Often, as human beings, words can feel inert regardless of the spoken language, vulnerability can be seen as an obstacle, instead of a resource and creativity as a characteristic of musicians, painters, writers and artists. Instead, we think that creativity is a boundless wellspring of human potential, waiting to be tapped into. A remarkable and invaluable human trait that resides within each one of us – a fundamental aspect of our problem-solving abilities, a vital component of innovation, and a means of personal expression. 

Thus, we think that it often flourishes when we take the time to reflect on our thoughts, experiences, feelings and ideas. In this direction, this reflective process gives us the opportunity to connect the dots, travel inside of ourselves, think differently, and gain new insights. This is where the “Reflection Methodologies – for groups of young people facing language barriers in Youth Exchanges” Toolkit comes into play – a diverse set of creative, non-verbal, hands-on methods designed to unlock your emotions by fostering personal growth and to nurture your creative thinking, allowing you to explore and expand your imagination.

It bridges this concept, empowering the participants to engage in meaningful self-examination, to live their emotions in line with what they feel inside of their bodies and can’t shape them through words, by offering them a safe space to ignite their creativity. 

With the “Reflection Methodologies – for groups of young people facing language barriers in Youth Exchanges” Toolkit in your hands, you can bring innovation to your working methods, by flourishing the critical thinking of your participants and encouraging them to embrace their emotions, as well as finding inspiration in the world around themselves.

In case you decide to use one of the methodologies presented in the toolkit, we would be more than happy if you could share your experience with us, by writing us an email – 

HERE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE TOOLKIT

The context

All the methods collected and described in the toolkit were designed, developed and successfully tested for the first time during the 2 youth exchanges we organized in the summer of 2023 in Galbiate, Italy. Together with the team leaders, we sketched the objectives and the methodologies, according to the needs shared:

•  Outdoor activities and sport for all – 26nd to 31st of July, with the aim of:
  • Addressing the connection between physical and emotional wellbeing;
  • Exploring outdoor activities and sport as useful tools for bringing people together and creating more fair and more inclusive societies;
  • Exchanging experiences and practices related to outdoor activities and sport.

• Upcycling & Sustainable Lifestyles – 22nd to 27th of August, focused on:
  • Making young people more aware about the impact of human activities on environment, promoting individual & societal actions to reduce it;
  • Creating awareness about waste and food waste, through practical workshop on upcycling;
  • Sharing good practices for the reuse, reduction and recycling of waste in different European countries;
  • Giving young people the opportunity to live an experience of learning & self-management in a multicultural context.

The methods were born out of a deep wish to empower youngsters to explore their thoughts and feelings, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of themselves and their creative abilities. They have been originally thought to be used in national groups of youngsters aged 14-17 years-old, facing language barriers, as Associazione Joint got awarded with a 3-year Erasmus+ accreditation for a strategy focused on the inclusion and the empowerment of young people with severe social and economical fewer opportunities and highly vulnerable young people in European mobility projects (from shelters, youth centers, communities, supported by social services etc.)

L'articolo Reflection Beyond Language Barriers: 14 Innovative Methodologies for Reflection Groups proviene da Youth Networks.

But how to do it? The topic is too big, too wide, it may seem unreachable, off limits, unrealistic. It is for these daunting circumstances that this toolkit emerges.

Intercultural Dialogue Through Art

In order to be able to approach intercultural dialogue in a creative and inclusive way, this toolkit can help to: 

• Fostering the debate, among young people, on the topics of cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and intercultural conflict, allowing them to exchange their own personal experiences. 
• Implementing activities, focused on  specific forms of art, addressing the topic of intercultural dialogue. This not only will make the debate more accessible, but will also support the creation of tangible artistic outputs, to be used to make your activities more visible in the local communities. 

The Toolkit

This toolkit contains some of the methodologies and activities implemented during the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange “Intercultural Dialogue Through ART”, implemented in Ligonchio (Italy) on April 27th-May 5th 2023, in the framework of the Erasmus+ accreditation of Associazione Joint. 

