The evolution of society has reinforced territorial and social divisions, creating barriers and fostering discriminations that favour the tendency of young people to be often relegated to the sidelines and excluded from having a say in decisions that will affect them. These findings, among others, contribute to the lack of youth participation in the decision making process and to their disengagement in civic society, fostering in turn social exclusion, marginalization and radicalisation. This is all the more striking for young people from working-class neighbourhoods or living in rural areas. The aim shared by the Fédération des centres sociaux et socioculturels de France, Fritidsforum, Alternatives pour l'enfance et la jeunesse and ARCS - Arci culture solidali, is to contribute to developing the civic engagement and democratic participation of young people, particularly in marginalized urban neighbourhoods and/or rural areas, because our society needs energy, sense of initiative and capacity of innovation of young people. The project “Find Yourself - Facilitating youth engagement!” aims to strengthen the capacities of the members of this strategic partnership to enhance dynamics of engagement and empower young people to actively participate in civic society and be involved in the decision making process in a Euro-Mediterranean dimension. The empowerment of young people is a major objective shared by the four networks and translated into different but complementary strategic pedagogical approaches. Based on a joint needs analysis of the four networks, we have identified areas of work that correspond to the specificities and expertise of all stakeholders and that will be the guidelines of our learning process: - Lifelong learning practices enabling young people to be actors of political and social change - Practices of civic engagement of young people promoting social inclusion of disadvantaged people (migrants) and solidarity - Practices of democratic participation of young people in the definition of local community policies The 28-month work programme will include: 1. A kick-off seminar focusing on: presentation of the structure of the project and its specific objectives, definition of a common working framework (roles and responsibilities, tasks and monitoring and evaluation system), preparation of the learning activities (jobs shadowing), 2. Two sets of four jobs shadowing in each partner country with eight learners from each country, three sending organisations and one hosting organisation. 3. A final seminar (Open Space) aiming at capitalising the results of the jobs shadowing, presenting other good practices about civic engagement and youth participation, defining future strategies in the framework of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. The exchange of experiences, good practices and methods will contribute to produce results that are both tangible and intangible. The Open Space will also multiply these results and encourage the cross-pollination of ideas and will allow for to creating new synergies, initiatives and cooperation. The expected results area as follows: R1- Youth workers have acquired skills, knowledge and attitudes to enhance innovative projects in the field of youth civic engagement. More specifically, the project will allow the development of skills, knowledge and attitudes of all the actors involved: national coordinators, regional coordinators and youth workers. A2 - The project partners have developed educational and digital tools to equip youth workers in their respective networks. This will result in tangible results such as: development of a booklet of good practices, creation of an online platform with tools and video resources including a collection of "living" and illustrated experiences, revision of training contents for youth workers. R3 - New initiatives for civic engagement and democratic youth participation have been promoted and spread: implementation of new European youth mobility projects and capacity building projects at national and international level, also in the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.
The project "Find Yourself - Facilitating the engagement of young people!" », Submitted with four Euro-Mediterranean partners in 2018 was based on the following observations: reinforcement of territorial and social fractures creating divisions and discrimination favoring tendencies of withdrawal among young people, identity tension and the deviation of the quest for meaning. In addition, young people find themselves not much involved in "traditional" participation spaces (associations, elections, unions, etc.). This is all the more striking for young people from lower-income neighborhoods or living in certain rural areas. In 2021 these findings remain the same, reinforced by the health crisis. Indeed the crisis has weakened part of the youth. Through this project, the partners: the Federation of Social and Socio-cultural centers of France, Fritidsforum, Organization Alternatives for Children and Youth and ARCS - Arci culture solidali, have contributed to developing civic engagement and democratic participation of young people, particularly in marginalized urban neighborhoods and / or in rural areas. They chose practices to be observed in different territorial areas. The development of civic engagement and the power to act of young people is a major focus of work, shared by the four networks and which translates into different engagement pedagogies but with complementary approaches. The project "Find Yourself - Facilitating the engagement of young people!" made it possible to strengthen the capacities of the members of this partnership to support the dynamics of engagement and to develop the power of young people to act in a Euro-Mediterranean dimension. Based on the joint analysis of the needs of the respective networks, we have identified dominant issues which correspond to the specificities and expertise of all stakeholders and which have been the subject of observation courses: - Lifelong education actions that allow young people to be agents of change at the political and social level. - The civic engagement practices of young people promoting the social inclusion of disadvantaged people (migrants) and solidarity. - Practices of democratic participation of young people in the definition of community policies The project's work program was initially planned for 28 months and was extended by 6 months due to the health crisis. The learning activities carried out: 1. A launching seminar which allowed knowledge, collective ownership and a common framework of work on the meaning and challenges of the project, the methods of implementation and commitment of each throughout the various activities. 2. A first series of four five-days face-to-face observation courses in each partner country with (89 participants) eight learners from each country, three sending organizations and one host. 3. A second series of four observation courses of five-days in videoconference organized by each partner country with 92 participants from the other three countries. A final production seminar in the form of a Youth Forum aiming to capitalize on the results of observation courses, present other good practices on civic engagement and democratic participation of young people, define future strategies within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. This forum took place in the form of a TV set with face-to-face participants and others by videoconference. The exchange of experiences, the confrontation of ideas, practices and methods, the reflexivity of the actors, the taking of perspective on their experience both within a transnational production committee and on the reception sites and organization of face-to-face and videoconferencing courses, have contributed to producing both tangible and intangible results. The youth forum also made it possible to share these results and open up new perspectives for Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.