The project 'Building Young Role Models in Central Asia and Europe' (BY RC) aims at empowering youth volunteers to become role models and competent active voices for improved health choices of vulnerable youth in Denmark, Kyrgyzstan and Romania by strengthening their volunteer capacities and skills through trainings, exchanges and development of non-formal life skills educational material. By fostering cooperation between the three countries, youth volunteers will gain experiences and skills to support of young people facing difficult life circumstances that affects their physical and mental well-being.The main objectives of BY RC are: a) to build the capacity of Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) youth volunteers to become progressive and competent leaders able to lead the non-formal life skills education of their peer volunteers and vulnerable youth; b) to address the health and life challenges of vulnerable youth in Denmark, Kyrgyzstan and Romania by developing non-formal life skills training schemes through the exchange of best practices and c) youth volunteers are able to facilitate dialogue with public stakeholders in Denmark, Kyrgyzstan and Romania concerning initiatives and solutions for young people’s health and life style challenges. In all three countries, youth are at the forefront of societal challenges affecting their health and mental well-being such as poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, unemployment and social marginalisation. There is a need and opportunity for Civil Society Organisations to address these life challenges through a range of non-formal life skills activities in order to have positive young role models with increased self-esteem and a sense of hope. BY RC enables young people to adapt to and effectively deal with the demands and challenges in their lives. The core life skills include: the ability to take responsibility and to make decisions, solve problems, think creatively, analyse and embrace proper values for youth to succeed in achieving their goals in life.By engaging youth volunteers from the three countries in the of use peer-to-peer methods, the project will strengthen the skills of youth volunteers by exploring innovative ways and new approaches in conducting life skills activities. These experiences will be compiled and developed into tangible non-formal life skills educational material to be disseminated throughout Europe, Central Asia and in other parts of the world. The non-formal life skills material will provide youth volunteers around the world with tools and methods to address the life challenges of their peers by engaging them in fun, creative and meaningful activities.
The project 'Building Young Role Models in Central Asia and Europe' (BY RC) has aimed at empowering young volunteers to become role models and agents of change in their local communities in Denmark, Kyrgyzstan and Romania. The project has set out to develop the project management and Life Skills capacities of young Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers and to develop culturally appropriate and socially relevant training material. The project has had the overall aim; 'To empower youth volunteers to become role models and competent active voices for improved health choices of vulnerable youth in Denmark, Kyrgyzstan and Romania.’ The project has sought to achieve its overall aim by focusing on three specific objectives that each covers a central theme namely; a) To build the capacity of Red Cross/Red Crescent youth volunteers to become progressive and competent leaders able to lead the non-formal life skills education of their peer volunteers and vulnerable youth.b) To address the health and life challenges of vulnerable youth in Denmark, Kyrgyzstan and Romania by developing non-formal life skills training schemes through the exchange of best practices c) Youth volunteers able to facilitate dialogue with public stakeholders in Denmark, Kyrgyzstan and Romania concerning initiatives and solutions for young people’s health and life style challengesThe project has developed a Life Skills manual that focuses on four main topics; Promoting healthy Life Choices, Youth and Sexual Health, Youth in Stressful situations and Social Media in Life Skills perspective. The manual is a guide for youth volunteers on how to facilitate Life Skills activities for young people. It covers the promotion of important basic skills, that young people need in order to manage their daily lives, live healthy and to actively engage in society.The activities in the handbook have been selected and co-created by a team of young, dedicated volunteers who through the BY RC project have been working on producing the units in this handbook.Focus is on empowering youth through participatory exercises stimulating self-development and reflection as well as developing skills for living in society. Acquiring basic Life Skills is essential when building young people’s capacity to actively engage in life. Hence the activities in this handbook represent a strategic response to a key objective within the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement: empowering youth to become Change Agents in their local communities.The manual has been translated into English, Romanian and Kyrgyz and is available free of charge at red-y.org or by contacting any of the partners in the project.The partners have through the project developed their capacity to support youth in becoming active citizens in their own local area and inspire other young people to make healthy life Choices. The project has fostered international cooperation among youth volunteers in Denmark, Romania and Kyrgyzstan by strengthening their individual capacities and skills through non-formal learning methods for coping and tackling critical life challenges.