Our main objectives were mainly linked to putting EU Youth Strategy into local context: - by promoting the active participation of young people in societal life - by linking young people across the EU and beyond to foster voluntary engagement, learning mobility, solidarity, and intercultural understanding -by empowering young people to act responsibily and take initiative for social projects- Our engAGE-project aimed at fostering civic competencies, supporting and developing opportunities for "learning to engage," and increasing interest in participatory actions. The overarching theme of the project was diversity and inclusion of all members of society and the exchange of experiences that occurred in promoting dialogue between generations. Training participants developed the skills and competencies to work with seniors contributing to "active aging." The beneficiaries also developed their sense of initiative by designing their own projects. Participants in the Train-the-Trainer activities enhanced their key competencies in volunteer management, volunteer motivation, and leadership qualities to effectively work with youngsters. Our main desired achievement was to build a long-term cooperation for intergenerational dialogue.
We applied for the EngAGE-Project in order to address the needs of youth living in rural areas, such as information about ERASMUS+ Program, finding ways to actively engage as volunteers at local and international level, and support social inclusion of elderly people. Furthermore our organisations needed to build transnational cooperation activities and sharing of know how. Our aims can be summarized as: - Promotion of intergenerational dialogue by training at least 20 young individuals in key competencies for successful volunteer work. - Improvement of the conditions for youth volunteering in partner organizations through the training of at least 16 volunteer managers to enhance counseling, leadership, and motivational skills in working with the younger generation, raising awareness of European Solidarity Corps and Erasmus+ opportunities in volunteering for young people. - Solidarity while promoting the social inclusion and participation of elderly people in society. - Promotion of shared European values and spiritual care to enhance mutual understanding between generations and partner organizations, leading to improved cooperation opportunities between Catholic and Protestant churches (Ecumenism) and their young volunteers.