Twenty years ago, JEF Europe and its member organisations were launching the Europe@School program. This project was aiming at raising awareness about Europe and developing a European identity among young people and consisted of interventions in the formal school system and in non-formal learning contexts, using non-formal education and learning methods, reaching out to thousands of young people.

We want to do more. One of the needs that was identified is that the youth workers/educators do not have the competences and tools to work with disadvantaged groups (especially young people with disabilities, Roma and other minority groups, as well as young migrants and refugees). Moreover, they lack access to information on European policy/regulatory developments and opportunities related to their work and the empowerment of these groups.

With the Work Plan 2020, JEF Europe will develop the competences of its members and educators, as well as representatives of other organisations to work with different disadvantaged groups and will develop a platform giving information about developments affecting them on European level.

Aims and goals

The main aims are thus:

• Offer capacity building to youth workers and educators on European Civic Education for disadvantaged groups of learners, developing their competences to work with people with disabilities, Roma and other minority groups, as well as young migrants and refugees.
• Adapt non-formal education tools used in European Civic Education to work with disadvantaged groups, including people with disabilities, Roma and other minority groups, as well as young migrants and refugees.
• Develop online educational tools for delivering monthly updates on policy/regulatory developments and opportunities at the European level that are relevant to youth workers, educators and activists at the local level.

Main Activities 

Activity 1: Expert Meeting – Brussels, 5-7 February 2020

It will aim at setting up the bases for the whole implementation of the Work Plan and will establish the links between the different organisations. It will also adapt the tools developed for the programme Europe@School to fit all the learning needs of the target groups. Finally, it will give directions for the development of podcasts/webinars on European current policy/regulatory developments and opportunities relevant to young people and for the capacity building of the youth workers

Activity 2: Online Capacity Building Trainings (November). 

Three international seminars will be hold. They will aim at offering capacity building to youth leaders and youth workers involved in European civic education on how to work with different groups of learners. The seminars will be organised online through Click Meeting and will gather 15-20 participants.

Activity 3: Local follow-up workshops (from November to December)

The participants of the seminars, with the support of the partner organisations, will organise online local workshops with schools and youth centers all over Europe as a follow-up of the seminars. They will create an opportunity for the youth workers and activists trained during the previous phase to use their newly acquired skills and the tools developed during the expert meeting. Altogether, there will be at least 12 local workshops implemented.

Activity 4: Webinars/Podcasts – Online Education 

Due to the difficult language used by European Institutions, youth workers and educators find it difficult to understand what the relevant developments are that would/can affect them and the young people they work with. Therefore, those webinars/podcasts will be giving accessible information about policy/regulatory developments and opportunities at the European level that are relevant to the work of youth activists and educators, especially ones working with disadvantaged groups.

Activity 5: Final Conference – Hubs events, December 2020   

This Conference will put an end to the Work Plan. On the one hand, it will conclude and evaluate the Work Plan, including its activities and outputs and reflect on the next steps and how to make the best use of its outcomes beyond the time frame of the project. On the other hand, it will promote and disseminate those outcomes.

More information on the activities and outcomes of the project on Europe@School website. (currently under work)