Empowering Youth - Strengthening Communities

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multimedia book


This mul media book is a dissemina on tool and a useful resource for youth workers, program leaders, facilitators and was created during the Empowering Youth – Strengthening Communi es project (2015-2-RO01-KA105-015463), funded by European Union through Erasmus Plus Program.

Thank you for your hard work, commitment, crea vity, responsibility! Partners: YMCA Nederland, YMCA Gabrovo – Bulgaria, YMCA Tirana – Albania, YMCA England, YMCA Italia, Polska YMCA, YMCA Serbia, YMCA Ukraine, YMCA Espana, ACM/YMCA Setubal– Portugal, Federa a YMCA Romania.

Inspiring youth workers: Daniel Appleton Piotr Bandoch Joao Barbara Moura Chiara Bernabei Alina Pop Antonela Bob Claudia Cris ana Brana Dan Carpov Alexandra Canta Pawel Goncerz Kris an Haska Ingrid van Houwelingen Ivana Ilic Alexandra Pop Oana Ilie Katerina Kostetska Lester Kuiper Ana Maria Macea Phil Newton Tamara Ortega Paola Petracchi Marius Pop Albi Qato Elia Racheva Susana San ago Pandiol Shtrepi Ivo Tepavski Viktoria Trofimova Antoaneta Yankabakova


Empowering Youth - Strengthening Communi es is a project that consists of a training course designed for 29 youth workers from 11 organiza ons from Europe and post training ac vi es implemented in partner organiza ons. The training course was held in Cluj Napoca, European Youth Capital 2015, Romania, between 1-11 October 2015, the main organizer being Federa a YMCA Romania with partners from Spain, Bulgaria, Italy, Ukraine, Serbia, Albania, UK, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal. The main objec ves of this project are: -> to improve the skills and key competencies of young leaders, to develop intercultural dialogue and to promote social inclusion through learning mobility of those ac vely involved in youth work and youth organiza ons, by strengthened links between youth field and labor market; -> to foster the quality improvements in youth work through enhanced coopera on between youth organiza on and other stakeholders; -> to enhance the interna onal dimension of youth ac vi es and the role of youth workers and organiza ons as support structures complementarity with EU`s external ac on, in par cular through the promo on of mobility and coopera on between organiza ons from Program countries and Partner countries and interna onal organiza ons and through targeted capacity building in Partner countries.

Through this project we want to empower youth workers to direct, control their own lives, to ac vely par cipate in the life of the organiza on and community. Furthermore, we want to empower them to ac vely deliver programs for young people, to par cipate in the governance and decision making of their organiza on. Through empowerment young people are able to transform their lives. For transforma on young people organize themselves and self organiza on leads to crea ng a caring, responsible and safe space in order to create fulfillment.

In this case self organiza on is an indicator for empowerment: young people iden fy their problems, assess a goal or objec ve, develop a strategy, mobilize resources, start ac ng and reflect on their results. Our competence-based objec ves are matching perfectly with objec ves of Erasmus Plus Program, the proposed ac vi es/themes are meant to increase the quality of programs and services offered by youth organiza ons by developing skills and competences of youth workers, increase the quan ty and quality of mobility programs by developing an effec ve and reliable network of organiza ons which have the same working methods and can support each other in implemen ng future projects, foster intercultural dialogue, promote coopera on between EU and Partner Countries, build capacity for partners, especially for Partner countries. The training is built on the Space-Transform-Impact Model. This model posits that by using Space as a connec ng point and a safe environment for belonging, building character and self esteem will enhance crea on, ac on, fulfillment and impact. The Transform phase involves the crea on and support offered by an organiza on to their members and beneficiaries in the same me. The transforma on will Impact the organiza onal dynamics by engaging into local reali es and standing up to improved access to opportuni es.


The speciďŹ c objec ves of this project are: - to improve the skills of youth workers in handling social and cultural dierences, coopera on, teamwork, responsibility, communica on, trust, openness, listening, self-expression, ini a ve, crea vity, handling unexpected events, mo va on, expressing values in ac on and other employability skills; - to experience how a competence-focused learning process works and to understand how such processes can be integrated in youth work and youth par cipa on and non-formal learning ; - to introduce the YouthPass as a tool in interna onal youth work and how can be used in labor market; - to create a base and provide info for future networking and the crea on of common projects within the Erasmus Plus frame;

For us, employability means the poten al to be ac ve in the world of work: - to be employed by someone else or by yourself; - to be clear with your visions and goals; - to know and be able to communicate your competence: your skills, knowledge and values, that make you unique for your employer; - to be able to perform in a variety of situa ons, meaning to be able to create successes/ fulďŹ llment and to enjoy the process of crea on.


In our training we focused on tools and skills. Skills can only be developed and matched to job needs when they are specific. To specify them, and iden fy the strengths, we need to experience, prac ce them, and ask ourselves how we think, feel and act in situa ons that are similar to those we can have at a workplace. We made a direct link in youth par cipa on, engagement, volunteering and development of employability skills and how a program delivered by an organiza on could help the increase those skills.

The goal of the training is to connect the safe space of the project where the par cipants can try to play different roles with the real life situa ons and to encourage everyone to become more proac ve, independent and crea ve in their lives, while crea ng the life they always wanted for themselves and others. Employability, crea ng quality and bringing changes into life and the lives of the young people that we serve all over Europe, means of becoming more compe ve and employable on the labor market. Not only the par cipants got the opportunity to share ideas and experience with each others, but learnt a number of tools and techniques of increasing compe veness and self-esteem, as well as acquire knowledge applicable in real life by means of crea ve workshops and ac vi es related to the topic through volunteering programs and ac ve involvement in the organiza ons and community. We empower par cipants to create results beyond imagina on, work out of excellence through taking risks and correc ng mistakes, try out ´learning by experience´ method, ac ons back at home. We believe that best results can be created through awareness and prac ce. One without the other is insufficient. This is why, in this project, we combined everything that comes from the awareness level with direct ac ons that s mulate constant prac ce. The approach is a 'holis c' one: we explore the human being from a perspec ve of a 'whole', serving in this way the YMCA mission: empowering young people in body, mind, spirit.




DAY 1

1st day, a er arrival, the par cipants were introduced to the training team, the structure, objec ves, working methods of the training. They also introduced themselves and set learning goals and expecta ons, in this way they could take ownership of their learning process. They got to know each other through some games and wrote expecta ons related to personal development for themselves taking into considera on a value that they want to realize during this training and set at least 1 goal for themselves.

