NFE South R-Evolution
empowering non formal education
in Southern Europe
Editor:
Vid Tratnik (MSS)
Authors:
Federica Cicala (FNG)
Sara Massini (FNG)
Ilaria Esposito (FNG)
Alessia Sebillo (FNG)
Alice Barbieri (FNG)
Júlia Betrian (CNJC)
Raul Almarcha Cañas (CJE)
Joan Conca Domènech (CJE)
Sonia Cabrero del Amo (CJE)
Sara Amaral (CNJ)
David Ferreira da Silva (CNJ)
Bruno António (CNJ)
Domniki Kouitzoglou (ESYN)
Corina Pirvulescu (CTR)
Veronica Stefan (CTR)
Aleksandar Ivanov (NYF)
Anamarija Sočo (MMH)
Ana Štromajer (MSS)
Martin Lenardčič (MSS)
Graphic design: Ossidi di Ferro
This publicaton was created in a collaborative process
of national youth councils of South Europe.
With the support of the Lifelong learning program
The content of this publication does not reflect
the official opinion of the European Union.
Responsibility for the information and views expressed therein
lies entirely with the author(s).
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
www.nfesouthrevolution.eu
Contents
Foreword....................................................................................................................................................... p. 5
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................. p. 7
About the project.......................................................................................................................................... p. 8
Non-formal education................................................................................................................................... p. 10
What is non-formal education?.................................................................................................................. p.
Recognition of non-formal education......................................................................................................... p.
NFE and youth organizations..................................................................................................................... p.
NFE – National activities developed by CNJ................................................................................................ p.
National activities developed by MSS........................................................................................................ p.
11
11
13
14
15
Youth councils and their pool of trainers....................................................................................................... p. 18
Role of National Youth Councils in society.................................................................................................. p.
What is a Pool of Trainers?......................................................................................................................... p.
PoT and NFE............................................................................................................................................... p.
The origin of Pool of Trainers in the National Youth Council of Catalonia (CNJC)........................................ p.
The Euro-African Youth Cooperation Project: The definitive kick start of the PoT....................................... p.
Objectives of the PoT................................................................................................................................. p.
Lines of work of the CNJC’s PoT.................................................................................................................. p.
CJE pool of trainers..................................................................................................................................... p.
Who are the members of the CJE´s PoT?.................................................................................................... p.
Table of PoTs............................................................................................................................................... p.
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19
20
22
23
23
25
25
25
28
International cooperation............................................................................................................................. p. 31
International cooperation........................................................................................................................... p. 32
The youth agenda in international cooperation......................................................................................... p. 32
The international cooperation dimension of our project............................................................................. p. 35
E-learning..................................................................................................................................................... p. 39
What is E-learning?.................................................................................................................................... p. 40
A global prospective................................................................................................................................... p. 40
E-learning within youth work...................................................................................................................... p. 41
E-learning and non-formal education......................................................................................................... p.
What is blended?....................................................................................................................................... p.
FNG Youth Work Development online training course................................................................................ p.
E-learning course on youth work development.......................................................................................... p.
CNJC, CTR and MMH Youth Rights e-learning course.................................................................................. p.
ESYN, MSS and CJE Structured Dialogue e-learning course........................................................................ p.
41
43
43
43
47
48
Advocacy...................................................................................................................................................... p. 51
What is advocacy?........................................................................................................................................ p.
Advocacy and youth organizations............................................................................................................... p.
Common advocacy paper of the project consortium.................................................................................... p.
Advocacy at the national level in Portugal.................................................................................................... p.
52
52
53
56
SYC presentations......................................................................................................................................... p. 59
5
Foreword
Non Formal Education Southern R-Evolution
To give an appetizer about this publication we would like to focus reader’s attention to the words
composing the the title of the project. In fact, the title itself is the first outcome of a joint project design
effort started in 2011 involving all the National Youth Councils that established and formalised this
learning partnership financed by the LifeLong Learning Programme of the European Commission (now
Erasmus +).
Non formal education implies that all the actors involved in the learning process actively participate
and contribute to an activity on a voluntary basis, with a proactive approach, altruism, developing
citizenship competences which allow to see and read reality with critical thinking to promote the
development and the wealth of the learning community involved in the process. Now, the same attributes
can perfectly fit also for the description and the role in society of youth organisations in general and
National Youth Councils, that are the national platforms of youth organisations, in particular.
Southern European National Youth Councils in this historical momentum share similar concerns and
challenges in national societies related to the economic crisis and cultural resistances, which directly
affect the lives of millions of young people who strive to get lasting perspectives and opportunities to be
able to face the future with hope and energies. Therefore, to join our efforts and support each other sharing
good practices, implementing and creating education projects, advocating for youth rights at national
and European level from the perspective of those who are paying the highest price of todays’ inequalities
it is, from our point of view, the most constructive way to re-think cooperation and collaboration among
European citizens.
R-Evolution, this word game that contains Revolution and Evolution in it, stands for the willingness of
National Youth Councils, representing young people, to promote and stand for the changes required to be
at the level of other European countries in terms of quality education, in order to allow new generations
to feed with their dreams and creativity our societies exploiting their commitment and competences to
develop a sustainable knowledge based European society.
6
Here it comes the evolution... rather than looking only for internal solutions and competences, we
have been trying (and managed!) to get and develop the most from each partner in terms of coordination
of different activities, transversal cooperation, organisation of meetings, trainings and seminars, to say
that National Youth Councils stand for “empowering non formal education in Southern Europe!”
Finally, It is important to stress that behind our organisations there’s a lot of people who have been
extraordinary committed over the last two years to provide contents and uniqueness to this publication,
therefore we would like to thank Lorenzo, Ilaria, Corina, Andreea, Veronica, Alexandar, ...NYF, Vid, Martin,
Kaja, Sara, David, Bruno, Victor, Julia, Joan, Raul, Sonia, Anamarija, MMH, Sarantis, Domniki, all the
National Pool of Trainers and the beneficiaries of our online and in presence training courses, the European
Youth Forum - YFJ for the contents contribution to the e-learning courses and the North-South Centre of
the Council of Europe for the pedagogical review which gave consistency to our education proposals.
Enjoy your reading,
Giuseppe Failla
Lorenzo Floresta
Federica Cicala
President of
Forum Nazionale dei Giovani
Board Member of
Forum Nazionale dei Giovani
Project coordinator
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Introduction
NFE South rEvolution is a Grundtvig project for the Lifelong Learning Programme developed by nine
National Youth Councils (NYCs). The intent of this project was to develop an integrated strategy to raise
awareness about the need to establishing a holistic approach to education and training, one that leads
to formal, political, social and personal recognition of non-formal education, to fulfil the objectives of the
EU Agenda 2020 and create aknowledge-based European society.
The main priority of the NYCs is recognition of non-formal education and the role of youth organizations as
non-formal and informal education providers. NYCs want to continue creating quality learning opportunities
that can be adequately recognised and integrated into lifelong learning systems for all citizens.
The objective of this publication is the promotion and recognition of non-formal education. It contains
information about the project and how non-formal education plays a key role in enhancing the participation
of young people inside and outside of youth organizations.
It is addressed to different actors and people:
•If you are a policy maker and you want to discover the importance of recognizing non-formal
education and the key role youth organizations play in the process;
• If you are a youth worker and you want to know how non-formal education can be relevant for your
work;
• If you are a trainer or a youth leader and you are curious about how non-formal education and
E-learning can be combined and also you look for arguments to advocate for the recognition and
validation of non-formal education;
• If you are a national youth council or an international youth organization and you are interested in
best practices and you need an advocacy tool for non-formal education (NFE), Pool of Trainers (PoT)
and international cooperation processes;
• Or if you are here just by chance and you want to learn about non-formal education and national
youth councils in South Europe.
8
About
the project
From the perspective of the NYCs involved in the NFE South R-Evolution project,youth organizations
are the main providers of non-formal education in Europe. Thousands of youth organizations across the
continent build competences of young people, creating active citizens and boosting employability. The
main priority of the NYCs is recognition of non-formal education and the role of youth organizations as nonformal and informal education providers. NYCs want to continue creating quality learning opportunities
that can be adequately recognised and integrated into lifelong learning systems for all citizens. The
learning partnership focused specifically on best practices and on setting a common approach for the
recognition of non-formal learning and the role of trainers in national contexts.
The objectives of the project were:
• To develop a common understanding and a joint strategy to advocate for the political recognition
and validation of non-formal education in all partner countries, both in the field of education and in the
European labour market;
• To mainstream experiences and learning outcomes developed through non-formal and informal
education in reference to the European Qualification Framework;
• To legitimize the role of national youth councils and their member organizations as non-formal
learning providers;
• To strengthen capacities of national youth councils and member organizations by sharing best
practices on educational approaches which support national training strategies;
• To develop trainers’ skills and competences to assure quality in non-formal education activities;
• To advocate for the recognition of non-formal education trainers’ competences and the trainer
profession in society;
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• To establish and reinforce a lasting cooperation among European national youth councils, focusing
on education and training.
The methodology of the project sought alternative ways of thinking and practicing youth work, starting
with the involvement of the young people themselves, relying on the competent action of youth workers
and leaders and youth organisations and seeking medium and long-term impact through youth policies
at the local and national level. To achieve this objective, the organisers decided to create and promote
the use of an E-learning platform to develop and implement blended training activities for NYCs’ pools of
trainers, staff and member organizations.
This publication explains the proces and highlights the most important points of the project to disseminate
the work that was performed. It also provides concrete examples of projects and actions completed by
the project partners.
Non Formal
Education
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What is non-formal education?
NFE has a long history and is seen in many countries as an important form of learning, personal development
and training for active participation in society. NFE is considered to be an organized process that provides
young people with the opportunities to develop values, skills and competencies that are not developed
in the framework of formal education.
