The project is in line with the field specific priorities in the youth sector and is aimed at providing means for fostering a stronger participation of the young people in the democratic and civic life in Europe as well as broadening and deepening their political and social participation from local, through national and up to European level. The main objective of the project is to promote the active citizenship of young people by creating an innovative intelectual outputs - Analysis and report of the youth engagement, Study methodology for research of youth engagement, Guidelines for youth engagement - Handbook, E - learning modules for youth engagement.The envisaged online platform can be viewed as a ‘participatory space’ – a place where young people can come together to explore and develop their own ideas and go on to meet with decision makers. It shall be a space for dialogue and reflection where young people can get to know the decision makers and vice versa, where barriers can be broken down and issues discussed. There is a growing concern at political level and enough evidence to indicate that young people have been turning away from established forms of democratic participation, for example increased abstention from voting and decreasing membership in political parties is indicating that young people are disengaging from “traditional” forms of participation and finding “alternative” or “innovative” forms of participation to replace them. The participation of young people in decision-making processes – be they political, civic, civil society or other – fosters their active citizenship, enhances their inclusion, and strengthens their contribution to the advancement of democracy. It is essential, therefore, to foster this participation and the main goal of the project is to support young people’s (positive) attitude to influence decisions in democratic processes – be that at national, regional or local levels – and to increase their involvement in the development of inclusive and peaceful societies. Specific goals and objectives of the project, relevant to youth participation: - Increasing the influence young people have on decision making in a public body; - Increasing the voter turnout amongst young people; - Enabling public bodies to consult with young people through new, modern media; - Encouraging decision makers to be more receptive to youth participation; - Educate the educators in formal, non-formal and other settings on the wide range of approaches to youth participation emphasizing the importance of children and young people having an opportunity to engage and learn about democratic decision making from an early age;

Projekt CRAFT FLOW: REFUGEE EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CRAFT&ENTREPRENEURSHIP uvaja metodološko osnovo za rokodelsko-podjetniški inkubator, prilagojen ranljivim ciljnim skupinam mladih beguncev. Razvijamo ga v medsektorskem sodelovanju treh partnerskih organizacij: Društva za trajnostni razvoj Terra Vera (Kostanjevica na Krki, Slovenija), Craftspace (Birmingham, VB) in Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice , Queen’s University (Belfast, Severna Irska). Eden glavnih rezultatov projekta bo E-priročnik ‘OD ROKODELCA DO PODJETNIKA’, ki bo posebej prilagojen za uporabo ranljivim ciljnim skupinam, v tej fazi predvsem mladim beguncem. Poglavja učbenika bodo posvečena razvoju rokodelsko-podjetniške pobude in blagovne znamke po korakih, od začetne ideje pa vse do končnega produkta ter znanja in kompetenc, ki so potrebne za učinkovito trženje. E-priročnik bo rezultat ekspertnih izkušenj in priporočil naših britanskih in severnoirskih partnerjev ter izboljšav na podlagi dela s testno skupino v Sloveniji. Posamezna poglavja bomo namreč sproti testirali na skupini 20 udeležencev (beguncev) in s tem zagotovili neformalni učni program, s pomočjo katerega bodo udeleženci krepili kompetence podjetništva, se iz prve roke spoznali s kulturno in rokodelsko dediščino lokalnega okolja, osvojili vsa potrebna znanja o razvoju etične blagovne znamke ter v sodelovanju z lokalnimi rokodelci/ oblikovalci oblikovali prototipe rokodelskih izdelkov z dodano vrednostjo. Testni program bo v obliki posameznih skupinskih 2-dnevnih delavnic potekal skozi celotno 10-mesečno trajanje projekta. V sklopu projekta bomo razvili tudi mentorsko podporo beguncem s poudarkom na psihosocialni pomoči ter izvedli kratkoročno usposabljanje osebja v organizaciji Crafstpace (VB). Udeleženci (mladi begunci) bodo razvijali tudi metode team buildinga in dela v skupinah, razvoj ključnih kompetenc, krepitev sposobnosti (capacity building) na področju rokodelstva in podjetništva in sposobnost povezovanja tradicionalnih tehnologij s pristopi sodobnega oblikovanja. Projekt bo uvajal tudi inovativne načine mreženja na vseh ravneh; vključenim beguncem namreč želimo omogočiti dostop do že obstoječih družbenih mrež na obravnavanih področjih, tako formalnih kot tudi neformalnih, lokalnih kot mednarodnih, s čimer želimo pripomoči k boljšemu vključevanju beguncev v Evropsko Unijo, omogočiti kakovostno vključevanje v družbo, hkrati pa med ostalimi državljani in ustanovami promovirati njihov kulturni doprinos, potencial in ustvarjalnost.Vzpostavili bomo tudi E-PLATFORMO v slovenskem in angleškem jeziku, ki se jo bomo kot odprt in dostopen vir vzdrževali tudi po projektu. Sistematizirala/organizirala bo učne dosežke projekta (Izmenjevalnico veščin, E-priročnik, webinarje, video gradivo in nastavke za spletno prodajalno, v kateri bo po končanem projektu moč tržiti in nadgrajevati rokodelske produkte).