This was followed by a workshop on Erasmus Plus presenta on, emphasizing key ac ons, program objec ves and priori es, project management informa on, ps, sharing experience, followed by discussions. We had also a crea ve quiz about the Program. We were introducing the Youthpass as a tool for se ng the learning goals of par cipants accordingly with the 8 key competencies, in this way the par cipants could put their own expecta ons and objec ves in a frame that at the end of the training would allow them to evaluate and quan fy the learning process using the competencies of the cer ficate. 1. Communica on in mother tongue was enhanced during the intercultural events scheduled; 2. Communica on in foreign languages – the official communica on language of the training was English, empowering all par cipants to develop their expression, speaking and listening skills; 3. Science and technology competencies were developed during the sessions which involve using media equipment and also several so ware, planning and implemen ng the public event in Cluj Napoca, etc; 4. Digital competencies are exercised since the prepara on phase of the project in which the par cipants were requested to apply online, to the implementa on phase in which they had various tasks during the training in which they needed to use digital support, and to the evalua on phase which also contain a long term evalua on done online; 5. Learning to learn - this TC offered the possibility of learning new, efficient and interes ng non-formal educa on tools, enriching in this way each partner organiza on and the knowledge and understanding of each par cipant, increasing the diversity and quality of programs and services provided; 6. Social and civic competencies were developed due to whole personal empowering approach of the en re training which focuses on social problems and the proper solu on for them; 7. Sense of ini a ve and entrepreneurship - our approach was focused also on the personal resources as well on the opportuni es that lies within us and around, providing perspec ves and ac ons that implies ini a ve and entrepreneurship as possible solu ons for employability; 8. Cultural awareness and expression -due to the mul cultural environment, the topics discussed and the ac vi es meant to encourage expression and freedom of mind. We had par cipants from 11 countries, with different cultural, social, economical background relevant for TC. The events organized during the TC enhance also not only planning as well as ge ng to know the local community and interact.


In this project we used the Youthpass as a learning, reflec on and evalua on tool, a competence being taken in its 3 aspects: knowledge and understanding, skills, a tudes and values Complementary with the 8 key competencies the par cipants were introduced to the 18 most wanted employability skills: coopera on, planning, organizing, self-reflec on/asses and use of own poten al, handle clients/beneficiaries, communica on, learning, networking, taking ini a ve and crea vity, listening, giving feedback, handle authority, act independently, flexibility, handle feedback, respect rules, empathizing, interview skills, that were all prac ced in the next days during the planned ac vi es. Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

Together with par cipants we created the so called “Star of the day” where they signed up to share with everybody different energizers, icebreakers, games. These short ac vi es were done at the beginning of sessions, wherever it was necessary.


DAY 2 2nd day focused on experien al learning, the par cipants discovering their learning styles, prac ced ac ve listening. Was introduced David Kolb's experien al learning theory which describes the learning process in 4 steps: experience, reflec on, conceptualiza on and experimenta on. Par cipants had the opportunity the find out which learning style they habitually use through an exercise which was built based on Kolb's model. A er introducing Kolb theory, the par cipants worked in pairs, one was sharing a story on a topic given by the trainer, the other was listening and ques oning. The purpose is to be able to listen ac vely and understanding what ques ons we ask and why; by prac ce they understand how focused conversa on works, covering all the 4 stages of the Kolb circle.

The next sessions underlined the importance of reality check and not let personal filters to delete or distort the informa on that we receive. A lot of miscommunica on starts because we think we are talking about the same, but in fact we are talking about the image we have, in this case we discussed about the importance of being aware of our internal map of reality, about the personal filters through which we process the informa on and message. A raising awareness session through exercises and sharing. Communica on is the founda on of each healthy and produc ve rela onship and an important skill and competence. During this session par cipants learnt the characteris cs and specifici es of the 4 main communica on styles –promoter, analyzer, controller and supporter- and learnt to iden fy the style they use the most. Certain communica on styles correlate to certain personality traits, but we cannot select with whom we relate to based on the feature we feel more comfortable working with. We must overcome these comfort limits and learn to work with all types of people, even with the ones completely opposite to our personal one. In this way we leant know how we can adapt our communica on in order to reach the other in a clear, effec ve way. The day ended with an ac vity to celebrate individuality, the performances being about something meaningful for them. Through this process, the par cipants overcome some fears, become more confident and aware of who they are and their poten al.


DAY 3 Day 3 focused on discovering working styles, thinking in solu ons, being crea ve, planning toward a goal, self learning, team roles. The par cipants experienced their working style or working method through an ac vity in which individually, they had to make a piece of art with the given materials. A er the crea on, they reflected about the way they created things, being confronted with their commitment. The piece of art is a reflec on of who they are or a reflec on of who they want to be. In the next session we prac ced the role of player, coach, observer using Lego bricks and raised awareness about which role is more suitable for us in daily life and how we can approach the other ones. Further, we prac ce thinking in solu ons, going out of the box in solu ons, to see how many solu ons and perspec ves we can produce if we skip rou ne and repe on. Circle of crea vity is a tool that allows par cipants to structure their project in such a way that they can use all their energy for the project. The main idea is that in order to break rou ne and mediocrity these steps need to be followed, not the other way around. This tool support par cipants to learn how to focus their energy for their team and project, to set goals, how to work on their goals, to create an area to work on their personal vision. Rope connec on (about communica on, coopera on, nego a on, se ng goals) and bamboo s cks exercises enabled par cipants to reflected about their role in the team (dreamer, thinker, worker, decider), the characteris cs of each role, how we can use communica on styles and roles in the team in daily life. The par cipants were introduced to the concept of self learning through a TED prize winner 2013 professor Sugata Mitra`s program: Can kids teach themselves, A whole in the wall, Build a school in the clouds followed by another 2 TED videos related with posi ve thinking and self awareness: Ÿ Shawn Achor- The happiness Advantage: Linking Posi ve brains to performance and, Ÿ Tony Robbins - Why we do what we do.


DAY 4 During day 4, the par cipants prac ced and learnt by experience problem solving, coopera on, teamwork, taking ini a ve, being responsible and create ownership instead of wai ng and hoping , handling feedback (giving and receiving). Through outdoor ac vi es – blind squares, low ropes, trust games, blind coaching, different teambuilding games, we experienced and put into prac ce tools given in the previous days and leant more about ourselves and the others and also we related the purpose of the ac vi es with situa ons in our daily life. Vic m – responsible chart and success chart these two are tools that can lead to self awareness, to get to know ourselves be er, why we act like we do in certain moments, and what we can do about it in order to work for us.

In the evening we have learnt the concept of feedback (giving and receiving). The purpose of this ac vity is to create a dynamic learning atmosphere in the group, to empower par cipants to improve their own rela onships in the group, to create a culture of care and inclusion. Feedback - the word is telling us to feed a person back and feeding = to grow. So, the meaning of feedback is to give other persons the chance/change to grow. The purpose is to give the other person the chance to correct, to show the effects of his/her behavior, to create a rela onship that is based on equality. This ac vity was one of the most relevant at this point of the training for the sharing that followed the exercise, the ques ons raised and for the fact that next days were very visible changes in behavior, a tude, ac ons of most of par cipants.


DAY 5 Day 5 represented the chance to meet the community of European Youth Capital 2015 throughout some assignments that empowered the par cipants to find ways in approaching strangers, interest them in spending some minutes answering to ques ons, change approach if it is not working, correct on the spot, listen ac vely, present what you want in short and a rac ve way, support system for each other because they worked in pairs, interview skills. Each pair shared with the en re group their experience, what they did, how they did it, what was the approach, what did they found out, if they leant something out if this, if they corrected they approaches on the spot, if the support system was helpful, if they overcome some fears, etc.

