Salto Mag Final

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Put yourimprint

Action 1.3 Youth in Action ProgrammeSalto Youth Participation2008

on society


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Puton society

imprint

This document does not necessarily express the official views of the European Commission or the organisations and persons cooperating with the Youth

in Action institutions. Put your imprint on society aims to be a practical youth work publication and not an official policy document.

your


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CONTENTSForeword_4

What is a Youth Democracy Project?_6

Examples of Youth Democracy Projects _12

Salto Youth Participations Activities_2 2

Project planning : Its your turn_2 6

Glossary_3 0

Puton society

yourimprint

Youth In Action Programme

Throughout Action 1.3 Youth Democracy projects, the

Youth in Action Programme aims to support young people

who want to play an active role in society and get more

involved in its democratic processes. Since the launch of

the programme, there has been a huge need expressed by

different stakeholders to promote this action, to clarify how a

Youth Democracy project should look and to define its main

pedagogical framework.

Based on the activities developed by SALTO-YOUTH

Participation Resource Centre since 2007, this publication

intends to define what a Youth Democracy project is, gives

some examples of realised projects and provides tips to

support their implementation. Furthermore, it is aimed at

transferring the concepts of the training courses and seminars

Get Involved and Lets meet for Participation initiated by

the Resource Centre to support the development of projectsand partnerships under Action 1.3.

SALTO-YOUTH Participation Resource Centre hopes that

you will enjoy reading this publication and find it practical and

inspiring.

Fatima LAANAN,

Coordinator

SALTO-YOUTH Participation Resource Centre

A C T I O N 1 . 3


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OVERVIEW OF THE ACTIONS OF THE PROGRAMME

Youth Support SystemsSupport for European

Co-operation in the Youth field

_Action 4_Action 5

aims at encouraging young peoples active

citizenship, participation and creativity

by supporting youth exchanges, youth

initiatives and youth democracy projects.

Youth for Europe

European Voluntary ServiceYouth in the World helps young people to develop their senseof solidarity by participating, either indi-vidually or in group, in non-profit, unpaid

voluntary activities abroad.

_Action 1

_Action 2

_Action 3aims at promoting partnerships andexchanges among young people and

youth organisations across the world.

includes various measures to support

youth workers and youth organisa-

ti ons and improve t he qua li ty of t hei r

activities.supports youth policy co-operation at

European level, in particular by facilitating

dialogue between young people and policy

makers.

The Programme is mainly implemented in a decentralised way through a network of National Agencies,

which have been established in each Programme Country in order to ensure a closer contact with the

national reality of beneficiaries. The Programme Guide of the Youth in Action Programme, available on the

Youth website at http://ec.europa.eu/youth/ includes detailed descriptions and eligibility criteria of each

action.

Putyourimprintonsociety

5

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME

GENERAL OVERVIEW OF

Youth In Action Programme

With a total budget of 885 mi llion euros for seven years, the Youth in Action Programme aims to inspire a

sense ofactive European citizenship, solidarityandtolerance among young Europeans and to involve them

in shaping the Unions future by boosting theirparticipation in democratic life.

The Programme is open to all young people aged between 15 and 28 (in some cases exceptions are

foreseen to involve young people aged between 13 and 30). The involvement of young people with fewer

opportunities is one of its key priorities.

The programme promotes non-formal learning and intercultural dialogue among European youth, and it

encourages young peoples mobilitywithin and beyond the EU borders, thus giving them the opportunity

to expand their horizons and gain valuable life and work experiences.

To achieve its objectives, the programme funds a large vari ety of activities through five actions. These activi-

ties include youth exchanges, youth initiatives, transnational voluntary ser vice as well as training and net-

working opportunities for youth workers and youth organisations.


4

F O R E W O R D

THE YOUTH IN ACTION

PROGRAMME 2007-2013


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CRITERIA

_A non profit organisation

_A local or regional public body

_An informal group of young people (one of the members of the group

assumes the role of representative and takes responsibility on behalf of

the group)

_A body active in the youth field at European level

Who can realize a Youth Democracy Project?

Who can apply?

When to apply?

Promoters

ParticipantsYoung people aged between 13 and 30 and legally re sident in a

programme country

The group should consist of a minimum of 16 young people.

The activity must take place in the country of at least one promoter.

The project can last between 3 and 18 months.

A project should involve at least 2 countries with 2 local partners per country.

