“Break Your Boundaries!”

International Youth Exchange
“Break Your Boundaries!”

 

Summary:

The idea of this project is to build a new way of thinking about the employability of young people as a tool to develop participants’ skills but also a way of developing the sustainability projects of the NGO itself.
“Once you have realized that you can achieve anything you want in life, you meet a new, bigger, and more compelling problem – namely, choosing what it is you want to achieve.” Marjorie Mensink.
What actually missing to youth (according to the views of career consultants and employers)?
-communication skills, teamwork, flexibility required by the employer
-realistic expectations based on their skills required in intercultural environments
-self-knowledge and a tool for planning the future

Effects:
1. employers’ dissatisfaction due to young people’s attitude towards work
2. job losses and unemployment
3. reference letters with negative mentions
4. accepting low-paid jobs
These are the reasons why we initiated this project whose overall objective is to support career guidance, lowering youth unemployment.

The specific objectives are:
O1. To increase the level of skills and key skills of young people in communication, teamwork and flexibility
O2. To develop personal attributes in the field of intercultural communication allowing to interact effectively and harmoniously with others
O3. To improve young people’s level of self-knowledge, their values and their own powers, without discrimination and in respect for equality between genders

So that, young people know how the things they learn in youth work can be useful for their jobs.
Basically we want youth to be inspired and to discover new approaches and concrete new methods for self development.
The project will be based most on non-formal learning methods and will be highly participatory.
In the same time we want to develop a plan how you will transfer your new skills in your daily work for the next months.
As a result at the end of this experience, the participants will make a brochure and small movie: “My Calling” based on their own new strong points, the new reality and how they can benefit from this.

Preparation activities:

All teams are required to come to Brasov with a preliminary work (according to the ERASMUS+ criteria). The content and “style” of the presentation (10-15 minutes) are left to the discretion of each national team.
We will ask to each national group to collect and present information and statistics about:

• Which is the percentage of unemployment young people (18-30 years) in your country? How does it show gender statistics?
• This percentage increase or decrease during the last 10 years? Please explain the answer
• What is the percentage of young people (18-30 years) your country has?
• Are there short-term jobs for young people in your area?
• Is there a relationship between unemployment and education among the young people? Please explain the answer
• There are NGO/institutions that promote programs for employability focused on youngsters? How do they this? (examples)
• Is there a relationship between NGOs, young people and soft-skill trainings in your area? Please explain the answer
• What type of skills employers ask for young people in your area?
• What new businesses are open in your area? How many businesses are open by young people?
• What are the most common business types in your area?

In addition to contributions related to the theme of the exchange, each group will have to select a series of energizers to propose during the exchange.

Intercultural night:

We usually dedicate two nights to the intercultural evening presentation.
What we expect from you to present in these nights are: local or national dances, local music, games, little sweets, drinks, pictures, etc. from your countries.
Every country will prepare a short presentation of their culture, using all kinds of methods. It’s preferred a short and FUNNY presentation, such as showing pictures and commenting it, quiz, short video (either already existing or made by you), etc. (YES – use your creativity!). For the intercultural night, we ask you to prepare in advance a brief performance (singing, your traditional music, popular dances) to present your group (typical costumes are really welcomed!).
The main idea of this presentation is: What is important for a stranger to know about my country?
Any kind of presentation is granted, better not to do a power-point presentation to avoid yawning.
The Intercultural night is the “most wanted event” on the beginning of the youth exchange. It is a sort of traditional night opened to all participant audience made up of our group leaders, youth workers, facilitators, participants to the exchange. All National groups are asked to perform briefly (10 min for your NGO and country/city not more, and 10 min for traditional dances and music) in order to introduce their self. Certainly, we need your enthusiasm and energy!!
For the Intercultural evening a Swedish buffet (cold buffet) will be organized. Here every country will bring traditional food dishes. The food that will be brought must be eatable without any processing (boiling, frying, etc). The dishes must also be accompanied by a brief description (their origin and ingredients, the way they are eaten…)

Participant`s profile required:

• Group size: 5 young people (age 18-28) and 1 group leader (age 18+).
• English level ( at least Medium level speaking and writing);
• Committed to contribute to the follow up of the project;
• Be interested in developing competences and implement follow-up initiatives;
• Some priority will be given to youth belonging from minority groups or facing economic difficulties, coming from rural areas or with other disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as participants from Tryavna or the region.

