<< Objectives >>The TALE project is aimes to empowering vulnerable youth through storytelling. Our goal is to highlight their resilience and create positive role models for them. We are also aim to provid innovative training for youth workers, equipping them with the tools and knowledge needed to effectively empower youth. Ultimately, the project seeks to effect long-term change in the way vulnerable groups are perceived, both among vulnerable youth themselves and in the wider community.<< Implementation >>- Research study: Perspectives of vulnerabilityThe main goal of this activity is to research, analyze and to understand the challenges of vulnerable groups in partner countries.- Publication and piloting: TALE curriculum Creating a modular curriculum for working with youth workers and peer workers in using “TALE methodology”- Online TALE platform containing stories collected during the application of the TALE methodology-TALE conference: Dissemination of project results << Results >>- Creating a space for vulnerable youth to share their stories, leading to breaking down stereotypes and biases and creating relatable role models. - Equiping youth workers with new tools & skills for more effective interventions & better outcomes for vulnerable youth.- Increased awareness and understanding of vulnerability: Through research: shift the narrative away from stigmatization, towards a more nuanced understanding of the complex factors that contribute to vulnerability

<< Objectives >>The aim of the project is to promote opportunities for young migrant women in society and to encourage them to stand up for their interests so that they are represented in our societies. Young women are supported by role models and their experiences in the development of accompanied by educational and career ideas as well as for social & political participation. We want to promote inclusion, diversity & equality. The end users of our efforts are young migrant women or from a minority aged 16+.<< Implementation >>The main activities will be briefly summarized as follows: - form a network with positive role models (interviews, workshops)- develop tools for trainings with young women with migration background on the basis of proposed solutions by those affected- piloting with young women with migration background- developing a handbook for trainer and society- sensitization of trainers- dissemination activities- management activities<< Results >>1) Network: women with migration background or from minorities who have successfully built their careers & life paths in various fields despite obstacles. They will serve as role models for the community network to advocate for gender equality and inclusion.2) Handbook for Trainers & civil society for working with young migrant women: The content: concepts & methods for workshops in which women are taught political & social knowledge & opportunities for their own political or civic engagement

The INSPIRATION ELEVATOR project combines the efforts of 4 partners, representing three main regions of Europe – Nordic (Norway), Central (Austria) and South Eastern (Bulgaria and Croatia). The starting point of our joint effort is supporting youth workers in introducing, organizing and implementing design thinking processes in their daily interventions with youth in risk, which will enhance youth employability and employment prospects. In most cases, employment support interventions targeting youth at risk have temporary effect (Piqué, M. Angels, 2015). Young persons experience training and support activities to enhance their employability, which in the best-case scenario result in their short-term employment. Following this employment period, they are forced to seek again support from above mentioned services hoping to get sustainable realization in both personal and professional life. Despite the positive effects from national measures, the reality of young persons in risk staying long out of job and education calls for reconsideration of the philosophy and methodology of existing youth work services. As youth trainers, what we notice in our work and the work of our colleagues in youth work community is that most of our efforts are focused on provision of basic skills. In other words, we try to provide young persons with “instruments” to operate successfully in life. While skills development is a crucial factor for success, it would need to be accompanied with building the right set of attitudes, so to be able to apply these skills in the best and sustained manner. Stepping on this premise we have realized one of the limitations of current youth in risk training programmes in our countries, i.e. they don’t fully address the psychological consequences of being at risk such as low self-esteem and decreased drive for achievement and initiative and the need to build strong growth mindsets of learners. The COVID-19 unprecedented crisis on all levels would place youth in risk in our countries and across Europe in even more unfavorable situation, which would require strong resilient aptitude to handle all unpredictable challenges to come. We are determined to develop outputs that will contribute to building this resilience.Our aim is to create conditions for improved employability chances of young people in risk in our countries. Our objectives are: - design and develop methodological manual for youth workers and coach app on how to embed design thinking as a horizontal activity in their daily training and support work with youth in risk to re-/enter the labour market;- piloting the developed outputs with 24 youth workers (8 per partner country) and 48 youth at risk;- expand outputs exploitation to 48 youth workers (16 per partner country) and 96 youth at risk;- disseminate project activities and results to 850 youth workers and other relevant stakeholders. The immediate target group are youth workers. The end users of our efforts are youth at risk. In each partner countries there will be an emphasis on specific youth sub-groups, e.g. Refugees and Migrants (Norway); Roma (Croatia); Economically Disadvantaged (Austria and Bulgaria). ++Tangible results (outputs)++1. IO1 – Methodological manual for introducing design thinking in youth work, electronic document available in all partner languages and English.2. IO2 – Coach app for youth workers to develop their design thinking mindset and encourage application in their daily work. 3. 72 youth workers integrate IO1 and IO2 in their daily work (piloting: 24 and exploitation:48).4. 144 youth at risk are engaged in new youth work activities, led by youth workers using IO1 and IO2 (piloting: 48 and exploitation:96).5. 850 youth workers and other stakeholders reached through dissemination activities (1 multiplier event, 24 online publications, 16 thematic presentations at external events, ongoing information provision).++Intangible results (outcomes)++1. Improved professional competences of youth workers in partner organisations and beyond to embed design thinking principles and processes in their daily work with youth in risk. 2. Increased professional development motivation of youth workers.3. Improved motivation for learning and development of youth at risk.4. Improved employability skills of youth at risk. 5. Improved awareness of the benefits of design thinking of the wider youth work community and other relevant stakeholders.The overall impact of our efforts will be to foster social inclusion of youth in risk and raise the quality of professional learning opportunities for youth workers in partner countries and beyond.

