Step up. Build your career.

Proiectul “Step up. Build your career.” a fost initiativa Asociatiei ZURY din TM (RO) al carui scop a fost sa ajute la diminuarea ratei somajului in randul tinerilor europeni in special cu varsta cuprinsa intr 18 si 25 de ani si la sporirea gradului lor de angajabilitate prin investirea directa in capacitatile lor, urmarind in acelasi timp accelerarea dezvoltarii lor personale. Avand in vedere aceste aspecte, dar mai ales faptul ca problematica somajului este una la nivel european, iar in RO, tinerii sunt cei mai afectati de acest lucru, proiectul a venit la propriu in sprijinul beneficiarilor locali actionand asupra unor nevoi ca: dezvoltarea si validarea unor competente de viata si transversale, nevoia de consolidare a abilitatilor ligvistice si digitale, slaba lor implicare in actiuni de voluntariat sau activitati comunitare, informarea redusa cu privire la oportunitatile existente pentru tineret la nivel local, national si european, neangajarea tinerilor in nicio forma de activitate. Proiectul s-a concentrat astfel pe tematici ca: informarea tinerilor, angajabilitatea tinerilor, invatarea pe tot parcursul vietii, dezvoltare sustenabila, angajament comunitar, relatii internationale si cooperare pentru dezvoltare.

Obiectivele proiectului au fost urmatoarele:

Crearea unui context de dezvoltare de competente cheie (sociale si civice, de comunicare si antreprenoriale) pentru tinerii voluntari;
Implementarea unor activitati socio-educative alternative pentru 180 de tineri elevi si copii din mediul local din domeniile: social si comunicare, ecologie/protectia mediului, sport si sanatate, dezvoltare personala;
Cresterea gradului de informare a 200 de tineri locali cu privire la oportunitati de dezvoltare personala, profesionala alternative si voluntariat;
Promovarea cetateniei active, educatiei non-formale, a tolerantei si solidaritatii in randul tinerilor locali si europeni.

Aceste obiective au fost atinse prin desfasurarea urmatoarelor activitati:

– organizarea de ateliere de limba si cultura specifice tarilor native ale voluntarilor EVS;

– desfasurarea de ateliere de lucru si activitati non-formale cu tineri si copii pe diverse teme ca importanta comunicarii, dezvoltare sustenabila si protectia mediului si un stil de viata sanatos;

– implementarea de sesiuni de informare cu privire la oportunitati de dezvoltare personala si profesionala la nivel european;

– administrarea website-ului organizatiei gazda, si in mod specific a blogului de povesti/experiente personale ale voluntarilor: conceperea de articole si captarea de imagini foto si video de la activitatile desfasurate;

– realizarea unui material video de promovare a activitatilor desfasurate cu tineri si copii beneficiari din mediul local, a activitatii de voluntariat in general si diseminarea acestuia pe diverse cai;

– organizarea a 2 seri interculturale cu prezenta de beneficiari locali, in contextul in care voluntarii EVS si-au prezentat tarile native, cultura si traditiile, precum si au pregatit preparate culinare specifice;

– desfasurarea de initiative proprii ale voluntarilor, in diverse domenii, planificate si organizate la scara mica/ateliere locale care au fost concepute si implementate de catre voluntarii EVS;

– desfasurarea de activitati creative non-formale cu tineri si copii in contextul unor evenimente publice locale.

Pentru desfasurarea tuturor acestor activitati si implementarea actiunilor descrise, voluntarii EVS au utilizat metode si instrumente non-formale, precum si contexte informale, constituite astfel in: ateliere de lucru, prezentari, jocuri de rol, puzzle, sesiuni de intrebari si raspunsuri, jocuri, conversatii interactive, exercitii practice, activitati in grup, dezbateri, facilitare grafica, materiale audio-video, facilitare/discutii non-formale, desen, reflectie/evaluare individuala, instrumente de dezvoltare personala (teste, planuri), brainstorming etc.

Ca urmare a implementarii proiectului, impactul principal s-a remarcat la nivelul participantilor, a voluntarilor EVS, prin noi abilitati si competente dezvoltare si/sau dobandite, atat pe plan personal cat si pe plan profesional. A doua categorie de beneficiari a fost cea a tinerilor si copiilor de la nivelul comunitatilor locale ce au participat la activitatile derulate si, la fel, au dobandit noi cunostinte, abilitati si atitudini sau si-au dezvoltate unele existente deja.