One of the promoters assumes the role of coordinator

and applies to the rel evant National Agency for the whole

project on behalf of all the promoters involved.

_1st February

_1st April

_1st June

_1st September

_1st November


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WHAT IS A YOUTH DEMOCRACY PROJECT?

Youth Democracy Projec t is the new sub action 1.3

of the European Youth in Action programme (2007-2013).

It gives young people the opportunity to be directly

involved in societyby planning and carrying out a project, which is an

important non formal learning experience .

It encourages young people to consider theircontribution

and involvement in a local, national and European context.

DEFINITION

C H A P T E R 1

OBJECTIVESYouth Democracy Project supports young peoples participation in democratic life.

Concretely, it :

_Promotes the involvement of young people in participator y structures

_Develops dialogue between public authorities and groups of young people

_Facilitates dialogue between public authorities and young people who are not members of

organisations

_Creates structures or strategies to bring young people closer to political decision-making

_Identifies and overcomes obstacles to the participation of young people in democratic life


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QUALITY OF PROJECT DESIGNQuality of the partnership/active

involvement of all promoters in the project

Quality of the preparation phase

Quality of Activity programme

Promoters must demonstrate the ability to esta-

blish and run a cohesive partnership with the active

involvement of all partners and with common goalsto be achieved. The setting-up of a partnership com-

posed of promoters from different backgrounds

may facilitate the implementation of the Activity.

During this phase, the promoters should agree

on the common theme of the Youth Democracy

Project. They should think about the division of

tasks, the activity programme , working methods,

profile of participants, practical arrangements (ve-

nue, transfers, accommodation, support material,

linguistic support).

The Activity programme should be clearly defi-

ned, realistic, balanced and linked to the objec-

tives of the project and of the Youth in Action

Programme.

Quality of the evaluation phasePromoters and participants are expected to in -

clude a final evaluation process. The final evalua-

tion should make it possible to assess whether

the objectives of the project have been achieved

and the expectations of the promoters and parti-

cipants have been met . The evaluation should also

highlight the learning outcomes.


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ELIGIBLE COSTS


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QUALITY OF PROJECT REACHImpact, multiplying effect and follow-upPromoters should try, as much as possible, to

involve other people (from the neighbourhood,

local area, etc.) in the project activities. Multiplica-

tion is obtained for instance by convincing other

actors to use the results of the Youth Democracy

Project in a new context.

Promoters and participants are called to reflect

systematically upon possible measures to ensure

a follow-up of the Youth Democracy Project.

Visibility of the project/visibility of theYouth in Action Programme

_Visibility of the project: SMS mailing; prepare

posters, stickers, promotional items (t-shir ts, caps,

pens, etc.); invite journalists to obser ve; issue press

releases or write articles for local paper s, websites

or newsletters; create an e-group, a web space, a

photo-gallery or blog on the Internet, etc.

_Visibility of the Youth in Action Programme: use

of the official Youth in Action logo, seminars,conferences, debates organised at different levels

(local, regional, national, international).

Dissemination and exploitation of resultsOrganising public events (presentations, conferen-

ces, workshops); creating audio-visual products

(CD-Rom,DVD); setting up long-term colla-

boration with media (series of radio/TV/press

contributions, interviews, participation in different

radio/TV programmes); developing information

material (newsletters, brochures, booklets, bestpractice manuals); creating an Internet portal,

etc.


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QUALITY OF PROJECT CONTENTAND METHODOLOGY

Themes of common interest and relevanceto the group of participants

The project should have a clear thematic concept,

which promoters wish to explore together. Thetheme has to be translated into the concrete daily

activities of the Youth Democracy Project.

Non-formal learning methods appliedThe project should follow the principles of non-

formal learning. In general terms, the project

should be based on an intercultural learning pro-

cess stimulating creativity, active participation and

initiative.

Active involvement of participantsin the project

The Activity programme and working methods

applied should involve the participants as muchas possible.

Promotion of social and personaldevelopment of participants

The project should enable the participants to ac-

quire self-confidence.

Intercultural dimensionThe Youth Democracy Project should increase

young peoples positive awareness of other cultu-

res and support dialogue and intercultural en-

counters with other young people from different

backgrounds and cultures.

European dimensionThe Youth Democracy Project should contribute

to the young peoples education process and in-

crease their awareness of the European/interna-

tional context in which they live.


