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Communicate for Inclusion: Enhancing the Communication Skills of Youth Workers Supporting Young People with Intellectual Disabilities

2025-3-FR02-KA153-YOU-0003847632025Mobility of youth workersongoing
Countries: FR|BE|PL|HR|IE|ES|IT|LT|SI|DE · Grant: €35,360
Inclusion of marginalised young peopleDigital skills and competencesDemocracy and inclusive democratic participation

Objectives

The project aims to strengthen the capacity of youth workers across 10 European countries to make youth work more inclusive, participatory, and innovative, particularly for young people with intellectual disabilities. Overall aim To build a European community of youth workers who are confident and competent in creating inclusive environments where young people with intellectual disabilities can participate fully, express their voices, and shape their own futures. Specific objectives (from the perspective of youth work practice) 1. Enhance competences in inclusive communication - Equip youth workers with practical tools such as Easy-to-Read materials, pictograms, and visual communication methods. - Improve their ability to engage with non-verbal young people and adapt activities to diverse needs. 2. Strengthen skills in digital storytelling and creative digital tools - Enable youth workers to use accessible digital platforms for co-creating narratives with young people. - Increase the visibility of young people with intellectual disabilities in their communities through digital media. 3. Promote youth-led and participatory approaches - Train youth workers in methods that empower young people as active contributors and leaders, rather than passive participants. - Encourage youth-led facilitation and decision-making within inclusive groups. 4. Foster cross-border cooperation and peer learning among youth workers - Create opportunities for youth workers to exchange practices across 10 countries, reducing isolation and fostering solidarity. - Establish a sustainable European peer network of inclusive youth workers. 5. Embed inclusion, digital transformation, and participation in organisational practice - Support partner organisations to integrate inclusive communication and youth-led approaches into their programmes and staff training. - Ensure that learning outcomes are multiplied locally through workshops, multiplier events, and dissemination of a European digital toolkit. Expected impact on youth work practice Youth workers will gain confidence, skills, and methods that immediately improve their daily interactions with young people. Organisations will have stronger capacity to design and deliver inclusive programmes, raising the overall quality of youth work. Young people with intellectual disabilities will benefit from more accessible, empowering, and participatory services. This project also directly supports the EU Youth Strategy 2019–2027, especially Youth Goal #3 Inclusive Societies and Youth Goal #9 Space and Participation for All. It integrates green practices through prioritisation of sustainable travel and eco-friendly event management, and promotes digital transformation by embedding digital storytelling as a competence for youth workers. In this way, the project fully aligns with the cross-cutting priorities of Erasmus+.

Project partners (10)