With Magic wand for street work with youth we strive to establish support elements for quality implementation of street work with young people in different local environments, across Europe. Partner organizations recognize street work as an approach by which we contact and build a confidential relationship with young people in their environment, where they live or spend their free time. As youth street workers we respect the dynamics of space, freedom and autonomy of young people, in order to make contact and include young people with fewer opportunities and those who, for various reasons, do not participate in organized activities and institutions. In the strategic partnership, we also strive to increase the visibility of street work at local, regional, national and international level, which we recognized as an indispensable element for the further development of the field of work. We will achieve several goals by cooperating in this strategic partnership. The first is the basic training on street work for 25 workers and representatives of organizations. We will research and review 30 activities adjusted to the needs of young people and the specificity of street work, which will serve as a tool for youth street workers. We will create a platform through which young people we meet in the field will be able to actively influence what kind of activity they would like to participate in. We will write the theoretical starting points of the street work with young people and conduct an event for the promotion of intellectual results and street work with young people. The primary target group of the project are youth workers who want to better their competences and develop street work with youth. More information, tools and methods, experiences, specific skills and knowledge and foundations that represent the basis of security and professional identity will be needed for a better quality of street work with young people. Indirect target group are young people involved in the project during the phase of testing developed activities for the street work. We will organize four international meetings. We plan a five-day short-term training of staff from the field theory of street work, which will provide a good basis for further exploring the activities of youth street work, which will be included in the manual and didactic tool. We also plan a multiplier event at the end of the project, where we will disseminate project results. The desired effects of the project are to raise the quality and visibility of street work with young people. The project aims to establish a good example of connecting and developing innovative approaches in the field of street work with young people and to contribute to the development of street workers skills and to develop guidelines for quality street work.
The aim of the project was to establish supporting elements for the sovereign and equality implementation of street work with young people. The partner organizations involved in the project recognize street work as an approach with which we are able to establish contact and build relationships with young people in their environment, including vulnerable young people and those, who for various reasons are not involved in organized activities happening in institutions. Street work is carried out outside of institutions, in parks, on streets, in courtyards, in shopping malls, etc. Therefore street workers work in a less structured and predictable environment. Within the Magic Wand project we have developed tools that support street workers across Europe to carry out quality street work with young people. Within the Magic Wand project we also strived for the highest visibility of street work at a local, regional, national, as well as international level. Greater recognition is the basis for the development of work areas and provides better conditions for the implementation of street work, reduces staff precarization in the sector and strengthens the identity of street workers. The main activities of the project were: 1. We conducted four international partnership meetings (the topics were related to project coordination, sharing the reality of street work, and learning about good practices in the local environment). 2. We conducted the basic training on street work for 24 street workers and representatives of organizations. 3. We documented, tested and upgraded 39 activities that are adapted to the needs of young people and the specifics of street work. The activities serve as a tool for the implementation of specific street work activities that aim for active participation and the empowerment of young people. 4. We have designed an online platform with 30 activities that can be used directly in the field when performing street work. 5. We carried out a multiplication event in Brussels which was attended by street workers from all over the world. The main results of the project are: - Partner organizations are familiar with the methodologies and trends of street work with young people from different countries; - We carried out 150 street work activities (each of the partner countries carried out / tested 30 activities), 620 young people were involved in the activities; - We published a handbook with guidelines for the implementation of 39 activities that are innovative, tailored to the needs of young people and the specifics of street work; - We created a didactic online platform that enables the participation of young people in the process of street work; - Street workers (24) have strengthened their skills and competences to carry out street work; - We developed theoretical bases for quality implementation of street work with young people; - We expanded the network of street workers, strengthened affiliation and professional identity. All three intellectual results are available in English and the online platform is available in the languages of all partner organizations, allowing direct testing and use of the tool in the field. The primary target group of the project were street workers who were strengthening their competencies for street work through participation in all levels of the project (coordination, international meetings, training, development of intellectual results). The indirect target group were young people, who were included in the project during the phase of testing specific street work activities. With the project, we supported the development of street work, as well as increased its visibility and quality. By successfully participating in the partnership, we set an example of good practice in connecting and jointly developing innovative approaches in the field of street work with young people. We also made a positive contribution to the qualification of street workers, as well as to the development of guidelines, which will contribute to a more uniform and higher-quality street work. Coinciding, we also recognize the effect of the project in the increased rate of active participation of young people and their empowerment in the local environments of partner organizations. Intellectual results are encouraged and provide support for the implementation of street work. Consequently, the impact of the project is also recognized in reducing the spatial, cultural, economic, social and symbolic exclusion of young people (which is recognized as one of the basic challenges of the EU) and ensuring inclusion and equal opportunities for all.