"<< Background >>»Stop loneliness, Start volunteering« was developed as a possible solution to different types of distress among youth, occurring as a consequence of isolation and loneliness due to COVID-19 restrictions. Based on research and our own observation volunteering offers at least a partial solution to the problem. The consortium is active in the areas of inclusive volunteering, youth volunteering and has experience with youth with fewer opportunities. The pandemic brought restrictive measures which exposed a lot of people to considerable amounts of stress whereas youth carried the biggest load, being deprived of normal schooling and social life and dealing with illness and deaths of family members. As a society, we expected solidarity and sacrifice from them for the benefit of vulnerable groups, disregarding the possible negative effect on them. It was especially difficult on young people that have already lived in poor conditions before the pandemic.There have been different studies regarding the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has had on youth. In Slovenia the Assessment of the needs for psychosocial support in the second wave of COVID-19 by the Association of Psychologists of Slovenia highlighted the greatest hardships among students: fear of losing their freedom, fear of an uncertain future, and hardship of isolation. They noticed signs of depression and anxiety, development of a negative attitude towards themselves, chronic fatigue; they also report lack of energy, lack of interest and joy, sleep problems, feelings of depression and despair. Volunteering was highlighted as a source of help and support (10% of surveyed students are volunteers, 24.4% understand it as a source of relief from distress; http://www.dps.si/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Psychosocial-support-needs-assessment.pdf). Serious consequences are also observed in Croatia: research has shown that every 10th child or adolescent has symptoms of anxiety or depression that exceed the expected level. 15% have symptoms of post-traumatic stress, 74% face fear of failure, 60% anxiety and almost half of the respondents mentioned feelings of sadness and emptiness and concern for the safety of their family members. Based on the study of the EP (May 2021), ''Education and youth in post-COVID-19 Europe – crisis effects and policy recommendations'' the COVID-19 crisis ''sparked a bigger interest in ideas and methods of non-formal knowledge that encourage and help well being and ways of dealing with distress''. European Youth Forum conducted a global research of COVID-19 crisis and it's impact on the youth, focusing on employment, education, their rights and well-being. In the report ''Youth and Covid-19: effects on employment, education, rights and well-being'' they established that the well-being of youth has severly diminished. All the partner organizations actively monitor youth iniciatives and their responses to stressors in the environment, as well the inability of volunteering organizations to attract youth, to give them support and a more visible role in the community. In a consultation for high schools in Slovenia (October 2021) the students emphasized they want to take on more responsible volunteering tasks under mentorship, acquire more knowledge and start their own projects. Activation, volunteer support, and mentoring can restore the importance of the young in the society, show them they are valuable members of society, and that we as a society acknowlede their distress and solidarity. Thus we can help diminish some of the distress before the damage becomes irreparable.Sources: http://www.dps.si/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Ocena-potreb-po-psihosocialni-podpori.pdf; https://faktograf.hr/2021/05/11/mentalno-zdravlje-u-doba-pandemije/; https://www.poliklinika-djeca.hr/istrazivanja/godinu-dana-poslije-rezultati-probira-mentalnog-zdravlja-djece-u-zagrebu/; https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2021/690872/IPOL_STU(2021)690872_EN.pdf.<< Objectives >>The aim of the project is to achieve the following goals: 1. Greater awareness of the importance of volunteering in preventing the social isolation of young people and empowering youth organizations and organizations involving young volunteers. 2. Identify, collect, select and transfer innovative and effective practices, including digital volunteering, which can encourage young people and especially young people with fewer opportunities, to volunteer. Transmission and dissemination of practice information throughout the EU; greater digital competence of organizations and volunteers. 3. Identification and awareness of the needs of young people in their involvement in volunteering activities and the need of volunteering amongst young people. Development of a methodology to prepare innovative volunteering programs and cooperation approaches, development of quality standards in the coordination and mentoring of young volunteers, which means greater motivation and satisfaction of young people and therefore less loneliness and isolation. 4. Enhanced role and empowered national and regional volunteering centers / networks for professional support to youth and other CSO in the preparation of new volunteering programs for young people and with them. 5. Better understanding of the role of volunteering as an opportunity for personal growth, development, gaining competencies, professional development and maintaining and expanding the social network among young people.More self-initiative and more active participation of young people in society by engaging in volunteering programs focused on their needs. 6. Advocacy of youth volunteering and volunteering support for young people at a local, national and European level. Raising awareness of the needs of young people and opportunities for volunteering to adopt policies that would attract the infrastructure to develop volunteering activities and strengthen the field of volunteering.<< Implementation >>The following activities will be implemented in the project: Stop loneliness, start volunteering: 1)Research of existing practices in partner as well as other European countries in the field of youth volunteering and combatting loneliness, isolation and social exclusion. The findings will be presented in the Research and Analysis of challenges and responses of volunteering organizations. 