NFE has been recognized by several official documents as a complementary methodology to formal and
informal education at the European level. 1 In particular, its consideration and recognition are growing
in relation to the development of transversal competences throughout the individual longlife learning
process. It is also important to underline how NFE encourages the development of competences from
a holistic point of view in relation to three different areas of the learning process: knowledge, skills and
attitute.
Those skills (also called ‘soft skills’) include a wide range of competencies, such as interpersonal, team,
organizational, conflict management, planning and problem-solving skills,an ability to learn, social and
citizenship leadership skills, an affinity for enterpreneurial learning, cultural and creative expression,
intercultural awareness, self-confidence, discipline and responsibility. What is special about non-formal
education is that participants are actively and voluntary involved in the education/learning process. The
methods that are used provide young people with the tools to further develop their skills and attitudes.
One of the most important features of this learning process is the principle of learning by doing. Although
the process of recognition for NFE has been widely debated, a common vision or understanding was
still elusive. It is important to note, however, that over the past few years, several initiatives have been
developed that may contribute to a common perspective among key stakeholders on the importance of
providing this recognition and how this should be achieved.
Recognition of non-formal education
The Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the European
Youth Forum and UNESCO, among other stakeholders, have been requesting member states to develop
tools and policies for the recognition of NFE.
12
The Statement and Plan of Action given at the Strasbourg symposium, held in November 2011, and the
document entitled “Pathways 2.0 Towards Recognition of Non-Formal Learning/Education and of Youth
Work in Europe” are good examples of the work that has been developed in this field. The recognition
process is also fundamental for the achievement of one of the main goals of the EU Agenda 2020,
to develop an/the European knowledge-based society, as set forth in the publication entitled “Quality
in Non-Formal Education and Training in the Field of European Youth Work”, produced by SALTO and
the Youth Partnership of Council of Europe (“COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION of 20 December 2012 on
the validation of non-formal and informal learning (2012/C398/01) and the EUROPEAN YOUTH FORUM’S
REACTION TO THE COMMISSION’S PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION ON THE VALIDATION
OF NON-FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEARNING”).
For the partners of this project, recognition of non-formal learning/education has four equally important
dimensions that should be taken into consideration as a whole:
individual recognition:
recognition by the learner, understanding his or her learning process and using it in different
situations and contexts;
social recognition:
recognition by society, valuing the positive impact of youth work and non-formal learning/
education on young people and on societies;
political recognition:
recognition by policies, taking the value of youth work and non-formal learning/education into
account in political strategies and decisions;
formal recognition:
recognition by tools and instruments, valuing the individual learning outcomes of a learner.
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NFE and youth organizations
Although there are different agents developing NFE activities, it is also important to recognize youth
organizations as the main and most important providers of NFE. This recognition should lead to social and
political valorization of all of the work undertaken throughout the years in developing tools, methods and
activities of NFE. This recognition should be materialized through the involvement of youth organizations
in any political process developed at the European, national, regional or local levels, for the recognition
of NFE. We also consider that quality and quality assurance are among the key elements in ensuring
universal recognition of the importance of NFE in societies, as a process ofdeveloping personal, cultural,
social and linguistic skills that prepare individuals to better play their role as citizens.
Consequently, the partners of this project believe that the following principles should always be ensured
by NFE providers:
• The objectives of the training or NFE activity must meet the assessed needs of the learners and
society;
• The objectives are clear and can be identified in the program requirements;
• The methodologies used are suitable for the learning process and for the target group;
• The necessary resources are available;
• Resources are used in a sustainable, cost effective and responsible way;
• Educators have the necessary competences that correspond to the program requirements;
• Before the program beings, educators are provided with information about the target group, the
venue and the resources available;
• Learners are called to contribute to (influence) their learning process;
• Learners understand their learning outcomes and can transfer them;
• Consistent evaluation methods, including self‑assessment and external and peer review, are used to
assess the quality of the program;
• All actors are involved in the continuous evaluation process;
• The evaluation results are widely accessible.
Values like gender equality, intercultural respect and human rights should also be considered as transversal
subjects that should be addressed in every NFE activity.
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NFE – National activities developed by CNJ
The Portuguese National Youth Council (CNJ) develops and implements its activities and projects based on
non-formal education methodologies, which we believe comprisean appropriate approach in developing
young people’s soft skills.
In this sense, since the creation of its PoT in 2006, CNJ considers it a resource and source of knowledge
regarding NFE and a tool for the development and implementation of educational processes.
At the national level and in the framework of the project, and as the recognition of NFE has become a
priority for CNJ, several activities have been promoted and organized.
The PoT of CNJ began in 2006 and is considered an essential tool for the implementation of the activities
organized by CNJ. It was recently renovated, and the first step was to begin the search for a new coordinator.
To define the strategy for the PoT, the newly nominated coordinator, the board and the secretariat of CNJ
met to define the priorities and a plan of action. In February 2013, the 3rd Youth Development School
took place and gathered 60 participants in three different training sessions for trainers in human rights
education, health education and NFE. The training was a capacity-building opportunity for youth leaders
and multipliers.
A call for trainers was launched, and among the 70 applications received, 25 trainers were selected.
In May of that year, the 13th National Youth Meeting was organized, in which 300 participants from all
over the country gathered to discuss several youth-related topics in workshops and in working groups.
The validation of the competences acquired through NFE methodologies was one of the topics that was
discussed between youth leaders and academia. The National Youth Meeting was also an opportunity for
the newly renovated PoT to facilitate workshops and working groups using NFE methodologies.
Following the participation of a PoT member and an NFE officer in the “Quality Assurance of NFE” training
course developed by the Youth Forum in the framework of the 14th University on Youth and Development,
a national training course was organized in February 2014 for all of the PoT members.
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National activities developed by MSS
The National Youth Council of Slovenia (MSS) – the umbrella organization of youth organizations in
Slovenia – strives to create an environment that will enable young people to develop into autonomous
and responsible adults. The active participation of young people in decision making and activities at the
local level is crucial to build a more democratic and inclusive society.
The purpose of MSS is to enable young people to participate in shaping policies that affect their lives
and work. For this reason, MSS advocates the rights of young people and prepares documents with
young people’s views on a variety of topics, for example, youth employment, youth education, mobility,
participation, volunteering, health, youth information and youth housing.
MSS advocates for youth primarily at the national level. It maintains regular contact with the Office for
Youth, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, and the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and
Equal Opportunities, appealing to their current youth initiatives (e.g., the involvement of young people
in the operational programmes for the period 2014–2020), commenting on work materials (e.g. National
Youth Programme), cooperating with the Office for Youth as a key youth representative and regularly
monitoring legislation by proposing legal and other regulations that affect young people within individual
committees and parliamentary groups involved in proposing legal and other regulations.
At the local level, MSS mainly reaches young people through its members – national youth organizations –
and through local community youth councils. MSS also cooperates with secondary schools and faculties.
We are aware that both parties are needed to solve youth problems. For this reason, structured dialogue
projects are one of the active ways to connect youth players and decision makers.
For the fourth consecutive year, MSS is implementing a national structured dialogue project for young
people, youth organizations and other organizations working with young people, youth councils of local
communities and local and national authorities, with a view to achieving common objectives for better
social inclusion of young people, focusing on their employability and awareness of acquired competencies.
We are organizing two-day consultations with local young people and decision makers across Slovenia,
offering a quality learning experience and support in identifying informally acquired experience and
16
expertise for local youth. The structured dialogue process in these consultations is conducted and led by
qualified MSS trainers.
The programme makes use of methods which are used in youth work and non-formal environmental
education. These participatory and active methods allow for greater flexibility, attractiveness and an
opportunity to participate, as well as a more equal participation of all participants.
Within the 2011–2012 Youth Dialogue project, we conducted 12 regional events, included over 668
active participants and informed over 20,000 people about the project. At regional events, six Members
of European parliament (MEPs), six National Assembly members, representatives of 33 municipalities
and 28 representatives of the Employment Service of Slovenia participated in the dialogue with youth.
In 2012–2013, we carried out the Youth on the Environment project, in which we implemented 12 local,
structured dialogue meetings. More than 230 youths actively participated in the process of structured
dialogue. The project also involved the MEPs, mayors, deputy mayors, councillors, officials in the field of
social activities, directors of municipal administrations, heads of the Slovenia Forest Service departments,
museum directors and so forth.
In 2013, on the basis of our experience and established partnerships, we set up two new structured
dialogue projects – Youth Dialogue 2.0: We Include! and Youth Dialogue 2.1: Activate! – aimed at improving
the social inclusion of young people with an emphasis on their employability and awareness of acquired
competences. Both projects began in 2013 and will be completed in 2014.
In addition to local consultations, the young are invited to prepare submissions on the issue of youth
for each phase of the structured dialogue project. MSS obtains the views of youths through online
questionnaires in which all young people, national youth organizations, other organizations and experts
in the field of youth have the opportunity to participate. Based on the collected responses, MSS will
prepare a national report with proposals for improving the situation of young people.
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Non formal education generates creative and
participatory outputs
Youth councils
and their pool of
trainers
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Role of National Youth Councils in society
NYCs play an important role in national and European society, as they represent and advocate for the
needs of young people and negotiate with national and international institutions regarding social and
political policies and recognition.
NYCs create bridges among the needs of their member organizations, which are composed of social,
environmental, educational, political and youth organizations, trade unions and local, regional and
national institutions for the development of a fruitful structured dialogue with the aim to contribute to
the social and political life of their countries.
