GET INVOLVED²
Seminar on Participation
And
Youth Democracy Projects
3rd to 8th of July 2007
Antwerp, Belgium
Final Report
International seminar organised by JINT, the Flemish Belgian National Agency, BIJ, the French speaking Belgian National Agency and SALTO-YOUTH Participation Resource Centre (RC)
Financed by the YOUTH in ACTION Programme of the European Commission (EC)
Team:
Ann Daniels, BEFL National Agency, Thierry Dufour, BEFR National Agency,
Lidija Buric and Roland Urban, Trainers,
Sandrine Suel and Fatima Laanan, SALTO-YOUTH Participation RC
Special thanks for inputs and presentations to:
Artur Payer, European Commission
Erik Langbraten, European Commission
Iris Bawidamann, Council of Europe
Alix Masson, European Youth Forum
Documentation compiled – in close co-operation with Lidija Buric and Roland Urban, and published by:
SALTO-YOUTH Participation RC
C/o BIJ
Fatima Laanan
20/22, rue du Commerce – 1000 Brussels
Phone: (32-2) 219 09 06 or 227 52 75
E-mail:
Web site:
Brussels, November 2007
CONTENT
INTRODUCTION......
1. GENERAL INFORMATION......
2. BACKGROUND......
3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES......
4. PROGRAMME......
5. METHODOLOGY AND METHODS......
6. EVALUATION......
7. OUTCOMES......
INTRODUCTION
This document is prepared with the aim to give an overview of the seminar Get Involved² that was organised by JINT (BENL National Agency) BIJ (BEFR National Agency) and SALTO-YOUTH Participation Resource Centre.
The seminar took place in Antwerp from the 3rd to the 8th of July and brought together 24 participants from 9 different programme countries and 4 colleagues form the two Belgium National Agencies and from the French National Agency. The group of participants was composed by pairs of local partners mainly aged between 18 and 30 years old and already involved in organisations which implement youth activities and who were willing to develop Youth Democracy Projects. Each participant submitted before the seminar or at early beginning, short description about their organisation and project idea. According to these data, a booklet was produced and distributed among participants.
This report aims giving an insight to the process, methodology and outcomes of the first seminar organised on the new sub-action 1.3 of the new Youth in Action Programme. Report targets future organisers and trainer teams in this area as well as beneficiaries of the Youth Democracy Projects.
Report gives and overview of the practical information from the seminar, its background, its aim and objectives as well as the programme and the methodology used. It gives as well overview of day to day activities with main results. The last part of the report included the summary of the evaluation done by participants and the team and the outcomes of the seminar.
1. GENERAL INFORMATION
Participating countries and number of participants: Austria (2 persons), Belgium (4), Estonia (4), Germany (2), Hungary (2), Latvia (2), Lithuania (4), Luxembourg (2), Sweden (2); in total 24 participants from 9 countries.
Team: Ann Daniels (JINT, BEFL National Agency), Thierry Dufour (BIJ, BEFR National Agency) Lidija Buric (Trainer), Roland Urban (Trainer), Fatima Laanan (SALTO-Youth Participation Resource Centre)
Dates and Venue:July 3rd – 8th 2007, Antwerp / Belgium
2. BACKGROUND
Alongside with “Inclusion” and “Cultural Diversity”, two new priorities have been integrated in theYOUTH in Action programme: European Citizenship and Participation of young people.
The Participation within the frameworkofthe Youth in Action programme isaimed at encouraging young people to take an active part in the society, to increase their participation in the system of representative democracy as well as to support various forms of learning to participate.
Beside this new priority, a new sub action called Youth Democracy Project (sub action 1.3) has been also introduced in the programme with the objective to respond concretely to this priority and to encourage the involvement of young people in the democratic life.
During the training and cooperation seminar which took place in Bonn in the end of November2006. The two of the three Belgian National Agencies JINT and BIJ together with SALTO-Youth Participation Resource Centre decided totackle these two new topics by organising a seminar that should serve asa kick off activity for the reflection on Youth Participation and for the development of Youth Democracy projects (Action 1.3).
3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The main aims of the seminar were to explore the concepts of participation and partnerships, the Youth in Action Programme and the new sub-action 1.3 “Youth Democracy Projects”, and get knowledge to set up Youth Democracy projects.
The objectives of the seminar were.
