The project is a transnational youth initiative that lasts a total of 21 months and involves 3 partner organizations from Romania, Portugal and Italy. The motivation for this project comes first from the desire to provide our young people/volunteers with the necessary motivation to actively participate in civic / social life and develop personally and professionally and second from the desire to increase educational, cultural and artistic initiatives for disadvantaged persons from local communities in the partner countries. The project aims to promote social, educational, cultural and artistic programs for disadvantaged persons from our local communities and to increase active participation of 24 young people from the partner countries through development of a transnational youth initiative project on a period of 21 months. Its specific objectives are: -Development of social participation and commitment among 24 disadvantaged young people from the partner countries through jointly creation and implementation of social-educational, cultural and artistic initiatives for disadvantaged children, youth and elderly in 3 local communities from Europe;-Development of knowledge and competencies among 24 disadvantaged young people from the partner countries specially in the field of social participation, inclusion, community development through exposing the participants to vulnerable social groups;-Development of support for disadvantaged children, youth and elderly in 3 local communities from Europe through 3 local activities jointly carried out by 24 young people from the partner countriesTo achieve the above mentioned objectives, the project will adopt a bottom-up approach, that will see the role of young people as key players supporting local communities. Target groups will be devised in:-Direct - 24 young people from the partner countries facing fewer opportunities which will be involved along the project in the creation and implementation of different support initiatives for local communities of children, youth and elderly. -Indirect – local communities of children, youth and elderly facing social inclusion, marginalization which will benefit from the 3 programs created and implemented by the international/national groups of youngsters.For each of the above groups, the initiative groups of youngsters will work on creating a program of social –educational and cultural-artistic activities. Thus we will have 3 such programs implemented during the international mobilities which will benefit the target groups. The proposed activities combine 3 elements: social, educational, cultural and artistic, aiming to educate and provide a recreation space for participants of all ages. The Educational Impact of the activities developed in the local communities for each group refers to: personal development, increasing personal confidence, improving life skills, promoting the well-being of the individual, education. The social impact is about increasing social cohesion, establishing a common ground between young people from different countries, increasing awareness and active participation, strengthening young people's capacity to act for social change on one side and on the other side diversification and development of such activities at our communities’ level. Cultural and artistic impact refers to increasing awareness on European space, awareness of European culture as a means of human development, providing a constructive leisure alternative for disadvantaged children, youth and elderly of the local communities.Added value relies on social-personal development (exploration of volunteer skills, problem solving and group creativity, team building, conflict management, ability to communicate, relationship, respect for others' opinions, public speaking skills) and developing skills for planning / implementing and evaluating volunteer activities, budget planning and resource allocation according to needs, development of ICT skills, organizational skills, coordination, analysis, self-evaluation, evaluation of learning outcomes, how to self-evaluate, how to evaluate the results of a learning in multicultural context. The participants will be confronted with different cultures and they will be exercising international team work, they will have to adapt to different cultural or learning styles which will facilitate respect for others, also the LTT will facilitate the acknowledge of similarities and differences between young people from Europe, they will get to see different life styles, exchange ideas about the involvement and will show a high interest to transfer positive practices on themselves and in their own local community. Not only that they will get in contact with other youngsters from the group, but also with foreign local communities through the activities which are strongly connected with local communities, this will increase the European citizenship apartenence and sense of belonging.