As platforms for youth organizations, NYCs represent youth to decision makers to strengthen their voice
and impact youth NGOs on national and international youth policy. Because they are youth organizations,
which are the main providers of non-formal education and informal learning, one of the most important
roles of a NYC is to advocate for the recognition of non-formal education. As part of the NYC, the PoT
was created as a critical actor, promoting the recognition of NFE at its various levels: social, individual,
political and formal.
What is a Pool of Trainers?
A PoTis a tool to implement educational processes of NYCs, youth platforms, youth organizations and other
institutions that work for youth and a service available to member organizations, youth organizations
and other institutions that work with and/or for youth.
The PoT consists of a groupof trainers, facilitators, leaders andexpertsin various fields related to youth
and NFE. Depending on the organization, the number of PoT members may vary, and there might be a
PoT coordinator who creates synergies between and among the members of the PoT and also the board
and the secretariat to assure its sustainability.
The PoT develops educational processes on topics related to youth through NFE methodologies;
facilitates events and seminars nationwide or with an international scope, such as the consultation
processof structured dialogue or other processes that consult the views of young people in relation to
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various issues and youth policies; closely monitors and contributes to the development of programmes
and policies for training and capacity building of young people in NFE in their country or abroad; and
contributes to the recognition of NFE in the country and at the European and international level.
Participation in the PoT is an opportunity for personal and professional development; members develop
new skills and learn from peers, as they create common learning processes. NFE also contributes to
self-knowledge and knowledge of the other. Participating in a PoT also fosters the development of
intercultural sensitivity and awareness regarding the choice of techniques to be used in educational
processes. Being involved in a PoT allows also members to be close to the reality and needs of young
people.
The PoT often has the key role of promoting and implementing a strategy and action plan of the
organization, while also gathering feedback and contributions to the content of that plan.
The PoT may be considered a useful tool for the sustainability of a youth organization because it has a
relevant role of transmitting knowledge, promoting NFE, contributing to the development of skills (of
the participants, trainers, etc.) and coordinating and structuring the educational approach of any youth
organization. It can also play a keyrole in building the capacity of member organizations, in educational
consultancy, in the production of materials and in coaching youth workers.
PoT and NFE
NFE and its recognition are important components in the building of lifelong learning societies and fostering
learning, personal development and training for the active participation of young people. As one of the
main providers of non-formal education, youth organizations contribute to the holistic development of
young people. Youth organizations have always been core agents in promoting processes based on NFE,
and the creation of a PoT becomes important for NYCs in creating acommunity of practices, knowledge
production and political and social recognition of NFE.
NFE is a set of methodologies but also an educational, social and political process that leads to personal
and social transformation. Therefore, NFE is considered to be an organized process that provides young
people with the opportunites to develop values, skills and competences that are not developed in the
framework of formal education.
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Those skills (also called ‘soft skills’) include a wide range of competencies, such as interpersonal, team,
organizational, conflict management, planning and problem-solving skills, an ability to learn, social and
citizenship leadership skills, an affinity for enterpreneurial learning, cultural and creative expression,
intercultural awareness, self-confidence, discipline and responsibility.
The PoT, through NFE methodologies, has the ability to empower member organizations and their leaders,
youth workers and educators, as a key to promoting the values of youth work and NFE. Its members are
competent in youth work, able to plan, implementand evaluate activities in the context of NFE, and they
possess knowledge of different topics relevant to youth work. For the promotion of youth work and NFE, the
knowledge and experience of the PoT members must be available to youth organizations and institutions, as
well as for processes that are created on a local and international level.
In developing the methodology, PoT members take into account the organizational needs (objectives,
goals and expected results) and also the personal needs (motivations and expectations) of whom is
involved in the initiative and try to answer those identified needs, centering the methodology on the
learner.
What is special about NFE is that participants are actively and voluntary involved in the education/
learning process. The methods that are used provide young people with the tools to further develop
their skills and attitudes. One of the most important features of this learning process is the principle of
learning by doing.
Thousands of youth organizations across the continent build competences of young people – creating
active citizens and boosting employability. Therefore, the main priority of NYCs is the recognition of NFE
and the role of youth organizations as non-formal and informal education providers, through, frequently,
the work done by the PoT.
22
NYCs and youth organizations promote recognition in four dimensions:
a) Social – by the society, valuing the positive impact of youth work and non-formal learning/education on young
people and on societies;
b) Political – recognition by policies, taking the value of youth work and non-formal learning/education into
account in political strategies and decisions;
c) Self-recognition – by the learner, understanding, his or her learning process and using it in different situations
and contexts;
d) Formal – by tools and instruments, valuing the individual learning outcomes of a learner.
Several international institutions such as the Council of Europe and the European Union have been
investing in the area of youth and trainer empowerment in NFE, in partnership with youth organizations,
as well as through the development of certificates identifying the variety of skills developed in such
pedagogical processes, such as the Youth Pass of the Erasmus+ Programme.
The origin of Pool of Trainers in the National Youth Council of Catalonia (CNJC)
The idea of creating a Pool of Trainers (PoT) in the CNJC came with the aim of having experts develop
training sessions or facilitate processes of debate either for member organizations or internal processes
in the CNJC.
After some cooperation with other actors and organizations in the field of NFE, the CNJC’s work plan
of 2010–2011 included an internal reorganization of the board and its areas of work. In this sense it
appeared, as a novelty, a transversal area called “Training,” and it was trying to bring together and
structure all of the topics related to NFE, training and the creation of the PoT.
In 2006, the National Youth Council of Portugal began to develop a strategy for organizing two training
sessions for trainers in NFE and another on human rights education and the creation of a PoT with
20 young people from different parts of Portugal. From the beginning, the National Youth Council of
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Portugal was a great supporter of the CNJC’s PoT, and there were some key moments of cooperation that
contributed to the recognition of the PoT from the CNJC board and other international platforms.
The Euro-African Youth Cooperation Project: The definitive kick start of the PoT
The success of the CNJ’s PoT and its work for the recognition of NFE was shared with other NYCs from the
south region of Europe and with African-Portuguese speaking countries. In 2009, the CNJC participated
in a cooperation project entitled “Crossing Euro-African with Global Youth Work”. It was promoted by the
CNJ Portugal and funded by the Youth in Action program from the European Union.
In Catalonia, NFE has always played an important role, especially concerning educational youth
organizations. Youth associations and educational clubs or scouts have used NFE as their main method
of working with children and youth for more than 30 years. From that tradition, in 2009, the international
and cooperation area of the CNJC decided to organize a Training for Trainers session in NFE in the city of
Girona. This was accomplished with the support of three trainers from two different organizations that
were part of the cooperation project promoted by CNJ and also involved in the European Youth Forum’s
PoT.
This was considered the first official activity of the CNJC’s PoT. The results were positive and the participants
showed interest in forming part of the PoT. Since then, the PoT has played a key role in the council,
facilitating different processes and trainings that allow for more participatory spaces and deeper results.
Objectives of the PoT
• To bring together, under one umbrella, trainers and experts in different areas of relevance for the
CNJC;
• To provide competences to people from member organizations so that they can provide training and
facilitate processes of debate and discourse in the creation of the CNJC;
• To contribute to the definition of policies in the Catalan associative movement;
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• To empower a group of professionals with competences to have an international impact;
• To contribute to the definition of training policies in international platforms (such as YFJ).
Lines of work of the CNJC’s PoT
• Facilitation processes: It is important for the vision and purpose of the CNJC to grow and reach new
perspectives, new realities and alternatives. It is necessary to create a discourse about new realities
on topics of interest for young people and the protection of a free society and government. It is
advantageous to have professionals that can facilitate these processes inside and outside the council.
• Training in the areas of content and institutional vision of the CNJC: It is important to speak to groups
on these issues, on the following topics: youth and democratic participation, associativism, local youth
councils as a model of local participation, youth empowerment and promotion of NFE and so forth.
Did you know that…
…The PoT was created to coordinate and ensure the working conditions of the trainers and
also to establish criteria for its functioning?
…In two years, the PoT increased from 3 to 10 trainers, thanks to the activities promoted by
NFE-South-Re-Evolution?
…The PoT has internal processes of training that are mainly provided by the same trainees?
…The board members often ask the advice of PoT members when they feel stuck in meetings
or during informal decision-making processes?
…One of the PoT members of the CNJC is now represented in the European Youth Forum’s PoT
and another was elected in the mandate of 2011–2013?
…The PoT is growing and improving thanks to cooperation with PoT groups from other NYCs?
25
CJE pool of trainers
The idea of creating a PoT for the Youth Council of Spain (CJE) arose from the need to have its own training
resources to assist the CJE and its member organizations in the development of training activities, debate
processes and in the elaboration of its own discourse. With the PoT, we intend to achieve standards of
training in line with those offered in other European councils that have their own PoT.
The CJE PoT was created in 2013 under the project entitled “NFE South rEvolution: Empowering NonFormal Education in Southern Europe”, although the council had been working on the idea for years. In
2008, the first Training for Trainers session was given. Two sessions were held without consolidating a
team of trainers that would promote the PoT. Finally, there was a change of strategy and a decision was
made to constitute a PoT with trainers from CJE member organizations with long-standing experience in
NFE-based processes.
Who are the members of the CJE´s PoT?
The PoT was set up through a process of launching an open call for candidates with experience in NFE and
in working with the organizations and councils that make up the CJE. Twenty-three candidates participated
in this process. Ten individuals (eight women and two men) were selected; they had expertise in various
fields as trainers. Also, two resource professionals over the age of 35 were selected and included in the
pool.
The process was led and promoted by the global education area within the CJE. Several meetings were
held to discuss the creation and implementation of the PoT and they covered PoT creation, group cohesion
and evaluation of the first year of the PoT:
• PoT Coaching: A meeting entitled “Quality of Non-Formal Education” was held in Madrid from May
23 to 25. In this first meeting, the PoT was set up. The meeting constituted a team-building action aimed
at finding a common framework.
