Beyond Borders

Support systems for young people facing fewer opportunities due to a transition they go through- whether due to migration, geographic isolation, disability or health barriers, or economic disadvantage - are mainly focused on practical and administrative support: permits, procedures, accommodations, financial aid. What is often missing is support for inclusion, identity and belonging: helping a young person understand who they are within a new system they step into.
This gap leaves many young people feeling invisible, reduced to a label or a case file, and disconnected - even when their practical needs are formally met. Left unaddressed, this often results in counterproductive behaviors: withdrawal, disengagement, conflict with the systems meant to support them, or complete detachment from opportunities available to them.
Target Group
TG1 - Direct participants (training course):
Youth workers, mentors, and volunteers who work with young people facing fewer opportunities.
TG2 - Final beneficiaries (indirect, through TG1's future work):
Young people (18–30) facing barriers to full participation in society, including:
- Migrants navigating a new country - new language, systems, and culture
- Young people from a rural or isolated area entering an urban education or job system
- Young people with a disability or health condition, navigating systems built for the "default" person
- Young people from an economically disadvantaged background, entering new spaces (university, workplace)
Though the barriers differ, the pattern is shared: a mismatch between who the person is and the environment/system around them - often resulting in invisibility, being reduced to a category, or difficulty being heard.
Objective
Equip youth workers and facilitators with practical guiding tools to support the identity, belonging, and psychological adaptation of young people facing fewer opportunities – complementing existing practical/administrative support.
Core Methods
• Coaching (the inner work) - helping individuals define their own direction and sense of self in a new context -> coaching attitude, tools, techniques
• Non-Violent Communication (the relational work )– navigating cross-cultural misunderstandings and expressing needs without conflict -> NVC base, models
• Storytelling & narrative methods (the integrative work)– processing the migration journey and building empathy between newcomers and host communities -> tools, techniques
• Peer support systems – connecting young people with peers who have navigated similar barriers
• Identity mapping - distinguishing non-negotiable vs. adaptable parts of one's identity within a new or challenging context
Layered methodology: youth workers rarely use just one method in the field. A toolkit that includes coaching (individual guidance), NVC (communication), and storytelling (processing/narrative) mirrors how support actually happens in practice.
Days: 8 days TC
Potential date: October-November 2027
Participants: 3-4/organization
Facilitators: 3