The goals we aimed to achieve with the YCLY project were as follows: -To raise awareness among young people in the field of youth work -To provide information about successful practices in their own countries and teach different methods -To help young people gain self-confidence -To equip young people with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to become youth workers -To teach and encourage how to communicate with young people from diverse backgrounds -Develop a youth methodology -Apply the developed methodology to young people -Raise awareness among young people about active citizenship -Encourage young people to change themselves and others
The YCLY project was created with the aim of enabling young people who have participated in youth projects to take on a more active role after gaining a certain level of experience, rather than remaining solely in a participant role. It was developed to address the need for a bridge to help young people transition into youth work. It was believed that having young people who have experienced youth projects as participants later become youth workers would be more effective in many ways. They can empathize with participants and draw on their past experiences to propose solutions to problems. They can make changes to methods that they believe will be more beneficial and understandable for young people. The YCLY project was designed and implemented not only to teach these methods and training to young people but also to equip them with the skills they will need on their path to becoming youth workers. The methods taught with an emphasis on active citizenship and the skills acquired have moved both the young people and the youth workers forward. By gaining self-confidence and learning these methods, the young people have taken their first steps toward becoming youth workers by gaining management experience.