Confidence has spread over the younger generations in emerging countries like Brazil and China. Both countries can represent important examples of successful models of self-reliance, improvisation skills and capacity to deal with lack of public funding for youth work. At the same time, Europe can provide much needed expertise in professionalization and transparency dialogue with policy processes. However, Brazilian as much as Chinese youth are demanding participation and influence by engaging in their communities, running and founding NGOs and CSOs - a trend that should be encouraged and reinforced. The EU history of youth programs and organisations is here an important precedent in the promotion of voluntary learning achievements and the advancement of an active civil society, representing a best practice for both China and Brazil as they face challenges of professionalization and increased pressure to demonstrate results.Against this background of challenges and opportunities and building on its multi-year experience in the three regions and the wide network of partners and local supporters that it has developed, this consortium of grassroots NGOs, mid-level institutions, informal groups and public authorities active in the youth, cultural and creative fields across the three areas, propose to develop and implement innovative models for youth work in order to challenge unsustainable youth unemployment and of youth at risk of social marginalisation. This project will develop a set of practical tools, case-studies, and pilot schemes for the improvement, empowerment, and innovation of youth work models and policies in two focus areas, the first resulting in higher conversion rates of youth programs in self-sufficient and labour-creating youth initiatives, the second in realistically reaching out to youth groups at risk of social marginalisation.The activities, which will span across Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom), China and Brazil within a timeframe of 18 months, include: extensive research and production, aimed at fostering the availability of transferrable information on best practices and successful models across the EU, China, and Brazil; youth workers mobility, aimed at capacity building and direct implementation of project findings; disseminating activities, aimed at expanding the outreach of production and findings.
A transnational nomadic residency across Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the UK, over 18 months ‘Global Reach: Transnational Dialogues for Youth across Brazil China Europe' brought together 20 youth workers to research and produce best practices and successful models in engaging disadvantaged youth. The project, run by the non-profit NGO European Alternatives and a consortium of 11 grassroots NGOs, mid-level institutions, informal groups, and public authorities active in the youth, cultural and creative fields, addressed two main objectives: 1. In a context of unsustainable youth unemployment, we believe youth, with its privileged access to new technologies, its greater mastery of languages and its transnational inter-connectivity, has the power to turn ideas and aspirations into sustainable business models, bridging creativity with entrepreneurship and employability. We think youth work has to be increasingly focussed on transmitting skills and role-models that empower youth to engage in economically sustainable initiatives, developing a capacity to leverage on market opportunities for the creation of (self-) employment. 2. In a context of growing numbers of youth at risk of social marginalisation (long-term unemployed, education drop-outs, NEETs) we believe it essential that youth work develops innovative practices to reach out to such groups. However, most youth programs on-the-ground have mixed success in engaging, empowering, and changing the lives of hard-to-reach groups. Specific methodologies are required, and this project aimed to collect existing best-practices internationally to provide models of successful engagement of this constituency. The project developed around the model of a temporary transnational community called a 'Nomadic Residency', which took place in several locations across Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom; September-October 2015), Brazil (March 2016) and China (June 2016), involving around 20 youth workers (i.e., "Fellows") from the artistic, creative, social, political and academic sectors. It included: extensive research and production, aimed at fostering the availability of transferrable information on best practices and successful models across the EU, China, and Brazil; youth workers mobility, aimed at capacity building and direct implementation of project findings; disseminating activities aimed at expanding the outreach of production and findings. The 17 activities were: 4 training and capacity-building courses (São Paulo, Venice, Chongqing and Beijing); 3 meetings (Venice, São Paulo and Beijing); 4 seminars (London, São Paulo, Beijing and Lisbon); 1 conference (Berlin); 4 large-scale youth events (Berlin, Venice, São Paulo and Beijing); 1 artistic and cultural initiative (Venice). All outputs (two journals, a digital publication, a dedicated online platform, video-interviews and additional material in English, Chinese and Portuguese) had been released under a Creative Commons Licence and made freely accessible from the website www.transnationaldialogues.eu. The project was recipient of an EU grant of € 134.286,34 out of a total project cost of €158.469,06, the difference being covered by the partners' own resources and other institutional grants.