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The partnership between Arles and Rome has

existed for a long time. The project initiated by

the Citizen University based on long ter m ex-

perience in the field of participation of inhabitants

especially in the field of democracy. The idea was

to extend this knowledge to the par tnership and

encourage young people from 15 to 30 to colla-

borate in a European experience.

How did you come up with the idea?

Brief description and aimof the project

Objectives

This project offered the chance to propose an

European experience between young people

from both countries. It aimed to use the experien-

ces of the Citizen University of Arles in parti-

cipative processes. Through this common project,

we wanted to help young people interested in

developing their capacity for exchange and reflec-

tion, improve and valorize their European identity

and train them to have their say. At the end of t his

cooperation participants should be fully aware of

their role as resources within the public sector

and be able to use their skills to become actors

at local level.

Strong points of the project

_Gather experiences and exchange analyses of

young people in the field of participative process

in both countries;

_Identify needs to improve existing processes or

create new ones;

_Launch the debate on participation processes of

young people without discrimination;

_Establish a think tank and make proposals for the

collective interest.

The experience of the Citizen University in the

field of participative methodology was definitely a

strong point. This experience could be shared and

was the starting point of the Youth Democracy

project.

The cooperation between the two Town hallswas also a good point. The mobilization of local

authorities helped to encourage the awareness of

young people that they are real resources for the

collective policy.

Difficulties the partnership faced andadvice to give other associations

We encountered difficulties with the planning of

the project. It was hard to find availability at the

same time in both countries. Language was also a

problem at the beginning but was naturally over-

come through different means of communication

and by the synergy of the group which became

stronger and stronger with time . If we had to give

advice to another association eager to run such

an initiative, it would be to develop a clear and

precise methodology and think carefully about

how they intend to develop the project in order

to facilitate an efficient participative approach.Budget

Total amount: 30 840

60% Youth in Action programme

40% City of Aries (human resources, food, bus

and cultural visits)


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EXAMPLES OF YOUTH DEMOCRACY PROJECT

Celine GOMEZ Universite du citoyen 66, avenue Gambetta 83500 La Seyne sur Mer [email protected]

YOUNG PEOPLE, ACTORS ANDRESOURCES IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

C H A P T E R 2

Title

Duration

Beneficiary

Partnership

Les jeunes, acteurs et resources dans 1espace public/Young people, actors and

resources from the public sector

From the 1st July 2007 to the 31st July 2008

Partner l University of Citizen (France)

28 participants took part in the project: - 14 young people elected from

the Consultative Council of Arles - 14 young actors from the participative analyse

of the City of Rome

Partner 2 Ville dArles, service animation - public local authority(France)

Partner 3 Municipio di Roma - public local authority (Italy)

Partner 4 Association ARETES sviluppi possibiti (Italy)


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For many years JFLB has been supporting pro-

jects in 2 areas:

1) promoting media skills among children and

young people

2) strengthening participation of youngsters.

The foundations are already used for collaborating

with many partners in the network and the JES

and Drehscheibe partnership is only one exam-

ple. Thus the idea of uniting participatory youth

work and media education in a project was born.

How did you come up with the idea?Brief description and aim

of the project

Objectives

The main objective of our project is to design a

child and youth friendly city with newly designed

public spaces by and for young people. Special

attention will be paid to young people with mi-

gration backgrounds. Participants will develop and

implement projects according to their needs. The

political aims of these guidelines are: good partici-

pation - better communication

Strong points of the project

_Favorise bilat eral exchange of ideas and expe-riences through workshops and meetings;

_Raise awareness within policy and public admi-

nistration for participation and to support

local structures/projects in public participation;

_Find skills to improve daily living conditions for

young people;

_Develop better opportunities for social integra-

tion and active participation in their

surroundings;

_Open public spaces giving young people the op-

portunity to get actively involved in

democratic and social processes which influence

their living conditions;

_Elaborate media products for facilitating com-

munication with political decision makers as well

as between the different project groups to pro-

mote better understanding;

_Develop new concepts for the future

_Elaborate media supports

For the first time, two areas of youth work get

together: participation and media education.

The project uses existing youth projects and helps

them in their work.

The project helps young people to communicate

their interests to third parties.

The project promotes media-competences and

thereby strengthens the oppor tunities to par tici-

pate in the democratic processes of society.

