Community-Based Empowerment Strategies for Youth Workers

About the project

Empowerment theory focuses on processes that allow participation; improve control through shared decision making; and create opportunities to learn, practice and increase skills. Empowerment theory suggests that involving young people in pro-social, meaningful and community-improvement activities that young people define and control themselves, helps young people acquire vital skills, responsibilities and confidence necessary to become productive and healthy adults. . Youth empowerment examines six interdependent dimensions: psychological, community, organizational, economic, social and cultural. Psychological empowerment improves individual awareness, awareness and knowledge of problems and solutions and how individuals can address problems that impair their quality of life. This dimension aims to create self-confidence and give young people the skills to acquire knowledge. Community empowerment focuses on improving the community through leadership development and the creation of a support network to mobilize the community to address concerns. Organizational empowerment aims to create a resource base for a community, including voluntary organizations that aim to protect, promote and defend the less favored.…

Objectives

Empowerment theory focuses on processes that allow participation; improve control through shared decision
making; and create opportunities to learn, practice and increase skills. Empowerment theory suggests that
involving young people in pro-social, meaningful and community-improvement activities that young people define
and control themselves, helps young people acquire vital skills, responsibilities and confidence necessary to
become productive and healthy adults. .
Youth empowerment examines six interdependent dimensions: psychological, community, organizational,
economic, social and cultural. Psychological empowerment improves individual awareness, awareness and
knowledge of problems and solutions and how individuals can address problems that impair their quality of life.
This dimension aims to create self-confidence and give young people the skills to acquire knowledge. Community
empowerment focuses on improving the community through leadership development and the creation of a
support network to mobilize the community to address concerns. Organizational empowerment aims to create a
resource base for a community, including voluntary organizations that aim to protect, promote and defend the
less favored. Economic empowerment teaches business skills, how to take ownership of your assets and how to
have income security. Social empowerment teaches young people about social inclusion and literacy. Cultural
empowerment aims to recreate cultural practices and redefine cultural rules and norms for young people.
Through these dimensions of empowerment, programs can work to empower young people in one or more
aspects of their lives.
Within this project, we want to focus on these six dimensions and integrate young people into the communities in
the participating countries by increasing the capacities of youth workers to make young people act independently
within their communities by using from the media of their social networks. The project proposal aims to increase
the skills of youth workers to develop empowerment programs, as well as make them use the 6 empowerment
pillars mentioned above to increase the participation of young people in their daily work.
The specific objectives of the project are;
– Develop youth worker skills on the issue of community-based empowerment for the inclusion of disadvantaged
youth populations.
– Develop networking skills and social networks of youth workers so that they can develop social capital within
their communities.
– Make them capable of developing new and innovative empowerment programs within their communities focused
on the needs of their societies.
– Create and implement local activities focused on the empowerment of young people but mainly focused on the
empowerment of the community
– Create new partnerships within and outside the Erasmus + program in the field of youth empowerment.

Activities

that young people define
and control themselves, helps young people acquire vital skills, responsibilities and confidence necessary to
become productive and healthy adults. .
Youth empowerment examines six interdependent dimensions: psychological, community, organizational,
economic, social and cultural. Psychological empowerment improves individual awareness, awareness and
knowledge of problems and solutions and how individuals can address problems that impair their quality of life.
This dimension aims to create self-confidence and give young people the skills to acquire knowledge. Community
empowerment focuses on improving the community through leadership development and the creation of a
support network to mobilize the community to address concerns. Organizational empowerment aims to create a
resource base for a community, including voluntary organizations that aim to protect, promote and defend the
less favored. Economic empowerment teaches business skills, how to take ownership of your assets and how to
have income security. Social empowerment teaches young people about social inclusion and literacy. Cultural
empowerment aims to recreate cultural practices and redefine cultural rules and norms for young people.
Through these dimensions of empowerment, programs can work to empower young people in one or more
aspects of their lives.
Within this project, we want to focus on these six dimensions and integrate young people into the communities in
the participating countries by increasing the capacities of youth workers to make young people act independently
within their communities by using from the media of their social networks. The project proposal aims to increase
the skills of youth workers to develop empowerment programs, as well as make them use the 6 empowerment
pillars mentioned above to increase the participation of young people in their daily work.
The specific objectives of the project are;
– Develop youth worker skills on the issue of community-based empowerment for the inclusion of disadvantaged
youth populations.
– Develop networking skills and social networks of youth workers so that they can develop social capital within
their communities.
– Make them capable of developing new and innovative empowerment programs within their communities focused
on the needs of their societies.
– Create and implement local activities focused on the empowerment of young people but mainly focused on the
empowerment of the community
– Create new partnerships within and outside the Erasmus + program in the field of youth empowerment.
Activities
The project consists of 4 main activities (3 online activities and 1 residential training course) to be carried out
between May 2020 and December 2021 with the participation of all partners.
Activity 1: Electronic learning module for the preparation for face-to-face training (May 2020 – July 2020):

