Exploring the potential of volunteers in HIV and AIDS education and prevention

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Training course for youth workers in EU and SEE countries/Birmingham, United Kingdom/23-29 September 2006

ICYE International Office, Freshwinds and ICYE UK jointly ran a training course for youth workers in the EU and SEE countries from 23rd September to 29th September 2006 at Freshwinds Birmingham headquarters. The course was entitled – Exploring the potential of volunteers in HIV and AIDS education and prevention. It brought together youth workers of ICYE member and partner organisations as well as representatives of HIV/AIDS prevention and care agencies to prepare them for their tasks in an upcoming EU-SEE multilateral EVS project on HIV and AIDS as well as to empower them to network and to develop partnerships around innovative projects. The Birmingham TC was particularly successful in developing new – and strenghthening the existing – partnerships between the present EU and SEE organisations which have agreed on a number of concrete follow-up activities.

Youth volunteering in sensitive contexts-Training course on Refugees, Migrants and IDPs in EEAC and EU countries

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Training course for youth workers on Refugees, Migrants and IDPs in EEAC and EU countries/Baku, Azerbaijan/19-25 June 2006

The project aimed at building up the capacity of EU and EEAC youth and refugee/IDP/migrant organisations by enabling a transfer of know-how in view of their engagement in current and future bi- and multilateral EVS projects. The programme included inputs by experts, transfer of know-how, discussion groups and workshops as well as project visits to refugee and IDP Centres in Baku and surroundings providing first hand information and multiple learning opportunities. The participants shared experiences about the work with refugees/IDP’s and migrants in each others countries with a particular focus on the context of IDP’s and refugee issues in the Caucasus region. They also acquired soft skills for their future tasks in hosting and sending EVS volunteers in sensitive contexts.

Youth in Action / Juventud en Accion

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EU – LA Seminar on youth participation, active citizenship and local governance/Porto Alegre, Brazil/4-10 February 2006

Final Activity Report

The seminar  brought together 25 youth leaders from 7 European and 6 Latin American countries: Austria, Germany, Italy, Lithuania Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Bolivia, Brazil Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Uruguay. The main aim of this seminar was to foster youth mobility and volunteering as a means to enhance positive youth action with emphasis on youth work models which empower young people through their active participation in local development. The activities included an exchange of experience regarding best practice in fostering youth participation and active citizenship; training on aims and procedures of the YOUTH programme (Action 1 and 2) as well as an assessment of the impact of YOUTH projects run between the present EU and LA organisations over the past years. Participants reflected upon priorities and needs of youth work in their countries and developed innovative forms of cooperation between their organisations. By doing interviews and visiting public youth-serving agencies and local youth NGO’s, participants were able to gain insight into youth work practice and the situation of young people in Porto Alegre.

South Balkan Youth Dialogue

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EU SEE Study Visit to Macedonia and Albania/Skopje, Bitola, Ohrid, Struga, Pogradec, Tirana/ 19-25 September 2005

The study visit, supported by the Youth Programme of the European Union, was an activity implemented by the International Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE) in cooperation with the Macedonian and Albanian partner organisations: YCS, YMCA Macedonia, Youth Forum EYE Struga (Macedonia) and Albanian Society in Development (ASD). It aimed at enhancing the co-operation on youth work and youth policy between EU countries youth workers and Albanian and Macedonian representatives of youth NGOs, voluntary service organisations, public institutions and local authorities, with a particular focus on youth exchange and voluntary service opportunities provided by the EU YOUTH programme. By organising an itinerant study visit in the above mentioned countries and involving youth from different ethnic, religious and social backgrounds, the project provided participants with a safe space for dialogue as well as intercultural learning opportunities.

Training Course on fostering positive youth Action and partnership between EU and SEE countries

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Training course for youth worker in EU and SEE countries/Berlin, Germany/8-13 June  2005

Final Activity Report

The main aim of this training course was to enhance young people’s participation, leadership skills and their engagement in civil society by providing a common training and networking opportunity to representatives of voluntary organisations and NGO’s and agencies active in civic education and youth participation programmes. Given the complexity of issues affecting young people and civil society in EU and SEE countries, this training course was needed to prepare the ground for future theme-related European Voluntary Service projects between the two regions. Both the training and the exchange of young volunteers aimed at supporting the work of respective host projects in promoting youth active citizenship as well as demonstrating the need and potential for cooperation in an European context.