The a ernoon was dedicated to prac ce interview and selling skills, using a scenario called “Elevator pitch”, each par cipants having exactly one minute to impress the CEO of their dream company in order to get the job. Excellent exercise for promo ng yourself, to use structured, short and a rac ve self presenta on, mastering emo ons, clear communica on, interview skills, ini a ve. The day ended with an individual exercise about self awareness, iden ty, sharing our strengths, fears, values, dreams, at the end defining themselves with an a ribute or noun.


DAY 6

Day 6 was non-formal methods days. A er a short lecture about formal, non formal and informal educa on, the par cipants iden fied the characteris cs for each type, understanding be er the differences but also the similari es and sharing from own experience. A er that the team presented workshops on different non formal methods that can be used by par cipants in their own programs back in their organiza on: games, human library, world café, a class divided, Photovoice, open space, storytelling, forum theatre, etc. This session was followed by peer to peer educa on, the par cipants shared among each other different methods, ac vi es, all under the frame of “Sharing is caring”.

For the evening ac vity we all embarked in a Intercultural boat and the Captain said: “All my ship men and pirates are aboard! Let's sail deep seas and discover new territories: today are Netherlands, Bulgaria, Albania, England, Italy. We wish all fair winds and calm seas!” Each country group prepared small intercultural welcoming workshops for the other par cipants, in order to create awareness of cultural diversity and similarity at the same me. The night ended on the deck of the Intercultural boat with representa ve items such as pictures, pieces of art, food, tradi onal cloths, sharing of good prac ces/programs.


DAY 7

Days 7 introduced media as a tool in youth work and developing digital and employability skills.

The par cipants learnt and prac ced how to create video products, passing the whole phases: pre-produc on, produc on, post produc on and distribu on/exhibi on. In the morning, par cipants learnt the use of the following video elements: types of shoo ng, visual grammar, element of composi on, cu ng and edi ng, what is a script/storyboard, how to use cameras, pre produc on, produc on and post produc on. Through this part, they gathered knowledge and understanding about digital media , knowledge immediately put in prac ce and experienced, in this way the development of skills and competencies was fostered. Shooting better videos. Click to open the presentation.

The par cipants were divided in small groups and as a ďŹ rst phase of video making process, they worked in planning the videos and gathering the resources they might need. There were 5 teams , each of them picked a topic: promo ng European Youth Capital, promo ng YMCA, leadership, European ci zenship, youth empowerment. They created the script/storyboard with all the info regarding also length of video, how many shots, how much talking, use of use music or other sounds added to video, dividing the roles ( director, camera person, actors) loca on, etc. Through this part they developed teamwork, planning, communica on, ini a ve and crea vity, coopera on, nego a on. A er the pre-produc on phase, the small groups me the team of producers . In front of them they needed to pitch their planning in order to get the materials need it. ( cameras, tripods, microphones, other logis cal and technical support). Through this phase the par cipants learnt how to present themselves, to give arguments, respect authority, to structure ideas, developing interview skills, present as best in a concrete me frame. If the producers found the idea and the planning well done then they contracted the groups and gave the materials need it. If the group was not convincing the team of producers they went back to work more on planning, the team coaching them through ps and ques ons. In the evening the Captain of Intercultural boat said: “To all my ship men and pirates contempla ng a new voyage, I would say go! The expedi on con nues to discover Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Spain, Portugal, Romania!â€?


DAY 8 In day 8, the media teams went through the other phases: produc on, post produc on and distribu on/exhibi on. The teams started shoo ng their video accordingly with the plan presented the day before to the producers. Through this process they developed teamwork, handle events, flexibility, crea vity, digital competencies - how to work with camera, technical looking controls, vision and sound, focus, framing, exposure. A er shoo ng accordingly with the planning, the teams worked on the post produc on phase that involves edi ng: removing unwanted footage, arranging desired footage in the correct order, adding music, tles, transi ons and other effects, conver ng into the correct format. This phase developed digital competencies- usage of edi ng so ware, handling events, flexibility, learning by doing. In the evening, accompanied with pop corn, juices and other sweets, the teams presented their videos, shared the experiences they had while making them, and the others were giving compliments and ps in order to support the performing team. This fi h phase in a video making- distribu on and exhibi on was also about how to give and receive feedback, how to handle it, to reflect upon it (self reflec on and reflec on on task).


Here are the movies created by par cipants during the training course in Cluj Napoca. Click on each to watch.

Team “Ytellers” Subject: leadership

Team “Bugagashenka” Subject: youth empowerment

Team “The Promoters” Subject: Promote YMCA

Team “Interactors” Subject: Do we have a Cluj?

Team “Fantastic 4+1” Subject: european citizenship


DAY 9

Day 9 focused on good governance, the involvement of young people in the life of the organiza on and in the decision making process. We have leant about how we can create a culture of team learning and what are to be considered for a team in the workplace; using the Roger Hart`s youth par cipa on ladder we iden fied the phases, commented on it, linked with different situa ons from our own experience and exemplified using mime the different phases: manipula on, decora on, tokenism, assigned-but informed, consulted and informed, adult ini ated shared decision with youth, youth ini ated and directed, youth ini ated shared decision with adults.

In the next session the par cipants organized themselves in order to create a flashmob in the city. All session was facilitated by them, from ideas, implementa on, logis cs, the team being there only to support and provide the necessary things. A er lunch, in a rainy Friday a ernoon, the par cipants went to the very centre of the city, in Piata Unirii, in front of Mathias Rex statue, did the flashmob, wearing not only the Empowering Youth-Strengthening Communi es Tshirts but brought also their country flags so at the end there was a display of flags in unity. At this event par cipated not only the people who were in the loca on – in piazza being a book fair – but also YMCA Europe execu ve Commi ee members and staff, present in Cluj Napoca for their own mee ng.


More than this, on their way back, one group of par cipants did another flashmob, the famous ”Polish dance” , asking for support from a small business using their sound system. Check out the unedited footage:

For the evening session we had invited representa ves of local community and also the members of the YMCA Europe Execu ve Commi ee and staff who were in the town for their own mee ng. It was an open dialogue between the governing structure of the European YMCA movement and the youth workers from 11 YMCAs from Europe, local organiza ons and representa ves of local public ins tu on about strategic priori es, good governance, involvement of young people in the governing structures and in decision making process, quality of programs, European Youth Capital 2015 and opportuni es to develop relevant projects. This mee ng was a very important one for our mission to empower young people of our organiza on and for serving as best our communi es all over Europe by crea ng quality programs, having professional youth workers who can not only deliver relevant programs but their voices are heard in the organiza on, in order to transform the lives of our communi es.


DAY 10

Day 10 was the last day of training and was focused on closing the training in a mo va onal manner, par cipants presen ng their organiza ons and work on planning future joint ac ons, con nuing with 10 weeks plan, Youthpass and closing ceremony.