• Training for Trainers: This meeting was held in Masnou (Barcelona) from June 27 to 30, together with
the CJNC (Youth Council of Catalonia) within the Gundtvig Project, “NFE South R-Evolution: Empowering
26
Non-Formal Education in Southern Europe”. It should be noted that there was cooperation among the PoT,
the CJE and the CJNC during this meeting.
• Action Plan of the PoT: This meeting was held in Madrid from December 20 to 22, 2013. In this
meeting, an assessment of the actions developed in 2013 was carried out, along with a discussion of
the approach for 2014.
The general objective of the CJE´s PoT is:
• To strengthen the Youth Council of Spain and its member organizations through training, providing
the necessary instruments for their optimum development and work in the youth policy field.
The PoT´s main lines of work are:
• Facilitating processes: Promoting opportunities for debate, discussion and reflection, while helping
in the management and systemization of the organizations to allow for continued growth.
• Training on issues related to the CJE´s discourse: Training to better address the demands of the
council and its entities.
• Compiling a database of resource professionals: Creating a databse in the fields of youth work
development and youth policy to support the council and its institutions and assist them in their
training and organizational processes.
The PoT´s structure:
Initially, the PoT of the CJE was established with a coordinator that was the reference person at the board,
so that later on it would be occupied by a member. After the consolidation process, a coordination team
was created that rotates every six months to a one year (to the most), managing the areas of:
i. Action Planning
ii.Human Resources
iii. External Communication
27
The person of reference at the board in the education area remains as before, and this team is in charge
of the functions related to each area, of the coordination of the actions and training proposals to be
carried out by the PoT and also of the training demands of the CJE and its organizations. In 2013, six
facilitation and training actions were carried out:
• Structured Dialogue National Consultation, held in Valencia from June 12 to 13.
• “WARMING UP! – CJE’s International Training School”, held in Mollina (Málaga) during the 14th
University on Youth and Development from September 22 to 29.
• “No Hate Speech” seminar, held in Mollina (Málaga) from October 24 to 25 to develop a national
plan for the campaign, organized with the INJUVE.
• Conference on “Youth and Equality”, held in Seville from November 1 to 3.
• 30th Anniversary of the CJE – working group dynamics, held in Madrid from November 15 to 16.
• “El Espacio Iberoamericano de Juventud” (The Ibero-American Youth Program) and “new challenges
in the process of articulation of youth organizations at the regional level”, held in Lima (Perù) from
December 9 to 11, organized with the Espacio Iberoamericano de Juventud (EIJ).
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Table of PoTs
Youth
Council
CNJ
CNJC
FNG
MSS
MMH
Country
Portugal
Catalonia Spain
Italy
Slovenia
Croatia
PoT
date of
birth
2006
2010
2010
2009
2010
No. of
members
25
15
15
25
11
Implemented
Describe in a few words the internal structure.
trainings per
Do you have any internal documents?
year
Who is responsible for the PoT and in what
extent is it autonomus?
40
The PoT has a PoT coordinator who manages
the PoT members and who is nominated for two
years. Every two years, the PoT is renovated
and the newly nominated coordinator, the
board and the secretariat of the CNJ meet to
define priorities and create a plan of action.
The PoT trainers receive a one-week training
session. Trainers specialize in diferent areas.
The PoT is part of the CNJ’s structure
and is also considered a NFE tool for
the educational processes developed
by the CNJ and an available service for
its member organisations.
10
The PoT has a PoT coordinator who manages the
PoT members and who is now a board member
in charge of NFE. Every two years there is a
non-written renovation of the trainers and acall
for new trainers is opened.
The PoT is part of the CNJC’s structure
and is also considered a NFE tool for
the educational processes developed
by the CNJ and an available service for
its member organisations.
10-20
The PoT has a coordinator who is part of the
group and shares the learning process with
members and ensures cooperation and strong
teamwork. The FNG PoT has a web page
containing profiles of PoT members, portfolios,
videos with english subtitles, brochures and the
rules of procedures of the PoT.
The PoT is part of the FNG’s structure
and is also considered a NFE tool for
the educational processes developed
by the FNG and an available service for
its member organisations and external
partners and institutions.
10-20
The PoT is lead by a coordinator who is elected
once a year by members of the PoT. All trainers
of the PoT arepresentated on the web page
of the Youth Coucil of Slovenia. The PoT also
maintains important documents about the PoT.
Those document are continually updated with
rules, advice, etc. The age limit for membership
in the PoT is 35 years.
PoT is part of the youth concil and
its purpose at the beginning was to
provide training services for member
organizations. Now the PoT is open to
other organizations and institutions.
10
The PoT has a coordinator who is also a
trainer. She or he is in charge of coordinating
activities of the PoT (arranging training offers,
organizing meetings and capacity-building
events for trainers...) and internal and external
communication (maintaining the mailing list,
promotion, visibility, communication with the
The PoT is an intergral part of the
“Youth Work” programme of MMH. It
is therefore connected to the overall
development of the programme
and is supported by the programme
coordinator and the relevant Board
member. The PoT is regarded as a
29
Youth
Council
CJE
NYF
Country
Spain
Bulgaria
PoT
date of
birth
2013
2013
No. of
members
10
20
Implemented
Describe in a few words the internal structure.
trainings per
Do you have any internal documents?
year
Who is responsible for the PoT and in what
extent is it autonomus?
the MMH Board...). The coordinator is appointed
by a joint decision between the PoT and the
Secretary General of MMH.
The PoT has a separate page on the MMH
website, with general information about
the PoT, trainers’ profiles and examples of
workshops and trainings on offer. There is no
age limitation for the membership in the PoT.
Most of the members are trainers but there
are also several members who are experts or
resource persons.
The PoT has an internal regulating document
which states its goals, mission, rules of
procedure, quality standards, etc. Since the PoT
also offers its services to external bodies, the
document also contains a reference price list.
supporting educational structure for
MMH activities and processes. It also
serves as a capacity-building tool
for member organizations and other
relevant stakeholders in the youth
field.
10
The PoT has a collegiate structure and is led
by three trainers, elected for six months or one
year. There is one individual responsible for the
communication and visibility of the PoT, another
is in charge of the pedagogical approach and
finally, another takes care of the planning.
Every person has a junior trainer who will be
responsible after a process of mentoring. There
are two types of members: trainer and resource
person (trainers are over 35 years of age).
The PoT is part of the CJE’s structure
and is also considered a NFE tool for
the educational processes developed
by CJE and an available service for its
member organisations.
15-20
The PoT has a coordinator, approved by the
General Assembly, who is part of the trainer
group and shares his or her previous experience
and knowledge. The coordinator also has a
deputy, who helps with organizing issues and
contact with all trainers. The trainers in the PoT
have internal meetings almost once a month.
The PoT is a part of the NMF’s structure
and an available service for its member
organisations. It is autonomous in
terms of the trainings provided and
their content. The PoT is responsible to
the GA and the board.
30
National Training of trainers meetings in
Portugal, Spain and Italy
International
Cooperation
32
International cooperation
We live in an interconnected world. Whatever happens across the globe affects us all. The ever-increasing
globalisation contributes to the perception that major problems in the world today are shared by everyone
on the planet. In this sense, all geo-political divisions are losing their meaning and are becoming obsolete.
Global challenges can hardly be tackled at the local or national level, so in many cases, there is no
alternative to international cooperation.
There is a growing understanding that our societies rest on shared fundamental values and that we are
confronted with similar issues, so it is in our best interest to cooperate. This also applies to the areas of
youth and education. Basic principles of sustainability demand that the objectives, values and results in
these fields be shared by nations and organizations and defined in an atmosphere of mutual trust and
cooperation.
International cooperation does not mean merely the transfer of resources and know-how but rather
mutual learning and sharing of experiences. It should also contribute to institutional and organisational
development, reciprocal communication and learning.
International cooperation should be viewed as beneficial for all partners, for the purpose of enhancing
their capacities to pursue their goals. It should be an empowering experience and include a wide variety
of actors from the grassroots to the national and international levels. Only this plurality of activities and
plurality of partners can providethe right kind of thrust and momentum that is necessary for accomplishing
the goals of international cooperation in the fields of youth and education.
As our societies grow ever more interdependent, it is precisely young people that are the most exposed
to dynamic global challenges. International cooperation among states and different regions of the world
has been enriched with the youth dimenssion, since young people are one of the most vulnerable groups
in our fast-changing societies and are susceptible to discrepancies among different parts of the world.
The youth agenda in international cooperation
Youth agenda at the international level is very broad, as are the challenges we face: from access to
education, healthcare and the labor market, to participation in conflict transformation, environment and
33
sustainable development, social inclusion and access to high-level decision-making processes.
International youth cooperation is present at all levels and it involves youth NGOs, international
organisations and different governmental actors. A series of mechanisms for participation of a vast variety
of actors has been developed over the years.
Without pretending to be exhaustive, the following list comprises institutions and organisations which
have shown a special interest and have a proven expertise in stimulating international cooperation in
youth affairs:
• United Nations – by appointing a Special Envoy on Youth of the Secretary General and undertaking a
highly inclusive process involving young people in designing the post-2015 international development
agenda (www.un.org/youthenvoy);
• European Union – by developing youth policies and youth programmes which encourage youth
participation, youth work development and youth cooperation at the European and global levels (e.g.,
European Voluntary Service, Erasmus Mundus, Youth in Action and Erasmus+);
• Council of Europe – especially through its North-South Centre, which constantly supports international
cooperation in the framework of Universities of Youth and Global Citizenship;
• European Youth Forum – through its constant engagement in influencing the youth agenda at the
international level;
• NYCs and international youth NGOs that work locally and globally to address international challenges.
