Outdoor Challenges for Employability

General Description of the Project:
Outdoor Challenges for Employability develop disadvantaged youth key competences to support their employability. The 10 day program works with young people whom are socially disadvantaged and have little to no working experience. The program takes place in Transylvania, Romania, working with 20 young people and 5 group leaders from 5 different European countries. The program runs from 21-30.09.2019.

The topic of the project: Employability

The main goal of the project is to develop the employability among disadvantaged youngsters through outdoor challenges during a 10 day youth exchange.
To achieve this goal we will have the following objectives:
O1: To increase the self-confidence and to raise the awareness about their social skills and competences through experiential activities including a ropes course, overnight expedition and problem-solving outdoor activities. The result: Self-confident youngsters who are aware of their strengths and who are capable of applying to enter the labor market.
O2: To promote dialog between the participants and representatives of the business field by inviting 5 managers and HR experts to the youth exchange. The result: Well prepared youngsters who understand effective job seeking tactics and who have practice with interviewing.
O3: To boost the initiative spirit of the participants by offering them possibility in the frame of the 5 workshops to organize a short, topic related program for the rest of the group. With the help of these developments the youngsters will become more confident, braver in taking initiatives in their personal and professional life. The result: Braver youngsters, who wish to improve their life conditions and job prospects.
With the help of these developments the youngsters will find their right place in the labor market and in their communities and will become useful members of the society.

The methods: We utilize experiential and outdoor education to encourage self-guided and immersive learning. The participants will be exposed to new experiences, information, and people, while being provided with guidance and skill training. The program emphasizes responsibility and initiative; the youth are ultimately responsible for their results which are dependent on how deeply they choose to engage themselves. One thing is sure: the youth exchange is going to be one of the biggest experiences of their life!

Period of the Youth Exchange: 21-30.09.2019.

Location: Outward Bound International Youth Center in Sovata, Gurghiului Mountains, Romania

Target group: Young people between 18-25 years who have fewer opportunities, meaning they have no working experience and find it difficult to place themselves on the labor market. They are socially disadvantaged, some of them belong to the Romany minority. They have economical difficulties, because they are unemployed, coming from poor families. They can speak English at least at basic level.
Our intention is to bring together youngsters who recognize themselves in this situation, in order to create a playful environment for them where they will be encouraged to become aware of their own capabilities, to put their values into practice and to be inspired by themselves and the others.
The participants having different backgrounds can motivate each other, learn from each other, they will inevitably gain deeper understanding of themselves and one another, and can find their role in helping each other efficiently. During the whole program all youngsters can develop their key competences together, therefore they will be able to find their right place in the society and serve their own communities better.
The group leader from each country is aged 25+, is a good English speaker, who can help us with translation and in facilitation.

Program:
- Before the youth exchange: Each partner will be asked to organize some preparatory meetings where participants will be prepared for the program, traveling, meeting with new people and will prepare the cultural presentation of their country.
- During the youth exchange: knowing each other- and teambuilding activities, cultural presentations, ropes course, overnight expedition, meeting with experts in business field, discussions in order to ensure the processing of the experiences and the transfer of learning, initiatives of the youngsters (thematic workshops lead by the national groups).

Financial criteria:
-Visa cost, accommodation and food are covered 100% for the entire duration of the exchange.
-100% of the travel cost, till the maximum amount set by the EU, will be transferred to the partner organization after the youth exchange and the partner organization transfer the amount for the participants
-Special equipment needed for the expedition is provided by Outward Bound Romania

Expectations from partners:
-NGOs, who are interested in the topic of the project
-4 participants +1 group leader
-1 project coordinator (he/she doesn’t have to come to the exchange), who helps us in organizing the project

Contact:

KingaVajda
project manager
Tel: +40769224283
mail address: kinga@outwardbound.ro

Outward Bound Romania
Tel/fax. 0040-265-250939
outwardbound.ro
www.facebook.com/outwardbound.ro