The first session opened with an NGO market, where all the partners had the chance to present in a non formal way their ac vi es and programs. This was a perfect opportunity to strengthen rela onships between them, to explore and see common ideas and programs for future coopera on. Because a er the session about Erasmus Plus from the first day, there was a big interest to get more details about specific types of ac vi es that can be funded by Erasmus Plus especially through KA1 - Learning Mobility of Individuals - Youth mobility, we organized a session using the world café method, where we had the team as facilitators and the topic for the tables were related with the types of mobility/ac vi es: youth exchange, mobility for youth workers, European Voluntary Service where we went into specific details about what kind of ac vi es can be done, were given ps, the par cipants learning more about the Program, receiving answers to their ques ons or ini a ves. This session was followed by a future coopera on plans, the par cipants worked in small groups on their ideas for future common projects, develop dra s and ask for support and informa on from the organizing team. They will work on small groups and dra the project ideas that they had, making the planning more concrete , helping them to plan, organized, priori ze, envision, network, listen to each other in order to create new programs/projects/events. There were iden fied 3 main areas of common interest and as priori es: provide help and support for immigrants and refugees – training, youth exchange, seminar/study visit for youth workers, camp for children and teenagers – training for youth workers in order to improve knowledge and standards in camps, training for trainers in order to professionalize the content and the en re package of curricula and competencies for a quality trainer. In My plan - strengthening communi es session the par cipants divided in country groups, developed ideas for an event/project/program/campaign that they will implement in the next 10 weeks with the support of partner organiza ons. A er crea ng the dra , the par cipants shared among each other their plans. The training course ended with a closing ceremony which started with the evalua on of the TC, done in non formal way but also formal, comple ng the evalua on forms. The evalua on was done in comparison with ini al needs and objec ve of the par cipants and team, using the competencies from Youthpass ( presented in the first day as a tool for se ng the learning goals) and using now the same cer ficate as evalua on tool, quan fying the learning process on the 8 key competencies. At the end, all the par cipants received the Youthpass cer ficate and the final ac vity was done using the Points of You coaching cards.



A er the training course held in Cluj Napoca between 1-11 October 2015, un l the end of December, the partner organiza ons have implemented workshops, events, trainings, campaigns inspired by Empowering Youth – Strengthening communi es TC, mo va ng and empowering their peers and program beneficiaries . The ac vi es were implemented by the par cipants in the TC and other youth workers.

Bulgaria Date: 14-15 November 2015 Venue:Prima S Hotel, Uzana area, Bulgaria Number of Par cipants: 20 Average age: 16 Brief descrip on: a training aiming at youth empowerment through ac ve par cipa on and social involvement. Main ac vi es: ac vi es implemented in “Empowering Youth – Strengthening Community” training course: Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

Focus Crea on Lego process What else can you do? Youth Par cipa on session So you think you know the YMCA session YMCA media products presenta ons + discussion Communica on session

Result: the par cipants have ac vely taken part in the training, par cipa ng in sessions which they themselves described as very helpful and interes ng and through which they have received new informa on and knowledge about YMCA, its work, mission, and involvement in European and word level. The course has increased the mo va on and the willingness in the par cipants to be part of the organiza on and to con nue eagerly their voluntary work in the local community. Partners: Ÿ YICC Gabrovo (Youth Informa on and Counselling Centre, hosted by YMCA Gabrovo) Ÿ YMCA Gabrovo Ÿ Na onal Program for the Youth

Click for full photo album of the ac vity.



On Friday, December 4, 2015, the youth workers organized a training for the representa ves of youth government from a region. It was a pleasure to meet so many ac ve young leaders, to work with them using the tools, which we learned in Romania, to help them learn more about themselves and discover their best skills and talents as leaders. We started a new project with the volunteers of a local YMCA called "The End Des na on is Peace". Its main goal is to help people who moved to our region from the East of Ukraine, where the situa on is very unstable, integrate into the local community. We organized several events together with internally displaced persons and involved them in our ac vi es so they could have a chance to ďŹ nd new friends and to be a part of our community. One of the things we did together was making a short social video aimed to call people for mutual respect and tolerance. A er crea ng a movie at the training in Romania, we had a clear vision of how to organize the process and to encourage people to take part in it. They did a great job and you may ďŹ nd the result in the video below. Click to watch!

With another occasion, we organized for our teenagers the Lego coach-player-observer ac vity, because it is a very good way to lean about yourself how do you work, what role ďŹ ts you be er.


On November 16th 2015, the two youth workers started leading a first Leadership Training organized in our hometown. We had 10 young people, ages 16-26 involved. The training will last un l the end of the school year. We are using the Peace Corps Life Skills and Leadership Training Manual into which we incorporate exercises, icebreakers and energizers we learned in Cluj-Napoca. The plan is to create YMCA Serbia's first genera on of young leaders that will gradually mo vate others in the community to get involved and help out in reaching the organiza ons goals. As we near the end of the training, the par cipants will be asked to realize mini projects of their own, where they will display their learning and set an example for the community. Also, two par cipants from the first genera on will have the chance to lead on a second genera on of leaders in 2016. To further disseminate our leadership program, we are going to apply for funding to organize a 4 day training in Backi Petrovac. The idea is to involve other ac ve youth organiza ons from Vojvodina whose par cipants will have a chance to learn and hear about the work of other European YMCA's, programs and opportuni es available to them mainly through Erasmus+ and of course, how to organize a leadership training of their own. The reason why we chose to organize a leadership training as a follow-up ac vity is because we feel that without leaders –youth workers, volunteers, our organiza on cannot grow. Young people are the engine of our organiza on and the stronger they grow, the faster our organiza on will excel and be able to reach and help a greater number of people. Only with their help can we bring upon posi ve change, break borders and distance ourselves from tradi onal or formal ways of thinking inherited and preserved in a stagnant society.


Inspired by the training "Empowering Youth Strengthening Communi es" held in Cluj Napoca between 1-11 October, the 2 youth workers par cipants in the training arranged a one day team building training with 10 of the volunteers of the YMCA Tirana. Some of the exercises learnt in Cluj were implemented also here, the volunteers enjoying very much the "Communica on style workshop", the "Blind Squares" and the "Polish Dance" (which took us much more me than just a simple energizer because all of them wanted to learn it ). They had a lot of fun and in the mean me strengthen the dynamics of the group through dierent games and interac ons. But this was just the beginning of a wonderful journey that we are walking on and especially within the big YMCA movement all over the world. We are looking forward to make other training like this and probably we will have the Part 2, where we will use other exercises we took back home from Romania.


As a conclusion of the training ac vi es of Cluj Napoca, YMCA Italia has organized an event on 19th December 2015 - in the headquarters of YMCA Italy in Rome. The event en tled "Non-formal educa on Course: Developing mo va on, awareness and social skills strengthening for a proper team working" was a ended by 10 par cipants. The aim of the course was to s mulate individual and group communica on skills through mo va on and awareness in order to achieve a proper professional team working ability as well as in the communi es. We enjoyed organizing it and taking part in the ac vi es once more with a different prospec ve and awareness, this me with people from our country using own language: it was interes ng to appreciate the differences. The ac vi es have been: Ÿ Presenta on Erasmus+ Program and dissemina on of the

training held in Cluj Napoca; Difference between formal, informal and non-formal educa on; Learning to communicate and listen: How do we communicate? Empathic listening; What is team working? What are the roles in a team? Difference between Leader and Manager: strengths and weaknesses; Ÿ What are our Talents? Ÿ What does it mean to be efficient? Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

The Event has been a great success and we are going to repeat it in the next future involving more young people from our community.


