TC “Empowering Diversity: Understanding social inclusion and organising non-formal educational activities for inclusion”

Young people with fewer opportunities and young people with disabilities are often missing crucial support, such as adequate minimum income schemes and services/guidance, in many areas of their lives where they are discriminated against or are feeling excluded (participation in education and extra-curricular activities, health care, transport, housing or employment).

Youth workers are in the role of educators but are missing a crucial understanding of the backgrounds of young people with disabilities and young people with fewer opportunities. This is especially true for youth workers who are newcomers to the sector.

This training course is developed to provide knowledge and understanding for new youth workers in the sector about the different obstacles young people with disabilities and those with fewer opportunities face. Furthermore, training course contributes to overcoming the challenges and ensuring inclusion. It will result in youth workers developing educational activities considering the specifics of working with different target groups of youngsters with fewer opportunities and disabilities.

The training course is developed in line with the Youth Goal 3: Inclusive Societies and contributes to:

• Strengthening outreach of information to marginalised young people, to ensure they are aware of spaces, opportunities and experiences available to them.

• Ensuring that all marginalised young people have equal access to formal and non-formal learning environments, addressing all the dimensions of inclusion.

• Strengthening the capacities of educators to work with marginalised young people.

• Providing more spaces, opportunities, resources and programmes to foster dialogue and social cohesion, and combat discrimination and segregation.

The training course will be based on non-formal education and learning-by-doing methods. The first days of the training are dedicated to getting to know participants and team building, learning about the Erasmus+ program and Youthpass, understanding the realities of participating countries regarding youth work and inclusion, and understanding different disabilities and fewer opportunities young people face. Days 4 and 5 of the program focus on understanding perceptions of young people with fewer opportunities, the importance of feeling valued, and understanding the different skills young people possess. From day 6 until the end of the training course, participants will develop their knowledge and skills about non-formal educational approach to workshops, will develop their workshops, pilot them and receive feedback from the group.

By the end of the training course, participants are expected to raise their knowledge and skills about different forms of inclusion they can provide to participants with fewer opportunities and disabilities, learn the basics of a qualitative approach to the development of new workshops and educational activities on principles of NFE, and will develop their first workshops and educational activities for youngsters in their communities that have different abilities or are coming from a background with fewer opportunities.