TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Aleksej Stepanov
The project line “European Citizen – Where are you?” was opened with a first seminar in autumn 2008. Young adults from more than 15 European countries met between 11th – 19th of September 2008 in the heart of Germany, in the “Youth and adult education centre – Marcel Callo”, Heilbad Heiligenstadt for the seminar “European Citizen – Where are you?”, implemented by CGE Erfurt e.V. and its international partners. The seminar was aimed to discuss with the representatives of the partner organizations the themes “European Citizenship” and “active participation of youth”. First of all an exchange took place about what “Citizenship” means and following what needs such an “active Citizenship” – on national and European level. The discussion of cultural differences and similarities among youth in Europe was leading to the question for the reasons of an existing or diffuse identification with the Union and its reasons. Starting from these results it was aimed to discuss with the participants opportunities for institutional and non-institutional active participation as well as to share methods how to spread these opportunities among youth in Europe.
The „3rd International Youth Meeting: European Citizen – Where are you?” took place in September 2011 in Riga, Latvia. Also here the conditions differed comparing with the situation in Germany or Serbia as expected. Besides the participants from different EU countries, Turkey and the countries of the Western Balkans now also participants from Eastern Europe and Caucasus participated in the project. As in the first two meetings so called “clusters” were created; now about the themes “democracy, minorities, migration and active citizenship”, “decision making in the EU”, “participation and creativity”, “quality and experiences” as well as “follow-up, dissemination and exploitation of results”. Accordingly the “floors” were rooted in those of the first meetings.
Youth leaders from more than 30 different European countries, from programme countries of the EU and neighbouring partner countries from SEE and from EECA.
Games, exercises, meetings, group work, discussions, presentations, opens space, free time activities and intercultural activities.
It was possible to establish a connection between (youth) participation and democracy/minorities/migration/culture and discuss practical examples as well as prevailing problems, to suggest and communicate non-formal methods in order to use them in practical youth work, to show and diffuse good examples of European youth work among the participants, critically and mutually discuss the role of media in European youth work and as a tool of participation, show practically how certain elements of media may be used to improve, document and promote youth projects and finally share experiences with youth participation projects and discuss the issue of quality in order to improve it and to evaluate recent developments.
Full time trainer