"<< Objectives >>""Building bridges for youth empowerment"" has as main goal the improvement of the work with the young people and the increase of the impact in the community of the youth centers partners in the project.The project has the following objectives:- promoting the exchange of good practices of the 5 youth centers from Europe partners in the project-connecting people from local communities so that the 5 youth centers included in the project to become open spaces for all categories of young people.<< Implementation >>The project has the following activities:-Design thinking course and community participation for all project partners. The course will be held in Ramnicu Valcea by a trainer with experience in the youth field-Building networks for youth centers. Each Center will organize two community meetings in which young people can connect with key people in the community.-Sharing good practices. Each Center will host the partners for 4 days-Final meeting-Evaluation and Follow up<< Results >>-20% increase in the number of young people with reduced opportunities who attend partner youth centers in the next 2 years- at least 3 youth centers that implement entrepreneurial plans for the sustainability of the centers in the next year after the end of the project-achieving at least one partnership between the 5 youth centers in the next year after the end of the project-improvement by 30% of the work with the young people and the relationship with the community for all the partners"

"<< Background >>Youth Association No Excuse Slovenia is a national youth organization in the public interest with a unique value system and its own competence models for young people, which are comprehensively supplemented in the No Excuse Method. We want to transfer the most recognizable and awarded program among the No Excuse programs (No Excuse Activists) abroad, so that we will be able to transfer its proven good effects on the young people involved in it to a larger number of young people, thus contributing more effectively to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are one of the main foundations of our organization. The program for young people aged 15 and 16 aims to reduce health inequalities, increase health and environmental literacy, and promote active citizenship to achieve sustainable development.Youth Association Without Excuse Slovenia addresses the challenges related to a specific period of adolescence, which mainly concern the field of health and activation of young people. Our local units are made up of young people who want to positively change their local environment, especially in the areas of public health (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, mental health, healthy lifestyle), active youth involvement and sustainable development. The basis of our program is the slogan ""criticize, suggest, act"", which encourages young people to prepare local initiatives to create positive changes in the local environment. It is easy to criticize, but our organization teaches young people that they can go a step further and suggest and encourage change. The organization exploits the rebellious nature of young people, which we direct to create positive social change through inclusive and respectful response and action in the environment.Youth Network No Excuse Slovenia is the most awarded non-governmental (youth) organization in the field of health and environment in Slovenia, In the past we have received a number of awards, especially for our No Excuse Activists program, such as:- European Commission Health and Youth Awards- WHO WNTD Award- European Cancer Leagues Young Professional Award- NCD Alliance Sharjah Award- European Network for Smoking Prevention Award- National Award for Sustainable DevelopmentUNESCO also highlighted the program as an example of good practice in the field of education for sustainable development.<< Objectives >>After several years of successful implementation of the No Excuse Activists program, we want to transfer the program abroad as well. The purpose of the project is to explore the possibilities of implementing the program in the environment of other countries, appropriate adaptation of the program for use abroad and pilot implementation of the program in a foreign country with all necessary training for youth workers and youth leaders.The goals of the project are:- to analyze the situation and explore cultural differences between countries and the needs of young people in the countries involved- based on the findings, adjust the No Excuse Activists program accordingly and prepare competency models for young people, youth workers and youth leaders in accordance with the No Excuse method and with the specific needs of each country. - education of youth workers on the basis of the competence model for the implementation of the No Excuse Activists program- pilot implementation of the No Excuse Activists program in two countries outside Slovenia- evaluation of pilot implementations of the program and necessary adjustments of the program for more efficient further implementation- strengthening youth workers with skills to change young people's behavior through non-formal learning methods- connecting young people and youth workers in order to collect good practices, activate young people and train them to create positive social change- translation and preparation of handbooks for youth workers and young people on the No Excuse Activists program - development and adaptation of peer workshops on tobacco and climate change to be implemented in local environments- development of local initiatives of activists in the fields of health or sustainable development- establishment of an international network of youth organizations operating in accordance with the No Excuse method<< Implementation >>1. Needs analysisThe first part of the project will consist of researching the differences between the cultural environment in different countries and analyzing the necessary adjustments of the program according to the environment to which we want to transfer the program. We will pay attention to the needs of young people in countries outside Slovenia, to the existing possibilities of connecting with schools, youth organizations and other stakeholders abroad.2. Adjustments of the programBased on the analysis of the situation and needs, experienced youth workers will adapt the existing program for implementation abroad and translate it into English, while youth workers from partner countries will then translate the program into the language of their country.3. Training of youth workersBased on the adapted program, we will prepare training for youth workers in each country in order to share experience and knowledge so that youth workers can successfully implement the program in their organization in the next phase. The training will take place in the country where the program will be implemented, i.e. not in Slovenia.4. Pilot implementation of the programIn the partner organization, trained youth workers will implement the No Excuse Activist program with young people aged 15 and 16. The program includes group meetings, various trainings and working weekends, workshops in schools and the preparation and implementation of a local initiative prepared by young people according to their interests.5. Evaluation and improvementsAt the end of the implemented program, together with the organizations that piloted the program, we will evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the program and its adaptation to the environment of a specific country. Based on the findings, we will improve and further adapt the program and prepare its final version for implementation in advance.<< Results >>In the project we will prepare several products that will help us in the successful transfer of the program to a different cultural environment. The products are mainly analyzes related to youth work, health and environment, and the areas of our organization, which will be the basis for program transfer to other countries. The final product of the project will be a manual related to the No Excuse Activists program, which will contain all relevant information about the program, competency models needed to implement the program, training schedule and micro-plans, and good practices and advice for program implementation. It will be prepared in four languages: in the three languages ​​of the countries where the program will be implemented (Slovenian, Bosnian, Montenegrin) and in English.Through the project, we will transfer a proven effective and award-winning program for young people abroad in order to increase the active participation of young people in the field of health and sustainable development. Through the project, young people will gain new knowledge and competencies and change their daily habits in the direction of healthier leisure time, active citizenship and care for the environment, so that their habits will become more sustainable. Through the activities provided in the program (peer workshops and local initiatives), participants will also influence others in their local environment, both peers and other generations. We expect long-term impacts of the program in the direction of a lower percentage of young people who drink alcohol, use tobacco and cannabis, and higher active participation of young people."

<< Objectives >>-90% of young people participating in the project (NEETs) will get employed by the end of the project-every podcast will leave a positive impact on its listener (min. 200 listeners/episode)-min. 40 young people will make local partnerships in 3 countries-min. 500 youth Europe-wide will develop soft skills in 9 topics-3 European organisations build new capacities, strengthen their presence locally and internationally<< Implementation >>- 9 video podcasts of Soft Skills in 4 languages on 3 international SNS channels- 1 Internation Youth Mobility on capacity-building- 6 Round- table community building discussions- 1 Virtual Conference- Continuous Dissemination & Visibility- 2 Management Meetings<< Results >>-At least 27 young people with a high level of soft and digital skills-9 podcasts and subtitled videos uploaded to the main podcast platforms (Spotify, Apple podcast, Youtube)-1 Webpage -The reduced youth unemployment rate-Youth with developed communication, creative and teamwork skills, and work mindset-Youth promoting soft skills development- Building Capacities in partner organisations - Promoting Erasmus+ possibilities among young people and organisations