Lastly, it is highly important to underline the efforts that both youth organisations and institutions make
to strengthen youth cooperation among different regions of the world. Here we mention:
• Euro-Africa Youth Cooperation;
• Euro-Arab Youth Cooperation;
• Euro-Latin America and Caribbean Youth Cooperation;
34
• Euro-Asia Pacific Youth Cooperation (to be developed).
Intense cooperation also occurs in places closer to home. Many European national youth platforms
cooperate closely on issues which are relevant to young people across Europe. In this way, they exchange
best practices and learn from each other as well as amplify their advocacy potential toward national and
international decision makers.
NYCs play an important role in their home countries and in Europe in their relentless efforts in representing
and advocating for young people. They focus on young people’s needs and rights and continue to cooperate
with national and international institutions in the creation of public policies which benefit youth.
NYCs create bridges among the needs of their member organizations, which are composed of social,
environmental, educational, political and youth organizations, trade unions and local, regional and
national institutions for the development of a fruitful structured dialogue with the aim to contribute to
the social and political life of their countries.
It is worth mentioning a cooperation platform which brings together NYCs from countries of South
and South-East Europe within the European Youth Forum. These countries, spanning from Portugal to
Romania, have diverse youth policy perspectives and different realities in the youth field. However,
due to their regional proximity and similar backgrounds, they share many of the challenges that young
people face today, and it has proven to be absolutely necessary to address these issues by creating
common approaches and agendas.
With time, this regional platform composed of CJE (Spain), CNJ (Portugal), CNJC (Catalonia) ESYN (Greece),
FNG (Italy), KNZ (Malta), MMH (Croatia) and MSS (Slovenia) grew in number and strength. With the
development of youth work in the region, other councils came on board: NYF (Bulgaria), CTR (Romania)
and KOMS (Serbia).
Over the years, the partners have had the opportunity to organize many different activities (through
the Youth in Action programme and other existing cooperation mechanisms) addressing youth-related
issues, such as active citizenship, employment, environmental issues and sustainable development, NFE
and global cooperation.
35
Another important priority for the partnership is the political recognition of NFE and of the role of NYCs
as non-formal and informal education providers which create learning opportunities that can be valuably
recognised and transferred into the national formal and vocational education systems and the business
field to contribute to lifelong learning of all citizens.
Previous cooperation processes among a number of partner NYCs on educational and training strategies
in the creation and work of a national pool of trainers in NFE resulted in better quality assurance in training
activities and fostered the recognition of the pedagogical role played by NGOs within the lifelong learning
approach to education in society. Based on these experiences, in 2012, the NYCs in the platform identified
a need to further share expertise in a long-term perspective and continue to develop capacities of NYCs
by providing specific training tools and strategies to national educational, business and governmental
institutions.
Another relevant issue for the partnership is the recognition of the profession of trainers and facilitators
in the European labour market. NFE trainers develop through their work a wide range of competences in
diverse topics and fields, such as group dynamics, conflict resolution, strategic planning, management
and capacity building. These competences have a huge potential to be transferred into other working
fields and environments, but currently they are not recognised in most European countries.
The international cooperation dimension of our project
This time, the cooperation was concretized through a Grundtvig Learning Partnerhip scheme, which
allowed the NYCs to develop a common advocacy and educational approach through a series of
international meetings and national-based activities. The focus on the recognition of NFE and trainers’
competences, as well as the introduction of novel approaches to education (such as blended learning)
in building capacities of trainers, youth leaders and young people in general, developed over a series of
well-structured international events which are outlined in the table below. These were complemented
by several dozen national activities which were aimed at integrating jointly developed educational
approaches and political agendas into the national context.
The cooperation project yielded concrete results and proved very beneficial for all partners. It also set
36
into motion several follow-up activites, so the cooperation will continue for years to come.
Meeting
Places
Dates
Specific Goals
1st Meeting: Coordination
meeting of the project
Rome
(Italy)
November
9–11, 2012
• Build a working group and teams to implement the tasks and
products of the project to reach the objectives the partnership
agreed on to advocate for and create capacities for active
citizenship;
• Review the overall project and the timeline for a co-organized
management during project implementation;
• Start sharing a common methodology when dealing with
capacity building for adults.
2nd Meeting: Pool of trainers
Zagreb
(Croatia)
March
7–10, 2013
3rd Meeting: Youth work
development
Varna
(Bulgaria)
June
6–9, 2013
• Present the results of a needs analysis of NGOs.
• Share experiences in creating and managing PoTs.
• Explore ideas on how to make PoTs more relevant for NGOs and
NYCs.
• Learn more about the blended learning approach and ways to
integrate it into the PoT and the online platform.
• Review what has been accomplished in the development of
advocacy strategy on recognition of NFE and the challenges of
that process.
• Continue the development of an advocacy strategy for the
recognition of NFE.
• Present a final policy paper developed in cooperation with the
NYC involved in the “NFE South R-Evolution” project.
• Share the status of youth work in different countries.
• Share a national advocacy strategy for recognition of NFE.
• Negotiate with members of the YFJ board regarding future
cooperation.
• Plan future steps of the project.
• Prepare a mid-term report of the project.
37
Meeting
Places
Dates
Specific Goals
4th Meeting: International
cooperation
Ljubljana
(Slovenia)
October
17–19, 2013
• Hold a high profile discussion on the Strasburg process.
• Compare and evaluate the different national strategies for
advocacy of NFE.
• Present best practices for advocacy from the partnership to the
national parliament of Slovenia.
• Collaborate and endorse a discussion of the national paper on
NFE in the national parliament.
• Support the development of E-learning courses by deploying
political decisions as a framework for the PoT group.
• Provide an update about the implementation of the E-learning
courses and evaluate their progress.
• Define an action plan and division of tasks for further
implementation.
• Work on the content of the E-learning courses.
5th Meeting: Mobility: Topic:
Youth rights
Bucharest
(Romania)
February 28–
March 2, 2014
• Share best practices on the promotion of NFE and its recognition
and validation.
• Forge a common understanding on youth rights at the national
and European levels. Share activities implemented by the NYC
in this area and discuss future cooperation on this topic.
• Evaluate the first e-course on youth work and advocacy.
• Prepare the next e-course in response to the evaluation of the
previous course.
• Revision of the common budged.
• Examine the publications stage of content development, as well
as some price offers.
• Revise the calendar regarding next mobilities and e-courses.
6th Meeting: Structured
Dialogue
Valencia
(Spain)
May 29–June 1,
2014
•
•
•
•
7th Meeting: Evaluation
Lisbon
(Portugal)
July
3–6, 2014
•
•
•
•
•
Develop a review of the report from Romania.
Provide a second evaluation of the E-learning process.
Review the publication content.
Share experiences about structured dialogue processes related
to Greek and Italian presidencies.
Create a profile of the NYCs in the structured dialogue.
Focus on PoT best practices in the structured dialogue.
Develop a review of the report from Spain.
Evaluate the project.
Prepare a final report of the project.
38
International meetings of the project addressing
different stakeholders and topics
E-learning
40
What is E-learning?
The term ‘E-learning’ covers the use of computers and technology as a vehicle for knowledge exchange
within teaching and learning. The trainer can mimic the one-on-one experience of the classroom and
deliver clear, complete instructions thanks to the combination of video and audio. From the learner’s
perspective, this provides the ability to pause and rewind and gives the learner the advantage of moving
at his or her own pace, something a classroom cannot always offer.
A global prospective
Information and communication technologies and specifically E-learning are essential for a number of
reasons, especially in the political, sociological and economical arena, and they have reached a crossroad
in the current learning and communication paradigms. E-learning, especially, has been qualified, following
the Lisbon European Council, as a learner-focused approach to “the use of new multimedia technologies
and the internet to improve the quality of learning by facilitating access to resources and services, as
well as remote exchanges and collaboration”.
The development of technology in our modern world has transformed the way we interact, work and
learn together. The Internet is a powerful tool, and modern technologies offer many new opportunities
for learning. Opening a course to “everyone” is abstractly possible (a traditional course), but E-learning
needs trainers and facilitators, and they do not have examples to follow. We must also keep in mind that
E-learning produces a concreterisk of social exclusion due to the digital divide.
There are youth organisations that have chosen to open some courses to all, with no limits.
These are probably not examples of NFE using E-learning. Rather, they are places to disseminate training,
information and skills development and to share ideas and experiences. It is possible to offer a library of
materials and courses in a variety of topics.
E-learning allows us to create more opportunities for young people (no travel cost, more flexibility, etc.)
E-learning needs resources (trainers and facilitators that spend time creating courses, facilitating
discussions, providing feedback, answering questions, etc.) and also money and time to create a functional
platform. In the E-learning setting, the trainers should have the fundamental competences of a NFE
41
educator, plus very strong digital competences. This broad interpretation focuses on new applications
and developments and also brings learning and media psychology into consideration.
E-learning within youth work
A growing number of physical universities, as well as newer online-only colleges, have begun to offer a
select set of academic degree and certification programs via the Internet at a wide range of levels and
in a wide range of disciplines.
In 2000, the European Commission formally integrated E-learning into its global plan for 2000–2003,
entitled eEurope. Romano Prodi, president of the commission, argued that «eEurope is a road map to
modernize our economy. At the same time, through its E-learning component, it offers everyone, but
particularly young people, the skills and tools they need to succeed in the new knowledge-based economy.»
Youth workers should take into account this reality to improve their activities and their competences.
Young people spend many hours online, using social networks, surfing, e-mailing and so forth. Being on
the web means to be in their world, and using technology to pursue goals is a plus. It is an occasion to
invest (and not lose) time. Today, many students participate in technology blogs, collaborative software,
ePortfolios and virtual classrooms, and most E-learning situations use a combination of these. Thus it
is relevant to use E-learning within youth work educational activities + part e (E-learning and no formal
education).
