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The “KEY for Change” ERASMUS+ Training Course was held in Olomouc, Czechia. It was designed to empower youth workers and educators with the skills needed to promote active citizenship and community engagement. Through a combination of workshops, interactive sessions, and cultural activities, participants explored various methods and strategies to enhance their roles within their communities.
Below you can read about a few key activities and learning points of the project.
Understanding Community Dynamics – Participants learned about the different roles young people and youth workers play within the community and how these roles can influence positive change.
Skills in Analysis and Understanding-Participants developed skills to analyze the needs and dynamics of the community, enhancing the abilities to understand the challenges and opportunities that young people face.
Improved Mentoring Techniques: The project provided practical mentoring skills to support and guide young people effectively, helping them to navigate challenges and make informed decisions.
Promoting Civic Engagement: Different strategies were introduced to encourage young people to take an active role in their communities, fostering a sense of responsibility and citizenship.
Networking and Collaboration: Representatives from partner organizations had the opportunity to build connections with other youth workers and organizations across EU member and neighboring countries, creating a network of support and collaboration.
Utilizing Diverse Tools and Methodologies: It was a great platform to discover and practice various activities, tools, and methodologies that can be used to engage young people and promote youth activism within the community. For example, Participation café or focus group discussion.
The Participation Café method, similar to the World Café method, is an interactive and participatory approach designed to foster open dialogue and idea exchange, specifically with a focus on youth participation. This method involves setting up a series of small, café-style tables, each with a different topic or question related to the overarching theme of youth participation. Participants move between tables in several rounds, discussing the topics and building on each other’s ideas. A facilitator at each table helps guide the discussion, take notes, and ensure everyone has a chance to contribute.
A focus group discussion is a qualitative research method that involves gathering a small group of people (typically 6-10) to discuss a specific topic or set of issues. The discussion is facilitated by a moderator who guides the conversation, encourages participation, and ensures that all relevant aspects of the topic are explored. The purpose of a focus group is to gather diverse perspectives, insights, and opinions, allowing researchers to understand the participants’ attitudes, experiences, and ideas in depth. This method is commonly used to collect feedback on products, services, concepts, or social issues.
There were also very interesting local visits, including visit to a local school in Senice na Hané, where participants created and performed different interesting and fun activities with students. There was also a meeting organzied with the mayor of Slatinice. The meeting with the mayor of the city focused on the various strategies that were used to revitalize village life and foster responsible citizenship. During the session, the mayor shared insights into specific initiatives and programs that had successfully engaged the community and improved the quality of life in the village.
The mayor led participants on a guided tour of the village, showcasing firsthand the outcomes of these initiatives. Throughout the tour, he was available to answer participants’ questions, providing detailed explanations and offering practical examples of how these strategies were implemented and their impact on the community.
Participants of the project were from Armenia, Ukraine, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Georgia, Czech Republic, Luxembourg. So cultural evenings were also one of the highlights of the project, allowing participants to share and experience traditions from various countries.
The project was financed by the ERASMUS+ programme of the European Union.