The power of YouthSelf was developed between 01-04-2019 - 30-09-2021 and it gathered organizations from Romania, Italy and Cyprus. The project tackled youth unemployment, poverty and social exclusion and aimed to foster international cooperation in youth empowerment as an innovative pattern to youth employability and social inclusion with a focus on youth life skills, employability skills and non formal education. The target group was represented by young people with fewer opportunities with competences and skills in manufactory, but that do not have effective use of them in the laissez-faire capitalism with the purpose of obtaining financial and social autonomy. Specific objectives were: -To enhance the life skills and employability of 30 young people with fewer opportunities from the partner organizations through the elaboration of an empowerment curriculum and their participation in training activities on this topic. -To develop knowledge and skills in the use of ICT tools, online promotion and sale among 30 young people with fewer opportunities -To develop basic knowledge of the participants in social entrepreneurship and to stimulate capacity building, entrepreneurial thinking and employability through visits to local young entrepreneurs/social entreprises The project followed the socio-economic integration of youngsters with fewer opportunities addressing important aspects of their lives: on one side it focused on the improvement of psycho-emotional situation of the target group to participate actively in the socio-economic life of society through their participation in an empowerment course, development of digital competences and basic knowledge in social entrepreneurship as a mean to overcome barriers and on the other side it created opportunities for cooperation between them at European level. The project activities foreseen participation of young people in international and local activities addressing topics like: empowerment, digital skills, self-employement, entrepreneurship, learning by doing activities. The partners seeked during the project development to empower the youngsters and develop their life skills to be able to develop and struggle the difficulties, to become self motivated and empowered to achieve their life goals. The partners have elaborated and shared the intellectual output of the prorect - Youth Empowerment curricula in various educational environments, making its contents available for free for trainers, youth operators, teachers and other professionals in education, thus benefiting from educational materials in youth personal development and empowerment.As result of the project, the partner organizations in this project consolidated their knowledge of youth empowerment education best practices from Europe, as well as enhanced knowledge and operational capacities in youth work and youth empowerment acquired through partaking in project processes, training of internal resources, internal dissemination by the latter. Acquisition of innovative NFE tools enabled partners to effectively operate as educational providers spreading knowledge, values and tools of youth empowerment among youngsters, as well as to foster their own activities as socially-oriented businesses in youth work. Through online and offline actions of promotion/dissemination targeted at youth audiences, NGOs, stakeholders and public authorities in project countries, Multiplier events, Conferences, follow-up, members of local communities more awareness was raised on the youth education programs.

The project Open to change represents a strategic partnership in the youth field which aims to address insufficient opportunities for participation in the life of society among vulnerable young people by creating specific paths for enhancing awareness and behaviors of active citizenship and participation. The partners involved in the project are organizations from Romania, Turkey, Lithuania and Italy. The project will be developed on a period of 21 months. The overall goal of the project is to increase youth participation among disadvantaged youth communities from the partner countries and its specific objectives are:-By the month of December 2020, 16 youth workers from the partner countries will review organizations youth participation programs and design and implement process changes through sharing practices, concepts and activities, resulting in more efficient and coherent educational programs in the field of youth participation. -By April 2021, partner organizations will have delivered 1 international mobility on active citizenship, democracy and participation to 36 disadvantaged youth participants aged 16-22 years old. -By June 2021, 36 disadvantaged youth from the partner countries will create and implement 12 youth-led projects promoting participation and community involvement. Target group of participants is represented by youth operators and disadvantaged youngsters from the partner organizations who will participate in teaching training learning activities on youth participation build by the partners through cooperation and exchange of experiences/practices.Project main results will refer to:• Study - Collection of concepts, practices, activities on HR topics – active citizenship, democracy and participation across the partner countries - surveys organized at local levels/regional/national with representatives from at least 30 organizations from the following profiles: school, municipality, NGO, school inspectorate, Youth/students councils (if they exist in the partenr country) and surveys targeted to young people from the local community - at least 100 respondents. • New expertise on how to promote youth participation as a complementary educational path for boosting youth social inclusion as result of the study and share of practices, challenges, concepts and activiteis between partner organizations • 16 youth workers/operators from 4 countries will acquire concrete competences to create mechanisms to support the meaningful participation of young people, thus resulting in more efficient and coherent educational programs in the field of youth participation and moreover fostering empowering environments for enhancing youth social inclusion in various EU communities. • 36 Disadvantaged youngsters will acquire knowledge, competences and skills needed for them to become empowered to take control of their lives, the project will enhance their ability to meet the challenges of today, to broaden their knowledge of new cultural contexts, availability and ability to accept and recognize the differences in each of these contexts and to gain European consciousness.•A common learning program which will contain a set of non formal educational activities created by the youth operators in the field of active citizenship, democracy and youth participation targeted to disadvantaged youngsters from the partner countries, build on the experiences, practices and methodologies shared and united from the partner countries•12 youth-led projects planned and implemented by youngsters themselves in the partners local communities ( 3 projects implemented in each partner country) • At least 24 different stakeholders (schools, local authorities institutions, NGOs, social institutions) involved in the projects developed by the youngsters ( at least 2 stakeholder per local youth led project) • A dissemination brochure which will show examples of best practices and proven techniques for implementation of participation programs in youth sector disseminated accross partner countries and their international networks • About 3000 people across EU to be informed about the project results, taking part directly or indirectly in the proposed activities, including the youth-led projects •Raised awareness of disadvantaged youth regarding the benefits of their participation in international mobility opportunities, thus enhanced inclusive access to educational opportunities at EU level•Exchange of expertise among youth workers and other educational representatives in regards of fostering social inclusion through participation •Strategic support for the application of participation mechanisms within local communities, through establishment of partnerships with relevant bodies as well as through the relevant know-how gained by partners, allowing the better sustainability of such programs in future.

