"“You are welcome - young ideas for a solidary world” „Young Caritas“ is a new concept of youth voluntary work in the social space: Adolescents should be enabled to express their own world view in a creative way and to make their world a fairer and more human place wherever they think it’s required. They are able to make the difference. The concept „Young Caritas“ supports the realization of social projects with innovative and creative approaches and makes it possible for the youth to face social challenges courageously and to find solutions for the issues. This ranges from sustainability issues to human encounters. New topics are prepared on transnational level before implementing them on local level by taking diversity issues into consideration. The project ""Young Caritas in Europe network"" consists of the national ""Young Caritas"" -departments from Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, France and Germany, and two regional / local ""Young Caritas"" - departments from South Tyrol (in representation of Caritas Italy) and Vienna (the first ""Young Caritas"" - departments in Europe at all). This network has been consistently strenghtened thanks to a previous Startegic Partnership around the issue of involvment for refugees and migrants. Now two innovative new aspects will be realized: 1) Thematicly we want to break up all the clichés and strive for an open society for all, the disadvantaged and the well-being. ""You are welcome"" should apply to all: young and old, poor and rich, indigenous and stangers, for all. 2) Structurally, the 7 partners (6 of them submit this application, Switzerland submits towards their own National Agency) want to share their theme and their concept of participatory volunteering work with young people with the Caritas-youth from 19 other European countries, thus creating a Europe-wide network of the cooperative solidarity. About the issue: ""You are welcome""! With the projects by the „Young Caritas in Europe“- network it was already possible to arouse great interest all over Europe. Migration and the following responsibility of inclusion into our society has become a main topic of Europe in the last years. To face the social challenges concerning this issue on local level, but also in a European context, is first priority for young people. A solidary community is extremely important for adolescents who identify themselves as part of a European collective. About the opening for other interested countries: ""You are welcome""! - the current network wants to open itself to interested countries, welcome them and organize actions and events promoting an exchange and a better understanding for each other. This opening should be formalised with the following request. With this, exchange and social commitment for one of the most important and current topics will be made possible for thousands of young people. Becoming active together and preventing any form of exclusion shall be our contribution to strengthen a fair and solidary Europe. Our goals are: • To give young people the opportunity to work together in a spirit of solidarity, to get to know each other across national boundaries and to jointly take action at European level, giving them the opportunity to act politically. Through this we want to reach several thousand youngsters. • To share the experiences in the network ""Young Caritas in Europe"" to others and eto xpand and open us as a network • To contribute to a better cooperation in our societies and to an awareness of the European idea We want to achieve this by: • Two action meetings of volunteers where they jointly develop actions, which are then implemented locally in the partner countries and beyond, for instance within the framework of the annual Young Caritas Action Day (for these two meetings advanced preparation meetings are necessary) • Participation of volunteers and staff employees in two trainings in St. Malo (as a content input) • Work in and work on our network through strategic meetings of the staff professionals where amongst others the multiplier event is being prepared • Conducting the multiplier event, the European Young Caritas Conference, in which we exchange experiences with our stakeholders, discuss the issue and discuss our future co-operation • Preparation of material for schools, publication of our work and our experience (on the website) and production of advertising material"

"The project ""Young Caritas Europa network"" intends the cross-linking of the previously existing national ""Young Caritas"" -departments from Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, France and Germany, and two regional / local ""Young Caritas"" - departments from South Tyrol (in representation of Caritas Italy) and Vienna (the first ""Young Caritas"" - departments in Europe at all). The ""Young Caritas"" concept is new and wants to invite young people to commit themselves in a creative, innovative way, with their own views for the society, for the benefit of people in precarious situations (with disability, in poverty, refugees, on the road ...) and in favor of issues of equity and sustainability (consumption, energy, environment, recycling, ...). A Europe-wide network corresponds to the desire of Young Caritas to promote solidarity and humanity in Europe, which includes the disadvantaged people and in which the young people want to invest voluntarily their energy.The project has the following objectives: 1 bring the committed young people from partner countries into contact with each other2 bring the professional full-time staff from the partner countries into contact with each other3 work out common themes that can be passed and used in the partner countries and in all Caritas organizations as a contribution to a better world 4 exchange and apply new types of activities and methods of voluntary work with young people 5 offer joint European actions (eg European Young Caritas days to a topic, European meeting of young people, ...) 6 formalize and intensify the already initiated efforts (eg the first european Young-Caritas-day on the subject of refuge and migration on 25th September 2014, the European Youth Exchanges YOUropean in Montenegro, Luxembourg and Germany (Berlin), the European Volunteering Service EVS,...) The project is requested for 2 years, so fixed contacts, solid processes and structures and common online platforms (website, Facebook group and page, Youtube channel, ..) can be established in favor of the sustainability of the network even after the expiry of the project. The linchpin of the dynamics of the network are on the one hand three transnational meetings at which representatives of the professionals and the young people come together, share and define the broad lines. On the other hand, young people from the partner countries should get to know each other in a Multiplier event in order to continue working together on the network.The impact of the ""Young-Caritas Europa network"" should be felt as well on all Young-Caritas-departments (local, regional, national) as on the Caritas groups and associations, on Caritas Europa and the civil society. The last and ultimate goal remains to offer opportunities to the young people to develop their social and human skills in the service of disadvantaged people and to provide these skills for a Europe which is based on solidarity, cultural wealth and the common social and human objectives of people."