Venue:

Participants of the project will be hosted in a hotel located on 5 km from center of Brasov (30 min with public transport) and 5 min by walk from supermarket areas.
Accommodation will be in ASTRA Hotel
Address: Strada Panselelor 2, Brașov 500419
For more info about hotel: http://www.hotelastra.ro/
Accommodation and food will be 100% covered from ERASMUS+ program budget.
Participants will be divided in rooms of 3/4 people by gender (each room has its own bathroom) and mix by nations.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served in the hotel.
The meetings and workshops will take place in these facilities.
The hotel has an outdoor terrace and free WI-FI.
Please don’t forget to inform us of any dietary requirements or restrictions.

Working methods:

All the training will be done through the methods of non-formal education. The activities will be for example brain storming’s, plenary discussions, simulations, role plays, team building, energizers, ice breakers and many others. Non formal education we remember you that is voluntary, no hierarchical and all its methods are based on the concept of learning by doing.

What to bring with me:

• You need to bring personal hygiene stuff (like shampoo, gel, etc.)and your personal items
• There is not hairdryer at location, so you should bring it if needed
• You don’t need to bring towels for the shower
• Shower slippers
• Sport shoes that can be used for general outdoor activities
• You should bring some shoes and clothes appropriate for cold mountain area
• There will be drinking water in location
• Any medicine you think you will need during your stay in Romania
• Proof of medical insurance
• Your European health card
• Please bring one laptop in your team!
• Your positive energy!
• Boarding Passes (Original)
• Tickets from bus, train, ferry (Original)
• The original receipt of travel agency and the e-ticket with the amount of the travel expenses
• Your Visa and original receipts of any related costs (if available)

Travel Costs:

100% of the participants‘ travel costs will be reimbursed within the valid budget sums calculated according to the official rules of Erasmus+ programme. If a sum exceeds the limit, the excess will be paid by the participants themselves. The reimbursement limit is 180€ per participant from Bulgaria.

Financial support:

Project is supported by “Erasmus+” program. Accommodation, meals, program and travel cost (based on distance) are covered from grant. There is NO participation fee. However, 15 BGN will be deductuted from the travel costs or paid to the sending organisation from each participant, in order to be covered the different taxes, related to the participation of each representative from Bulgaria (bank transfer fees, post expenses, difference in the exchange rates, etc.). In case the organisation is covering the tickets, each participant must transfer a guarantee of 100 BGN, to the organisation`s public bank accont to ensure his/her`s participation and if he/she cancels his/her`s participation, the sum will be used to cover the change of the name for the flight ticket, which has been bought already.

Insurance:

The travel insurance is not mandatory but it is highly reccommended. It costs 1 BGN/day and covers all the common injuries during projects up to 5000 Euro. Our organization is not covering insurance, it is individual, but we are going to support you to obtain a proper insurance for the duration of the project. For more information about the insurance, contact us.

YouthPass:

Every participant is individually entitled to receive a Youthpass Certificate, which confirms participation and
validates the non-formal learning (NFL) experience of Training course project. Validating the learning experiences of participants is important in itself and the document can be of benefit in terms of the educational or employment future of the participant. Through Youthpass the European Commission ensures the Training course activity is recognized as a non-formal learning experience.
(*For more information on Youthpass you may click on this page to check it online)

Applicants MUST:

1. Have a vilidе ID/International passport.
2. Possess valid European Health Card.
3. Fill in the application form and send it to: stanimir.chukov@gmail.com – APPLICATION FORM
4. Fill in and sign this Participant Agreement.
5. Check the conditions your participation will be evaluated – Final evaluation form

 

IMPORTANT!!!
In the title of the e-mail, write down the name of the project.
Empty e-mails will be deleted automaticaly
The deadline for applying is 22. 08. 2017