Difficulties the partnership faced andadvice to give other associationsA growing gap between their desire to be a child

and youth friendly society and reality (e.g: neigh-

bours

complain about the noise i n childrens playgrounds).

Interests of children and youngsters being exclu-

ded from the design of public spaces etc Policy

responds only to request. Consideration of the

interests of children and youngsters is still not

regarded as a crucial issue. Children and teena-

gers are often seen through their problems and

not their skills. But... they are experts in their own

matters!

BudgetTotal amount: 50 495

27 500 Youth in Action programme

21% JFLB + drehscheibe

19% JES


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GOOD PARTICIPATION

BETTER COMMUNICATION!TitleDuration

Beneficiary

Partnership

Good participation - Better communication!

From October 2007 till March 2009

Partner 1 Jugend und Familienstiftung des Landes

Berlin Foundation under public law

Partner 2 Drehscheibe Kinder und jugendpolitik

Berlin Foundation (Germany)

Partner 3 Jeugd en Stad vzw ( JES)

NGO (Belgium)


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The first group is from the UK and already invol-

ved in Voice It - a project supported by the Minis-

try of Justice to i ncrease democratic engagement

in the UK. Their partner group is an English Club

at a high school in Latvia.

The UK group will bring its experience of Voice

it in the UK, which has already completed a suc-

cessful pilot phase. The second group will bring

its own outlook as a recent EU entrant. They will

exchange and share ideas about European demo-

cratic structures.


of the project

Objectives

Voice It Europe is about young people using

the power of podcasts to repor t on issues that

matter to them. They use their own web space

to investigate and campaign on local, national and

European topics.

Participants are working together using Web

2.0 technology: self-publishing, voting in polls,

sharing content. Thanks to this project, partici-

pants can be trained in journalistic skills and given

the confidence to arrange and conduct inter-

views with influential people who might normally

appear out of reach.

Strong points of the projectThe most outstanding characteristic is the use

of the very latest self-publishing technology to

discuss serious issues. Podcasts, blogs and social

networking are enormously influential new mo-

vements, especially for young people.


The young Latvian participants have more limi-

ted access to technology than their UK counter-

parts. While this has not prevented the project

from running as planned, it has required careful

organisation to ensure that the tools are available.

Another obstacle has obviously been the geogra-

phical distance between the participants. While a

key aspect of Voice it Europe is br idging the divide

between people using technology, it is inevitable

that people will always work more easily together

if they have more opportunities to meet face toface. A final obstacle worth mentioning is the

other demands on the participants time. They are

at busy stages in school, so have limited time to

devote to this activity.


60% Youth in Action programme

40% digitalME and IEARN (in-kind contribution)

_Get to meet and interview their elected repre-

sentatives at each of these levels;

_Explore how media tools can be used to make

them active citizens;

_Find a way to access politicians whose decisions

affect their lives;

_Plan, produce and publish programmes based on

interviews with their peers and elected represen-

tatives;

_Upload the edited pieces to their own space on

the global Radiowaves website;

_Make them available as podcasts to a worldwide

audience of people who need and want to know

how young people think.


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Damian PAYTON DigitalME Radiowaves 30-34 Aire street Leeds - The UK

VOICE IT EUROPETitle

Duration

Beneficiary

Partnership

Voice It Europe

From September 2007 to March 2008

Partner l DigitalME - (the UK)

Sixteen young people aged between 13 and 19 - half from the UK, half

from :

Latvia are collaborating on this project.

Partner 2 iEARN UK - association (the UK)

Partner 3 Youth dub Lingua - public local authority (Latvia)

Partner 4 NGO Lingua. - association (Latvia)


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Objectives

Strong points of the projectThe project has several features that make it spe-

cial. First of all, young people have been involved

in each phase of the elaboration process of the

project in Italy as well as in Romania. Moreover,

the project involved 2 countries with a diffe-

rent tradition of democracy which may for us

be one step towards wider tolerance, the fight

against cultural stereotypes and a step toward

mutual knowledge and understanding. Finally, the

final product of the project is innovative and use-

ful. We will elaborate a guide of good pr actices.


