Project Objectives
To produce new training resources that work across borders that:
- Promote youth leadership, health improvement and citizenship by generating young leaders from disadvantaged communities who are well placed to get their peers moving
- Widen the appreciation and policy commitment to informal youth learning at all levels of Government and NGO’s
- Support target group agencies to provide disadvantaged youth with access to innovative, informal life-longlearning and training that develops soft transversal skills advantageous in the labour market: confidence,communication, leadership and reliability.
- Develop practice across borders and internationalise youth leadership work by co-operatively producing anopen education resource that works in the EU context.
- Work towards the accreditation of a new youth training in programme to enhance internationalised youth work.
These objectives are needed because:
- Levels of physical activity are dropping across Europe (Eurobarometer 2014), leading to a public healthcrisis (UK Parliamentary Commission 2014). The project is in-line with policy objectives to get more youngpeople moving. There is currently no cross border training to support disadvantaged youth to become leaderswho nudge peers towards healthier behaviours.
- There is growing recognition of the value of youth leadership. This project is driven by our collectiveunderstanding of the potential for disadvantaged young people to become leaders and active citizens. We areguided by EU2020‘Youth on the Move’ which values youth engagement in volunteering, leadership, andinformal education and recognises the need for interventions that target young people with fewer opportunities.
- Young women engage in sport and in leadership roles far less than their male peers, especially in areas withfewer opportunities. “… men in the EU exercise & play sport… more than women… this disparity is particularlymarked in the 15-24 age group, with young men tending to exercise…on a regular basis considerably more thanyoung women (74% vs 55%).” The differential in volunteering is 9% Male. 6% FemaleSource: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_412_en.pdf
- Youth unemployment is at about 3.5m across Europe. Disadvantaged youth with fewer opportunities – ourultimate beneficiaries are those most at risk of unemployment. Businesses say young people do not have theskills needed for the modern labour market – they need a broader range of transversal and problem solving skillsfor the more pressured economic environment. (Employment Skills for the 21st Century ). This project will fill a gap and produce training resources that strengthen the necessary skills to learn, to communicate and to take leadership responsibility.
- Youth and sport are not currently equipped with the right tools to enable young people to take advantage ofEU opportunities and to see themselves as EU citizens. The resources will work across borders and will supportyoung people to see their lives in the European context, including by making good use of Youth Pass and similarco-operations.
The objectives are achievable because this project brings together the learning and knowledge of experts in youth leadership training from 4 countries and builds on the collective evidence base which demonstrates that:
Our beneficiaries do want to be trained to become volunteer leaders
Our beneficiaries do want help to adopt healthy behaviours and respond well to informal learning.
Insight-led training fits in with beneficiaries’ lifestyle and priorities