We decided to collect here only the methodologies that were designed or adapted specifically for this mobility and that have been successfully tested during the Youth Exchange.

The Youth Exchange

The activities aim was to explore the topic of intercultural dialogue, approaching it through different artistic techniques, while in direct contact with nature, in order to find new ways of practicing and promoting intercultural dialogue. The practical approach of the activities allowed us to make the topic and the debate accessible to young people with a low level of English, to young people facing fewer opportunities, as well as to valorise the individual strengths and passions of each participant, in a very diverse group.

Europe is a rich continent, where different cultures, religions, beliefs, nationalities and ideas interact with each other. With this in mind, it is crucial to be able to create culture dialogues.

Therefore, the goals of the YE were:

• Making young people more aware about the topics of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogues 
• Exchanging experiences about intercultural dialogue and discrimination in the involved countries
• Investigating artistic forms to foster intercultural dialogue among young people and local communities 
• Creating tangible artistic outputs to be used during the dissemination events.

With this Toolkit, any interested entity or person will be able to host, deliver and carry successfully activities in these topics and thus, help their local community to become more international and to address issues of the most crucial importance.

L'articolo TOOL: Intercultural Dialogue Through Art proviene da Youth Networks.

It is thought of as a tool for organisations, trainers, educators and teachers who want to make international and local activities with young people on the following topics:

• exploring the body,
• physical and mental health, and
• well-being.

The Youth Exchange “Body&Bodies”

The aim of the project, implemented in Genoa (Italy) on July 5-15 2022, was to improve the relationship between young people and their bodies, guiding them through a process of exploration, awareness and research with the help of various physical disciplines (theatre, dance, circus arts, yoga, play education).

The idea was born from the need for young people to do activities that would differ from their vision of traditional physical activity – at least from what they are proposed at school level. This need was followed by a research, which has shown how the pandemic has affected everyone’s social and personal life, and that a tool to get out of it is to consult the inner connection between body and mind, intended as being aware of ourselves, in order to know how to take care of our own well-being.

Objectives of the Project

The specific objectives of the project were:

• exploring the body as a tool for understanding oneself and the world around oneself;
• gaining confidence in bodies as tools for sociality and communication, particularly after the negative impact given by the Covid-19 pandemic;
• promoting physical and mental well-being, a healthier body image and healthier relationships;
• promote knowledge and practice of new physical disciplines among young people;
• promote a more conscious, respectful and open approach to one’s own and others’ bodies;
• sharing knowledge and experience on the topic with organizations from different European contexts;
• receiving tools and strategies, useful for organizations and youth workers, to promote physical disciplines and healthy lifestyles among young people;
• promote intercultural dialogue and self-management skills among young people and promote the Erasmus program.

Check out the complete toolkit for a wider understanding of the project and of the general flow of the activities!

L'articolo Toolkit | A New Collection of Non Formal Methodologies for Body-Related Activities proviene da Youth Networks.

About

Based on the Nonviolent Communication approach and ways of understanding self-care, the toolkit wishes to address a broad topic of wellbeing. Understanding the relationship between needs that are met and unmet that are the reasons for our emotional states, the aim is to propose a few strategies for achieving a state of well-being in everyday life.

The toolkit shares a few ideas of how you can contribute to be able to draw conclusions for yourself from the proposed practices and your day to day life, complete your routine with reflection practices. It will help you discover what supports your self-care and well-being most, and your local community.

Why do we consider it important? Well, “no man is an island”, we are all interconnected. We all need each other for different reasons. We are all social beings, we need others as much as they need us. Having good relations with others is essential for well-being.

The Project

The project CORE was designed as a process of exploration of self that led to understanding a broader context of our roles in society. During the training course, the participants have researched themselves in the context of a group and widened the understanding of their emotions, values & needs. This helped develop a sense of civic responsibility.

The participants took the perspective of the community, felt the power of unity and unlocked the creative potential for building engagement, empathy and responsibility in each individual.

The outcome of this project is this toolkit.