One of the most important obstacles was to

understand the rules and assessment of the new

European Youth in Action programme . It was not

easy to have a clear idea what kind of expenses

this sub action could cover or not. There is still

some confusion...The bureaucracy and the delay

were also a bit frustrating sometimes. Then we

have to admit that finding co-funding is maybe the

hardest part of the project. Especially if 2 organisa-

tions, from two different countries work together

and dont have the same system of fundraising.In the end we were able to find co-funding but

we were not able to valorise enough the work

of volunteers here in our organisation. Cultural

differences were also an obstacle sometimes. If in

one country, everything is organised on time, in

the other country there can be cultural delays.

Finally there is still an overall lack of social invest-

ment in youth. Sometimes, you may think no one

really wants young people to be empowered.

First of all, read the Programme Guide. Read

it ten times and understand every single word,

because it is written for professionals of project

management, not for average young people...

Second, find someone that can help you in kee-

ping to the cost plan.Third, find reliable partners. You may not always

get the city in the project, but whoever you get,

make sure they are a sustainable par tner.

Ask the national agency every question that co-

mes to mind before answering it yourself. Someti-

mes, the National Agencies understand things dif-

ferently to us. Take a lot of pictures and document

every single activity. You may need them in order

to show your results.

BudgetThe Youth in Action programme: 60% of the project

18% Agenda 21 Bucharest and the City of Bucharest

15% Arciragazzi Liguria (in kind co-financcment)

7% Town hall of Genoa

Town hall of Bucarest

Arciragazzi and other associations: in kind contribution

_Recognize and support youth participation acti-

vities, projects and initiatives developed

at local and regional level in partner countries;

_Develop a strategy to reinforce democracy in 2

countries through a non-formal learning process

with young people, institutions and associations;

_Find skill s for helping young people to use the

existing opportunities at local, regional, national

and European level on youth participation;

_Elaborate a youth-friendly guide to participationand citizenship concerned with activities at both a

local and European level.


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Mara GEORGESCU Association ARCIRAGAZZI Liguria Salita MontebeUo, 7/12 16126 Genoa [email protected]

TAKE ACTION: A EUROPEAN ABCTO YOUTH PARTICIPATION!

The idea of the project was developed during

several meetings with young people. There was

a pooling of ideas about youth participation pro-

jects. The Italian National Agency guided us in the

definition of the final idea.

How did you come up with the idea?

Brief description and aimof the project

Our aim was to create stronger and more sus-

tainable bonds between the three main actors of

youth participation: young people, associations (ci-

vil society in general) and public bodies, according

to the principles of representative democracy.

All the projects create spaces and opportunities

for favorising the exchange of ideas and good

practices, actively reflecting on the future of Eu-

rope and youth policies in Europe- including from

the per spective of a new EU countr y, and esta-

blishing the basis for improving public dialogue.

Title

Duration

Beneficiary

Partnership

Take action: a European ABC to youth participation!

From November 2007 to January 2009

Partner l ARCIRAGAZZI Liguria (Italy)

The project is run by two countries (Italy and Romania). Within the partnership,

there are 2 youth associations and 2 local public bodies. 30 young people are

participating in this project.

Partner 2 Town Hall of Genoa - association (Italy)

Partner 3 Town hall of Bucharest, Office for Educational Activities -public local

authority (Romania)

Partner 4 Association APSS Agenda 21 - public local authority (Italy)


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Objectives

Strong points of the projectThis is one of the few projects which really

concerns democracy. In our city, everything is de-

termined by young people. Adults only make sure

that the basic conditions are provided. Moreover,

we set a high value on integration. For example

you can see different languages (Serbian, Croatian,

Bosnian, and Turkish) on our webpage. Languages,

cultures or religion should not be a barrier to par-

ticipating in our project.


Its very difficult to keep to t he time schedule be-

cause only the youngsters themselves make the

decisions. Having to decide everything is difficultfor them. New steps can only be taken if a deci-

sion is made.


32.2% Youth in Action programme

19.63% Land Tirol

19.62% sponsors

15.70% entrance fee

12.35% donation

_Bring together the ideas of young people from

different European regions

_Give young people an understanding of parti-

cipation

_Support different competences

_Support political education

_Get our theme across to children, young people

and adults

_Sensitize young people to Policy and Economy

_Support integration (culture, people with disabi-

lities, generations)

_Impact political and economic awareness.

_Give young people the possibility to experience

the sustainability and consequences of

decisions.


