«DREAMER: Developing international RElations to Activate Multicultural Experiences and Reciprocal Solidarity» aims at strengthening the cooperation and exchange of good practices between EU countries (Estonia, Belgium, Italy) and Latin America (Bolivia, Guatemala) to foster youth participation, in particular young people with fewer opportunities as those belonging to minorities or indigenous people, in democratic life in multi-ethnic societies.Non-formal learning, learning by doing, learner-centered and peer-education will be the main methodologies used. Reciprocal exchanges of ideas and good practices has been encouraged in the design of the project between partners and will be boosted in the preparation and implementation between youth workers, youth, EVS volunteers, partners, stakeholders. DREAMERS foresees different meetings and trainings to strengthen partners' skills, cooperation and dissemination of project results. Partners, EVS volunteers, youth workers will be able to implement new and innovative workshops and leisure time activities regarding inter-cultural dialogue and youth participation. Good practices, pictures, texts and videos will be uploaded on an ICT platform, available for free downloading during and after the project lifetime. More than 14 youth workers will be involved in mobility activities and meetings such as a youth worker exchange in Italy, a study visit in Guatemala and a final meeting in Belgium; 9 youths (3 Italians, 1 Belgians, 1 Estonian, 2 Guatemalans, 2 Bolivians) will take part in a training course at the beginning of the project and in a long-term EVS. 3 volunteers will be involved in the Italian bilingual region Trentino South Tyrol (Receiving organizations (RO): InCo, VKE, La Strada), in Estonia (RO: ESTYES), in Guatemala (RO: JOVI) in Bolivia (RO: UEMC, FSC). Besides participating in the regular activities of the receiving organizations, EVS volunteers together with youth workers will design and implement new activities/workshops, specific meetings to boost inter-cultural dialogue and foster active citizenship among youths. Youth workers and EVS volunteers will develop specific transversal, inter-cultural, civic and social competences which could be useful not only for their employability in the social work field but also for their personal growth. Also youth workers' and EVS volunteers' creativity and sense of initiative will be encouraged which in turn will boost youths, users of the receiving organizations, participation in democratic life. The skills developed during those non-formal learning experiences (for youth workers and EVS volunteers) will be recognized using the Youthpass which will be promoted in the different schools in contact with partners of which one is a school.DREAMER will have a positive impact on all actors involved: partners, youth workers, EVS volunteers and local community thanks to a better intercultural dialogue and a higher participation of youth.
«DREAMER:Developing international RElations to Activate Multicultural Experiences and Reciprocal Solidarity» aimed at strengthening the cooperation and exchange of good practices between EU countries (Estonia, Belgium, Italy) and Latin America (Bolivia, Guatemala) to foster youth participation,in particular young people with fewer opportunities as those belonging to minorities or indigenous people,in democratic life in multi-ethnic societies.Non-formal learning,learning by doing,learner-centered and peer-education have been the main methodologies used.Reciprocal exchanges of ideas and good practices have been encouraged in the design of the project between partners and have been boosted in the preparation and implementation of the project activities,such as EVS activities,youth worker exchanges and meetings,between youth workers,EVS volunteers and stakeholders. Through DREAMER different meetings have been organized to strengthen partners' skills,foster the cooperation,exchange experiences and good practicies about youth work and youth participation in multi-ethnic contextes:>youth worker exchange,Italy:14 youth workers>youth worker exchange,Guatemala:14 youth workers >initial training,Italy:9 young people>EVS: the same 9 young people have been involved in a long-term EVS project in Italy (Receiving organizations (RO): InCo, VKE, La Strada),in Estonia (RO: ESTYES),in Guatemala(RO: JOVI),in Bolivia (RO: UEMC,FSC).Partners, EVS volunteers and youth workers could exchange ideas and experiences about innovative workshops and projects regarding inter-cultural dialogue and youth participation.During the youth worker exchanges the partner had the possibility to participate in different workshops about the above mentioned topics as well as assist the presentation of best practices for active youth participation and of youth policies in bilingual regions.Through the visit at local associations and public instititions partners could discuss with representatives of local institutions about their work,activities and policies.Getting to know methodologies and best practices used in very different contextes has been extremely enriching for the project and the partners. Most interesting metholodogies and good practices have been summed up in a Handbook that can be uploaded from the platform www.youthworkersdream.com. On this platform also information about Dreamer, the partner organizations as well as photos and testimonials of the volunteers are available for free downloading. Besides participating in the regular activities of the receiving organizations, EVS volunteers participated in numerous activities about youth participation in the countries of the different ROs.In this way they got in contact with hundreds of youth people in the partner countries who got to know thus the project Dreamer and the Erasmus+ programm and have been in contact with young people who gave an example about active youth participation. Further more, they participated in informational sessions in public schools and youth centres to present their project and to talk about their experiences to encourage intercultural dialogue and active youth participation. Thanks to the participation in the youth worker exchanges,the training meetings and the EVS activities, youth workers and volunteers developed specific transversal,inter-cultural and social competences,useful for their employability in the social work field and for their personal growth. Also youth workers'and EVS volunteers'creativity and sense of initiative have been encouraged which in turn will boost youths,users of the receiving organizations,participation in democratic life.The skills developed during those non-formal learning experiences have been recognized using the Youthpass.DREAMER had a positive impact on all actors involved:partners,youth workers,EVS volunteers and local community thanks to a better intercultural dialogue and a higher youth participation.