-governmental organisation in a small rural town, in a village or in a coutryside centre, you can benefit from this study visit.

You should be over 18 and and your role in the organisation should be active - maybe you organise regular activities directly to the young people in your organisation or you want to develope your organisation towards international projects.

It does not matter, if you have never organised an international youth activity. This can be your step into the European projects. If you have experiences, you should be curious to explore new ways in working in projects.

Developing Countryside with LEADER?

Many Leader LAGs in rural areas are waking up to the needs of the young people in their region. On this study visit, you will have a look how Kuudestaan NGO, a Leader LAG who has developed their work towards young people and youth work. They also acquired the KA1 Accreditation through which they help their rural area to become more international. Participants representing other Leader LAGs who work with young people or plan to start it are welcome to apply.

Being rural means being rural

If you are from a big city and  or you represent a university student organisations organising activities for other students in your university town, we will not prioritise your application. If you are a volunteer in your organisation, your role should be relevant in the planning and implementation of the organisation's activities.

Practices from Western Finland

We will look at the cooperation of actors in a Finnish regions of Pirkanmaa, Southern Ostrobothnia and Ostrobothnia in the Western Finland. During the study visit you will see how international activities are organised in small towns and villages, sometimes with a help of a larger organisation.

You will meet young people who have been part of international projects, see how projects have been carried out in small places and explore what kind of benefits of regional cooperation gives.

Objectives:

• compare realities of rural areas in different parts of Europe
• understand how international youth projects can be done in the rural areas
• see examples of projects and working ways
• find partners for future projects
• explore the opportunities of EU's youth programmes (Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps) in rural settings

Our main focus will be on international youth exchanges, volunteering projects and youth worker mobility projects. You will have a short introduction to KA1 Accreditation throught the example of Kuudestaan NGO.

Municipal youth work and NGOs

We will make visits to neighboring small towns and villages and meet young people and youth workers who are planning a project, waiting for it to start or have finished one. Some of the organisations are public municipal structures, some are non governmental, but all are active in youth work.

Practicalities

Arrivals on Monday Nov 22, three full working days, departure on Friday Nov 26. More detailed information will be provided to the selected participants.

The accommodation will be organised by Youth Centre Marttinen at Virrat

Participants will be accommodated in single rooms around larger common areas in the house.

Participants from all over Europe

The call is open for all Erasmus+ Programme Countries, however, the following countries have signed up as partners and therefore we will prioritise applicants from Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, France, Italy, Ireland and Cyprus.

If you are from some other country, you can apply, but your country may not have reserved money for sending participants to this activity. If you want to know how the travel costs are covered or if your country is sending participants, you have to contact the national agency in your own country.

Training Activities during the Pandemic

The activity is planned to be residentially hosted. In case the COVID-19 situation prevails and prevents travelling, the organiser reserves the right to cancel the residential activity.

The organisers will ensure that safety and hygienic measures needed in relation to Covid-19 are in place during the activity. All participants will be accommodated in single rooms. In activities we use face masks and safety distance, or the safety guidelines which are valid at the time of the event.

The organiser will follow and apply all COVID-19 health and safety guidelines by the Finnish government, health officials and regional government, which are valid by the time of the seminar.

In order to travel, all selected participants will need to be able to show the European digital corona certificate (EUDCC) or show negative test results of COVID-19 tests when leaving home country and entering Finland. More detailed information about the travel guidelines will be provided to the selected participants closer to the event.

The rules about entering Finland will be updated on the Finnish Border Guard website.

More information about travelling to Finland in case you do not have the European digital corona certificate can be found on the webpage of the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

General information about travelling in Europe can be found from the EU's Reopen EU website, but please be aware that the information may be outdated, because updating the website is slow.