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Albert FUCIK Rennweg 29 6020 Innsbruck - Austria [email protected]

FUTURE CITY

Albert F ucik, the manager of the project, went to

Feldkirch in Vorarlberg which is in Austria. There

he saw die Kinderstadt City of Children which

fascinated him. So he decided to do something si-

milar in the Tyrol. He extended the i dea and crea-

ted this innovative project for young people.


of the projectThe zukunftsstadt is a fictitious city invented by

and for children and young people. In this ficti-

tious city, young people are able to make their

own decisions and are actively involved in the

democratic process. Through their contribution

they influence the development of the project. In

this city children have for example the chance to

study at university, start a business or a politicalcareer. They can assume any role which exists in a

real city. There will be political elections. They can

present themselves as candidates or vote for each

other. The keeping of the election pledge and its

consequences directly affects both the children

and young people. Everyone is faced with migra-

tion almost daily. They have to deal with different

languages, cultures and religions. Special attention

will be paid to the integration of young people

whose mother tongue is not German.

Title

Duration

Beneficiary

Partnership

Future city

From March 2008 till September 2008

Partner 1 Dachverband der Jugendgemeinder ate Baden-Wurtemberg

association (Germany)

Partner 2 Kreisjugendr ing - regional public authority (Germany)Partner 3 Jeugendgruppe Ainet - informal Youth group from Eastern Tyrol

(Austria)


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METHODS USEDC H A P T E R 3


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23

Through its experience of seminars and trai ning courses, SALTO-YOUTH Participa-

tion has developed a wide range of tools and concrete tips, in order to clarify and

support t he implementation of action 1.3 of the Youth in Action programme. You

will find below a summary of the results of all activities organised by the resource

centre in this regard. You will also see how useful these elements are for realizing

your own Youth Democracy Project.

METHODS USED

Generating &

developing ideas

Get involved TC concept

YiA

checkplanning

application

SALTO YOUTH PARTICIPATIONS ACTIVITIES

C H A P T E R 3


22

Since SALTO-YOUTH Participation has been in

charge of the European priority of PARTICIPA-

TION, it has developed support, information and

training on Youth Participation, with the aim of

encouraging young people to involve themselves

in their communities and to promote two essen-

tial sub actions of the European Youth in Action

programme: Transnational Youth Initiatives (1.2)

and Youth Democracy Projects (1.3):

_Sub action 1.2: Youth Initiatives : follow

up and transfer of good practices to National

Agencies, focus on active participation of young

people

_Sub action 1.3: Youth DemocracyProject: This is a new action. SALTO-YOUTH

Participation has the task of promoting and

enhancing its development.

SALTO-YOUTH Par ticipation works with Natio-

nal Agencies and youth trainers to enhance the

quality of projects within these 2 sub actions.

SALTO YOUTH PARTICIPATION


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3.Tokenism

4.Assigned but

informed

5.Consulted

and informed

6.Adult initiated shared

decisions with kids

7.Child initiated

and directed

8.Child initiated shared

decisions with adults

The ladder of

participation

Step 4C H A P T E R 4


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27

Your partners will be from different backgrounds and cultures, you might strengthenyour partnership, ensure everybody has a role and share common objectives.

Make your own timetable : this step will help you to ensure that th emethodology you decided to implement is coherent with the objectives ofthe partnership. For that reason, paying special attention to the metho-dology and to the calendar is recommended.

Share your outcomes/results, keep in mind you are acting in a democratic process !

_Step 4

_Step 5

_Step 6

Evaluate precisely the financial costs of your project ; this is thestarting point of a request for co-funding : in order to show your

sponsors or f inancial partners that your project is well implemen-

tab le .

_Step 7

If you want to know more about project management, especially for Youth Democracy Pro jects or

you simply need international partners for your projects, take a look at our toolbox or better still,

participate in one of our Training courses.

w w w . s a l t o- y o u t h . n e t / P a r t i c i p a t i o n c o u r s e s

This is the star ting point of your project (e.g. strong points, weaks points, oppor-

tunity and threat in a situation).This analyse justifies your action, shows that this

is something necessar y.

An al ys is of th e ne ed s of yo ur te rr it or y an d ta rg et gr ou p

Define the aims of your project

Develop your idea and checkif the quality criteria aretaken into consideration.

The aim is a perfect situation you would like

to reach. You need to fix precise objectives :

Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic

Timed

After reading this section, you should be aware that the most important part in a project and

especially in a Youth Democracy Project is to work ser iously on the preparatory phase, including,

in all phases, a participative process.

