Project goal: Increased capacity of 5 organizations to use photography and videography in their youth work as powerful tools for promoting active citizenship and alternative forms of youth participation, add value to existing youth work. Objectives: 1. Equipped youth workers from 5 partner countries with knowledge and skills in photography and videography and how to use them to promote a sense of initiative of youth and alternative forms of participation. 2. Created safe non-formal contexts where young people in 5 partner countries learnt how to use camera equipment, principles of photography and videography and express their ideas and needs through it (e.g. films, photo exhibitions), address societal challenges of their communities and participate in solving them through creative approach. 3. Identified how photography and videography can be used to promote and add value to existing youth work, address needs of young people, facilitate their skills development and boosting creativity through audiovisuals.
Through active citizenship collective societal issues can be improved, existing systems challenged and young people empowered with knowledge and attitudes required to make informed decisions or participate in decision making which affect their lives. However, youth (16-29, Eurostat t.ly/UOPB) involvement in their community’s life, decision making and contribution to solving societal issues is very low: -Participation in active citizenship of young people in Europe (EU27) is 12.1%, 4 out of 5 partners having significantly lower engagement CZ 3.5%, HU 4.3%, SK 2.6%, RO 6% and PT 11.7%. The need we addressed was a low level of active citizenship of young people and insufficient capacity of partner organizations to empower youth and promote alternative forms of participation. The needs were addressed by equipping youth workers with needed competences to create local and international contexts for young people to learn about active citizenship and its importance, discover alternative tools and non-formal methods of videography and photography to encourage their participation and creating actual opportunities within the lifetime of the project to unfold initiatives for youth to be active citizens.