The main objective of ACTin’YouTH is to foster youth workers’ intercultural competences with theatrical methodologies aimed at creating local theatre workshops for the social inclusion of young people with different cultural background at risk of social exclusion. In fact, youth workers will gain competences also in the field of non-violent communication, conflict resolution, facilitation and will develop their communicative skills through theatrical methodologies as well as storytelling circles, thus improving intercultural communication competences and innovative approaches for the engagement of disadvantaged or underrepresented groups, in order to tackle discrimination and social exclusion. All the acquired skills will be used during the implementation of both local and blended theatre workshops. At the same time, there is a strong emphasis on the protagonism and leadership of the young participants in each phase of the project, as to boost their competences effectively. In nowadays interconnected world, it’s urgent to assure that younger generations really communicate and interact amongst them and it’s also important to search for methods improving mutual collaboration and participation. We believe that intercultural dialogue among young people can highly benefit from creativity and performing methodologies, since they learn how to put into practice intercultural dialogue and gain an alternative way of expressing themselves and the cultural features of the groups they belong to. In particular, theatre and performing arts can lead to an active experimentation of the intercultural dialogue power, experiencing the opportunity to work on self-knowledge, body-language and creativity, by acting and interacting together in the same framework, even though they don’t know each other, or they don’t speak the same language or share the same social and cultural framework. Specific objectives are: - develop a theatre-based training course for improving youth workers’ intercultural competences and social skills, aimed at engaging and involving young people - carry on local intercultural theatre workshops and related on-line activities; - create a cooperative final “digital performance”; - develop a collaborative interactive platform and tools; - produce a methodological manual with a collection of case studies based on local experiences. As a result, we will have: 1) 24 TRAINED YOUTH WORKERS from 6 different countries on intercultural and theatre-based communication methodologies 2) YOUNG PEOPLE with a different cultural background, taking part to the local activities, will experiment an engaging opportunity to interact with other young people, finding common ways of communication, interaction, mutual understanding and collaboration. So, they will gain - experience in a TARGETED METHODOLOGY to improve their intercultural communication competences that can be useful also for their future professional path and employability potential, - specific TRAINING in the methodology, that they will replicate in local activities led by themselves together with the Youth Workers, - TRANSNATIONAL LEARNING AND TRAINING EXPERIENCE which itself is a great way to make young people aware of the richness of the intercultural encounter. 3) INTERACTIVE PLATFORM, to make participants from all partners countries exchange their ideas, their outcomes and their materials on the ongoing activities (at local and transnational level), that will remain after the project’s lifespan as a repository of good practices developed during the project and as e-training tool for further Youth Workers and Young People who’d like to approach the methodology. The platform will also be the digital environment where young people, led by youth workers, will develop, starting from inputs given by the non-formal education sessions, the open, transnational and collaborative theatrical performance online. 4) MANUAL that will collect the results of the projects, the specific challenges and solutions implemented, in order to further spread it at national and international level, particularly addressed to Youth Organisations and Public Authorities that should be interested in creating local intercultural workshops aimed at social inclusion of young people. 5) VIRTUAL NETWORK of all organisations, associations, informal youth groups working with theatre and performative arts as tools for social inclusion and intercultural dialogue. 6) INTERNATIONALIZATION OF A NEW METHODOLOGY: through the project, the methodology developed by the partner organisations, gathering together their different experiences in the field of social inclusion, will be tested, qualified and recognised in a transnational context with specific target groups and thus become transferable and replicable in other contexts.
The primary objective of ACTin'YouTH was to enhance the intercultural competences of youth workers through the use of theatrical methodologies to create local theatre seminars for the social inclusion of young people from diverse cultural backgrounds who were at risk of social exclusion. In fact, youth workers acquired competencies in the areas of non-violent communication, conflict resolution, and facilitation, and they developed their communicative skills through theatrical methodologies and storytelling circles, thereby enhancing intercultural communication competencies and innovative approaches for the engagement of disadvantaged or underrepresented groups in order to combat discrimination and social exclusion. During the execution of both local and blended theatre seminars, all acquired skills were utilized. ACTin'YouTH aimed to empower youth and youth organisations by developing programmes to foster personal, social, and cultural empowerment, with a focus on youth engagement promotion, intercultural education, and a youth-centered strategy through non-formal education. Specific objectives, set by the project are the following: - to develop a theatre-based training course for enhancing the intercultural competences and social skills of youth workers, with the purpose of engaging and involving youth. - conduct local intercultural theatre workshops and associated online activities; - create a collaborative final "digital performance"; - develop a collaborative interactive platform and tools; - develop a methodological manual with a collection of case studies based on local experiences.
We applied for this project to address the pressing needs of various target groups, including youth workers and young participants from diverse backgrounds. The project aimed to improve intercultural competences, communication skills, and conflict resolution abilities among youth workers. It also seeked to empower young participants by boosting their self-confidence, intercultural understanding, and creative expression through engaging theater workshops. Additionally, the project aimed to foster intercultural dialogue among young people in general and equip youth workers to address challenges faced by marginalized groups, ultimately promoting personal, social, and cultural empowerment through non-formal education. The needs addressed by the project can be categorized based on the various target groups involved: => Youth Workers: Improve intercultural competences. Develop competences in non-violent communication, conflict resolution, and facilitation. Enhance communicative skills through theatrical methodologies and storytelling circles. Gain innovative approaches for engaging disadvantaged or underrepresented groups. Tackle discrimination and social exclusion. Acquire skills for conducting local and blended theatre workshops. => Young Participants (Migrants, Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Ethnic Minority Groups): Become "young intercultural actors for social inclusion." Improve self-confidence and motivation. Acquire relevant skills and knowledge about European values and different cultures. Enhance overall communication, collaboration, empathy, and Lifecomp framework competences. Participate in welcoming and engaging theater workshops. Gain an alternative way of expressing themselves and their cultural backgrounds. Experience intercultural dialogue through creativity and performing methodologies. Work on self-knowledge, body language, and creativity. => Youth in General: Foster intercultural dialogue among young people. Encourage younger generations to communicate and interact effectively. Promote mutual collaboration and participation. Provide opportunities for young people to engage in theater and performing arts. Support the development of alternative methods for expressing cultural features. => Youth Workers (Challenges): Address challenges in engaging young people with fewer opportunities and different cultural backgrounds. Equip youth workers to tackle issues faced by young people in the current societal context. Address disadvantages faced by young migrants in the labor market and educational system. Respond to socio-economic problems, isolation, and health risks experienced by young populations during emergencies. Empower youth workers to engage with the target group in cultural or educational activities. => Youth and Youth Organizations: Foster personal, social, and cultural empowerment. Promote youth engagement. Encourage intercultural education. Implement a youth-centered strategy through non-formal education. These needs reflect the diverse requirements of the project's target groups and highlight the importance of enhancing intercultural competences, communication skills, and engagement strategies to address social inclusion and intercultural dialogue challenges effectively.