There are a few days left from an innovative project called ‘‘The suitcase, the map and the voyage of a youth worker” aimed at creating some online tools which could facilitate the process of professional life planning, the non-formal learning, informing young people and professionalise the occupation of youth worker. The project was funded by the European Commission through Erasmus+ KA2, Strategic Partnerships in the field of education, training and youth.
In 2 years the partners involved succeeded to achieve even more than the established objectives:
- To prepare a range of 3 necessary tools for youth workers;
- To build and test an online training course for 50 people interested in becoming youth workers;
- To allow 200 young people to test a full range of innovative tools, developed in the project, in order to develop their personal and professional life plan with the support of youth workers;
- To create and have 200 young people test an online training course for one key competence (Learning to learn) from the Reference Framework;
- To certify 18 people interested in becoming youth workers on an official occupational standard;
- To build an international partnership network of 9 structures, in the field of youth work.
The consortium was composed of 9 partners from 6 countries: Predict CSD Consulting, Millennium Center youth organization, “Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad, Schultz Development (all from Romania), Dacorum Council for Voluntary Service (United Kingdom), Asociacion Cultural Integra (Spain), Organization for Promotion of European Issues (Cyprus), Fundacja Centrum Aktywności Tworczej (Poland) and Euro-Net (Italy).
All the main products are online and ready to be used, for free, during this period on the web-site which had more than 23000 unique visits in 2017: http://thevoyage.eu. So far 2400 people from 61 countries already register themselves on the platform and explored it on different levels. The available modules/courses are the followings:
Online course – Youth worker: a training course for the youth worker aimed at those who would like to find out more about “the youth guides”. Some basic elements were covered in these areas: the youth worker profession, a short history of youth work, responsibilities of a youth worker in Erasmus+ programme, group dynamics, communication, types of intelligence, learning, motivation, managing diversity, conflict management, personal and professional plan, SMART objectives, cooperation inside a community and informing young people.
Online course – Learning to learn: online training course and assessment tool for one key competence: learning to learn. Key chapters/steps approached there: an overview of learning to learn competence, time management, information management and the proper lifestyle for quick learning.
The Simulation box of jobs – Interactive area: this module let people to figure out what kind of jobs would suit them best, at least from the first 10 which are proposed here: nurse, doctor, automotive operator, sales representative, manager, driver, teacher, engineer, IT programmer and sportsperson.
The Career Box – Interactive career guidance guide: tools to be used in getting ready for a career nowadays, from discovering the inner preferences to preparing for an interview.
These modules/courses can be explored by the young people and the youth workers to support their learning process. In addition, youth workers can use these basic modules/courses, or a part of them, in their work with young people. All they have to do is to register for free on the platform http://thevoyage.eu and start to use it!
