Action4YouthPass - The validation and recognition of Non-Formal learning

Ciessevi Milano and AVIS Lombardia are looking for partners for an International Seminar on the use and promotion of the YouthPass certification, in the framework of the "Youth in Action Program" (YiA) - Action 4.3 Training and Networking of those active in youth work and youth organizations.

Application deadline:
June 1st, 2011
Date:
October or November 2011
Venue:
Milan
Seminar duration:
6 days (2 days for the journey, 4 activities days)
Eligible Participants:
No age limitation

Coordinating Organisations:

AVIS (Associazione Volontari Italiani Sangue)
AVIS is an Italian, private and non-profit association which aims at providing blood to respond to all the patient’s needs. AVIS is now the largest association of blood volunteers in Italy, with over one million members, and its actions include blood collect (it provides 79% of the national blood needs each year), awareness-raising and the promotion of anonymous, volunteer, free and responsible blood donation and believe in the principle of non discrimination (sexual, racial, political or religious).
The regional structure of the association in Lombardy is "AVIS Regionale Lombardia": it coordinates all the local and Provincial AVIS and represents all the donators in the region. Regional AVIS is the structure that represents a link between active voluntary work and health institutions.

CIESSEVI (Centro di servizio per il volontariato per la provincia di Milano)
CIESSEVI is the Volunteer Support Centre in Milan and its territory, which aims to support and qualify volunteering activity (National Law 266/91, art. 15). CIESSEVI is a member of CSVnet – the National Coordinating Body of Volunteer Support Centres, representing 72 members all over Italy.
CIESSEVI promotes solidarity, active citizenship, subsidiarity, civil and social rights, inclusion and social cohesion, through capacity building and social networking between citizens who want to volunteer, businesses and educational and cultural entities, also on an international scale. CIESSEVI plays its role of Support Centre by listening to the needs of volunteering organisations and offering several services like consulting, training, information, logistic support and events organisation.

Applicant Partners/Promoters:
At least 9 partners/Promoters showing a genuine interest in the topic of the Seminar, coming from different Programme Countries (of which at least one is from an EU country).

Number of Participants:
Maximum 20 participants (including trainers and facilitators): youth workers, youth projects' leaders/supervisors/advisors, representing each promoter and other organisations leading YiA projects and coming from different countries and backgrounds. The participants will attend the Seminar, ensure the visibility of the project and the dissemination of its results through their national and international networks.

Context
Sub-action 4.3 activities aim to support the capacity-building and the exchange of experiences, expertise and good practice between YiA project leaders, youth advisers and supervisors. See http://ec.europa.eu/youth/youth-in-action-programme/doc/how_to_participate/programme_guide_11/guide_en.pdf

Project objectives
The general objective of this Seminar is to improve the recognition and validation of non-formal learning through the YiA program and, more specifically, through European Voluntary Service (EVS) projects. The main instrument used for this purpose is the YouthPass certification, which describes and validates the informal learning experience and outcomes acquired during the project. The Seminar will aim to share of experiences to understand how to address public authorities to be sure these tools are recognized by them.
The Seminar will mainly focus therefore on the correct use and effective promotion of the YouthPass in the evaluation phase of EVS projects. The need to improve the participants' awareness about this topic is due from the general scarce consideration of the YouthPass importance, deriving from the difficulty to make the learning that undoubtedly occurs in youth work more explicit. Moreover, many actors involved in YiA projects do not understand the importance of the project evaluation and follow-up phase, and the multifaceted competencies acquired by EVS volunteers are not enough emphasized through this instrument. Finally, the YouthPass importance is scarcely recognised by European professional organisations and employers. EVS volunteers are particularly affected by this situation, as they acquired many useful competences during the project - listed in the YouthPass - but they can't effectively use this document for their job search. This situation has therefore to be addressed in a comprehensive way, especially if we consider the YiA annual priority of tackling young unemployment.
In order to convince other actors to use the results of this Seminar in other contexts, a first version of a "YouthPass toolkit" (a practical instrument for partner organisations which will be published and distributed at European level after one year) will be drafted on the basis of the outcomes of this project. All participants to this activity are entitled to receive a YouthPass certificate, which can be even more useful considering the project's theme.

Structure of the Seminar:
Non-formal learning is the main feature of the YiA programme: its principles and practice should be reflected throughout the project, so that the Seminar will consist of a variety of working methods (workshops, role plays, round-tables, etc.), in order to stimulate the participants' active involvement and to address their different needs. We will invite trainers from CEMEA (CENTRI DI ESERCITAZIONE AI METODI DELL'EDUCAZIONE ATTIVA) organization, as the trainers working there are high-level specialists with individual working methods and proficiency of English and Italian languages. The program of the seminar is as follows:

Arrival of participants and introduction
Day 1 and 2:
- presentation of participants and best practices exchange (What is our institutional framework? What did we do to make skills recognition real in our country ? Who we involved in our initiatives?)
Day 3:
- This day will be dedicated to the production of a paper about what exists, how is important to make initiatives, how the way is long again to make non-formal learning skills recognized. This paper will be introduced during the round table of the last day.

Day 4:
- roundtable with public administration, profit organizations, universities, etc.
Departure

The aim of roundtable is to create a particular lobby with institutions mentioned above in order to increase awareness about Youthpass and its applications particularly among that target group.

We are looking for partners who would like to share with us their experience and participate in this project.

If you are interested, don't hesitate to contact us!