Inside YMCA Nederland we had created a workshop about personal communica on styles and delivered it to the youth board members. The workshop went as follows: they were asked to build a structure out of 20 s cks of spaghe , one yard of tape, one yard of string and one marshmallow. They had to do this task together within 18 minutes, and the structure had to be free-standing, as tall as possible, and the marshmallow needed to be on top. This task is known as 'the marshmallow challenge' and is similar to a task we did during the training with bamboo s cks and rubber bands. A er this we took a few minutes to reflect on the teamwork during the task. Then they fill out the communica on style tests and the communica on style matrix. We discussed our personal communica on style profiles and reflected again on the teamwork during the marshmallow challenge. Now that we are aware of our communica on styles, we understand each other be er and are able to work more efficient as a team.


Click on video to watch!

Between 28-30 December 2015 we organized “CATL Youth non-formal course - Youth Empowerment Yleaders”. There were 19 Kids from 13 to 19 years old and we, the team of youthworkers from Setubal YMCA, CATL and YMCA Camp Alambre. Day 1 - Icebreaks, concentration, teambuilding, role in a team, trust games, The creation (creativity, self learning), Polish Dance, Feedback process (using candies) Day 2 - Walking through nature (4 hours) Arrábida (dealing with tiredness), Slack line (trust) + bow target shooting (focus, concentration), Night orientation

Day 3 - Evaluation (Reflection Groups and 6 Steps), Full photo album of the ac vi es in Setubal available here. Certification Delivery The youngsters really enjoyed it, learnt about themselves and about teamwork, going out also from comfort zone allowing to get new opportuni es which help them grow.


In YMCA England as a result of our par cipa on in Erasmus Plus opportuni es we iden fied the possibility of building on the learning that young people got as a result of par cipa ng on one Erasmus event. The result we have established is what we call the Youth Ambassadors Program. The opportunity to be a Youth Ambassador will be open to all young people who are involved in the work of YMCA, whether they are staff, volunteers or service users. The age range to be a Youth Ambassador will be 18-30, however some programs will accept young people who fall below this age group. Whilst the opportunity will be open to all young people specific programs may have a cap on the numbers eligible or criteria which need to be met before par cipa ng. E.g. the Youth Homeless Parliament which is only for those aged 18-25 and who are experiencing homelessness. A further gateway into becoming a Youth Ambassador is an automa c invita on to any young person who par cipates in an Erasmus Plus program. The Youth Ambassador's will reflect the diversity of the young people in the YMCA Federa on; taking account of their history with the YMCA, race, gender, and geography. Across the federa on there is es mated to be 20-30 young people who would already be undertaking ac vi es closely linked to that of a Youth Ambassador. As such it is envisaged that, through the ini al call for Youth Ambassadors, this group will automa cally be accepted and an addi onal number of young people will join the program in due course to make the overall figure 50.The applica on process for addi onal Youth Ambassadors will be adver sed to all YMCAs, who will be encouraged to suggest several young people to apply. Applica ons will be made for individuals rather than for a YMCA. Young people who successfully apply to be a Youth Ambassador can be involved in as many or as li le different opportuni es as possible but the minimum requirement would be that they were involved in one program or area of work. As stated previously being a Youth Ambassador will give the young person access to all opportuni es within the youth offer providing they fall within the specific criteria and there is available space on the program. It is envisaged that a er the ini al group of Youth Ambassadors have been selected there will be an induc on and training conference which will take place to deliver a set of 'core skills' which are required to be a Youth Ambassador. Induc on and training opportuni es will take place as and when necessary which offers an induc on and training program that covers a range of topics including: induc on into the role of YMCA Ambassador, YMCA England's role in the Federa on, media training, public speaking, specific program training based on areas of interest, Young Researchers, Media ambassadors (intensive course), Youth Democracy. This has been designed to ensure that Youth Ambassadors have an understanding of what their role will be and also how they can carry out the func ons of a Youth Ambassador. It will also cover the different opportuni es which Youth Ambassadors will be able to engage with. As with the nature of our work, new program and opportuni es will occur throughout the year, therefore the Youth Ambassador program needs to reflect this. Both Daniel Appleton and Phil Newton were invited to become Youth Ambassadors for as long as their engagement with YMCA con nues. If they leave the organiza on and reengage at a later me they well be encouraged to pick up where they le off.

We believe this is the beginning of a very exci ng development for us building on the ini al experience of young people engaging with Erasmus plus being a significant factor in the establishment of this program.


A er sharing with the staff and the youth group from YMCA the experience from Cluj training, our colleagues proposed the youngsters to create movies on a topic related to gender violence because each year on 25th November we create an awareness ac vity for our community. On Friday 6th of November 2015, they went to one conference for young people from Madrid organized for the local government near our city about how to do short films, shorts films and anima ons, with actors and directors as facilitators. Friday 12th of November, using the knowledge and steps from Cluj training and from the conference the youngsters thought about their stories coming from the immediate reality they know, prepared their story boards and present it to the producers (the team of youth workers). Finally on Friday 20th of November, they filmed their movies. On 25th November we presented their movies and they could prepare a li le explana on about the topic, why they did this, how they felt and to expose these and their movies to the younger group and generated a small debate among everyone. We think this type of ac vity was great for the groups, and we need to start to mo vate and empower the youth group and this is the best opportunity and the best moment to do it! Here are the movies created by them. Click on each to watch.


In Cavnic, our teacher planned a workshop in the school which aimed to help her students to improve their team working skills. Firstly, they started with a group ac vity in which the par cipants had to highlight the do's and don'ts of a team worker. The second ac vity focused on the crea vity of each team as they had to use the given materials to create something related to teamwork. The rest of the games were all based on enhancing trust, reliability, tolerance and unity when being part of a team. A number of 16 students were ac vely involved in the ac vi es and were eager to find more and more about what team working implies and how this helps us to strengthen their abili es in all fields.

Awareness campaign at NGO fair – together with 20 teenager volunteers and youthworkers from YMCA Baia Mare and YMCA Romania we prepared some ac vi es to raise awareness of young people about world issues such as climate, educa on, poverty, unemployment, discrimina on/human rights. Being an NGO fair where all the NGOs from county where present, in a public loca on, at least 100 people reached to our volunteers for more info and let messages about those topics. YMCA is a pla orm where the voices of young people are heard, the young people are empowered to take ac ons for the community. This was the message we sent. In the same me, the Tensing – youth empowerment through art program of YMCA performed in front of all the people from the community present there to underline our message.


Full photo album of the training. Click to watch.


