Once I participated in the training course about empowering women who worked in the youth sector. Through sharing our working experience we have learnt so much from each other. However, at the end of the course I felt that I could learn even more if there were more women from totally different countries with its traditions and customs, youth workers from remote places where women are not allowed to work or they are discriminated by any social factor. Thus, I started thinking that next youth exchange that I organize will involve young people from totally different backgrounds as it is so important to hear all their experiences. Everyone would definitely benefit from such a project. Hence, I would like to point out ways to make Erasmus+Youth projects and the European Solidarity Corps more inclusive and reach more diverse target groups.
First I would enhance geographical frames and give a priority to young people coming from remote, poorer countries, from diverse backgrounds like people from Roma Community and immigrants from different nationalities.
I would provide assistance for such kinds of NGOs that work with young people with fewer opportunities. It means assistance in preparing, promoting, supporting and teaching young people so they could realize that Erasmus+ is a great opportunity for international mobility and for further employment. I have worked in two places: an international organisation in Valladolid that had a wide experience in writing and managing European projects for young people with mental illness. They could easily go to Nepal or to Germany for an exchange or participating in KA2 project. Whereas another NGO has no international experience whether with youth workers or with its target group - people with mental illness. These people have never left Mallorca where they live and have never met any other foreigner who has a disability or other issues. I could see the difference, I could understand that even working staff in the NGO in Mallorca was not sure if projects headed by Erasmus+Programme was a good idea for patients. It took a long 6 months for me to prove the contrary. Thus, I am confident in saying that entities, especially those located in remote areas need to have a clear understanding what Erasmus+Programme is and how useful it can be for their target group. It is important to raise awareness among people with special needs who deserve to be involved in social life as other citizens. Furthermore, young people should also realize that any international opportunity is a great option to get a better job, socially interact and to obtain new experiences. The best option is to create a base of youth NGOs where more experienced entities could be mentors for less experienced depending on the location, especially in remote places.
I would also create a youtube channel where participants could post inspiring videos about youth exchanges and other projects that they were involved in. It is kind of feedback that could be useful to promote Erasmus+ programme and to increase motivation. At the end of the year the best videos would be given awards. When I was an EVS volunteer I made a video about my project
and sent it to all the people I was friends with on Facebook. Many of them replied to me with questions about this programme, especially from my country. Some of them congratulated me on what I did consequently inspiring me to do more.
I would also encourage those who organize youth exchanges in rural areas. It would break the trend of urban areas dominating the allocation of social outreach.
I would involve more people in the European Solidarity Corps from Non-EU countries that sometimes are even over experienced as there is much higher number of people that want to do such projects. How to do it? By promoting among participant organizations to host non-EU volunteers, to give them more benefits.
It is important to raise gender awareness and equality, share experiences and consequently create new ways of working towards gender equality. Moreover, attention has to be given to problems that young people confront from LGBT community. Through publications, courses, campaigns and investigations consciousness of young people around Europe and other countries will be raised. We should show that everyone is welcomed to share his/her story through participating in Erasmus+Programme to others without being judged or discriminated.
I mentioned before that is important to promote Erasmus+ as a tool to get a better job in the future or new supplementary skills that could help young people to be more professional in a particular environment. Consequently, NEETS have to realize that they can totally benefit from participating in youth exchanges or in the European Solidarity Corps. They would also obtain international experience which is always valued by employers. To involve this target group we should collaborate with social services and town halls.
Nowadays we can notice how European Union supports refugees by providing them many tools for self- education. Many universities give scholarships and activists are doing their best to facilitate their integration. By setting up informational centres which could provide information about Erasmus opportunities and creating a refugee discussion groups we could involve more refugees into such projects.
Furthermore, I would increase the competences of youth workers by sharing the best practices. I would encourage them to attract more people with different backgrounds that would bring positive changes to them and to their local communities by peer learning.
I would involve local services to distribute information about Youth exchanges and other projects so that more young people could be engaged in them.
We have to advocate a shift to inclusive programmes and practices that embrace ‘difference’. At the moment we have stereotypes that make life of people from different communities, with disabilities or other issues more complicated. Thus, youth projects like exchanges or European Solidarity Corps are devoted to changing the mentality of young people. Eventually we will discover that in many ways, people from different cultures and backgrounds, people with disabilities or simply unemployed youngsters hold similar values.