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Urban youth for community volunteering as alternative to unemployment and social exclusion.
Start date: Oct 6, 2014, End date: Aug 10, 2015 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Recent years of recession have greatly influenced the presence of young people coming from deprived urban areas in the labour market across Europe causing higher unemployment rates and bringing troubles to local communities associated with social exclusion of youth from deprived urban areas . That’s what we as partner youth organisations have common concern with and would like to influence with this multi leg Mobility project. The innovative feature and aim of this Mobility project will be the use of new Erasmus + opportunities of long term influence to introduce volunteering as an alternative to social exclusion and unemployment of the young people in partner organizations’ communities, motivating youth for initiation and direct participation in community volunteering projects and producing a pilot model of good practice for use of other partners. In connection with the above aim this multi leg Mobility project will bring together : a/ 24 youth peer leaders and representatives of the participating organisations from the UK, Lithuania, Azerbaijan and Russian Federation to participate in a Contact making event in the UK to share views on volunteering as alternative to youth unemployment as well to present profiles and experience of participating organisations in this field ; b/ 60 volunteers coming from deprived urban areas, having voluntary youth work experience and involved in the work of represented partner organisations to participate in a Youth exchange in Azerbaijan to explore volunteering and voluntary project work in mixed nationality teams as a way to increase personal self confidence and therefore employability; c/ 28 youth peer educators motivated to act as Multipliers of the projects' achievements to take part in the Training course for Peer Educators and Multipliers in Lithuania. The following working methods will be used during the key activities of the Mobility project: presentations of realities with employment situation in partner countries ; presentation of the Erasmus+ Programme with a special focus on new developments and opportunities for cooperation between the partners on the projects's theme; workshops on Project management, best practice on Employability and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people coming from deprived urban areas; role play games and exercises on Inclusion techniques ; use of peer role models and peer education techniques; Open Space method; inspiration visits and meetings with invited experts (employment and/or youth sector), youth workers and researchers of different levels including European. As a result of the Mobility project we will have a European pool of young motivated peer leaders and trained peer educators with necessary skills and competences to promote community participation and volunteering as a way to approach youth disenfranchisement and facilitate employment motivation of peers coming from deprived urban areas. The local communities involved with the key activities of the Mobility project will experience a greater sense of understanding and cohesion through the volunteering projects and campaigns that the participants will produce. Joint and active participation of motivated peer leaders, youth workers and trained peer educators will increase their awareness about common values and principles of community participation and volunteering to approach youth disenfranchisement as well as facilitate employment motivation of peers coming from deprived urban areas. We anticipate that we will be able to further spread our findings and knowledge to other youth organisations active with the issues of promoting community volunteering as a tool to support social inclusion and employment opportunities of young people coming from deprived urban areas. All participants will work towards accreditation with a Youthpass certificate.
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