Setting Sail for Strategic International Youth Work

Let’s be honest: getting involved in European activities can be incredibly rewarding and fun—but it also comes with challenges. From building visibility and recognition, to finding the time, convincing your team or board of the added value, aligning it with your organisation’s mission, and balancing it with your local work… it’s not always easy.

Do any of these challenges sound familiar?  Have you ever felt like you’re the only one advocating for the international dimension in your organisation? Are you motivated to shape your organisation’s strategy and strengthen its European outlook?

Then come aboard and set sail with us. Join us for a 3 day training in Ostend, a vibrant city by the North Sea in Belgium.

Aim

The aim of this training is to support youth work organisations in embedding internationalisation into their structures and practices by making strategic use of European programme opportunities for their organisational development. 

Objectives

During this training, participants will engage in practical reflection and receive support and inspiration to design ways of using European programmes strategically within their organisation.

Participants will: 

• Reflect on how internationalization can be embedded in youth work strategies 
• Share practices and challenges from different national contexts 
• Explore how the tool ‘Land inSight’ can be used in strategic discussions
• Discover other tools and approaches for international growth
• Design an action plan to apply in their own organisation 

For whom? 

This training focuses on strengthening organisational capacity. Participants should be familiar with the mission, vision, and strategy of their organisation, and have the ability to influence its (strategic) planning.

We welcome coordinators, board members, staff members, and active volunteers. Participants are encouraged to apply in pairs (for example, together with a colleague, volunteer, or relevant partner) to maximise the impact of the training.

Participants should be comfortable using English as a working language in order to communicate effectively during sessions and group work.