To practice participation
To share experiences between the participants about participation, partnership, and the activities you have already done on the local level
To discuss about and develop a conceptual frame on participation
To give input on and develop Youth Democracy projects
To identify good quality Youth Democracy projects
To collect tips and tricks and good practices for Youth Democracy projects
To facilitate partner finding
To initiate Youth Democracy projects
4. PROGRAMME
Following set objectives and agreed working principles, trainers and organisers developed programme[1] with following elements:
- Group dynamics development through different activities and getting to know each-others on individual, personal and professional level as well as understanding cultural differences/similarities through different forms of presentation, resolving problems, Intercultural party and different teams contributing good group and working atmosphere.
- Information about seminar, its objectives, team, methodology used contributed to the orientation, trust development and building safe environment
- Introduction of the concepts of Youth Participation and Youth Democracy Projects by experts and different stakeholders in the field (COM, SALTO RC, EYF, and CoE) and debating with them was necessary to achieve common basic knowledge and to provoke questions and interest.
- Developing common understanding about essential terms of Action 1.3: partnership, participation and authority were one of programme elements as well.
- Quality elements in Action 1.3 and good practices were explored through work on prior experiences of the participants, playing roles and also discussing and getting to know local Belgium participation projects.
- Seminar had also contact making component allowing participants to present their project ideas and encouraging them to find partners and develop more their ideas. During that phase ongoing consultation with experts was provided.
- Evaluation was ongoing with daily reflections and evaluation on the “Open Team Meetings”. Also measurement of success and accomplishment of objectives were measured by pre- and post-evaluation questionnaires. Participants evaluated seminar using process oriented and visual evaluation as well.
- Horizontally, during the whole seminar group spirit was essential element. To that team and participants contributed all the time in formal and in-formal time by participating in Open Team Meetings, proposing and leading some programme activities, initiating parties, organising teams for cleaning, developing group stories and memories. For Open Team Meeting please refer next chapter.
5. METHODOLOGY AND METHODS
The seminar was based on a fully non-formal, direct participative and process-oriented approach – following an experiential learning model with strong learner centred focus.
The seminar represents the consequent continuation of a rather new methodological approach, mainly through providing the opportunity for participants to co-manage the activity in real life situations rather than virtually. Therefore the seminar also serves as a model for future activities based on participation. The main elements of the methodology will be outlined below:
General Idea
The seminar has been designed to engage participants in identifying their own learning needs, deciding their own learning objectives and, as far as possible, in directing their own personal learning – whilst ensuring that the pre-defined aims are met.
The framework allowed participants a strong say in the decision making process and provided them with the opportunity to work individually and with others to further develop their awareness of themselves, their target group, partners, and the local communities involved. It offered many opportunities for problem solving and for the use of creativity and initiative.
The seminar has been based on learning by experience, learning by doing and learning through interaction.
It has been modular in design, allowing a great deal of flexibility in delivery. The majority of sessions have been based on participative, active learning and as far as possible, information ´lectures´ have been kept to a minimum. The seminar comprised venue based and “street” sessions, combining theoretical and practical inputs in an entertaining way. Emphasis has been placed on cooperative working with other participants.
Learner Centred
The trainers negotiated a day-by-day programme of learning with the participants – to meet specific needs as well as addressing pre-defined aims and common issues. This programme has been reviewed daily with the learners within the framework of the “open team meeting”.
Through this, the participant’s expectations of the seminar have been fully explored; they have been encouraged to consider their motives and their objectives, and to identify methods for achieving them. Common issues have been addressed in group activities – additionally there has been ample opportunity for individual support as required.
In order to develop personal independence and self reliance as well as professional competences, the seminar allowed participants to learn about themselves and others, to get essential background information from various actors in the field, to reflect on the concepts of participation and partnership as well as on quality criteria for projects related to those topics, initiate future actions – and develop their capacities.
Therefore the team’s main tasks have been related to providing a framework that ensured the achievement of the preset aims whilst implementing a process-oriented and truly participative approach. Besides organisational issues and the required flexibility as well as trust in participants as experts in their field, the main respective aspects regarded a common understanding of the general approach, a basic structure of the programme, kick off and group building, pre-prepared sessions (e.g., inputs from various actors, best practice, evaluation) – and facilitation.
Whenever possible, participants have been encouraged to contribute to the process – not only in terms of knowledge and opinion, but also in terms of practical skills.
As (future) project managers they have been asked to define their needs, negotiate on them – as well as design and implement a way how to meet them. Within the “open team meeting“ the relevant issues have been identified and decided on; design and implementation have been handed over to participants that wanted to volunteer to put it into practice in a real life situation (however, in a safe learning environment). Support from the team has been offered throughout all phases to any extent needed (be it within the initial, designing, implementing or evaluating phase of the activity).