2)We will seek out best practices in the field of combatting loneliness through volunteering in the partner and other European countries, recognize potentials of innovative practices for transfer and encouragement in other domains. We will conduct interviews with volunteers, beneficiaries and representatives of volunteer organizations (volunteer mentors, managers), record and videotape personal interest stories of young volunteers and beneficiaries. The selected examples will be presented in the Best practices compendium, accompanied by a video featuring persona experience of volunteers.3)We will seek out and research current challenges and needs in combatting loneliness and youth volunteering. Using the world café method we will, in cooperation with several stakeholders (the young, youth mentors, youth leaders, decision-makers …) search for the future potential of youth involvement in volunteering and establishing a dialogue among various stakeholders. The findings will be presented in the on-line campaign The Voice of the Youth.4)We will delve into the role of volunteer centres and networks in combatting loneliness among the youth and research the potential for further actions to the benefit of young volunteers and other youth, especially the young with fewer opportunities. The result will be presented in the Guidelines for volunteer centres and networks. 5)We will build on quality of inclusion and mentorship to young volunteers, providing volunteer organizations with necessary skills for successful involvement of volunteers in combatting loneliness, isolation and exclusion of the youth. We will provide a theoretical framework and tools for quality work with young volunteers to volunteer and youth organizations. The results will be presented in the Guide for volunteer organizations. 6)The previously listed activities will serve as a basis for advocacy activities, resulting in the European framework for combatting loneliness, isolation and exclusion of the youth – policy paper, which will be sent to decision-makers and other key stakeholders on local, national, regional and EU levels. 7)Additionally, we will organize 6 partner meetings in all the partner countries and 4 multiplying events. We will present the results in an interactive and participatory fashion and establish new connections and communication among organizations working in the field. Simultaneously, all partner organizations will ensure dissemination and promotion of project results via their webpages, social media, information sharing within their usual activities (trainings, events, conferences, mailing lists).<< Results >>In the project ""Stop loneliness, start volunteering"" we plan the following results and products that will help us to better understand the needs of young people, the opportunities brought by volunteering and the development of this area at a local, national and European level:•Research and analysis of challenges and responses of volunteering organizations: in electronic form, in English and with translations of conclusions and summaries into national languages (Slovenian, Croatian, German and Danish);•Compedium of best practices: in electronic form in English and with translations of conclusions and summaries into national languages (Slovenian, Croatian and Danish);•Video ""Best practices"" with personal stories and experiences of volunteers, users, mentors, length 10-15 minutes, with English subtitles or in English and with subtitles in Slovenian, Croatian, German and Danish language•Online campaign titled ‘The Voice of Youth’ with summarization of the conclusions of world cafes: in electronic form, in English, Slovenian, Croatian, German and Danish.•Guidelines for volunteering centers and networks: in electronic form, in English and with translations of conclusions and summaries into national languages (Slovenian, Croatian, German and Danish);•European framework for combatting loneliness, isolation and exclusion of the youth – policy paper; in electronic form, in English, Slovenian, Croatian, German and Danish.•A handbook for volunteering organizations: in electronic form in English with translations in all partner languages in electronic and in printed form; the handbook will also contain key findings from the survey, world cafés and an extract of recommendations for decision makers.By disseminating the results and involving various stakeholders in the process, we want to increase the number of quality volunteering programs for young people with fewer opportunities facing exclusion, and volunteering programs that qualitatively involve young volunteers at local, national and European level. We want every young person to know the possibilities of volunteering activation and to have the opportunity to get involved in quality volunteering programs."

Evidence shows that volunteering is beneficial in many fields, unfortunately the methods used to measure the impact of volunteering are lacking. The V-Calc project will enable 800 volunteer managers and coordinators of all ages & diversity to measure and understand the impact of their volunteers. The objectives are to: develop a suitable methodology for gathering data about the numbers and profiles of volunteers, their motivation and impact on society and individual volunteer learning; Create and put in place the user-friendly online platform to gather the information from primary and secondary sources; Train and develop the capacity of volunteer managers and coordinators to gather and provide information about the impact of the volunteers that they engage with and in their countries more widely; Ensure the sustainability of project results by developing the community of practitioners from across Europe in order to promote the use of the V-Calculator and the importance of measuring volunteering for the development of better evidence based policies. The training programme in the use of the volunteer impact measurement methodology will lead to increased quality in the work, activities and practices of the volunteering organisations and institutions involved. It will introduce new actors to the importance of volunteer impact measurement across all sectors and fields that engage volunteers. Through the V-CALC project we will build the capacity of organisations to work transnationally and across sectors and at the same time address common needs and priorities for the volunteer-involving stakeholders in the fields of education, training, youth and sport, amongst others. The online platform, impact measurement methodology and training activities, together with the policy development work, will enable transformation and change at individual, organisational and sectoral level, leading to improvements and new approaches, in a wide variety of different volunteering contexts.