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The content of this page is published for information purposes only. The project was funded by the European Union. However, the communication about the project
that is published through this page expresses the views of the project beneficiaries only and it does not represent the views of the European Union or the European
Commission. It shall not be deemed to constitute legal or official notice on behalf of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union
nor the European Commission can be held responsible for this content nor the use thereof made by any third parties.
Participants will work on empowerment, community-based empowerment in youth work and the implications of
empowerment in youth inclusion before the residential training course. The e-learning module will serve as a tool
for participants to get to know each other, work together with online tools and participants will be asked to
conduct a survey within their local communities to understand the needs of their own communities.
The objectives of the activity:
– Create a common understanding of community-based youth empowerment.
– Create a common knowledge among the participants related to the training topic.
– Get to know each other and know the culture of others.
– Increase participants’ knowledge about online planning tools to work remotely in training teams.
– Identify the needs of the target groups of the participants before the face-to-face training course to create a
common basis for discussions that address those needs.
Activity 2: In-person training course (August 23-30, 2020): The training course will be based on the methodology
of non-formal education and the following topics will be worked on: youth empowerment, community
development, equality, program development techniques and training and Erasmus + and the European Solidarity
Corps Program. The training course will be implemented in Alcala la Real, Spain, for 8 days between August 23
and 30, 2020 with the participation of 10 countries.
The objectives of the activity:
– Have participants work in teams from different cultures.
– To deepen the knowledge of the participants in the topic of empowerment.
– Make participants able to facilitate discussions and create programs in the field of education and / or advisory
activities.
– Create partnerships and develop new programs in the field of empowerment focused on young people.
– To allow participants to exchange practices and exchange opinions related to the challenges of inclusion.
Training course schedule:
Day 1: Arrivals and welcome night.
Day 2: Getting to know each other, Ice-breakers and confidence building, Non-formal education and Youthpass.
Day 3: What is empowerment ?, How do we use empowerment to increase participation and inclusion ?, Case
studies on empowerment applications in youth work in Europe, Working with young people in the concept of
non-formal education, Evaluation of the day, Intercultural Night
Day 4: Development of the empowerment program, community-based empowerment, development of the
community-based empowerment model
Day 5: Creation of sessions (non-formal education techniques) and visits to NGOs
Day 6: Implementation of sessions by participants
Day 7: Erasmus +, project management, monitoring projects, evaluation
Day 8: departures
Activity 3 and 4– Monitoring and Evaluation Activities (September 2020 – December 2021): Participants will
implement their own educational programs and international courses that they have applied in the next deadlines
after the training course within and outside Erasmus +. The structure of the activities will be developed by the
participants and those activities can be international and / or local activities. They will be supported by partner
organizations during the implementation of the activities. We will implement the evaluation of the follow-up events
and the actions of the participants in their countries with the participation of partners and create a report for the
project and the activities created by the participants within the draft.

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The content of this page is published for information purposes only. The project was funded by the European Union. However, the communication about the project
that is published through this page expresses the views of the project beneficiaries only and it does not represent the views of the European Union or the European
Commission. It shall not be deemed to constitute legal or official notice on behalf of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union
nor the European Commission can be held responsible for this content nor the use thereof made by any third parties.
Profile of the participants:
– 18-60 years old
– Want to improve their skills in community-based youth empowerment
– Have previous experience in an NGO that works with young people as a volunteer / professional.
– Have at least participated and / or coordinated a local or international social initiative
– Be motivated to learn and implement new innovative models of empowerment after the course within your
organization
– Good level of English to follow the course and contribute to it.
– Desire and ability to participate fully in the event.

Impact

Participants are expected to increase their skills on the issue of empowerment to address social challenges within
their communities to promote youth empowerment. On the other hand, we hope that participants can understand
the needs of their target groups and develop programs in the field of empowerment focused not only on young
people but on the entire community. In addition to that, they will learn the basic techniques on the development
and implementation of the training and can act as facilitators in their organizations in future projects. Participation
in the project will increase the motivation of the participants in their work to involve others and offer educational
programs for other young people in local and international mobility programs.
Participants’ motivation to participate in other mobility programs will increase due to the strong international ties
developed through their participation in the project. In addition to this, as participants obtain information about
other funding opportunities in Erasmus + and European Solidarity Projects that they could use as a financing
instrument to implement their own actions as youth groups or within their organizations, they can provide different
opportunities for your target groups and they will realize their possibilities within these financing opportunities.
Participants will be able to plan, design and implement projects and will be able to assess the needs of their
target groups and provide interest-based training opportunities and opportunities for their target groups. They
may develop projects in the field of empowerment and community development.
The project is expected to generate a local impact due to the educational activities mentioned above implemented
by our participants. The participants of the training course will be multipliers of community-based youth
empowerment and will provide activities for young people living in their own countries and in other countries in
Europe and neighboring countries. This will have a direct impact on the issues addressed related to the
challenges in their own societies. Participants will develop activities in the last phase of the project and will be
able to address the problems that occur in their local areas.
Within these activities, target groups in local areas will be able to experience experimental learning activities and
learn non-formal education methods and become aware of EU values, the problems faced by their communities
and develop strategies to overcome these problems.

Project partners

• 🇪🇸 Asociación Socio-Cultural VerdeSur Alcalá
  Spain
• 🇹🇷 UCARLI GENCLIK DERNEGI
  Türkiye
• 🇧🇬 Academy for active youth association
  Bulgaria
• 🇵🇱 Stowarzyszenie Zmiana Tematu
  Poland
• 🇩🇰 SPADA EUth DK
  Denmark
• 🇭🇺 Fiatalok a részvételért Egyesület
  Hungary
• 🇵🇹 EXPERIMENTACULO ASSOCIACAO CULTURAL
  Portugal
• 🇲🇰 Organization for women municipality Gevgelija
  North Macedonia
• 🇮🇹 ASSOCIAZIONE CULTURALE BEYOND BORDERS CORATO
  Italy
• 🇷🇸 Development Center of Vojvodina
  Serbia