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Supporting and improving the development of YFU Estonia specialists through study mobility

2020-3-EE01-KA105-0933072020Youth mobilityfinalized
Countries: EE|AT|DE|FR · Grant: €3,588
International cooperation, international relations, development cooperationIntercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Objectives

The content of the project was to train MTÜ YFU Estonia's learning mobility specialists and share the results with people involved in the field. The target group consists of experts from YFU Estonia and partner organizations and the main aims were following: 1. Learn from partner organizations through 3 day peer-learning and job shadowing; 2. Get to know about the activities of the partner organizations and their development and possibilities in the exchange area; 3. Learn about the youth exchange possibilities in other European countries. Learning from partners and supplementing these ideas and practices to the every day work helps to improve the quality of youth exchange in Estonia and continue to share new knowledge with other organizations inside and outside of Estonia. The focus in this project was to learn mostly in the following categories: 1. Exchange students and hostfamilies; 2. Well-functioning communication system (especially counselling with the program participants); 3. Fundraising and development; 4. Including and motivating members of the organization; 5. Well-functioning marketing system in the area of youth exchange; 6. Strong inbound and outbound student programs; 7. Training and preparing future exchange students to help them find donors for the exchange program. The main training method during the mobility was through mutual learning. Specialists got the chance to share knowledge, practices and enrich their method baggages. The impact of all the knowledge gained in the categories mentioned above were measured after the mobility. We used all the notes made during the mobility, the personal plan with the information about the knowledge gained and development ideas that will be implemented in the organization. Our projects aim supports in every way Erasmus+ mobility aims like intercultural dialogue, promoting diversity and human rights in society and develop youth workers competencies that help to pass on the fundamental values of our society and prevent radicalization among youth. Through learning mobility, the specialists of organizations develop different competencies to organize student exchange in high school even higher level and thereby raise awareness of intercultural differences. The specialists training needs were primarily related to their professional work, the need to keep abreast of modern working methods, trends in the field and also changes in the European educational area. The personal mobility experience that was gained during the mobility also played an important role. While being on the mobility themselves the specialists were able to feel by themselves the differences in intercultural communication and the importance of this skill in todays borderless Europe - their skills in supporting future exchange students will evolve. The added value of the project was of course the personal contact with partners from another countries and increased communication and language skills. During the project, specialists were able to gain theoretical and practical knowledge about mobility, intercultural differences and practical aspects that should be taken into account when going abroad. General overview: 1. The length of the mobility was 3-5 days; 2. Job shadowing and presentations were used as working forms; 3. Mobilities took place in winter 2021 and spring 2022; 5. During the mobilities 5 specialists went to different European countries (Germany, Austria and France). Participants complemented their work tools with new methods, information sources and theoretical knowledge. In addition to genera professional self-improvement, the project also focused on exchanging information and methods on learning opportunities for target groups and thereby promoting learning mobility in Europe. The main aim of YFU Estonia is to act in the name of more open and understanding world, which is undoubtedly as relevant today as it was more than 70 years ago when our founder Rachel Andresen decided to make the world more peaceful with the help of young people. With the help of YFU Estonia, almost 2 000 young people have contributed into making the world a better place. This number increases every year by 110 students: 2/3 of them go to countries around the world from Estonia and 1/3 of them come and spent their exchange in Estonia. In today's tense world, the need for understanding and an open worldview is growing and that's exactly what an exchange year gives to the youth. In addition, the student mobility also makes it possible to create closer connections between the education systems of different countries, jointly developing levels of teaching different subjects and raising a new generation of citizens with multicultural education. Therefore the exchange year with YFU or other similar organizations is a unique experience that no other program can later offer. We dare to say that people who have gone abroad during high school have a way of thinking that will change the nature of society.

Project partners (4)