The partners of the project are:

• LUBLA
• ADRIBS
• KABUWAZI
• Tandem NGO
• Csoma’s Room Foundation
• Associazione Joint
• ARTE EGO Foundation
• Friends of Children in Romania
• Celulas Durmientes

Read also

Communication Guidelines For Project Beneficiaries

L'articolo Project Results: Wellbeing Toolkit proviene da Youth Networks.

The partners of the project are:

• Citizens in Action
• Xarxa CooperaSec
• STRANAIDEA
• Kaleido’Scop
• Nexes
• Confcooperative Piemonte Nord
• Unis-Cité

The Project

The overall objective of the project is to visualize the social impact of entrepreneurship initiatives in SSE, especially those ones promoted by young people.

According to that, SSEds wants to:

• reinforce methodologies to accompany young people in entrepreneurship in SSE, especially those with fewer opportunities;
• strengthen the competences and visions in SSE so that young people can undertake initiatives in their communities;
• elaborate new tools for SSE, fruit of a collective creation;
• create instruments for the evaluation of the social impact of SSE initiatives.

Over its duration, from January 2020 to December 2021, the partners of SSEds have elaborated 2 intellectual outputs:

• a “Toolbox on values, sustainability and social impact of the ESS“
• a “Training Module to approach young people to the ESS“, with focus on the social impact of the ESS

Toolbox on Values, Sustainability and Social Impact of the ESS

The “Toolbox on values, sustainability and social impact of the Social and Solidarity Economy” intends to provide SSE actors, who guide and educate (mostly) in sustainable and value-based SSE activities, a user-friendly system of classified SSE tools/methods. These tools/methods should be useful, at different stages and with different purposes and target groups, to guide young people towards their entrepreneurship in SSE.

Part of the Toolbox, the Imp’Act tool guides the user through building their own social impact assessment of an SSE project or initiative. It grounds on the values and principles of SSE, but it is applicable to all kinds of social projects and initiatives, also outside the SSE field.

Training Module to Approach Young People to the ESS

This training module provides concrete educational approaches to focus on social impact, for young people who are in the process of creating an SSE project. Overall, it aims at maximizing the potential for social transformation of future SSE initiatives.

“On a train to social impact” grounds on the principles of non-formal education and is a resource for facilitators that support young people in their educational path towards Social Solidarity Economy.

Outputs’ Objectives

Such outputs have been created for the benefit of young people and the actors of social and solidarity economy who want to deepen their knowledge over the topic and to train themselves on the social impact.

Read also

TOSCA – Online Training for Youth Organisations of European Solidarity Corps

L'articolo Toolbox on Values, Sustainability and Social Impact of Social-Solidarity Economy proviene da Youth Networks.

On one side, it addresses the urgent need for alternatives to dominant economic systems. On the other side, it values solidarity and democracy and engages vulnerable people. Doing so, it contributes to social cohesion and development of skills that support employment and reduction of inequalities.

In youth volunteering, it can drive young people to creativity, initiative taking and leadership. Furthermore, it enhances their engagement within the local community for their own personal and professional growth and the collective growth of the community.

This represented the main topic in the Erasmus+ Key Action 2 project implemented by 13 National Committees of the volunteering federation ICYE.

About the project “Young Leaders for Social Change: Entrepreneurship through Volunteering”

The project involved ICYE National Committees in 13 countries and 12 international volunteers, who learnt about social economy and entrepreneurship. They planned and implemented projects and activities over 8 months for and with the beneficiaries of their host organisations. International volunteers led entrepreneurship projects or worked in organisations tackling social issues and creating alternative economic opportunities.

As an outcome of the project, the involved associations created a handbook. In particular, it contains the necessary non-formal learning and social entrepreneurship methods and skills, useful in different contexts and settings.

It represents a useful tool for staff, youth workers and facilitators of volunteering organisations to train volunteers during their international voluntary service. But also, for the volunteers engaged in diverse community development host organisations across the world.

You can find the Handbook here in English/ here in Spanish.

Related articles:
SEEDS2: social entrepreneurship for the youngsters

L'articolo Social Entrepreneurship through Volunteering proviene da Youth Networks.