The right to grow up! was the first step to lay the foundations for a more ambitious and articulated project. Being able to meet and compare four different nations has created the enthusiasm to plan future initiatives and exchanges. The idea was to get to know each other and compare notes in order to take the strengths of each Association and use them to create meetings between young people with and without intellectual disabilities on central and particularly important issues concerning the future (but also the present) of each of them: independent living, autonomy and self-determination. The objectives we set ourselves with this project were: - Bring together some international realities active in the same field and encourage the creation of future collaborations for the development of international projects focused on non-formal education; - Lay the foundations with which the individual associations involved can increase their capacity to address the needs of disadvantaged people using innovative methodologies and best practices borrowed from partners; - Increase the sense of initiative of the individual associations involved and their representatives to carry out large-scale European projects dedicated to people with disabilities; - Share experiences of activities aimed at increasing the autonomy and self-esteem of young people with Down syndrome in support of independent living; - Develop specific proposals for future projects to implement transnational youth initiatives, both short and long term, with partners present and focused both on activities with young people with disabilities and allowing them to participate in such projects. - Create the spirit of collaboration between people of different cultures, working styles, etc. - Strengthen the international dimension of youth activities and strengthen the capacity of youth workers and organizations in supporting young people in complementarity with the external action of the European Union, in particular by promoting mobility and cooperation between stakeholders from the program countries and partner countries; - Facilitate participants' acquisition of skills such as communication, teamwork and project management in international activities and the ability to structure an international cooperation network in a specific field; - Increase awareness of the values of Erasmus + and the EU and promote youth mobility within the framework of European programs and especially emphasize its inclusive dimension and the possibility of applying it to a target group with special needs such as children with Down syndrome.
This project will be a first point of contact to create a series of future initiatives that, by giving a wider scope to the individual initiatives carried out locally by individual partners, aim to improve the independent life, autonomy and general freedom of people with disabilities through tools and experiences that can help them live a full and serene life in society. The objectives we set ourselves with this project are: - Bring together some international realities active in the same sector and encourage the creation of future collaborations for the development of international projects focused on non-formal education; - To lay the foundations with which the individual associations involved will be able to increase the ability to face the needs of disadvantaged people using innovative methodologies and good practices borrowed from partners; - Increase the sense of initiative of the individual associations involved and their representatives in order to carry out wide-ranging European projects dedicated to the disabled; - Share experiences of activities aimed at increasing the autonomy and self-esteem of young people with Down syndrome by supporting an independent life; - Improve understanding and response to the social, linguistic and cultural diversity of the individual partners involved; - Develop specific proposals for future projects to implement transnational youth initiatives, both short and long term, with partners present and focused both on activities with young people with disabilities and by allowing them to participate in such projects. - Create the spirit of collaboration between people from different cultures, working styles, etc. - To spread the knowledge of the operational, legislative and welfare tools that can be of benefit to all people with Down syndrome. - Strengthen the international dimension of youth activities and strengthen the capacity of youth workers and organizations in supporting young people in complementarity with the external action of the European Union, in particular by promoting mobility and cooperation between the parties stakeholders from program countries and partner countries; - Facilitate participants' acquisition of skills such as communication, teamwork and project management in international activities and the ability to structure an international cooperation network in a specific area - Increase awareness of the Erasmus + and EU values and promote the mobility of young people within the framework of European programs and above all emphasize its inclusive dimension and the possibility of applying it to a target group with special needs such as boys with Down syndrome.