IT'S YOU is a 24-month strategic partnership project for innovation in the youth sector (January 2021-December 2022). The partners involved are Aretes (IT), Dedalus (IT), MARAK DIGITAL MARKETING (ES), Fundación Docete Omnes (ES), CYCLISIS (EL), EDIT VALUE (PT), DRPDNM (SI). The project is developed in 5 European countries (IT-EL-ES-PT-SI) where the population of young people is highly composite and enriched by a significant presence of young people with migratory backgrounds. On the one hand, the context analysis carried out in the 5 countries shows the need for young people to reflect on a new concept of citizenship, as the result of a synthesis between formal rights/duties and the exercise of intercultural citizenship skills; on the other hand, the need of the Youth Workers (YW), committed to the issue of intercultural citizenship, to improve and professionalize their socio-educational tools and strengthen the network of contacts with other European YWs. The objectives of the project are: to encourage young people to develop / improve the skills of intercultural citizenship; to improve the professional capacity of the YW; to increase the opportunities for an exchange of experiences and skills with other operators at transnational level; to strengthen European networks of YW and young people on the issues of intercultural citizenship. The project is aimed at YW and young EU and non-EU citizens: - at least 25 YW engaged in various types of services on the issues of intercultural citizenship, which work to promote social change starting from the life of the young people by adopting non-formal education methodologies and digital tools. - at least 75 young people, EU and non-EU, between 16 and 30 years of age, including young natives, young people with a migrant background, young people belonging to the "decimal generations", unaccompanied minors or unaccompanied new adults. Furthermore, it is expected to involve: - at least 150 young people involved in the IOs experimentation and dissemination phases; - at least 75 youth workers involved in the IOs experimentation and dissemination phases; - stakeholders and policy makers who can help to deepen the thematic contents of the project, strengthen the network work that IT’S YOU intends to generate, transform some key points collected in the project (see Vademecum) into operational proposals to be implemented primarily on European territories involved. In order to achieve the stated objectives, the IT'S YOU project foresees the creation of continuous exchange and comparison activities between stakeholders, YW, young people and civil society subjects on the project themes, as well as the realization of 2 IOs: 1) IT'S YOU Net (IO1), a European social network that promotes the exchange of experiences, ideas, reflections on the issues of intercultural citizenship. 2) IT'S YOU Challenge (IO2), a platform that contains non-formal tools for assessing and enhancing the skills of intercultural citizenship of young people. The IT'S YOU project uses diversified approaches and methodologies which, by combining, favor the achievement of general and specific objectives: Social Networking, Peer Learning, non-formal education, Sociological and Sociotherapeutic approach, Barcamp and Focus Group Online. The results that IT'S YOU strategy allows to achieve are for the YW: - increase of professional skills in the field of education for intercultural citizenship (as declined in IOs); - increase in contacts (virtual and tangible) and network links between European YWs; - increase of methods and tools to promote the multicultural protagonism of young people. The expected impact for young people, EU and non-EU, between 16 and 30 years old, in particular for young people with a migrant background, will be articulated as follows: - increased self-awareness of the intercultural citizenship skills possessed; - improvement / enhancement of intercultural citizenship skills (multilingual, digital, citizenship, cultural awareness and expression); - increase of cooperative and collaborative attitudes to practice citizenship and conscious adherence to shared values; - increase network links between young Europeans who practice intercultural citizenship. The events that enhance the process and the contents of the project (BARCamp and Focus Group Online) and the Multiplier Events act as a sounding board for the dissemination of the themes and products of the project: this increases the overall effectiveness of the impact of IT'S YOU and makes the project sustainable over time as it becomes the heritage of an extensive community of actors (Youth, YW, stakeholders and policy makers to whom the 'Vademecum' is symbolically delivered).
Gli obiettivi del progetto sono stati quelli di: incoraggiare i giovani a sviluppare/migliorare le competenze di cittadinanza interculturale; migliorare la capacità professionale degli YW; aumentare le opportunità di uno scambio di esperienze e competenze con altri operatori a livello transnazionale; rafforzare reti europee di YW e giovani sui temi della cittadinanza interculturale.
Il progetto si è sviluppato in 5 Paesi europei (IT-EL-ES-PT-SI) in cui la popolazione dei giovani risulta fortemente composita ed arricchita da una significativa presenza di giovani con background migratorio. L’analisi di contesto svolta nei 5 territori di riferimento ha fatto emergere il bisogno dei giovani di riflettere su un nuovo concetto di cittadinanza, frutto di una sintesi tra diritti/doveri formali e l’esercizio di competenze di cittadinanza interculturale. Ciò aiuterebbe i giovani ad uscire dalla comfort zone; a liberarsi da stereotipi legati all'identità culturale (che spesso favorisce la chiusura in gruppi autoreferenziali); ad agire concretamente la cittadinanza; a creare una rete solida tra giovani europei che condivida competenze e pratiche di cittadinanza interculturale. I partner hanno dunque ritenuto che il processo sopra descritto avesse bisogno di una formazione continua europea per gli Youth Workers (YW) impegnati in percorsi di educazione interculturale. I metodi utilizzati dagli YW sono spesso poco flessibili, senza un utilizzo strategico del digitale nel lavoro educativo, con una debole sinergia tra educazione alla cittadinanza ed educazione interculturale. Gli YW hanno poche occasioni di confronto e poche possibilità per un riconoscimento formale del loro lavoro e delle competenze esercitate.