INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2
Group career counselling activities for young people: what is important to know?
CHAPTER 2
Group career counselling activities for young people: what is important to know? Author Gintarė Joteikaitė
Chapter 8 of this methodology proposes forty sessions based on the experiential results obtained while applying these sessions as well as on their relevance to young people of all ages. All together they cover the key competencies and skills needed for a young person when he/she is taking his/her first steps into the labour market or wants to reintegrate when retraining. Each of the proposed activities can be used as a separate activity, integrating it into your work programme, as a youth worker, with the target group. However, the greatest effect is achieved when the program is carried out in a continuous form, offering the young person the possibility to participate in it on a regular basis. Forms of the continuing youth program: 1. Forms of the continuing youth program: These are regular (once a week, once every two weeks, once a month) group sessions, each of which is organized separately, as an open event, inviting to participate in the sessions those who are interested in a specific relevant to them topic. In this case, the sessions are organized in an open youth centre and the young people are not obliged to participate in several consecutive activities. However, they engage in activities to the extent that is relevant to them. By organizing regular activities, the target group of young people in a certain field of activity is naturally forming. Such a group is gradually building its community. 2. Continuous work with the group. In this case, work is being done with a specific permanent group of young people, with their commitment to participate in the continuous program for a certain period of time (several weeks or several months). During the ongoing program long-term commitments are possible as participants pursue certain goals together as a team or individually, while reflecting on their experiences in groups. The most effective choice in this case is to organize sessions once a week, but, if that is not possible, at least once every two weeks. 3. Mobile work with groups. In this case, the youth worker comes to a certain settled group of young people or community (for example, pupil class at school) with activity session on a topic he/she proposes and conducts this concrete activity session once or does it in a continuous form on a regular basis. 4. Individual work. Most of the theoretical information and practical tasks can also be transferred to individual work sessions with young people, where their personal challenges are addressed. Ways to attract young people to group sessions: •
direct communication with current visitors, collecting data on what is relevant to them, which of the suggested topics interest them the most;
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publicity of open events on social networks or in other ways, inviting young people to participate in activities scheduled at a specific time;
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organization of mobile activities, when the youth worker himself/herself visits various youth communities
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