<< Background >>Together for Tackling Cyberbullying (TOC) is a 24-month Strategic Partnership in the field of Youth aiming at raising awareness about Cyberbullying as well as at preventing violence among young people. According to UNICEF “Cyberbullying is bullying with the use of digital technologies. It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones. It is repeated behaviour, aimed at scaring, angering, or shaming those who are targeted… Face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying can often happen alongside each other. But cyberbullying leaves a digital footprint – a record that can prove useful and provide evidence to help stop the abuse.”The innovation of the TOC project is directly attributable to the following elements:CONSORTIUM All partners involved in the Consortium have experienced in implementing project at local and International level. TOC partners are actively engaged in combating the social exclusion of young people and raising awareness in the community regarding the issues of Cyberbullying among young people.APPROACH Preventing cyberbullying among young people is a challenging process. In fact, there can be no healthy society without attitudes of awareness and tolerance and critical thinking skills.TOC involves both the direct target groups of youth workers and young people. It is certainly important to improve the quality of youth work on the topic of Cyberbullying. In addition, it is important to actively involve young people as learners and as real protagonists of social change by fighting against Cyberbullying.<< Objectives >>During the cooperation, the consortium will pursue the following objectives:•Design a Training Format targeted at youth workers and organizations for tackling Cyberbullying amongst young people•Develop a new innovative methodology to prevent cyberbullying, based on Digital Storytelling, Critical thinking, and Digital Skills.•Promote the development of civic competences and the respect of human rights amongst youth community in all Europe, especially at the consortium level•Foster active citizenship, self-confidence, and sense of community amongst young people.•Implement a local activity programmes to reach the TOC’s target groups TOC’s direct target group is:•Joint Staff youth workers aged 18+ who have experience working with young people.•BMYP young people (18-25 y/o) who are/were victims of cyberbullying and want to raise awareness about this problem and prevent those attacks The indirect target group is young people and communities affected by episodes of Cyberbullying.<< Implementation >>METHODOLOGYThe project will develop a brand-new educational methodology rooted in Digital Storytelling Digital skills and Critical thinking, being for the first time complementary to each other.The choice has fallen on the above-mentioned methodologies and competences because their combination will contribute on having a direct effect/impact at national and international level.During the cooperation, the consortium will pursue the following objectives:•Design a Training Format targeted at youth workers and organizations for tackling Cyberbullying amongst young people•Develop a new innovative methodology to prevent cyberbullying, based on Digital Storytelling, Critical thinking, and Digital Skills. •Promote the development of civic competences and the respect of human rights amongst youth community in all Europe, especially at the consortium level•Foster active citizenship, self-confidence, and sense of community amongst young people.•Implement a local activity programmes to reach the TOC’s target groups TOC’s direct target group is:•Joint Staff youth workers aged 18+ who have experience working with young people.•BMYP young people (18-25 y/o) who are/were victims of cyberbullying and want to raise awareness about this problem and prevent those attacks The indirect target group is young people and communities affected by episodes of Cyberbullying.Activities:3 - transnational projects meeting is foreseen to coordinate amongst partners:1 - Joint Staff “Cyberbullying NO thank you”- TOC International Testing Mobility. It will last 5 full days of activity and it will involve youth workers who are interested in learning more about how to tackle Cyberbullying. A total of 18 will be part of the mobility. 3 participants per each organization partners1 - Blended Mobility for Young People “Be a Guardian Angel” will be implemented. This will last 5 full days of activity. Participants will be young people aged 18-25 who are/were victims of Cyberbullying attacks and want to raise awareness about it and prevent those attacks.1 - Multiplier Events in each country organization<< Results >>RESULTSR1 “Preventing Cyberbullying” Training Format targeted at youth workers who works with young people and are concerned about the spreading of Cyberbullying amongst youngsters. R2 “All together against Cyberbullying” Toolkit targeted at an audience of young people who are/were victims of this phenomenaR3 “Sharing is caring” App- it will a downloadable application where young people can constantly share their stories and BMYPs’ participants can be the “Guardian Angel” and help them during this period. A section of the App will be reserved for parents who will need a guideline for preventing this phenomenon as well as helping parents deal with situations where their child is bullied, or She/ He is the bully.

