Journey to My Purpose

This training course, "Journey to My Purpose" (JOUMY), offers a comprehensive program developed by youth workers for youth workers. The initiative is designed to address specific professional development goals through a dual approach: enhancing personal skills and providing practical resources applicable to daily work with diverse target groups.

The project aims to achieve several key objectives, focusing on self-knowledge as a foundational element for professional efficacy. Participants will be encouraged to:

• Utilize self-knowledge to identify their intelligences, interests, passions, and strengths, recognizing these as valuable assets for societal contribution.
• Acquire methodologies to support young people in managing feelings of uncertainty, lack of goals, or diminished motivation.
• Cultivate empathy towards the challenges faced by young individuals when navigating educational and career transitions.
• Engage in professional exchange, sharing practices and experiences with peers in the field.
• Obtain tools for informed decision-making, integrating specific techniques with self-knowledge to facilitate conscious choices.
• Strengthen their capacity to guide young people in building lives aligned with their values and needs, fostering proactive engagement and self-direction.
• Develop emotional intelligence competencies to promote harmonious relationships both personally and within communities.
• Foster self-compassion and self-love, enhancing professional and personal growth by acknowledging individual potential.
• Learn and exchange strategies for improving personal self-care practices.
• Gain specific tools for effective time management and task prioritization.
• Appreciate the significance of action planning for achieving objectives, and learn practical methods for its formulation.
• Practice networking to expand professional connections.
• Enhance skills such as creativity, adaptability, and the ability to manage setbacks.
• Contribute to the establishment of an international network for youth professionals and young people.
• Promote exchange and understanding of diverse cultures and perspectives.
• Seek inspiration from the career paths and choices of other professionals.

The overarching goal is to empower young people to recognize and value their innate talents, thereby enabling them to construct purposeful lives. This, in turn, is expected to foster an appreciation for diversity and facilitate the identification of employment opportunities aligned with their inherent value.

The proposed Professional Development Activity (PDA) is structured as a Training Course designed to support the enhancement of competencies required for high-quality youth work practices. A primary objective is to explore and implement innovative non-formal education methods for mentoring and guiding young individuals towards fulfilling careers and life paths that resonate with their talents and purpose.

This course, titled "Journey to My Purpose," will convene 18 youth workers, including trainers, from six participating organizations. Over an 6-day period, participants will engage in non-formal education methods and develop competencies in supporting young people to discover and plan their future steps. Additionally, they will acquire practical methods and tools applicable within their respective organizations and local contexts.

Participants in this project represent a diverse range of organizations, including those with experience in supporting young people who experience a lack of direction, as well as those seeking to incorporate Erasmus+ opportunities. Specifically, the group will include teachers/educators, youth workers, local volunteers from participating organizations, and individuals with limited or no prior experience in Erasmus+ projects.