"A vision of Europe - How do we want to live together in the future?Young Caritas is a concept of volunteering in social space: young people express their own worldview in a creative way and make their world more humane, more just, where they think it is necessary. The spectrum ranges from sustainability issues to personal encounters with people in precarious situations. This consciously refers to Europe: living European cohesion, being open to refugees and migrants, caring for people in poverty, preventing any form of exclusion, building a socially just and solidary Europe.The thematic focus of the Strategic Partnership is strongly oriented towards current socio-political developments and the interests of our target group. The topic of ""sustainability"", in all its facets and its comprehensive ecological, economic and especially social influence on us as a society and its possible visions for Europe. Young people have become a mouthpiece for our planet at the latest since Greta Thunberg, and socio-political commitment is on the agenda. At the same time, this creates awareness that nothing exists independently and that change requires visonary thinking and courageous action. Young people play an important role here. This vision of a Europe of the future in all its diversity is what we want to address in this partnership.Our aim is to give young people from different backgrounds the opportunity to work on a common, innovative vision for Europe. We want to promote active citizenship, peace, social inclusion and justice, environmental sustainability and solidarity, and give young people the opportunity to think innovatively and visionarily. It is not enough to dream of a Europe of the future. Dreams are expectations of the future and are important. They open new horizons, ideas and technologies. However, it is also important that we think about how these goals can be achieved and how our ideas can be realised. Young people will play an essential role in this process and must be strengthened to be able to play this role!Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, also said in her speech at the opening of the plenary session of the European Parliament that the pioneers of Europe have contributed with their visions, to a more united and just Europe (see: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/hu/speech_19_4230) As she continued, that today ""wir wieder kämpfen müssen und aufstehen müssen für unser Europa. Die ganze Welt ist herausgefordert, mit disruptiven Entwicklungen umzugehen, die auch an Europa nicht vorbeigehen. Der demografische Wandel, die Globalisierung der Weltwirtschaft, die rasante Digitalisierung unserer Arbeitswelt und natürlich der Klimawandel"" (https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/hu/speech_19_4230)."

