The project aims to create partnerships for creativity in the field of youth to streamline Creativity and Active European Citizenship (AEC), starting on a community level. We will reinforce the role of youth work in the construction of Europe and using methodologies focused on the development of young people through creativity and gamification. It will contribute to the development of their critical thinking connected to the right of young people to express their opinion on issues that concern them freely. We will focus on the creation of methods that encourage creativity, experimentation, and active participation locally, both online and on-site. It will include assessments of needs and acceptable practices, the usage of digital facilitation, and the creation of methods to develop the creativity and critical sense of young people. It will include a joint strategy with local authorities (municipalities, civil parishes and others) to streamline community spaces, engaging and connecting young people using Youth Work. We will create environments capable of increasing the creativity, resilience, and participation of youngsters, equipping them with tools and competencies to come up with creative and innovative solutions to unprecedented risks and societal change. We want to develop the expressiveness and creativity of young people and fight the fear of failure, fostering curiosity and active experimentation.At the same time, we want to empower Youth Workers, Leaders and Organisations to better engage youngsters using digital tools and platforms.The project is built on the foundation of the project «LINHA - Participação Juvenil em Comunidade Locais» that intended to make the voice of youth have space to be heard, through initiatives for the development of skills, awareness and consultation. The project focuses on the development of methodologies, competencies and pedagogical resources to empower community centres and NGOs in the post-COVID-19 crisis to plan and implement new strategies that can cope with similar crisis and social distancing using on-site and online dimensions.It involves a strategy of participation and continuous involvement of young people, inspired by the model of Stair of Participation Roger Hart, and the European Youth Strategy 2019 - 2027 “Involve, Connect, Empower”, with the principle of increasing the level of involvement of young people in space:1) DISSEMINATION - Complementing the outreach of the community space in online platforms, in schools and local organisations, promoting the development of creativity and social skills of young people and allowing them to participate in the development of activities and programmes.2) CONNECTION AND INFORMATION - The development of a methodology that fosters the engagement and active experimentation requires a presence of a Youth Worker at the site and online for the double purpose of testing the methodologies and fostering the relationship and integration of young people. It will include informal support, guidance, and information for young people in both online and on-site contexts.3) INTEREST – Implement an annual activity plan based on the developed methodologies and the themes that are attractive to young people and based on their needs. They should have a social, cultural and recreational objective, which will have as main objectives the creation of safe spaces for self-expression, active experimentation and connection of young people to the community space.4) ENGAGEMENT AND CONSULTATION - The promotion of regular activities, in the space related to the theme of youth participation and creativity, to empower and consult young people. It may include gamification strategies and activities that involve them as creators and volunteers, fostering experimentation, curiosity, the spirit of mutual help, belonging, citizenship and responsibility while reducing the fear of failure.5) ADVOCATING FOR YOUTH WORK - The development of a guide for Youth Work practices based on a collection and documentation of existing practices connected to community places and NGOs and the results of a consultation of local young people. The guide will support the project partners to innovate in the context of the remaining intellectual outputs and, at the same time, advocate for innovative youth work approaches and gather support for the implementation of the developed methodologies from local authorities, policymakers and social investors.6) ONLINE AND ON-SITE - Supporting youth workers and organisations to adapt to the post-COVID19 crisis through a MOOC aimed at developing digital competences and facilitation skills and develop community-based strategies and activities with online and offline dimensions.

“emPOWERing the informal” is a project that has as main objectives:1.To increase the capacity and professionalism of youth workers in managing informal groups byunderstanding, adapting and implementing of existing EU tools for assessment and development of youth work competence and management competences.2.Mapping existing legal framework and practices that focus on informal groups through research and analysis of the evolution of informal groups as a social movement, aiming to making suggestions at national and international level on how policies can be improved to favor the growth of informal groups and the impact they have upon youngsters and the community they are based in.3.To promote to the public and private sector the missions of informal groups in the youth field and their skills and knowledge acquired by the young people in informal and nonformal contexts, and to favor their implication in the support of youth towards their first and/or stable employment.4.To create working synergies in the process of promoting a more active participation in societybased on collaboration, accepting and encouraging diversity and equal opportunities of youngpeople, promoting active citizenship and a non-discriminatory behavior.In order to reach the objectives mentioned the project proposes several activities among which we mention a few:1. Creating tool that has as a starting point the Council of Europe Youth Work Portfolio and comes insupport of youth workers to manage and involve informal groups in the youth field2. Creating a tool with examples of activities and non formal education and social intervention methods that help youth workers and informal groups to implement activities in their communities3. Developing a Good Practice guide of practices in managing informal groups of people andempowering them to become active citizens4. Developing www.theinformals.com -an online platform for informal groups from all the countries involved.5. Conducting one Research done on defining the informal groups of young people and also inidentifying the existing legal framework that focuses on informal groups.6. Involving 70 young people in activities planned in each partner community with the aim ofpromotion active citizenship, social inclusion, equal rights and non-discrimination 7. Organizing 11 multiplier events in order to promote and disseminate the results and resources build inside the project.8. Organizing 1 Youth Mobility for informal groups and 1 Mobility for Youth WorkersThe expected impact is: (1) a better acknowledgement and recognition of informal groups and the role of youth workers in managing them, (2) a better interaction with local authorities responsible with youth policies, (3) promoting EU good practices in the youth field towards local relevant actors and facilitate a cross-sector collaboration at a national and international level, (4) to improve the efficacy of youth worker’s support tools, and, finally, (5) to enhance the importance of the learning processes and learning outcomes that occur in informal and non formal contexts and have an impact upon the professional development of young people and, therefore, an impact upon the insertion of youth on the labor market.