E-learning and non-formal education
E-learning services have evolved since computers were first used in education. There is a trend to move
toward blended learning services, where computer-based activities are integrated with practical or face-toface-based situations. E-learning is naturally suited to distance learning and flexible learning, but it can also
be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching, in which case the term blended learning is commonly used.
E-learning pioneer Bernard Luskin argues that the “E” must be understood to have a broad meaning if
E-learning is to be effective. Luskin says that the ‘E” should be interpreted to mean exciting, energetic,
enthusiastic, emotional, extended, excellent and educational, in addition to “electronic”, which is a
42
traditional national interpretation. This broader interpretation allows for 21st-century applications and
brings learning and media psychology into the equation.
It is possible to use various pedagogical approaches or perspectives for E-learning, such as the socialconstructivist method. This pedagogy is particularly well afforded by the use of discussion forums, blogs,
wikis and online collaborative activities. This collaborative approach opens educational content creation
to a wider group, including the students themselves.
E-learning and NFE have some common features, such as a “community of practices” and “peer-produced
content”, which are essential in the E-learning process. They are also significant for the NFE process.
Most E-learning courses include features based on constructivist views of the educational process, which
also form the basis of non-formal learning theories and practice.
NFE is participatory, aware and interactive. Other features are less similar and include voluntary
participation, courses designed with objectives in mind and process- oriented learning groups. These
and other similarities support the introduction and development of E-learning in the training practices
of major European youth stakeholders, such as the Council of Europe, SALTO resource centres, the
European Commission and so forth.
In most cases, E-learning is not seen as a replacement for residential training but as an additional tool for
learning. The meeting instead is not only possible but likely a winner. For example, we can see how an
E-learning course allows participation and contribution of each individual, such as through the exchange
of experiences and learning from each other in a forum or through group work; individuals come together
and then join in with a trainer (which, in the context of education, is also included in the group).
E-learning in the NFE context has strengths and weaknesses. Both use courses in a “face-to-face” manner
that benefits students. For example, this provides coverage and access for more learners, asynchronicity
and flexibility, which are added values of E-learning. However, maintaining learners’ motivation online
can be difficult. The emotional aspect of learning is depleted in an E-learning context, and emotions are
very important in NFE and youth organisations.
43
What is blended?
A blended learning approach combines face-to-face methods with computer-mediated activities to form
an integrated instructional approach. In the past, digital materials have served in asupplementary role,
helping to support face-to-face instruction. For example, a blended approach to a traditional, face-toface course might mean that the class meets once per week instead of the usual three-session format.
Learning activities that otherwise would have taken place during classroom time can be moved online. As
for now, there is no consensus on a single agreed-upon definition for blended learning. The resources page
contains cites to several articles that provide definitions. In addition, the terms “blended”, “hybrid” and
“mixed-mode” are used interchangeably in current research literature. The goal of a blended approach
is to join the best aspects of both face-to-face and online instruction. Face-to-face meetings can be used
to engage participants in advanced interactive experiences.
Meanwhile, the online portion of the course can provide students with multimedia-rich content at any
time of day, anywhere the student has Internet access, from Penn State computer labs, the coffee shop,
or a student’s home. This allows for an increase in scheduling flexibility for students.
In addition to flexibility and convenience for students, there is evidence that a blended instructional
approach can result in learning outcome gains and increase enrolment retention.
FNG Youth Work Development online training course
Inside the cooperation project, the parters developed and implemented three E-courses on these topics:
youth work development, human rights and structured dialogue. The first E-course is presented and
discussed in details.
E-learning course on youth work development
Although organizations are supposed to have experience in participatory processes, NYCs can face
challenges when engaging with members and considering their needs in a sustainable way. From the
NYC perspective, it iscrucial to understand how to ensure that NYCs do not compete with the membership
and how to advocate on the issues identified. The PoT of the FNG, responsible for the first course of the
44
project, created a specific online course for this purpose. The main topics of the course were strategic
planning, youth policy development and advocacy.
The objectives of the course:
• To understand the importance of being a sustainable platform in order to engage with the membership
on common issues;
• To exchange realities in relation to the role of the NYCs;
• To provide knowledge for the development and sustainability of NYCs and bonds between NYCs in
strategic planning, policy development and advocacy;
• To explore the importance of knowledge management and its application to strategic planning;
• To understand the role of youth policy and its development in a NYC context;
• To discover ways of designing and implementing advocacy strategies;
• To provide input for the involvement of the PoT and the implementation of further training in the
content of youth work development;
• To elaborate guidelines for people involved in youth councils to support the participation of young
people facing disadvantages in strategic planning, policy development and creating advocacy
strategies.
Target group:
This course was created for youth leaders and trainers. In fact, the main actors in building the capacity
inside youth organisations are trainers, because they can magnify the content, tools and the capacity
of every single members. However, the role of youth leader is also crucial, because they decide the
strategy for development of the youth organisation in which they work. For this reason, it was important
to address this course to these two target groups.
Structure of the online course:
The course was divided into five thematic modules, and in each module there were two or three units.
Each module could be utilized independently, even if it had been built as part of an integrated flow.
45
The tools implemented for the course were: chats, forums, quizzes, wikis, videoconferences, skype, links.
Resources: quality assurance NFE and youth work development strategies of the YFJ; the knowledgecreating company, Nonaka /Takeuchi;the advocacy toolkit WAGGGS and others to be added.
Each module consisted of units containing the following:
1.thematic scheme of reference
2.activities
3.dictionary of technical terms used for the description of the theme outline
4.bibliography of documents used to elaborate the module and related to the theme
5.web bibliography, suggestions of web links related to the specific theme
At the end of the course, each participant received a Certificate of Participation.
Programme:
The programme was developed over five weeks on the following themes:
• Introduction week: E-learning in brief/NFE Southern rEvolution overview
• Module n. 1: Getting to know each plus intro Youth work development course
• Module n. 2: Strategic planning
• Module n. 3: Youth policy development
• Module n. 4: Advocacy
• Module n. 5: Evaluation unit
Each week corresponded to the modules that were progressively put up online and available level by
level. Tutors supported the pedagogical development of participants by email but also in forums and chat
on the platform, where it was also possible to discuss and cooperate on a peer level among the group.
Example: Module n. 3: Youth policy developmente structure
• Why speak about youth policy and what is it?
• Main actors
46
• What is a policy paper?
• The policy process: what, when and who?
• Structure of a policy paper
Mission and vision
Introduction
Background summary
The body of the policy
Recomendation
Extra
Assignments
Staff:
The PoT responsible for this course was composed of three trainers and one tutor. Eachtrainer was
responsible for one module, and the tasks were divided, creating turnover to cover the learning needs of
all participants. The tutor was responsible for maintaining communication with the participants.
Selection procedures:
Participants were been selected via a “call for participants” spread directly among the network of the
NYCs involved. EachNYC decided on its own group of participants.
Results:
The online training course involved 16 participants, half trainers and half youth leaders.
Tips to organise an effective online course:
Key factors for a successful course:
• Keep the interaction between participants and trainers alive, providefeedback, always use something
visual in the modules to assist with the writing portions;
47
• Focus on real motivation written in the application to select participants;
• Ensure that all participants have the same level of knowledge of the platform before starting the
course;
• Calculate the right time to follow the course, allowing flexibility for participants.
CNJC, CTR and MMH Youth Rights e-learning course
The purpose of this course is to empower trainers to develop activities in the National Youth Councils or
their member organizations in order to promote youth rights. Also, in order to increase participation of
young people at the decision-making process, youth workers and trainers have to get familiar with the
concept of youth rights, non formal learning methods and to identify what organizations can provide
support for young people on this topic.
Objectives:
• To understand the concepts of human rights and youth rights
• To identify resources and materials about youth rights that can be used for their activities at national
level
• To increase competences of trainers in planning an activity that promotes youth rights
• To design and evaluate an activity for young people in order to increase awareness on their rights
Target group:
This course were realized for trainers from Pool of Trainers of the National Youth Councils, one person by
NYC.
Structure of the on line course:
The course is divided in 3 weeks. The programme is developed in 3 units on the following Calendar:
Unit 1- Week 1 (2nd – 8th oh June)
• GTKEO (Getting to know each other)
• Introduction of the topic human rights, youth rights
•Evaluation
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Unit 2- Week 2 (9th – 15th of June)
• Need assessment about <youth and their rights>
• Design and implement an activity to promote youth rights [research, workshop or another]
• Evaluation and improvement of activity
Unit 3- week 3 16th-22nd of June
• Self evaluation – competences developed during the e-learning course
• Evaluation of the e-learning course
Staff:
The pool of trainers responsible for this course was composed by 4 trainers, one from each Youth National
Council: Andreea Floroiu by CTR, Julia Betrian by CNJC, Monika Rajković and Ana Preveden by MMH.
ESYN, MSS and CJE Structured Dialogue e-learning course
The purpose of this course is to empower trainers and facilitators to develop and run Structured Dialogue
related consultations with young people through the National Youth Councils or their member organizations.
With the long term purpose to increase participation of young people in the decision-making processes
from local to European level. Trainers and facilitators need to get familiar with the concept of Structured
Dialogue, non formal learning methods appropriate for facilitation of consultations and to identify which
organizations can provide support for young people n this regard.
Objectives:
• To achieve a Common understanding of Structured Dialogue Process from European to local level
and the potential of Structured Dialogue as a methodology.
• To provide knowledge for the implementation of Structured Dialogue at different levels (from local
to European) in particular knowledge on the facilitation competences required during consultations
with young people.