"<< Background >>Fighting against the climate change and leaving no one behind in our societies are the two main challenges in this day and age. Our organisations share this position with Eramus+. Based on our organisations´ missions we already promote inclusion, solidarity, sustainability and the protection of the environment in our social circular economy businesses/projects for a long time. With the help of the project ""NICE"" we want to enhance the adult education potential of these businesses/projects in their communities in order to make them ""flagship"" stores/projects for circular economy & inclusion and a nucleus for ""ambassadors"" for circular economy & inclusion. For adult education professionals we develop a training curriculum of 10 steps for the development of their businesses/projects covering aspects like marketing, sales and public relation competences, strategies and arguments to start and maintain cooperation with other branches and stakeholders in the community, strategies to gain product design and store design competencies and creating awareness-raising material. For adult education learners we develop regardless their socio-economic backgrounds a training curriculum to become multipliers for issues of inclusion & circular economy. The training covers background information on production cycles, waste, consumption, recycling as well as on concepts of inclusion, reflection on personal consumption and status as well as on personal attitude towards inclusion, tools and techniques to create awareness and skills of self-representation. Through the project the local communities get inclusive learning places for adults (and their families) with expertise in circular economy issues for the whole community. Other adult education organisations and communities can use the material of NICE to stimulate equivalent developments in their regions.<< Objectives >>We want to enhance the adult education professionals in our and other social circular economy businesses/projects.We want to train adult learners to be able to multiply knowledge and the vision of inclusion and circular economy. Doing this we intend to empower the adult learners for their professional and private future lifes.We want to make the social circular economy businesses/projects as inclusive, attractive and inspiring places for the whole community dedicated to lifelong learning, to sustainability and solidarity.We want to bridge the gap between community members of different socio-economic backgrounds on the vision of circular economy and inclusion.We want to develop a role model for other NGOs and adult education organisations that can be followed and adapted.<< Implementation >>Beside activities linked to the project management and the steering of the project process the core activities of the project will exist of the development, piloting, evaluating, adapting and finalizing of the project results ""10 Steps to become a Flagship Store/Project for Inclusion and Circular Economy"" and ""European Training Curriculum for Ambassadors for Inclusion and Circular economy"". We do this by research and conceptual work, by the implementation of two LTTAs in Italy and Bulgaria, by a piloting phase of 10 months with 10 adult education professionals and 10 adult education learners in each participating organisation, by transnational mini-digital-training-sessions for the target groups and by layout and publication work. For dissemination we use a project website, the partners´ project websites, a newsletter and media releases. Multipyling events in all partner countries and the monitoring work of consulting committees in all partner countries contribute to the dissemination of the project results.<< Results >>We expect to produce two project results: ""10 Steps to become a Flagship Store/Project for Inclusion and Circular Economy"" and ""European Training Curriculum for Ambassadors for Inclusion and Circular economy"". The first one will be a training curriculum for adult education professionals with guidelines, tools, good practices and examples of adult education activities including awareness-raising material on waste and circular economy. The second one will be a training curriculum for adult education learners focussing on knowledge and issues of inclusion and circular economy and soft skills.In terms of visible project products there will be also awareness-raising material, a project website, a project ""teaser"" (bookmark or postcard), 6 newsletters and information material on the project.At the end there will be at least one multiplying event in each partner country with 50 participants on average."

“HelpEx: European Qualification of Ex-Patients in the Helping Process of Rehabilitation and Recovery” is a European partnership of 8 participating organizations in 6 European countries (DE, IT, FR, CZ, PL, ML) which lasts from September 2019 to August 2022. The participating organizations are service providers in the field of mental health and provide rehabilitation and recovery services (ambulant and/or stationary) for people with mental health problems/disorders and/or substanse abuse problems.Due to the significant prevalence of mental health problems and substance abuse problems among European citizens and the political demand for inclusion, strengthening patients´ rights and empowering civil forces, the partnership develops a training curriculum for ex-patients to become assistants in rehabilitation and recovery services for patients with substance abuse problems and/or mental disorders. Complementary to the training curriculum for ex-patients the partnership also develops a training curriculum for professionals in rehabilitation and recovery services for patients with substance abuse problems and/or mental disorders to coordinate and supervise ex-patients and cooperate with them in the helping process. In order to be able to mainstream these vocational competences in the mental health system the partners also create country specific analyses of the structures and recommendations for the structural integration of the assistants in the mental health system of the partner countries. These results will be presented in three intellectual outputs (documents).People who have a personal history and experiences with mental health problems are called ex-patients in this project. They can have overcome their problems without help, may have been clients and patients of the partners or may have sought help somewhere else. Professionals in the project are considered to be paid staff members of the partners who help patients to rehabilitate and recover. They can be therapists, social workers, doctors, psychologists.For the development of the training curricula and the analyses the partners work together in 6 transnational meetings and via ICT and implement pilot trainings in their own services with 30 ex-patients and professionals. Selected parts of the trainings are implemented in two joint short-term staff trainings for 14 ex-patients and 14 professionals during the second project year.For dissemination the partners implement a multiplying event of 50 participants in each partner country, create a project website, put the results on the partner websites and on an OER platform, write 4 project newsletters and follow a dissemination plan for each country.The impact of the project is: more human ressources in mental health services, a higher quality of rehabilitation and recovery services by brining the ex-patients´ perspectives and experiences to the helping process and an empowerment of patients and civil forces.