Thinking about empowering young people and providing them with a safe space for expressing freely themselves, the only way to fulfill this purpose is by pu ng them into ac on, guiding them from aside, suppor ng them in finding their true nature, their own goals that are worthy figh ng for through experiencing various different life situa ons and roles. I believe that this is a really hard job for someone who has never walked down this path and I am certain that whoever takes on this task to help other youths in their development and progress in live and in their local communi es must be for sure a confident, trained, and experienced specialist or a team of such people.

Ivo Tepavski

And therefore a really nice example of such a youth work phenomenon, I am so glad I met in Cluj-Napoca, Romania in the beginning of September 2015 within the YMCA Romania, was a really unexpected surprise for me that is going to last fo r l o n g , e v o l v i n g i n t o a n inspira on and a reason for so much ac on.

I have never truly believed that an interna onal training can do such a difference and unite so many people, who have never ever known before each other and this to happen just within 10 days. But it is a fact, known as “Empowering Youth – Strengthening Communi es” (a project of YMCA Romania, supported by more than 10 other countries). During the course there were so many challenges that we, all the par cipants, faced, and in the beginning I think that even we did not believe that we were capable to tackle up with them. But day a er day, session a er session, we got to know each other, to trust each other, and naturally we became friend to such an extent that for those days we lived together, shared every moment of the mutual joy and excitement but also our fears, hopes and desires.

YMCA Gabrovo, Bulgaria

Throughout the really diverse sessions and exercises we genuinely felt the typical YMCA atmosphere and values. We had the chance not only to experience team work, media or to learn new tools for working with youths, but moreover we were given the chance to explore our abili es, characters and behavior in the community, discovering our working and communica on styles and so much more for ourselves. I could not be happier that I had the privilege to be part of such an extraordinary and unique experience. I would like to thank sincerely all the Romanian YMCA team involved in the course, all my friends, represen ng so many different na onali es and cultures. I wish the best luck for all of us and may the des ny or the YMCA meet us again!


I have been working in YMCA since the end of 2004 with young people from a very famous (in a social prejudice way) neighborhood, called Bela Vista (“good view” in English), because it gives us the best panoramic view of the city of Setúbal. I'm psychologist and youth coordinator in our headquarters, working with young people from 14 to 26 years old. I've been in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in the Youth European Capital 2015 during the Youth Training Camp "Empowering Youth - Strengthening Communi es" led by the YMCA Romania and Erasmus + from 1 - 11 October, with 29 young people from 11 different European countries and YMCA organiza ons. It was my second professional experience abroad and I can say that this me was totally different from what I expected. This training provided me an "out of the box" experience in a very energe c, insigh ul and strongly emo onal way. Both in schools and universi es the tradi onal educa onal methods are widely spread. A er this huge event, I definitely can say that there's so much more we can do, new ways of learning, knowing and crea ng non-formal methods of self-learning like we had in Cluj. It was the first me I felt part of the YMCA Movement, maybe because here in the Iberian Peninsula we are somehow isolated of the west Europe. However the most reasonable explana on is that I had the chance to live during 10 days with persons from all different parts of Europe, including the par cipa on of the YMCA European Execu ve Commi ee in some of our sessions. It was also a great opportunity to know more about how other YMCA's organiza ons are working, empowering youth and inspiring people. This opportunity gave me a lot of ideas, le me “on fire”, in a very inspira onal way and commi ed to make things happen in many different ways. I expect to use all this at my YMCA. Finally, I want to share three very valuable thoughts that I always keep in mind: “Always smile, our smile inspire the others.” “You are what you create yourself.” “Sharing is caring.”

João Moura YMCA Setúbal, Portugal

We are the future! Thank you very much for providing me such a strong experience! Check out the movie I did a er training to thank everyone and show how grateful I am.


I would like to use this opportunity to address each and everyone of you that nihilis cally ques on everything around you. Your next thought is probably - why now and why me? Maybe that's the only way I know how to write a 500 word ar cle. Or maybe because I am a soon to be ex-nihilist that is taking this opportunity as an a empt to at least slightly differ your way of thinking. I've never liked to express my thoughts, opinions or point of view by wri ng it on paper or into the text editor of my computer, which then implicates that wri ng ar cles and essays was never my forte. I always thought - what good will it do me? And coincidentally I get assigned this. Coincidentally? Again that old ques oner... Equally unclear was the meaning of non-profit organiza ons as well as the source of mo va on of people who „waste" their me running one. Why should that be of interest to me? Again coincidentally I ended up being a member of one. The one who's logo you see at the top of the page. My next question was related to the previous one. Why should I attend conferences, exchanges and trainings? To learn? My dated, inflexible educational system has provided me with all the knowledge I would need in life. Don't get me wrong. I do not oppose formal education. On the contrary, I was a very respectable student and patron of it. But you must understand that for your complete development school alone is not enough.

Kristian Haska YMCA Serbia

With that in mind, coincidentally, I found myself at a leadership training - Empowering Youth - Strengthening Communi es.

The training took place from October 1st to 11th in the city of Cluj Napoca - the European Youth Capital of 2015 and was funded by the Erasmus Plus program. 29 leaders from 11 European organiza ons a ended the training. The goal of the training was to provide a safe space, condi ons and environment which gave the par cipants the opportunity to experience real life situa ons. These experiences enabled each one of us to independently, without the pressure and limita ons that formal educa on forces upon us, to come to conclusions and solu ons which will result in easier implementa on as well as discovery of new ones (solu ons) in different social situa ons and business environment. The outcome is greater pro-ac veness, independence and crea vity of par cipants. On this occasion I would like to inform you that YMCA Serbia plans to realize a similar program. Finally, before you ask yourself - what is YMCA, what is our mission and why we do what we do, do not wait for a coincidence, follow our Facebook page and join us at our next event.


It's always refreshing to put your everyday professional or academic life on pause and enter a parallel 11 day life in a closed and in mate environment. Some thrive in such culturally diverse se ngs while others experience the uneasiness of breaking out of their comfort zones. Of course, this unease lasts merely un l you find that one person to share a coffee with. The training organized by YMCA Romania just reminded us of the importance of non-formal learning. That, and the fact that they are definitely experts in youth work. Of course, this training fulfilled all requirements needed in order to receive funding from Erasmus+, but if comparing it to other trainings, it was a fast-paced, fully packed training that le us with prac cal knowledge and experience of how to implement non-formal learning techniques, methods and tools in youth work.

Ivana Ilic YMCA Serbia

Not to men on the dose of mo va on to con nue to empower youth and build a be er community back home. Between 1-11 October 2015 in ClujN a p o c a t h e r e w a s t h e t ra i n i n g „Empowering Youth-Strengthening Communi es”.

Piotr Bandoch YMCA Poland

The training included a lot of exercises very helpful to learn new skills and acquire useful tools in order to increase our quality as youth workers. My personal experience of that training is focused on learning my own ways of working. I could learn how I had begun my work, how I had made it and how I had ended it. It was the first me when I could review that ma er. I think that the most important thing during that me were people from various countries. Only thanks to them I could have so valuable experience. I must admit that the words „sharing is caring” are true. Without „sharing” I couldn't learn so much about myself. It was very precious when I could listen the other point of view about myself. Confidence in abili es of other people and myself was really important. It was the way to reach a lot of the goals during various exercises. Moreover, I had a lot of fun with people in Cluj. Great people, great trainers and great place, really made me want to learn and to be there. Thanks to all. I am missing that me and the people I met.