• To include Youth Rights as an example topic of Structured Dialogue since it will be the focus of the
next Presidency within the theme of Youth Empowerment.
•To explore skills and competences for trainers to develop Structured Dialogue activities and
49
processes.
• To exchange best practices on Structured Dialogue.
Target group:
This course were realized for trainers from PoT of the NYC's, at least one person and two maximum by
NYC. Facilitators for the Pool of trainers and facilitators of the Europen Youth Forum.
Structure of the on line course:
The course was divided into 4 thematic modules. The course is divided in 4 weeks, from June 16th till
July 13th
Week 1
Module 0
Module 1
Week 2
Module 2
Week 3
Module 3
Week 4
Module 4
June, 16th
Getting in touch: P2P, twice
Structured Dialogue
June, 23th
Structured Dialogue as methodology
June, 30th
Facilitation of Consultations with Young people
July, 7th
How to address a topic through Structured Dialogue Youth Rights and other topics
Evaluation
Staff:
The pool of trainers responsible for this course was composed by 3 trainers, one from each Youth National
Council: Simona Mursec by MSS, Spyros Nakos by ESYN and Diego Ibañez by CJE.
50
Advocacy
52
What is advocacy?
Advocacy is defined as a political and social process that is carried out by an individual or a group
(e.g., advocacy groups, companies, NGOs, thinkthanks, etc.), which aims at influencing decisionmaking
and public policies, as well as allocation of resources. Advocacy processes and methodologies aim at
changing the policies, positions, programmes or laws of any type of institution, such as the government,
an international agency or any kind of organization. Wherever change needs to occur, advocacy has
a role to play. Whether you want more funding to develop a project, new programs to address youth
unemployment, laws to make education accessible or increased attention to a health programme,
advocacy can help you accomplish your goal!
Advocacy and youth organizations
Youth organizations and NYCs are in an excellent position to influence public attitudes and policy as
they are communitybased and focused and are seen as representatives of the community, at the local,
national, regional and international levels.
Considering that NYCs themselves use non-formal methods to implement their activities, they play a
crucial role in advocating for the added value of NFE in learning processes and community development.
The advocacy efforts of NYC also concentrate on recognition and validation of NFE, respectively the
competences, knowledge and attitudes young people gain in non-formal learning settings, at various
levels:
At the local level, youth NGOs, as one of the main providers of NFE, benefit from the knowledge and
expertise of the PoT and empower young people to have an impact at the community level, thus contributing
to the social recognition of NFE.
At the national level, NYCs, as platforms of youth organizations, play a crucial role in the advocacy
process for legal and political recognition of NFE. In addition to using non-formal methodology in the
implementation of their activities, they also directly lobby decisionmakers:
• Responsible ministries: education, youth, employment and so forth
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• National agencies (Erasmus+)
• National agencies/institutes/authorities on youth
• Commissions of national parliaments (youth and/or education)
• Presidential commissions
• Consultative bodies related to youth and/or education
• Political parties
Other stakeholders that have an interest in NFE:
• Universities/academia
• Trade unions
•Employers
• Other NGOs
• National employment agencies
• Human resource organizations
At European and international levels, the Southern NYCs, involved in this project, have a united voice
within the YFJ through which they advocate toward the European Commission, European Parliament,
Council of Europe and United Nations agencies. At the same time, they are joining efforts at the regional
level to urge implementation of European and international documents in the recognition of NFE in all
European Union countries. In this respect, the partners of the project agreed on a common position
paper to strongly advocate at different levels.
Common understanding on the recognition of Non Formal Education - Position Paper
“NFE South R-Evolution: empowering non-formal education in Southern Europe” is a project promoted by
Forum Nazionale Giovani – FNG (Italy), Mladinski svet Slovenije – MSS (Slovenia), Romania Youth Council
–CTR (Romania), Национален младежки форум – NYF (Bulgaria), Mreža mladih Hrvatske – MMH (Croatia),
Consejo de la Juventud de España– CJE (Spain), Conselho Nacional de Juventude – CNJ (Portugal) and
Εθνικό Συμβούλιο Νεολαίας ESYN - (Greece), thatagreed on a common educational strategy and a common
perspective regarding the recognition of Non Formal Education and its importance.
54
This partners are members of SYC - Southern Youth Councils, an informal group of National Youth Councils
cooperating at European level in the fields of education, training, global cooperation and advocacy
towards national, European and international institutions.
Non-Formal Education (NFE) has a long history and is seen in many countries as an important form of
learning, personal development and training for active participation in society. Therefore, we considered
NFE to be an organized process that gives young people the possibility to develop their values, skills and
competences others than the ones developed in the framework of formal education. Those skills (also
called ‘soft skills’) include a wide range of competencies such as interpersonal, team, organizational
and conflict management, intercultural awareness, leadership, planning, organizing, co-ordination and
practical problem solving skills, teamwork, self-confidence, discipline and responsibility.
What is special about non-formal education is that participants are actively and voluntary involved in
the education/learning process. The methods that are being used aim at giving young people the tools to
further develop their skills and attitudes and this learning process has as one of its crucial features the
principle of learning by doing.
The process of recognition of NFE is an old thread and, despite having been widely debated, it was not
possible yet to find a common vision or understanding about it. It is, however, important to note that,
over the past few years, several initiatives have been developed that contributed to the approach to a
common perspective among key stakeholders on the importance of promoting this recognition and how
this should be achieved.
Among other stakeholders, the Council of the European Union, in documents such as the Council
Recommendation of 20 December 2012 on the validation of non-formal and informal learning (2012/C
398/01); the European Commission; the Council of Europe; the European Youth Forum, namely through
the Policy Paper on Non-Formal Education.
Indicating and Assuring Quality (0009-08) European Youth Forum’s Reaction to the Commission’s Proposal
for a Council Recommendation on the Validation of Non-Formal and Informal Learning; and UNESCO
have been requesting the Member States to develop tools and policies for the recognition of Non Formal
55
Education. The Statement and Plan of Action of the Symposium of Strasbourg, held in November 2011,
and the document “Pathways 2.0 towards recognition of non-formal learning/education and of youth work
in Europe” are also good examples of the working that have been developed in this field. This recognition
process is also fundamental for the achievement of one of the main goals of the EU Agenda 2020, to
develop an/the European knowledge-based society, as set on the publication “Quality in non-formal
education and training in the field of European youth work” supported by SALTO and the Partnership
between the European Commission and the Council of Europe in the field of Youth.
For the partners of this project, recognition of non-formal learning/education has four dimensions, equally
important, that should be taken into consideration as a whole:
• individual recognition: recognition by the learner, understanding his or her learning process and
using it in different situations and contexts;
• social recognition: recognition by society, valuing the positive impact of youth work and non-formal
learning/education on young people and on societies;
• political recognition: recognition by policies, taking the value of youth work and non-formal learning/
education into account in political strategies and decisions;
• formal recognition: recognition by tools and instruments, valuing the individual learning outcomes
of a learner.
Although there are different agents developing NFE activities, it is also important to recognize Youth
Organizations as the main and most important providers of NFE. This recognition should lead to the
social and political valorization of all the work undertakenduring the years in developing tools, methods
and activities of NFE, and this recognition should be materialized through the involvement of Youth
Organizations in any political process developed at European, national, regional or local level, for the
recognition of NFE.
We also consider that Quality and Quality Assurance are among the key elements to ensure a universal
recognition of the importance of NFE in societies, as a process for the development of personal, cultural,
social and linguistic skills, that prepare the individuals to better play their role as citizens.
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Consequently, the partners of this project believe that the following principles should always be ensured
by NFE providers:
•The objectives of the training or NFE activity meet the assessed needs of the learners and the
society;
• The objectives are clear and can be identified in the program of the event;
• The methodologies used are suitable for the learning process and for the target group;
• The necessary resources are available;
• Resources are used in a sustainable, cost effective and responsible way;
• Educators have the necessary competences to facilitate the learning process that can be identified
in the program of the event;
• Educators are prepared previously to the events with information about the target group, the venue
and the resources available;
• Learners are called to contribute to their learning process;
• Learners understand their learning outcomes and can transfer them;
• Consistent evaluation methods, including self assessment, external and peer review, are used to assess the
quality of the events;
• All actors are involved in the continuous evaluation process;
• The evaluation results are widely accessible.
Values like gender balance, intercultural respect and Human Rights should also be considered as
transversal subjects that should be addressed in every kind of NFE activity.
Considering this, Forum Nazionale Giovani – FNG, Mladinski svet Slovenije – MSS, Romania Youth Council
–CTR, Национален младежки форум – NYF, Mreža mladih Hrvatske – MMH, Consejo de la Juventud de España
– CJE, Conselho Nacional de Juventude – CNJ and Εθνικό Συμβούλιο Νεολαίας ESYN - (Greece) partners in the
project NFE South R-Evolution, urge the national governments and the European bodies to develop policies
and take concrete measures to promote and encourage the recognition of NFE in its four dimensions.
Advocacy at the national level in Portugal
Regarding the advocacy toward the recognition of NFE, two parliamentarian groups, PSD and PS,
57
presented resolution proposals which demanded the development of mechanisms of validation of
competencies developed in informal and non-formal youth activities and youth work. Following those
resolution proposals, a National Working Group was created and composed by CNJ board members, the
Secretariat, the PoT and representatives of member organisations to present the point of view of CNJ
and its organizations on the recognition in its four dimensions, as stated in the position paper adopted
by the partnership. Developed using the reflections and conclusions of the National Working Group, the
position paper was disseminated among members of the parliament, the National Education Council and
member organizations.
