TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Christina Demetriades
The EuroMed Youth Forum entitled “Sustainable Participation and Active Citizenship”, took place
in Larnaca, Cyprus between 18-22 April 2018. The EuroMed Youth Forum was co-organised by the
National Agencies of Cyprus, Italy, Portugal, and Greece, SALTO YOUTH EuroMed and Good
Practices Resource Centre, Larnaca Municipality, Europe Direct Larnaca and the European
Parliament Office in Cyprus. The organizers had the vision of bringing together people from
different countries across Europe and the South Mediterranean in order to meet, to exchange
valuable information regarding their realities back home, to share best practices and tools, as well
as the current challenges that they face and their hopes for the future. Forty-eight (48)
participants, either young people themselves or individuals working with young people, gathered
at the EuroMed Youth Forum to plant seeds for co-creating a common future together.
The Forum highlighted practices and tools that support young people so that they can actively partake in their communities.
Objectives of the Forum:
● Contributing to a better understanding of participation and active citizenship in the Programme and South-Mediterranean countries; ● Motivating young people to take an active role in their communities; ● Promoting the value of cooperation in the EuroMed area; ● Raising awareness of the key competences for and through participation; ● Fostering collaboration among different players present at the Forum. The Forum will also be an opportunity to address questions on youth participation through connecting the theoretical part with the participants’ local realities.
The three Trainers, of whom I was one, were from Cyprus (myself), Greece, and Palestine.
The organizing team had representatives of all the organizers; they came from various countries: Cyprus, Italy, Greece, France, Portugal, Romania, Palestine.
The 48 participants came from various countries across Europe and the south of the Mediterranean sea: Cyprus, Italy, Greece, Palestine, Norway, Egypt, Lebanon, Spain, Agleria, Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco.
Participant Profile
Participants were at least 18 years of age and:
● came from Programme and South-Mediterranean countries;
● were youth workers/youth leaders (or young people) interested in being active in their communities;
● were representatives of civil society, youth organisations and sports clubs working with young people;
● were representatives of local authorities, especially those who work on improving citizenship education;
● were representatives of educational institutions interested in developing youth participation and active citizenship.
Methodology The Forum lasted 3 full days, from 18 (arrival day) to 22 (departure day) of April 2018, with 48 participants. The Forum’s methodology was based on the non-formal learning approach (i.e. collective learning, group and panel discussions, showcases, inputs from experts and policy makers) and offered the opportunity to participants, through various activities but also workshops that they themselves led, to share their practices, tools, experiences, and relevant resources. A group of 60 Junior Ambassadors, young students from Cyprus participating at the European Parliament Ambassador School programme, participated on the 2nd day of the Forum.
Participants left the Forum with a better understanding of participation and active citizenship in European and South Mediterranean countries; that they took valuable lessons and tools with them so as to be ready to go back to your communities and motivate young people to take an active role; that they value in both theory and practice the value
of cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean area and that they have taken a first step towards
making this cooperation real. Gratitude was expressed to all participants for their presence, their
time, their commitment to be present at this first ‘EuroMed Youth Forum’ and to bring about
positive change through fruitful collaborations with each other.
The ‘EuroMed Youth Forum’ confirmed to all the importance of asserting our rights, of
growing, and of guiding others into co-creating a Euro-mediterranean reality that is more peaceful,
more just and fair, more balanced.
I was one of three Facilitators; I was the only Facilitator living in Cyprus and this influenced some of my tasks. My responsibilities within the team were to design the sessions, communicate and prepare (coach) guest speakers who lived in Cyprus, deliver sessions, facilitate sessions - especially the 'big' session which involved Members of the European Parliament and Academicians along with 120 teen Ambassadors of the European Parliament, support participants in delivering their own workshops, problem-solving during the Forum, evaluating the Forum and drafting a final report.