The project "Open Youth Work For Open Society - Give A Chance To Informal Youth Centres" responds to the need of the partners involved to create a dossier that is an argumentation aid for decision makers to support open youth work. As open youth work we understand an unrestricted access to spatial, material and personal resources, which allow young people to develop their personal competences in an informal context. In order to achieve this goal, we need to present the different perspectives of those involved. These are the perspectives of young people, youth workers and social scientists. We will collect and evaluate empirical studies, collect, develop and publish good examples of successful open youth work, and publish young people's ideas about what open work should achieve and how it should be equipped. In order to achieve the latter, a youth encounter will take place in Romania within the framework of this project, in which the young people (6 from each country and a group leader, together 35 participants) will jointly develop this idea. In a second step we will create three argumentation aids for open youth work. The first is aimed at decision-makers and administrations. It summarises the opportunities and results of open youth work and places them in a context of positive social development. This is done in detail and is primarily addressed to specialist politicians and the specialist departments of local administrations. There will be a summary in the form of a short handouts addressed to all parliamentary decision-makers. The second contains recommendations for action for universities in order to sharpen the profile of youth workers in open youth work and to better shape it. Both are discussed with representatives of the respective target groups and tested for practical usability. The third argumentation aid is aimed at citizens. It is intended to provide media content that is produced by the partners jointly with their young people. These can be pictures, Youtube videos and sound files that present open youth work in a comprehensive and creative way and make it understandable. With all components an extensive dossier develops, which does not exist in this form so far. It will be available online in English and all languages of the participating partners (Germany, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia). The partners involved in the project are "ARCI Strauss" (Italy), "Curba de Cultura" (Romania), "Narandzasti" (Serbia), "RIS" (Slovenia) and "Roter Baum Berlin" (Germany). They represent countries in which different models of youth work exist, with Slovenia even having its own legal basis, all the way to Italy, where there is no entitlement to state-supported youth work. The partners agree that we see the model of open youth work as particularly positive for the development and participation opportunities of young people and that for this reason we want to support the objective 9 of the European Youth Goals (SPACE AND PARTICIPATION FOR ALL). In order to achieve the objectives and results, we target a project duration of 24 months (September 2019 to August 2021). We will work closely together online. The important milestones will be discussed and finalised in 4 transnational meetings, each in one of the partner countries. In each of the 5 partner countries we will also organise a multiplier event in the format of a symposium, which will present and discuss the results of the work and thus contribute to their dissemination and use.
As open youth work, we understand unrestricted access to spatial, material and personal resources, which allow young people to develop their competencies in an informal context. To achieve this goal, we stimulate a discussion presenting the different perspectives of those involved: young people, youth workers and social scientists. Based on these three perspectives we developed an argumentation aid for decision-makers. This argumentative support has been published in the form of a synthetic handout and the form of a dossier. In both cases, it summarises the Open Youth Work approach, its meaning and its definitions so that it can be understood by policy-makers, local government representatives, practitioners and society as a whole. Through interviews addressed to youth workers and young people and a collection of best practices supporting open youth work, we achieved the desired results through which to stimulate a discussion on what open youth work is and should be. The results highlight how open youth work improves young people's competencies, supporting them to get active in their interests and the interest of their communities and those of general society.
"Open Youth Work For Open Society - Give A Chance To Informal Youth Centres" is an international project that aims to raise awareness about youth work and to support it. The project involves 5 partners from different countries that worked together to create a dossier as an argumentation aid for decision makers to support open youth work. The partners involved in the project are Strauss APS (Italy), Asociația Curba de Cultură (Romania), Narandžasti (Serbia), Ris, raziskovalno izobraževalno središče Dvorec Rakičan (Slovenia) and Roter Baum Berlin (Germany). They represent countries in which different models of youth work exist, with Slovenia even having its own legal basis, all the way to Italy, where there is no entitlement to state-supported youth work. The partners agree that we see the model of open youth work as particularly positive for the development and participation opportunities of young people and that for this reason this project supports the 9th objective of the European Youth Goals - "Space and Participation for All". The aim is to strengthen the democratic participation and autonomy of young people in order to provide dedicated spaces for young people in all areas of society.