To ensure that aims are met and participants felt confident enough to contribute, the welcome evening as well as the group building phase have been designed and implemented by the trainers – with strong participative elements, though. In addition, an extensive and straight-forward introduction to the general approach has created a common understanding of the underlying methodological principles of the seminar.
In practice …
A diversity of working methods were used for achieving objectives and supporting agreed methodology. Here is an overview of the day-to-day process with group reactions.
Tuesday, 3rdof July
Starting practicing participatory approach and equal responsibility of each of us for the success of the seminar, we decided to work already on the arrival evening, creating (mixing by gender and nationality) 6 sub-groups having a task to perform for the next day (decorate the working room, prepare a name game, prepare an exercise for getting to know each other, find out rules of the house, discover legend of Antwerp, develop motto of the seminar and translate it in as many language as participants of this seminar can speak.). This revealed it very useful and contributed already to group integration.
Participants appreciated very much possibility to be useful, to participate since the early beginning and to start to get to know each-other while working on small tasks.
During Welcome evening activity each group presented its members and results of their tasks. First orientation to the seminar was given by organisers and trainers. Full responsibility and participation of all actors (participants, trainers and organisers) was introduced at the early beginning of the seminar by motivating participants to be actively engaged also in breaks and free time by volunteering for “A teams” responsible for cleaning and tidying working space, organising evening activities, developing session on exploring Antwerp and local best practices etc.
Since that start of the Seminar participants expressed very big level of readiness to actively participate and initiate different element that can support group dynamic and the learning process.
Wednesday, 4th of July
The first half-day was devoted to getting to know each other.
Aim was to get to know better who is here, who are partners, where are they coming from, what are they doing professionally and also in the free time and what do they expect from this seminar.
Through interactive methods that contributed to the comfortable atmosphere and group building participants expressed them self according to this elements.
Organisers presented background of the seminar, its aims and objectives, who are organisers as well as different roles that team members have, due to the size of the team.
The approach of the seminar (direct participation, learner centred, self-directed learning) were introduced together with presentation of the programme (agreed elements and elements we will work with but it is up to the group to decide how and when wants to work on these issues). Also, “Open Team Meeting” as a method to discuss learning process and plan next days according to the individual and group needs was presented. Majority of participants was for the first time confronted with this approach but they were interested in taking personal and group challenge.
Morning session finished with group building activities where through fulfilling different tasks (making geometrical shapes of their bodies attached to the rope with or without open eyes. Conclusions of the discussion after that experience ware linked with necessary of active participation and self responsibility of each participant.
Following morning discussion about expectations, in the afternoon we went to the next step:
Due to the very open and inclusive approach and time limitation that we had also personal, cultural, professional differences that were present in the group we develop Group contract that where ground rules for our work and communication were stated. All participants and trainers signed this contract.
Central part of the afternoon session was dedicated to the exploring previous experience with partnerships. From individual reflection on the prior partnerships with different actors and level of responsibilities and engagement, trough sharing and exchanging in the pairs with their partners participants explored previous experiences and understandings. In small groups of 3 pairs from different countries, basic principles of the partnership with local/regional/national authorities involved in the youth work were discussed and presented by sculptures or objects. Results are presented in the chapter “Outcomes”.
A challenging issue for participants was when partnership vs. cooperation wasquestioned.
Every day was finished with summing up the day, important announcements and reminders for the evening and next day. Also, we did reflection on the day. Reflection part was done on in two parts: visual and written. Visual was representing by using bodies and expressing their feeling of the day and written was done by making comments on three elements connected with that day (Approach – methodology used, process; my own learning and Framework – organisation, resources).
During “Open Team Meeting” issues from the reflection were addressed.
Day finished with Intercultural party that was structured and organised by participants. There were presented food, drinks and promo materials from different countries. Also some participants showed videos about their country or danced national dances or introduced national games to the whole group. Besides getting to know some specificity of different countries this activity contributed to the good group atmosphere and once again participants took role of facilitation and active and direct participation.
Thursday, 5th of July
The next morning was devoted to gaining information from the experts and discussion with them about all relevant issues.
Artur Payer from DG EAC – Policy unit gave us a general input about strategy developed by the policy unit as far as youth participation, active citizenship and YiA programme are concerned. He presented European Youth Information Charter, its measures and ways of dissemination as well as Pilot participation projects.
Erik Langbraten from DG EAC – YiA programme Unit was more focus on practical aspects and examples of active participation as a main principle for youth work on all levels.
Fatima Laanan from SALTO RC participation presented their purpose and activities in the field of participation and youth work.