Proiectul a implicat un nr. total de 10 voluntari EVS ce au fost trimisi de catre 6 organizatii de trimitere din 6 tari (ES, IT, LT, GR, FR si DE). 4 dintre acesti voluntari au fost tineri cu oportunitati reduse din diverse considerente. In acest context au fost implicate 2 grupuri de voluntari, astfel:

5 voluntari intre 01/10/2017 si 30/04/2018 in stagii de 2, 5, 6 si 7 luni in Arad
5 voluntari intre 01/03/2018 si 02/09/2018 in stagii de 6 luni in Timisoara

Durata intregului proiect a fost de 2 ani, acesta derulandu-se intre perioada 1 februarie 2017 – 31 ianuarie 2019.

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“Step up. Build your career.” was the project-initiative of ZURY Association from TM (RO) whose main aim was to diminish the unemployment rate among young Europeans especially aged between 18 and 25 and to increase their employability level by investing directly in their capacities, following in the same time to accelerate their personal development. Taking into account these aspects, but mostly the fact that the unemployment problem is one present at European level, an in RO, the youngsters are the most affected category, the project came as a direct support for local beneficiaries acting on needs such as: the development and validation of life and transversal competences, the need to consolidate linguistic abilities and digital competences, their low involvement in volunteering activities or community actions, their low information regarding opportunities for youth at local level, national and European level, the qualification of some youth as NEETs (either unemployed or not engaged in any form of studies). As such, the project addressed themes and subjects like: youth information, youth employability, lifelong learning, sustainable development, community engagement, international relations and cooperation for development.

The objectives of the project were the following:

Creating a learning context of key-competences (socio-civic, communication and entrepreneurship) for the young EVS volunteers;
Implementing alternative socio-educational activities for 180 youth and children from the local environment in the social-communication field, ecology/environmental protection, sport & health and personal development fields;
Raising the information level of 200 local youngsters towards alternative opportunities of self and professional development, and voluntary options;
Promoting active citizenship, non-formal education, tolerance and solidarity among local and European youth.

These objectives have been achieved by the implementation of these activities:

– organization of linguistic and cultural workshops of the native countries of the EVS volunteers;

– development of workshops and non-formal educational activities with the following topics: communication, creativity, sustainable development and environmental protection, healthy lifestyle;

– implementation of information sessions regarding self and professional development opportunities at European level for youth;

– administration of the hosting organization’s website, and specifically the blog with stories/personal experiences of the volunteers: article conceivement and capture of foto and video images from the activities developed;

– creation of a video material for promoting the activities developed with youth and children, beneficiaries from the local level, of volunteering activities in general and its dissemination through different channels;

– organization of 2 intercultural evenings with the presence of local beneficiaries, context in which the EVS volunteers presented their countries, their culture and their traditions, as well as they prepared specific dishes;

– development of additional own initiatives of the volunteers, in different fields, planned and organized at small scale/local workshops that have been designed and implemented by the EVS volunteers;

– development of non-formal creative activities for youth and children in the context of various local public events.

For the development of all these activities and actions described, the EVS volunteers used non-formal methods and instruments, as well as informal contexts, that constitutes in: workshops, presentations, role plays, puzzle, Q&A sessions, games, interactive talks, practical exercises, group activities, debates, graphic facilitation, audio-video materials, non-formal discussions/facilitation, drawing, self reflection/evaluation, personal development instruments (tests, plans), brainstorming etc.

As a consequence of this project being implemented, the main impact has been identified at the level of the direct participants involved, the EVS volunteers, through new abilities and competences developed or acquired, both on a personal and a professional level. The second category of beneficiaries were the youth and children present at the activities developed, from the local hosting communities, who also acquired new knowledge, abilities and attitudes or developed their existing ones.

The project involved a total no. of 10 EVS volunteers that were sent by 6 sending organizations from 6 countries (ES, IT, LT, GR, FR si DE). Out of these, 4 have been young people with fewer opportunities from different perspectives. In this context there has been involved 2 groups of volunteers, in the following way:

5 volunteers between 01/10/2017 and 30/04/2018 in stages of 2, 5, 6 and 7 months in Arad
5 volunteers between 01/03/2018 and 02/09/2018 in stages of 6 months each in Timisoara

The entire duration of the project was of 2 years, the project being as such implemented between 1st of February 2017 and 31st of January 2019.

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Galerii foto/video – Photo/video galleries

Ateliere de limba si cultura/Language and cultural workshops