EUtopia? -Diversity in Changing Europe

Training Course

26 June - 1 July 2016 | Serbia

This Training Course is
for 30 participants
from Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme countries Austria, Belgium - DE, Belgium - FL, Belgium - FR, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Western Balkan countries

Organizer:
Agency for International Programs for Youth (National Agency)
Co-organizer(s):
SALTO South East Europe Resource Centre (SALTO)
SALTO Cultural Diversity Resource Centre (SALTO)
Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE) (National Agency) 

The activity addresses various implications of the European migrant crisis on youth from the perspective of understanding diversity in rapidly changing Europe.
Recently a growing number of migrants and refugees from conflict areas has entered Europe, evoking both, political and moral dilemmas within the European Union and beyond. Although immigration has always been an integral part of European economic affluence and cultural heritage, recently it has increasingly been opposed. Further on, Europe is witnessing a rise of xenophobia and cultural stereotyping, escalating into political extremism and radicalism.

What are the reasons behind changing attitudes and politics in Europe and how does this connect to the response towards contemporary refugees and migrants? How does Europe relate to diversity in the midst of prolonged economic downturn and eroding social cohesion? What are the perspectives of today’s young people from diverse backgrounds to grow up identifying themselves as jointly European?

The training course aims at providing youth work practitioners with competences and tools to understand and better respond to the current realities of young people in changing Europe. The implications of the European migrant crisis is approached from the perspective of how it mirrors the contemporary problematic of dealing with diversity in Europe. The participants will have a chance to gain information and critically reflect on the topic from different angles together with colleagues from other countries, as well as to acquire transferable skills to facilitate young people’s proactive adaptation and empowerment.

The activity will take place in Serbia, in the Western Balkan region, which has been the main transit area and a disputed border zone for today’s migration towards the European Union. The region itself has witnessed a large scale emigration and internal displacement of people as a consequence to the conflicts in the 90s, of which impact is still tangible today. The training is based on an existing concept developed and implemented twice by the Latvian National Agency for the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme.

Aim:

The aim of the activity is to provide youth workers with competences and tools to understand and better respond to contemporary realities of youth in changing Europe.

Objectives:

•    to share multiple perspectives on the European migrant crisis and its implications on youth as well as to explore the socio-political interconnectedness of different aspects influencing the phenomenon;
•    to understand reasoning and motivation behind people’s views and attitudes, discover how public opinion is formed and encourage critical thinking;
•    to explore the concept of diversity, its limits and potentials;
•    to identify the role of youth work practitioners in promoting diversity;
•    to develop tools for promoting diversity and to support international cooperation among participants.

Participants’ profile:

We are looking for participants who: 
•    are working directly with young people a setting of non-formal learning;
•    having awareness of diversity matters in Europe and their implications on young people in their local communities;
•    are prepared to invest time for prior learning before the training course (ca.10 hours in mid-May to the end of June 2016) ;
•    are over 18 years old;
•    are able to communicate effectively in English.

The programme of activities will be carried out by two trainers: 
•    Liga Rudzite (Latvia) 
and

•    Dragan Atanasov (The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
 

Available downloads

Application deadline: 4 May 2016
Date of selection:  16 May 2016

Costs

This project is financed by the Erasmus+: Youth in Action Programme. Being selected for this course, all costs (accommodation, travel, visa, etc.) relevant to participation in the course will be covered by the Erasmus+: Youth in Action National Agency or SALTO Resource Centre involved in this project - except a participation fee which varies from call to call and country to country. Please contact your National Agency to learn more about the financial details. The relevant National Agencies will inform all selected participants in detail how to arrange the booking of your travel tickets and the reimbursement of your travel expenses. The travel costs of the selected participants from the Western Balkan region will be covered by the SALTO South East Europe Resource Centre.
Information for the National Agencies: The activity is organised within the budgetary framework of TCA 2016.

Note: Hungarian applicants are expected to apply on a Hungarian and on an English application form, too.

Hungarian application form, more information and conditions:

Jelentkezési lap
Kódszám a jelentkezéshez: 16050

Application form in English
 

For any questions or more information please contact:

Tóth Xénia
programkoordinátor | programme officer
Erasmus+ Ifjúsági Programiroda | Erasmus+ Youth National Agency

Család-, Ifjúság- és Népesedéspolitikai Intézet
Institute for Family, Youth and Population Policy
HU-1134 Budapest, Tüzér utca 33-35.
Tel: +36 1 237 6766 
E-mail: xenia.toth@csini-int.hu