At the European level, a CNJ board member took part in the taskforce on quality education, organized by
the YFJ, which discussed the complementarity between the different ‘educations’, for better education
and the assurance of its quality. Recommendations were made to the YFJ board to promote a position
paper on the matter at the COMEM of November 2013. At the national level, a working group on quality
education was created to promote the debate among CNJ member organizations on the topic with the
aim of supporting the work of the CNJ representative to the YFJ taskforce.
The CNJ was also part of the YFJ NFE Working Group. With its participation, the CNJ aimed at bringing its
experience to the European debate and to take back to Portugal the main perspectives and reflections
on NFE in Europe – to improve member organisations’ knowledge, advocacy work and practice of NFE. As
members of the YFJ’s NFE Working Group, we were invited to present the project ‘NFE South rEvolution’
at the NFE Week in Brussels in October 2012. The event took place at the United Nations offices and
brought together young people from all European countries.
In addition, a two-days event took place at the University of Coimbra on the theme of recognition of NFE.
It aimed at forging a discussion amongyouth workers, youth leaders, professors, educators and young
people on the importance of NFE and ways to recognize it. The recommendations and results achieved
were presented in a public session to the Secretariat of State of Sports and Youth, the Portuguese Institute
for Sports and Youth, academics and young people.
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18.10.2013, National assembly of Slovenia MSS Symposium on recognition
of non formal education
SYC
presentations
60
Forum Nazionale Giovani
The Italian National Youth Council – Forum Nazionale Giovani (FNG) has been
recognized by the legislative decree number 311 of the Italian Parliament on the
30th of December 2004, it is the only national platform of Italian youth organizations
which assures the representativeness of more than 4 millions of young people
along the country.It is composed by 72 different national youth organizations, 3
organisations candidates to join the platform and 4 observers, coming from different
fields of youth participation: students organizations, associations working with nonformal education and mobility, youth departments of political parties, trade unions,
faith-based associations, regional youth forums, sportive youth organizations, and
many more. Participation of youth workers is promoted through 10 thematic working
groups, that give the possibility to the member organizations to take part in the
decision making process of the platform. Since May 2008 FNG is full member of
the European Youth Forum (YFJ) which represents the interests of young Europeans
towards international institutions. From November 2011 FNG has been elected at the
CoE Advisory Council on Youth.
For more information please visit www.forumnazionalegiovani.it
Conselho Nacional
de Juventude
Via Novara, 41 00198 Roma, Italy
+39 06 45476623
www.forumnazionalegiovani.it
[email protected]
(CNJ)
The Portuguese National Youth Council (CNJ), created in 1985, with a legal status
approved by the Legislature (Law 1/2006), is the representative platform of the
national youth organizations, covering the diverse expressions of youth associations
(cultural, environmental, scout, political youth organizations, students, trade
unionists and confessional), and now consists of 32 organizations. It should be noted
that CNJ develops its work around the following areas: Environment and Quality of
Life; Youth Participation; Education and Training; Employment, Social Affairs, Culture
and Creativity, and International Relations and Cooperation.
For more information please visit www.cnj.pt
Rua dos Douradores n.°106-118, 4° piso 1100-207,
Lisbon PORTUGAL
+351218802139
[email protected]
www.cnj.pt
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The National Youth Council
of
Slovenia
The National Youth Council of Slovenia is an umbrella organisation uniting all national
youth organisations irrespective of their various interests or ideological and political
orientations. Its efforts and activities are based on the premise that the association
of young people should be autonomous and integrated into a free and democratic
society. Since its establishment (April 1990), MSS has made a valuable contribution
to cooperation among youth organisations at the national, local and international
levels. Since 2001, MSS has been registered on the basis of the Youth Councils Act,
which regulates its status, operation, activities and financing and imposes on the
Government, ministries and other state authorities the requirement to inform MSS
about the drafting of laws and regulations that have an immediate impact on the life
and work of young people.
For more information please visit www.mss.si
Croatian Youth Network
The Croatian Youth Network is an alliance of youth-led and for-youth organizations, both
national and local. It is a heterogeneous platform connecting different organizations
(advocacy, culture, ecology, information, free time, exchange, minorities, sports,
non-formal education...) which share a joint interest in developing youth policies on
national and regional/local level. Currently MMH has 68 member organizations. Main
goals of MMH are: raising awareness in young people about active and responsible
participation in society through networking and empowering youth organizations
and individuals; co-creating and advocating quality youth policies at local, national
and international level by putting youth rights on the social agenda; contributing to
the development of civil society through participation in shaping and implementing
policies related to the development of civil society. With these goals in mind, MMH
strives to be a principal agenda-setter on youth affairs and to empower member
organisations to maximise their impact in communities. The work of MMH is focused
on three main programme areas: Youth Policies, Youth Rights and Youth Work. MMH
has also established a Pool of Trainers which brings together a group of seasoned
trainers experienced in the field of non-formal education in a variety of topics. It
contributes to raising capacities and empowering the member organizations, young
people and other relevant stakeholders in the youth field.
For more information please visit www.mmh.hr
Erjavčeva 4 Ljubljana
SLOVENIA
+386 (0)1 425 60 55
[email protected]
www.mss.si
Ilca 52 10000, Zagreb
CROATIA
+38514573937
[email protected]
www.mmh.hr
62
Romanian Youth Council
The Romania Youth Council, abbreviated as CTR, is a legal entity of private use
with non-profit purpose, non-governmental and autonomous, founded by the free
association of the interested non-governmental structures of/for youth. The main
purpose of CTR is to act for the protection and promotion of the youth rights and to
increase the active participation of Romanian young people, both living in Romania or
abroad, to the community life in which they work, as well as to support and promote
the common interests of its member organisations at local, regional, national,
European and international level.
For more information please visit www.ctr.ro
Bulgarian Youth Council
ValterMaracineanu Square, no. 1-3, 5th entrance,
1st floor, room 139-141, sect. 1
010155, BUCHAREST
ROMANIA
+40 021 310 09 80
[email protected]
www.ctr.ro
National youth forum Bulgaria /NYF/ is an umbrella organization that gather together
36 youth organizations. Main values of NYF are freedom, equality, tolerance,
solidarity. NMF was founded to represent the interests of young people, highlights the
importance of youth organizations, their development and participation in social and
public policy processes, ensuring effective structured dialogue through cooperation
with relevant stakeholders and institutions, decision-makers in youth policy field.
Main priorities of NMF are: education, civic activity, demographic policy, health and
physical activity, youth employment and sustainable development. NYF is member
organization of European youth forum since 2012.
For more information please visit www.nmf.bg
35 Vassil Levski Blvd., ground floor 1000, Sofia
BULGARIA
00359892204300
[email protected]
www.nmf.bg
63
Hellenic National Youth Council
The H.N.Y.C. - ESYN, was founded in July 1998, after strenuous efforts by Greek
political and social youth organizations and obtained an elected administration in
November of that year; it is an independent, non-government, non-profit federation
of youth organizations.
Today up to fifty nine youth organizations (six political youth parties and numerous
non-government youth organizations) are members of H.N.Y.C. Thus, most of youths
belonging to an organization are part of this federation. Its aim is to strengthen the
role and coordinate the actions of its member organizations. The H.N.Y.C., according
to the number of members in its organizations, represents over three hundred and
fifty thousand young Greek men and women.Aiming at continuously training and
informing young people on issues that concern them, the H.N.Y.C. implements
workshops, conferences, cultural and other programs, seminars and activities that
directly target young people.
For more information please visit www.esyn.gr
National Youth Council
of
Kougioumtzoglou 11 Elefsina
19200, Elefsina
GREECE
0030 210 5548340
[email protected]
www.esyn.gr
Catalonia
The National Youth Council of Catalonia (CNJC) is the platform that brings together
91 national youth organizations and local youth councils. The CNJC is a public entity
based association with legal personality. Founded in 1979, the CNJC promotes the
interests of young people in society and in front of the government.More than 175,000
catalan young people are participating in the member organizations of the CNJC,
including educational associations (leisure time and scout), workers and student’s
unions, cultural exchanges, political, social or local youth councils. The CNJC aims
to encourage participation, coordination of youth associations and to structure a
dialogue with governmenton the issues that concerns the youth. The National Youth
Council of Catalonia is a full member of the European Youth Forum of Jeuneusse since
1985.
For more information please visit www.cnjc.cat
Plaça Cardona, 1-2, 1r Barcelona 08006
Spain
Phone : +34 933 683 080
[email protected],
www.cnjc.cat/
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Spanish Youth Council
The Spanish Youth Council (Consejo de la Juventud de España, CJE) is a platform of
youth organizations formally set up by law in 1983. Its members are the regional
youth councils operating in Spain as well as other national youth organizations. Our
main goal is to promote youth participation in the political, social, economic and
cultural development of Spain within the global context, as provided by in article 48
of Spain´s Constitution. Currently, there are 76 youth organizations involved in this
joint project.
We strive towards achieving a plural platform, so that the various ideologies and
sensitivities which make up the Spanish youth organization movement can work
together and exchange ideas and experiences. Furthermore, we want to channel
all the proposals, vindications or claims made by our member organizations to the
Authorities, the social partners and mass media. Ultimately, our work is aimed at
finding an answer to the problems, concerns and aspirations of the Spanish youth
and improving our quality of life.
Participation in the Spanish Youth Council is both a right and a commitment: on the
one hand, to participate in the design of policies which directly or indirectly affect
youth and, on the other hand, to provide solutions to youth problems.
Our representative capacity, criticism and vindication work have helped us to become
a legitimate stakeholder in the defense of youth´s interests as well as to gradually
reach further arenas where youth is no longer a spectator but an active player. THUS
OUR WORK WILL GO ON.
For more information please visit www.cje.org.
Calle Montera, 24 - 6th floor
28.030, Madrid
SPAIN
+34 91 7010420
[email protected]
www.cje.org