Train youth workers, strengthening their skills in social entrepreneurship, community development and digital, to counter poverty, promote inclusion and generate sustainable change in their own contexts.
Context
The Youth Workers Against Poverty (YAP) project was created in response to an urgent and widespread need: the growing incidence of poverty and social exclusion among young people in Europe, phenomena that are not limited to a lack of material resources alone, but are intertwined with structural inequalities, discrimination, and limited access to opportunities that are fundamental to a life of dignity. In particular, the project focuses on youth workers from advantaged backgrounds, recognizing their strategic potential as actors of change in local communities.
The current European context is characterized by complex social challenges, accentuated by economic crises, instability, and new forms of exclusion, which call for more targeted and participatory interventions. In this scenario, top-down strategies often prove insufficient. For this reason, YAP fits into the framework of European policies for youth inclusion and participation, such as the Erasmus+ Inclusion and Diversity Strategy and the EU Youth Strategy, by promoting bottom-up approaches that strengthen the capacity of communities to respond to local needs through the action of youth workers.
Objectives
- Equip youth workers with skills in social entrepreneurship, community development, project management, critical thinking and active participation to strengthen their role in promoting social inclusion and combating poverty.
- Improve the use of digital and social media tools to promote community initiatives, raise awareness of inclusion and engage broader audiences.
- Develop capacity to lead and manage community projects focused on poverty alleviation, tailoring them to the specific needs of communities.
- Provide tools to better understand and respond to the needs of marginalized youth, encouraging their active inclusion in community life.
- Foster cooperation among youth organizations, facilitating the exchange of best practices and the creation of a European network for social inclusion.
Activities
- Youth worker training – Week-long training in Italy, centered on poverty, social exclusion and community development. Participants will explore: structural causes of poverty; participatory approaches to engaging marginalized youth; social entrepreneurship as a tool for inclusion; and techniques for managing and evaluating social impact projects. The course integrates nonformal education methods, hands-on workshops, group exercises and role-playing to stimulate critical thinking, empathy and leadership.
- Designing Community Anti-Poverty Initiatives. Participants will develop, in small groups, concrete action plans to be applied in their local contexts. The activity will be based on the needs analysis that emerged during the course and will be supported by tutors and trainers.
- Field experience at a local reality to observe good practices in the fight against poverty. Participants will come into contact with operators and beneficiaries, confronting real and sustainable solutions.
- Strategic use of digital and social communication – Introduction to the use of digital tools to: monitor and evaluate course activities; promote the initiatives developed; raise awareness of poverty and inclusion; and enhance impactful communication through social media and collaborative platforms.
Resources
- A comprehensive manual that brings together the content and practices developed during the training course. This manual will include descriptions of activities, results achieved, participant testimonials and other resources useful to youth workers and organisations.
Impact
- Direct involvement of 34 participants (young workers from 7 European countries: Italy, Portugal, Croatia, Romania, Spain, Estonia and Luxembourg) through practical training to address poverty and social inclusion in their own reference contexts. These participants, through their involvement in local activities, they will have a direct impact on around 500 young people in difficulty, local communities and stakeholders, amplifying the multiplier effect of the project in their communities.
- Development of practical and digital skills, with the implementation of 15 social projects at local level – 34 participants will acquire skills in social project management, social entrepreneurship, and use of digital tools, With a direct impact on some 300 young people and members of marginalised communities in different localities
- Strengthening the international network and dissemination to 1000 people through digital platforms, creating a network that facilitates the exchange of good practices. Visibility activities (including public events, social pages and digital platforms) will reach more than 1000 people across Europe, raising awareness on issues related to poverty and social inclusion, and contributing to the sustainability of impacts even after project completion
Partners
- CESIE ETS (Italy, coordinator),
- Propósito Inadiável-Associação para Costumes Futuros (Portugal),
- Asociatia pentru Tineret Sakura (Romania),
- Ocean Znanja u Republici Hrvatskoj (Croatia)
- Coordinadora Infantil y Juvenil de Tiempo Libre de Vallecas (Espana)
- Med Baltic Organization – (Estonia)
- AMITIES LUXEMBOURG – ARMENIE ASBL – (Luxemburgo)