"The project ""Living Books in Schools"" represents the cooperation of three primary schools from Serbia, Romania and Poland and one association from Slovenia. The main goal of the project is the implementation of the nonformal method Living Library into formal education. Living library is a method of holistic approach to education to deal with own prejudices and stereotypes. Through the activities that this method implies, teachers, students and all who participate, ""read books"" ie. talk to individuals from different, often marginalized or socially labeled groups. They come into contact with their social positions, raise questions about society. A Living Library is a place where we start curiosity, reduce differences, overcome fears, acquire new knowledge, and get acquainted with different views of the world. The method's goal is to create a tolerant, solidar community and as such is an excellent tool for building a bridge between formal and non-formal education. Implementation of the method is carried out through: - a training course for teachers - organizers methods, - realization of Living Library in all partner's organizations, - training of pupils through youth workshops on various topics and volunteer actions of pupils of schools, - activities within the institution, - coordination and meetings for intellectual work - and pupils mobilities. Behind written instruction for youth workshops, the main result of the project is teacher's book for Living Libraries in schools. We wish to expand the knowledge gained through the project through the implementation of the method in Development plan, publishing manuals and free downloads, organizing seminars in the institution and the local community, participating in an expert conference, in cooperation with partners and through pedestrian education."

"The thirteen months long Sharing Is Caring refugees project gathered eight young refugees and four accompanying persons from France, Spain, Greece and Slovenia, investigating about ways to build constructive links between refugees and locals.Four courses were successfully documented to know who are the refugees, how to design and build give boxes, how to create services offerings, and how to broadcast them.Sixty one schools were informed of a contest in which nineteen students answered and proposed models of give boxes, among them two were selected as laureates.Three events gathering forty five persons, a website with 638 visitors, a FB page followed by 187 persons and with pic of 4000 visits contributed to the broadcasting of the projectThe results of the project were also disseminated through four further unplanned events, linking results to two other european projects and associating two news local partners (Forum Refugiés Cosi and Stucom Barcelona)An upgradable ""Become a SIC ambassador !"" animation kit gathering all lessons of the project is freely downloadable on www.sharing-is-caring-refugees.eu. It contains docs, links, give box plans, animation and broadcasting methods to be used by all persons or organizations wishing to improve the relationships between refugees and locals in their close area."

Project title: “New entrepreneurs in Europe for Better life in future”Duration:18 monthsPartnership:Foundation Korenyak (Lead Partner, Sofia, Bulgaria);DRUSTVO ZA RAZVIJANJE PROSTOVOLJNEGA DELA NOVO MESTO (Slovenia);OMEGA (Kardzhali, Bulgaria); Socialiniai Paramos Projektai (Lithuania)The project creates space and opportunity for non-traditional cooperation in the field of work with youth in the scope of Entrepreneurship,bringing together actors from different directions itself adds value to organizations and individuals involved, but also opens youth work to new wider dimensions of impact and reinforces links between policy, research & practice. Inclusion of these concrete partners provides enhanced cooperation between organizations whose profile, and role are from different fields of education, training and youth but are intertwined and mutually supportive in the process of personal, social and professional development of young people.The project is built on the experience gained from the implementation of “New Answers for Youth–Better Future for Europe” project, with a beneficiary Korenyak Foundation.The project promoted the improvement of the quality and accessibility and techniques of Entrepreneurship work with disadvantaged youth in order to facilitate their social and economic integration in the new environment in Europe.The knowledge gained by the youth workers as a result of the project implementation will help to achieve the goals of this project and will develop their skills and abilities to work with disadvantaged youth but this time in the field of entrepreneurship. The primary goal of the project is to stimulate the cooperation between a diverse range of partners both active in youth field and carrying out activities that are transversal to different fields in order to allow them to explore, share and upgrade ideas, experience, know-how,best practices and methods in youth work in the scope of Entrepreneurship and dealing with hard-to-reach groups. Overall objective: to stimulate the improvement of the quality and accessibility and to update the techniques of work with disadvantaged youth in the scope of Entrepreneurship in order to facilitate their social and economic problems in the new environment in Europe through enhanced cooperation between organizations with different profile and role in the youth field and joint development of new integrated approachesSpec. objectives:-To provide opportunities for deeper cooperation, exchange of good practices and innovative solutions in work with disadvantaged youth in the scope of Entrepreneurship between partner organizations active both in the youth field and in other activities transversal to different fields-To create space and opportunities for jointly development of new open integrated approach and models of working with disadvantaged young people to motivate and build their employability and competences for integration into the labour market-To support the capacity enhancement of youth workers and professionals dealing with young entrepreneurs in relation to strengthening their role as support structures for disadvantaged youth and for the subsequent application of the examined best practices and the developed new approaches in the scope of Entrepreneurship-To promote non-formal education as tool for promotion of entrepreneurship, fighting youth unemployment and support for youth businessThe Project plans to involve 12 direct participants–3 youth workers from each partner taking part in the envisaged 4 transnational training seminars. They are the key to quality & efficient exchange of experience between the partners,to exploration & analysis of best practices and working methods with regard to key aspects young people's employability and their integration into the labour market, by improving entrepreneurship. Each seminar combines in its program as on-site visits to the relevant organization and diverse activities to capacity raising, acquiring of new specific knowledge/skills and study of best practices and innovative methods of youth work regarding the project scope.Project offers a methodology that is varied,relevant to the objectives and stimulating commitment of all partners and it includes: Methods of teamwork, Methods for conducting studies and development of analysis,Methods for examination of best practices and innovative solutions,Methods to jointly develop innovative models in entrepreneurship youth work, Methods for increasing capacity of youth workers & Methods of transparency,publicity and communication with target audiencesKey project products(tangible results): - Studies and analyses reports- Entrepreneurship Guide- Plan for Exploitation and Dissemination of ResultsThey will be developed on the basis of the joint work of the youth workers who will participate in the envisaged transnational seminars and also will serve as an open resource subsequent activity youth workers in applying the intended new approach