Objectives: EMPYRE-project explores, collects and develops successful youth work practices used to empower young people in Europe. Evaluation and development of good practices is done by cross-national and multidisciplinary co-operation between science Universities, Universities of Applied sciences, HEI students and youth workers from different organisations. The target group of good practices is young people in highest risk of social exclusion and outside education, employment and training (NEETs). Project creates an internet course, teaching material and e-training programme for youth workers to enhance the social empowerment and active citizenship of excluded youth. Activities and methodology: 1) Each Partner country collects 5-7 good youth work/social work practices used for social empowerment and employability of young people (taking into account especially NEET-youth). Choosing practices is based on own expertise of the participating staff from each partner, and on literature/practice review about existing practices. Assessment of "what is good or successful practice?"-is based on a) evaluation from clients by using the Bigva-method to assess the impact of practice, b) evaluation from experienced practitioners and peer interviews and c) on statistical analysis of the impact of used practices. 2) In the transnational project meeting in Lodz a board of staff members decide which practices are chosen for next phase based on the different evaluation methods mentioned above 3) Next, international study programme (ISP) in Linz brings together staff members, students and youth workers. The practitioners/youth workers/institutions using the chosen successful practices are also called to participate for the study programme. Practitioners/Youth workers behind good practices and partners work together to transform the practices for web and develop a mutual plan of responsibilities to execute innovative ways to learn about the practices: interviews, short movies, posters, articles etc. ISP also produces an outline for publication and explores several questions behind the successful practices: What are the contents of social empowerment? What kinds of skills and knowledge are there behind successful practices? What kind of common parameters can be found from behind "successful" practices? How the evaluation of successful practices could be developed? 4) Next stage involves producing the web-course for HEI students and e-training programme for youth workers. Web-course is piloted and implemented as part of each participating HEI's curricula. Partners also transform the HEI web-course for e-training programme for professional youth workers. 5) Based on all this information, project staff writes an e-publication in English about the successful youth empowerment practices, possible translation to other languages. Wide dissemination about open access publication and web-course through social media and email-lists 6) Integral part of the objectives and activities are also the development and adaptation of the course and practices in the future. To start this, project ends with intensive study programme Summer School where students, teachers and youth workers use the practices of the course and publication in their studies, for example in different social projects and field studies and assess and develop practices further. Thus for example a social project in Finland could be carried out together with international students and youth workers from Poland, Austria, Wales and Finnish youth workers using and re-developing the good practices chosen for the web-course. The web-course could be a part (starting point, incubator) of wider blended module consisted of international distance learning and local traditional courses. 7) webinar/Multiplier event is organised as a follow-up for ISP for introducing and disseminating the project results and outcomes to relevant stakeholders. Results: 1) web-course about the successful youth work practices especially for youth work students 2) an e-teaching manual about the good empowering youth work practices to be used as part of the web-course 3) a continuing education e-training programme for professional youth workers based on the web-course and manual 4) Open access manual and web-course for wider interested stakeholders in youth issues in Europe Outcomes: 1) Fostering and developing the cooperation between participating HEI's and youth work organisations, enhancing the student and staff mobility between partners to concretely develop the teaching methods, theoretical basis and contents of youth work , 2) E-Training programme for youth workers in different countries, 3) curricula development, development of web-based pedagogics, and web-based study programmes in English language. Most important long-term benefit is the wide dissemination of good practices to better empower and to enhance the active citizenship and employability of youth in Europe.
Project's objectives were to explore, evaluate and disseminate successful social empowerment and employment youth work practices in order to enhance the active citizenship and social empowerment of young people in highest risk of social exclusion and outside work, training and education (NEET). The partners wanted to foster and develop the cooperation between participating HEI's and youth work organisations, enhancing the student and staff mobility between partners to concretely develop the teaching methods, theoretical basis and contents of youth and social work . They developed two web courses for youth work students and youth workers in different countries by making curricula development, development of web-based pedagogy, and web-based study programmes in English language. The most important long-term benefit is the wide dissemination of good practices to better empower and to enhance the active citizenship of excluded youth.
Preventing social exclusion of young people and enhancing their empowerment and employability is one of the most important European wide social and societal topics at the moment. EMPYRE project highlighted the importance of well-documented, analyzed, evaluated, developed and disseminated successful practices for social empowerment of young people in Europe. Using the practices enhances the empowerment, employability and active citizenship of young people in highest risk of social exclusion. Project also enhanced the recognition and European-wide development of youth work, social work and social pedagogy and cross-national co-operation between HEI's and youth work organisations. Transnational exchange, evaluation and co-development of practices between science universities, applied universities and versatile organisations working with youth (e.g. NEET-youth) and turning these practices into innovative web-teaching purposes and disseminating them widely, is seen as crucial for the development of youth work in Europe.