My name is Alexandra Pop and between 1st-11th October 2015, I've par cipated in Cluj Napoca, Romania at my first Erasmus+ event: training course “Empowering Youth – Strengthening Communi es”, organized by YMCA Romania, together with 11 different organiza ons: YMCA Portugal, YMCA Spain, YMCA Italy, YMCA Netherlands, YMCA England, YMCA Gabrovo Bulgaria, YMCA Tirana Albania, YMCA Serbia, YMCA Ukraine, YMCA Poland. First of all, I have to admit that I felt a bit strange being in my birth country, represen ng YMCA Spain (because now I am living in Spain), speaking not Romanian, not Spanish, but English, in the European Youth Capital 2015: Cluj Napoca!

Alexandra Pop

For 11 days, I “lived” with 28 different people, from different countries, cultures and personali es. At the beginning I was very scared that it will be very hard communica ng only in English, but, a er the first day I felt that I knew everybody and we were like a big happy family. I think that we all were a li le “afraid” in our first day, but li le by li le we were able to get rid of all the fears and reveal all our best.

This training helped me to overcome the fear to speak (in public or in English), to improve my communica on YMCA Spain skills, to learn how to trust in my team and rely on them without any fear, and the most important: to discover myself. I realize that my biggest cri c is myself and that I should not be afraid to be myself in any circumstance! What I loved the most it was the outdoor ac vi es and the “making our own movie task”. Thank you very much for such an experience and I will use some of the exercises that I learnt in Romania in my ac vity. Special thanks to all my friends, and to the team of trainers who were our mentors! Lots of hugs from Spain with all my love and hope to see you all soon!

Chiara Bernabei YMCA Italia Last October I had the opportunity to take part in Erasmus+ event which took place in Cluj Napoca-Romania: a training course called “Empowering Youth-Strenghtening Communi es”, organized by YMCA Romania. Eleven different countries were involved in the project: YMCA Portugal, YMCA Spain, YMCA Italy, YMCA Netherlands, YMCA England, YMCA Gabrovo Bulgaria, YMCA Tirana Albania, YMCA Serbia, YMCA Ukraine, YMCA Poland. So I lived with about thirty people coming from all these countries speaking English all the me, which was the official language of the training. This intercultural environment was for me one of the most inspiring, interes ng and exci ng aspect, even if I'm not very confident about my ability to speak fluently in another language, so at the beginning I was very shy and nervous. But, at the end, guess what? I felt sa sfied because I realized I improved on that!


I had also the opportunity to improve my ability to work in team, to be more aware of my process of crea on, my skills and my communica on style, to collaborate with other people from different countries speaking different language and having different skills, and put together all this things in order to create something together. I also learned a lot about formal, informal and non formal educa on, which ended up to be very interes ng informa on for me. This turned out to be a great chance to know be er YMCA as well and to visit a beau ful city I didn't know. Before this event, I was going through a very confused and difficult period and I had to take important decision about my life: this experience made me feel more determined, mo vated, self confident, open and able to change things in the direc on I wanted, as I got back in my country and organiza on. Therefore I feel very grateful. Another interes ng experience was the event we organized with YMCA Italia and YMCA Roma on the 19th of December. This was another chance to put in prac ce and share what I learnt in Cluj and to transmit it to other people. I recognized this last task as an important and useful part of the process. Thanks again, hope to see you soon!


I believe that during my training in Romania, ClujNapoca from the 1st October 2015 to the 11th October 2015 was possibly the best thing I could have done because it opened my eyes to a lot of possibili es and whilst learning about ac vi es by doing them I realized a few things about myself. That I lived unhealthy lifestyle with some things I do and since then I have a empted to try and change them. The thing I have clicked on to the most which if it wasn't for the help of the team I wouldn't have found out by now that I am an enabler. I never knew this and was showed how I am and for that I owe them the deepest of thanks. I made new friends, discovered cultures, find each other's weaknesses and helped overcome them.

Daniel Appleton YMCA England

Now I look at new challenges with a keen eye to observe, to learn but also to teach where I can from my mistakes, a empts, fail, review but not give up, TRY AGAIN. My most heart filled thank you to all my new friends and the team for this opportunity I had that I shall always remember.

At the beginning of October 2015 I had the privilege to spend 11 precious days with some wonderful people. They were from different parts of the world, represen ng powerful organiza ons, but all of them bearing in mind a common goal: to be part of a project which aimed to empower youth, to strengthen communi es. I have par cipated from YMCA Cavnic , member of YMCA Romania, and I was proud to represent it. Honestly, this was my first experience of this kind; that's why I didn't have any idea of what was going to happen. But the beginning couldn't have been be er than this one. A great team willing to share with us their ideas, their useful informa on, catchy ac vi es and especially a sense of togetherness and belonging. Therefore, during this training we had the opportunity to discover some hidden parts of our personality through crea ve ac vi es, to develop our communica on skills, to understand what team working means and to go deeper into youngsters' needs. Moreover, all our discussions were brought into the real world as we all interacted with the young community of Cluj, trying to bring their needs to light. All in all, I'm really glad that I had the chance to be part of this project and especially, that I can share all the interes ng experiences with the younger genera ons.

Claudia Cristiana Brana YMCA Romania


In October 2015 I had an opportunity to take part in the training “Empowering Youth – Strengthening Communi es”, held in Cluj Napoca, Romania, being funded by Erasmus+. It was my first training with YMCA and I didn't expect it to be so crea ve and diverse. Each day we were involved in lots of ac vi es from 9 a.m. un l 9 p.m. Every evening I realized that I was really red but happy as well and full of mo va on to move ahead. I enjoyed the part with self-discovering. We had very interes ng tasks that helped me to learn more about myself, about my communica on style and leadership skills. I was also glad to find out more about the Erasmus + program and the ac vi es of other YMCA organiza ons throughout Europe. I realized how strong and successful we can be if we cooperate. Due to many indoor and outdoor teambuilding ac vi es we learned how to work as a good team, how to find solu ons in different situa ons and how to reach common goals together. The thing I appreciated most about this training was that all the par cipants became good friends. I felt myself a part of a family where everyone was sharing their experience, support, smiles and posi ve emo ons with me. That is something that made this me in Romania unforge able. I came back to Ukraine, full of energy and mo va on for work. I started implemen ng several projects and organized interes ng events for young people. I was looking forward to pu ng into prac ce all I learned at the training. It is nice to realize how useful this training was for me. 10 days at “Empowering Youth – Strengthening Communi es” gave me mo va on for the whole year or even more. I am grateful to the trainers for their great work, professionalism and commitment they have demonstrated during the training and I miss all the par cipants and hope to see them all very soon in Ukraine or anywhere in the world.