Unemployment is still one of the strongest challenges EU youth are facing and the fight against remains a priority issue for ensuring the well-being of young people. Organizations actively involved in the education sector have identified concrete problems related to the inconsistency between competences acquired through the completion of traditional educational paths, and the real needs of the labor market. The transition into adulthood represents a turning point in the life of young people and involves a multi level process: transition into the world of work, from the education system on to the labour market, leaving parental home and developing independent living, taking the role of active citizens by developing skills and competencies for civic engagement.The project Mind the Gap is a Strategic partnership between organizations active in youth field from UK, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania and overall goal is to develop and implement strategic approaches to support disadvantaged youngsters and NEETs by facilitating their transition to career paths whether through further education or through work based learning opportunities. Specific objectives:-By November 2021, 16 youth workers from the partner countries will review organizations approaches and design and implement process changes through sharing practices, concepts and activities, resulting in more efficient and coherent educational programs that facilitate transition to career paths for disadvantaged youngsters whether through further education or through work based learning opportunities-By May 2021, partner organizations will have delivered 1 international mobility focused on professional exploration, personal development and reflection to 32 disadvantaged youth participants aged 16-22 years old with a view to understand their status as potential employee and to take acknowledge of practical means to benefit of learning and work opportunities.-By August 2021, 32 disadvantaged youth from the partner countries will be involved in work based learning schemes (Volunteering/Work placement/Training) at local levels.The project will focus on 3 key aspects:Multi level cooperation with stakeholders to find solutions in reducing discrepancies between the employees and the employers and matching young people skills with current and future labour demand. The project strongly connects our organizations and youth staff with key factors in youth education through the development of round tables sessions. Having stakeholders from different areas, will allow us to create a sharing&learning community wherein participating organizations, youngsters and stakeholders will exchange information and best practices as well as cooperate in identifying and pursuing improvements in adulthood transition and integration into the labour market. Partners through their youth workers will therefore collect, evaluate relevant practices, experiences and content produced by civil society actors across their communities in terms of youth adulthood transition and labor market integration to develop a comprehensive vision and common standards of action in the field. Our Youth workers will participate in an international seminar aiming to build up competences of youth workers from the partner countries to create strategic approaches that facilitate transition to career paths for disadvantaged youngsters whether through further education or through work based learning opportunities. The seminar will help us to identify support currently or potentially available to disadvantaged young people and consider how this might be aligned and packaged to ease their progress into and within the workplace and also to transfer different supportive services that facilitate young people transition into labor market such as: professional development program targeted to disadvantaged young people that facilitates professional exploration, development and reflection among them and work based learning strategies.Provision of career awareness and exploration opportunities in the labour market with a particular focus on disadvantaged youth categories from the partner countries.- through local and international mobility, 32 youngsters will be given the opportunity to understand their status as potential employees and to take advantage of practical means to benefit learning and work opportunities. Partners are committed to provide them 1 international training mobility which will be focused on exploration of the participants skills and interests and supporting youngsters to understand their status as potential employee and to take acknowledge of practical means to benefit of learning and work opportunities as well supportive services - Mind the gap program - education and work based learning opportunities: work placement, volunteering and training in different fields, both in own organization and/or facilitating entrance in another relevant organization at each one local level.