Our partner organizations recognized an urgent need to better understand and address identity-related challenges faced by the young people they work with. In the context of cultural shifts, media influence, economic instability, and rising polarization, youth workers needed new strategies and methods to support young people in exploring and strengthening their identities. The project was designed to deepen this understanding and enhance youth work practices within our network.
The project aimed to build the capacity of partner organizations by:
- Conducting an in-depth analysis of identity-related challenges among young people in our communities;
- Exchanging experiences, methods, and best practices among youth workers;
- Developing and testing a methodology, including a training course, to support youth workers in addressing identity, diversity, and inclusion;
- Creating strategies for integrating these approaches into the long-term work of each partner organization.
To achieve these goals, we carried out:
- A collaborative survey to explore identity-related challenges in our target groups;
- A methodological workshop for youth workers to exchange and refine approaches;
- A training course on non-formal education methods for working with identity, diversity, and inclusion;
- Local pilot activities to test and adapt methods within partner organizations;
- The development of roadmaps for each organization to ensure long-term integration of project outcomes;
- Public events and presentations to share insights and inspire further discussions.
The project provided our partner organizations with new insights and tools for working with identity-related topics. As a result:
- Youth workers gained practical strategies for supporting young people in exploring identity and belonging;
- Partners enhanced their methodological approaches and incorporated new non-formal education tools;
- The collaboration strengthened connections between organizations, fostering a more dynamic exchange of practices;
- Awareness of identity challenges and inclusive approaches in youth work was raised within our network and beyond.
Thus, the project has strengthened the capacity of participating organizations to tackle identity-related challenges, expanded their ability to work on a European level, and contributed to greater recognition of youth identity issues within their communities.
While the project was tailored to the needs of our partner organizations, the experiences and methods developed can serve as inspiration for others working in the field of youth work and non-formal education.
Below you can download the training course programme developed and tested during the project and a description of the methods and activities we have adapted to work with the topic of identity.
Methods described in this workbook have been developed and chosen, as most effective, attractive between young people and youth workers and applicable in our local communities and organisations. They can be used during workshops and seminars focusing on the topic of identity, as well as for self-exploration purposes, they can be adapted to the audience and used while working with young people during meetings, summer camps, other non-formal education activities.
This training course aims to enhance the competency of young leaders and youth workers in recognizing and responding to identity-related issues in their daily work with youth groups. Participants engage in activities to raise awareness of their own identity and related challenges, increase their understanding of identity issues and their various categories, practice skills for identifying and addressing identity-related situations in youth groups, and develop specific practical steps to integrate their learning into their work with youth.
ADDRESS
c/o Alexey Kozlov
Torgauer Str. 63
12627 Berlin
Deutschland
CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Phone/fax: +491781723827
