Youth@Work: Connecting the Dots "Employability through European Solidarity Corps" Forum

Aims & objectives

The Youth@Work: “Connecting the Dots: Employability through European Solidarity Corps” aimed to connect the dots between competencies acquired through volunteering (ESC) -focusing on those enhancing employability – and social entrepreneurship topics.

The forum offered an exchange of practices and know-how, inspired sharing and learning across employability and social entrepreneurship sectors, therefore catalysed further cooperation and ultimately contributed to a stronger and more inclusive society.

Target group & international/intercultural composition of the group & team

The event was designed to bring together different stakeholders involved in the management and support of ESC projects (especially, project managers, volunteers mentors, trainers involved at the Training and Evaluation cycle of the programme, young people who have run solidarity projects) and those concerned about the employability of young people (policy makers, researchers, scholars, employment agencies, human resources consulting companies, etc) to further build a common approach and strategy that can help and support to reinforce the importance of employability skills development through volunteering projects and/or social entrepreneurship thanks to solidarity projects.

Training methods used & main activities

Non-formal learning methods such as:
- working in smaller groups
- tv presentation simulation
- EntreComp mosaic
- keynote speakers in an informal setting
- group and individual activities
- cultural activity

Outcomes of the activity

Outcomes:
- Increased awareness of the impact the European Solidarity Corps projects have on the development of social entrepreneurship competences in young people.

- Greater know-how on improving employability and social entrepreneurship competencies of young people, thanks to the knowledge exchange.

- Increased competencies, cooperation and networking among organisations in order to foster employability skills and social entrepreneurship.

In order to measure the impact the event had on the participants, two evaluations has been implemented:
1. face-to-face one during the event (I take with me... and my next steps... activity)
2. official online evaluation

Your tasks and responsibilities within the team

Facilitator together with Pablo Castiñeiras.
Responsibilities:
- design of the content
- facilitation of the content
- contact with the keynote speakers
- Youthpass redaction
- Final Report

I worked on this training for 4 days as a full time trainer.