PROJECT PLANNING : ITS YOUR TURN

_Step 1

C H A P T E R 4


26

_Step 2

_Step 3

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European dimension and Youthin Action Priorities

Evaluation and follow up

Innovation

Does the project help participants to understand

their role as part of the present and future of

Europe?

Does it tackle a theme of European interest or

promote values of European priority? Does it re-

flect a common concern for European society or

use experiences from other European countries?

Does the project reflect one of the general

priorities of the Youth in Action Programme (i.e.participation of young people, cultural diversity,

European citizenship and social inclusion or the

specific priority themes of this Action which are

the future of Europe and the political priorities

identified in the field of European youth policy)?

Do the partner groups/participants regularly (on-

going process) evaluate the implementation of

the project?

Does the project foresee any activity or measure

to be taken after the project implementation?

Is the project about something new for the groups

of participants?

Is the project about something new for the local

communities involved?

Does the project implement /practise new parti-

cipative methods?

Does the project foresee any measure to highlight

the support of the Youth in Action Programme?

Does the project include a communication plan

to disseminate the achievements of the projects

to a wider audience (i.e via press conference,

production of multimedia tools, publication of the

results on a Blog, etc.)?

Visibility and dissemination ofthe project results

Learning experienceDoes the project follow the principles of non for-

mal learning?

Will the project allow participants to learn so-

mething and to increase their awareness of the

international context in which they live?

Will the project help participants to understand

European democratic processes and more parti-

cularly the mechanisms of national and European

representative structures?


29

Quality CriteriaC h e c k l i s t

Participative working methods

Diversity of Actors and

networking dimension

Non-formal learning experienceImpact

Is there clear evidence of young peoples involve-

ment in the project?

Does the project answer their needs and inte-

rests?

Do the groups of young people plan and realise

the project themselves?

Is a diverse variety of actors from different areas

of activities (e.g. local authority, NGO, local initiati-

ves...) represented in the partner groups?

Is there clear evidence that the project was pre-

pared in co-operation with all the partners?

Does the project allow partners to exchange

methods, ideas, and share practices in the field of

youth participation?

Does the project follow the principles of non for-

mal learning?

Does the project contribute to young peoples

education process?

Does the project offer young people the possi-bility to better understand the context in which

they live and, in particular, the operation of na-

tional and European representative democracy

structures?

Does the project meet the specific needs or inte-

rests of the partners local communities?

Will the project have a long term impact at local

and European level?

Will the project raise the awarness of the concept

of active citizenship and participation of young

people?


28

Lisb st tegy

Non-formal learningLearning which takes place outside a formal edu-C H A P T E R 5


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Lisbon strategyTo compete with other major world players, the

EU needs a modern efficient economy. Meeting

in Lisbon in March 2000, the EUs political leader s

set it a new goal: to become, within a decade,

the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-

based economy in the world, capable of sustai-

nable growth with more and better jobs and

greater social cohesion. The EUs leaders also

agreed on a detailed strategy for achieving this

goal. The Lisbon strategy covers such matters as

research, education, training, Internet access and

on-line business. It also covers reform of Europessocial protection systems, which must be made

sustainable so that their benefits can be enjoyed

by future generations. Every Spring the European

Council meets to review progress in implemen-

ting the Lisbon strategy.

cational curriculum. Non-formal learning activities

involve people on a voluntary basis and provide

them with opportunities to acquire a wide range

of skills and competences. The activities are ca-

refully planned, to foster the participants perso-

nal and social development. The skills acquired

through non-formal and informal activities in the

framework of the Youth in Action programme are

recognized through a certificate called Youthpass.

Programme CountriesIn the Youth in Action Programme: the EU Mem-

ber States, the EFTA/EEA countries and candidate

countries.

SALTO Youth Resource CentresSALTO stands for Support and Advanced Lear-

ning and Training Opportunities. The Salto Youth

Resource Centres are structures established wi-

thin the Youth i n Action Programme to provide

training and information on a specific theme or

regional area for youth organisations and National

Agencies.

Structured dialogueInstrument to improve communication between

young people and EU policy makers. It is structu-red in terms of themes and timing.

YouthpassRecognition instrument that enables participants

in the Youth in Action Programme to receive a

certificate describing and validating their non-for-

mal learning experience.