EU-CIS Training Course on Youth Programme Partnership Building and Project Management

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Training course for youth workers/Minsk, Belarus/3-9 March 2005

Final Activity Report

Representatives of youth organisations from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, England, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine, participated in a training course on partnership building and project management to further stimulate the development of theme related EU – EECA (Eastern Europe and Caucasus) volunteer and youth exchange projects under the YOUTH Programme of the European Commission. The course focused on capacity building, transfer of know-how on partnership-building and project management, and cooperation in social inclusion projects, dealing with empowerment of youth with less opportunities.

EU-SEE Training Course on Youth Programme Partnership Building and Project Management

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Training course for youth workers/Vukovar, Croatia/9-15 December 2004

This training event consisted of two training projects on the European Commission YOUTH Programme, and aimed at fostering partnership building and project management for the development of voluntary service and youth exchange projects between youth organisations in South Eastern Europe and the European Union. To ensure effectiveness as well as to stimulate development of cooperation among youth NGO’s in these two European regions, the courses were designed to address separately the needs of youth NGOs, respectively in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia and Montenegro, and in Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Kosovo. At the end of the training, participants felt that they had acquired useful practical skills to foster the development of quality exchange projects between EU and SEE countries, which resulted also in a number of collaborative agreements between participating organisations.

EU-SEE Training Course on Youth Programme Partnership Building and Project Management (Montenegro)

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Training course for youth workers/Sutomore, Montenegro/10-16 November 2004

This training event consisted of two training projects on the European Commission YOUTH Programme, and aimed at fostering partnership building and project management for the development of voluntary service and youth exchange projects between youth organisations in South Eastern Europe and the European Union. To ensure effectiveness as well as to stimulate development of cooperation among youth NGO’s in these two European regions, the courses were designed to address separately the needs of youth NGOs, respectively in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia and Montenegro, and in Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Kosovo. At the end of the training, participants felt that they had acquired useful practical skills to foster the development of quality exchange projects between EU and SEE countries, which resulted also in a number of collaborative agreements between participating organisations.

YOUTH IN ACTION – EURO-LATIN AMERICAN Seminar on Youth Leadership and active Citizenship

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EURO-LATIN AMERICAN Seminar on Youth Leadership and active Citizenship/Sambo Creek, Honduras/26 June to 2 July 2004

Final Activity Report

This seminar held in the Caribbean environment of SAMBO CREEK, Honduras from June 26th to July 2nd, 2004 brought together one youth worker/youth leader and one local authority / policy makers from distinct European and Latin American countries, to discuss policy and practice related to youth participation. Participants reflected upon and learnt about the situation of youth participation in each others’ countries, increased their knowledge on different ways to enhance youth leadership and active citizenship, including youth mobility and non-formal learning experiences. The European Commission’s White Paper on Youth and the resources provided by the Youth programme were presented and discussed as ways to encourage young people to make an active contribution to the development of society. Particular emphasis was placed on the ways and means to enhance youth participation by young people who do not have access to associative life and non-formal learning experiences.

Training Course on Youth Volunteering in HIV/AIDS prevention projects in EU and Central and Eastern European Countries

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Training course for youth workers/Heiligensee, Berlin, Germany/ 5-11 June 2004

The group of 25 participants consisted of both former EVS volunteers and representatives of host organisations working in the area of sexual health promotion and the prevention of HIV/Aids with a focus on youth volunteering. The training course aimed at fostering bi- and multilateral cooperation in EU and Central and Eastern European Countries through capacity building, focusing on the practical aspects of developing and managing international voluntary exchange projects suited to the particularities of the HIV/AIDS prevention sector. This was done by a transfer of know-how on how to develop and manage International Voluntary Service projects combined with HIV/AIDS prevention peer education campaigns, considering more in-depth the variety of prevention strategies related to the respective risk groups. Networking and Fundraising for programme opportunities in East – West voluntary exchanges was another focal point along with the development of innovative forms of cooperation among HIV/AIDS and Youth NGOs in EU and CEE countries considering the differences of HIV/AIDS prevention work in both parts of Europe.