Viktoria Trofimova YMCA Ukraine


My name is Ingrid. I'm one of the four members of the youth board of YMCA Netherlands since September 2015. As a youth board member, I'm concerned with the interna onal aspect of our organiza on. My organiza on asked me to take part in the 'Empowering youth, strengthening communi es' training in Romania, because this was a good opportunity to meet YMCA members from other European countries and to see what other YMCA's are doing. Since I have no experience with YMCA before I became a youth board member, I figured this experience would be useful. The training was quite an experience for me. It was really intense since it were such long days and li le personal me. I enjoyed mee ng young people from all over Europe because this gave me an impression of what other YMCA's are doing and an opportunity to expand my interna onal network. Learning about their lives and countries was also a learning experience on a personal level. I also liked learning about communica on styles and making a video. But to be honest, there were also things I didn't like. I didn't see the point of some assignments (miming the different levels of par cipa on in an organiza on being the best example of this). And I would have liked if there was more considera on given to group dynamics and processes, since (in my opinion) this is essen al for “learning in a safe environment”. So I think there is some room for improvement there.

Ingrid van Houwelingen YMCA Netherland


This training was a wonderful opportunity to discover a bit of myself. Through the non-formal exercises, I had the opportunity to rediscover, through another perspec ve, how I work in rela on with myself and also with other people. This experience is another source of inspira on. Here is a movie I made for this project

Antonela Bob YMCA Romania

I have par cipated in some different Youth ini a ves, trainings, workshops or exchanges, in na onal or interna onal level. Each event has had its own specific or something special to remember about it. But "Empowering Youth - Strengthening communi es" was really special to me, for different reasons: firstly, being part of YMCA ini a ve -feels like home to me. Even this was my second experience with another interna onal YMCA I felt like I have been for a long me there: the same enthusiasm, the same youth power, same friendly approach towards new young people ge ng involved -makes everybody feels like home. Secondly, I really appreciate the way of making things happening throughout the training days; how the theory and prac cal were mixed and combined, how the working in groups within the training se lements and gathering new ideas, opinions and reali es from na onal ci zens made us realis c and crea ve in applying our new gained acknowledges into prac ce and the product (our videos) were really comprehensive and a rac ve in the same me. Thirdly, all these helped me to be er apply new tools and methodologies with my peers in our local YMCA in Albania. It has improved my communica on skills, social competencies and modera ng abili es which I will con nue to enhance in other future ac vi es and training with our volunteers in our YMCA Tirana. During those days in Cluj, we had the opportunity to ge ng know with other youth and crea ng new partnerships possibili es, increasing our interna onal network. This, for sure, will improve our efforts toward youth empowerment in Albania. It was amazing for me.

Albi Qato YMCA Tirana - Albania


My name is Tamara Ortega and I have been part of YMCA for 23 years. This year, between 1st- 11th October 2015 I have had the fortune to participate in Erasmus+ event: training course “Empowering Youth – Strengthening Communi es”, organized by YMCA ROMANIA, together with 11 different other organiza ons. I remember the day I was called to be involved in this international experience. At first time, I received it with great joy (I have never had the opportunity to take part in this kind of projects and I really wanted to have an experience like this). Then, some questions came to me and I wondered: Why? Why now? And finally, fear appeared. I was afraid. Afraid of not being able to communicate my ideas (my English level is not so high), afraid of not taking advantage of this process and afraid of not contributing as much as I would like to. Luckily, my daily job stopped me thinking these obstacles and I arrived in Romania fully open to live the experience without thinking too much in what would happen and find. I think first two days I was completely knocked out trying to understand everything and focus on what was going on around me. After the initial shock, everything started to flow, especially thanks to the efforts of every single person who tried to do their best to explain me and understand me. As the days progressed, I understood why me and why now. That was simple, it was the perfect moment! It has been an incredible experience. It has given to me the opportunity to meet wonderful people, from who I learned a lot and with whom I shared great moments. I experienced about myself, feeling, rediscovering, learning, growing. I have grown more confident and open my mind to new ideas and opportuni es. I have widened my vision and different possibili es in the same situa on. And as Joao would say: “It has been an inspira on!” On the other hand, I have known be er this great family that it´s YMCA, knowing impressive projects carried out with very li le, thanks to the reless work of people who believe in what they do. And specially, it has given me “an excuse” to return to real work and to take ac on with young people. It´s been amazing to share with them my experience, to work with them, to see them grow, to listen to them, depar ng gradually to give them the main voice. Empower them! I would like to refer the good moments, the laughter, some tears, hugs, a tude and above all, the desires of going on, grow, work, sharing, all this eagerness although they seem asleep when the rou ne catches us! There's no words enough to describe what all this project has meant to me, but it has certainly been an experience I will not forget. I just have one more thing to say: THANK YOU! Thank you for the great work and for making it real to the team!

Tamara Ortega YMCA Spain


The learning Mobility project “Empowering Youth-Strengthening Communi esâ€? has contributed the professional development of new skills and professional experiences of Youth workers of 11 European Countries. In par cular it has promoted social inclusion, labour market knowledge, coopera on between youth organiza on and stakeholders, awareness of young leaders and youth workers competences. As a transna onal project it has enhanced an interna onal dimension of youth ac vi es paying a en on to the role of European youth workers and their involvement at local, na onal and interna onal level. It has also mo vated the coopera on between the par cipa ng organiza ons of the European Countries involved through sharing ac vi es and future projects. My personal experience as a Trainer (Team member) has been focussed on: ac ve par cipa on in prepara on, training and post training, ac ve par cipa on in all ac vi es, facilita ng ac vi es, crea ng media products, presenta on of organiza on, sharing at intercultural days, peer to peer ac vi es, promote future coopera on ac vi es, evalua on, feedback. This innova ve experience has been an educa onal opportunity not only for professional development, but of greater knowledge as well which has enhanced the emergence of speciďŹ c skills and abili es in an interna onal context such as: Communica on in mother tongue, Communica on in English language, Mathema cal and basic competence in Science & Technology, Digital competence, Learning to Learn, Social and Civic competences, Sense of ini a ve and Entrepreneurship, Cultural awareness and Expression. The learning mobility project has also been a great opportunity to develop and provide training for trainers of 11 European Youth Organiza ons.

Paola Petracchi YMCA Italia


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Acknowledgements Interna onal team of trainers and facilitators Ed Eggink, YMCA Europe President Juan Iglesias Simoes, YMCA Europe Secretary General Execu ve Commi ee members and sta of YMCA Europe Mihai Pop, Federa a Share Cluj Napoca Primaria Municipiului Cluj Napoca Gabriel Bota - Fes valul Interna onal de Carte Transilvania Csaba Veres, Asocia a Ike Transylvania Andreea Marcu, Agen a de Dezvoltare Regionala Nord Vest Clubul Spor v Clujul Pedaleaza Roxana Pascan, YMCA Baia Mare Adela Lakatos, YMCA Romania Marian Cupse, YMCA Romania


Changing lives. Opening minds.

This publica on is a result of the project Empowering Youth – Strengthening Communi es organized by YMCA Romania and funded by European Union through Erasmus Plus program. The informa on and views set out in this publica ons are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union ins tu ons and bodies nor any person ac ng on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the informa on contained therein.


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