Youth participationparticipation & active citizenship is about having

the right, the means, the space and the oppor tu-

nity and, where necessary, the support to parti-

cipate in and influence decision making & being

engaged in actions & activities so as to contribute

to building a better society

Evaluation meetingA meeting to evaluate past projects or activities

and plan potential follow-up. Evaluation meetings

can be supported by the Youth in Action Pro-

gramme under action 4.3 Training and Networ-

king of those active in youth work and youth or-

ganisations.

Feasibility visitA short meeting with potential partners to ex-

plore the possibility of developing a project. Feasi-

bility visits can be supported by the Youth in Ac-

tion Programme under action 4.3 Training and

Networking of those active in youth work and

youth organisations.


31

GL OSS ARYC H A P T E R 5

Disseminate means to spread widely. Disseminating

project results means spreading these results far and

wide. Exploiting means making use of and deriving bene-fit from (a resource). A project should therefore be seen

as a resource that can be useful for other potential bene-

ficiaries. In other words, disseminating and exploiting the

results of a project means making a project and its results

known and useful for other people

Dissemination and Exploitation of results European Youth Pact

European Youth Week

A political instrument adopted by the European

Council in 2005 as part of the revised Lisbon Stra-

tegy. The Youth Pact aims to promote participationof all young people in education, employment and

society. More information in the section Social

and occupational integration of young people.

The aim of the European Youth Week is to pro-

mote the Youth in Action Programme and Eu-

ropean Youth Policies and to contribute to the

structured dialogue between policy makers and

young people. Events targeting a large number of

young people are organised all over Europe.

Peer learningA method where people at the same level teach

and learn from each other, e.g. from young people

to other young people.

Commission White Papers are documents containing pro-

posals for Community action in a specific area. It presents a

detailed and well argued policy for discussion and decision

and can lead to an action programme for the Union in the

area concerned. In 2001, the Commission launched a White

Paper on Youth, which laid the basis for increased European

cooperation in four youth priority areas: participation, in-

formation, voluntary activities and a greater understanding

and knowledge of youth. The White Paper also proposed to

take the youth dimension more into account when making

other relevant policies.

White paper


30

Salto-youth participation together with National

Agencies has had a European coaching stra-

tegy over the past few years developing tools,

publications and training activities focused on

Youth initiatives such as the coaching guide. The

guide supports youth workers and youth leaders

in coaching youth initiative projects. Coaching

should not be promoted as a means of increasingthe quality of projects but as a way to promote

the participation of young people and to support

the process of the project.

Coaching

How do we do it ?


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How do we do it ?

website magasine

newsletter

find

training courses

organisationdatabase

practical guide

www.salto-youth.net/participation

a partnerwww.salto-youth.net/partners-request!!

www.salto-youth.net/Participationcourses

of eventsof projects

www.salto-youth.net/static/yic

supportSALTO YOUTH PARTICIPATION

w w w . s a l t o - y o u t h . n e t / p a r t i c i p a t i o n

learningadvanced training opportunitiessupport

-> Strengthen and promote active participation-> Collect and disseminate information, projects and articles on activeparticipation->Support the management of youth initiatives and Youth DemocracyProjects (sub action 1.2 and 1.3)

>Sub action 1.2: Youth Initiatives: follow up and transfer of goodpractices to NAs, focus on active participation of young people

>Sub action 1.3: Youth Democracy Project: This is a new action.SALTO Youth Participation has the task of promoting and enhancing thedevelopment of this sub-action.

What do we do?

Notes


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Notes

www.salto-youth.net/participation

Editorial Info

Published in December 2008 by

SALTO-YOUTH Participation

(Support & Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities

within the Youth in Action Programme)

SALTO-YOUTH Participation

hosted by the Bureau Interantional Jeunesse

20-20 Rue du Commerce

1000 Brussels, Belgium

Tel +32 (0)2-219.09.06 Fax +32 (0)2-548.38-89

[email protected]

Coordination & editing : Fatima Laanan

Proofreading: Alex Lever Webber

Layout: & writing Claire Morvan

Printing: Gillis Imprimerie

Special thanks to Veronika Remisova (European Commi ssion, DG EAC-Unit D2, Youth in Action programme) for her

valuable feedback.

Reproduction and use for non commercial purposes is permitted

provided the source Put your imprint on society SALTO-YOUTH Participation is mentioned

and [email protected] is notified.


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