Training Course

Introduction to Organising International Youth Activities

Dead line 6 Jan 2003

Why does the Directorate of Youth and Sport organise Training Courses?

In recent years, training has become an increasingly important instrument to pursue the aims and principles of the Council of Europe's youth policy. Similarly, within youth movements and institutions, it is nowadays acknowledged that the ever-growing complexity and diversity of youth work requires competent and motivated volunteers or staff members to secure quality and a maximisation of results. For those active in youth work, on a volunteer or remunerated basis, temporarily or permanently, the commitment put into and the experience acquired in youth work can be better valued in other professional circles if accompanied by training.

At the level of European youth activities - and what may be broadly defined as European youth work - training is necessary and important in order to prepare those volunteers or professionals to act within an international and intercultural environment and generally to develop their competence to work and act within a European framework. The priorities of international youth organisations and also those of the Council of Europe have traditionally been put in this area, through the training of leaders to run international youth activities, youth projects, to run and develop European organisations and generally to participate in the definition of European youth policy. The need for intercultural competence has also been highlighted in the European Union's YOUTH programme. A Partnership exists between the Council of Europe and the European Commission, precisely in the area of training.

Main Aim of the Training Course: "Introduction to Organising International Youth Activities"

The main aim of this course is to give an introduction to the basic concepts and practices of organising international youth activities, such as seminars, exchanges and training courses. Following the questions of why and how to organise international youth activities, this training course will focus on the process of preparation, and encourage reflection on intercultural learning.

Core Objectives

  a.. To provide a complementary European training to participants involved in running European or international youth activities;

  b.. To increase participants' knowledge and awareness about the basic concepts and practices of organising youth activities with an international and/or European dimension;

  c.. To increase the participants' competence and motivation to introduce and deal with intercultural learning in international and/or European youth activities.

Content of the Course

The programme will start with an extended period of getting to know each other and the youth organisations represented. In order to exploit positively the experiences of participants and team members as they enter into a new situation, encountering many different nationalities and cultures, the central role of intercultural learning will be emphasised through relevant methods and reflection. This process will include the opportunity to review and analyse the role of youth work and European activities, the situation of, and problems affecting, young people, European identity issues, etc.

The core content of the course will cover the theoretical and practical aspects of organising international youth activities, as well as skills training: setting objectives, working in a team, communication, preparing a programme, setting and managing budgets, follow-up, etc. Practical exercises covering the various types of activities will enable participants to gain practical experience.

Guidelines, principles and information on fund raising and obtaining resources from international structures will also be provided.

The course also comprises free time and leisure activities. These informal moments are equally valuable as working and learning in an intercultural group process.

Participants will receive further information before the course, including the draft programme. A file containing reference material will be provided at the end of the course.

Methodology

An experienced international preparatory team will plan the programme of this training course. The whole course is, however, perceived as a mutual learning situation based on participants' experience in youth work. Emphasis will be placed on developing this experience. Active participation, group and team work and learning-by-doing form the methodological foundations of the course.

Languages

English and Russian are the working languages of the course. However, to better evaluate the participants' language capacities, candidates are requested to state in their application forms all the languages in which they are able to work. Candidates must have sufficient understanding of either of the working languages in order to comprehend and complete this application form without assistance from another person.

Profile of Participants

Participants and organising team members who are active members of International Youth Organisations (INGYOs), National Youth Councils (NYCs), governmental services and other partners - particularly those co-operating with the European Youth Centre or the European Youth Foundation - and who are (or intend to be) responsible for organising youth activities at European or international level will be selected for this course. The following are examples of suitable participants for this course: members of an international activity preparatory team, youth exchange organisers or project leaders, etc.

In general, candidates should:

  a.. be aged between 18 and 30 (exceptions may be made on the basis of justification);

  b.. be actively involved in a youth organisation, preferably in the field of international co-operation or activities, or be preparing to take on responsibilities at an international level;

  c.. be well informed about their organisation and prepared to explain its activities to the other participants;

  d.. be able to work in one of the two working languages of the course;

  e.. be committed to attend for the entire duration of the course and be supported by their youth organisation or service.

Educational Team of the Course

The educational team of the course will be composed of EYC educational advisors, trainers appointed by the European Youth Forum, as well as external training consultants.

Application Procedure and Selection of Participants

All candidates must apply using the enclosed application form. This form should be sent directly to the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg, together with a letter of recommendation from the sending organisation or service, by 6 January 2003.

The preparatory team will make the selection of participants on the basis of the motivation, perceived training needs, experience and potential for multiplication by individual candidates. In addition, the team will try to ensure a balance between gender, geographical regions, and different types of experiences, cultural backgrounds and organisations. We would kindly ask the sending organisations to co-ordinate their applications and propose a maximum of three candidates for this course in order of priority. The preparatory team will try, as far as possible, to respect the organisations' priorities.

The European Youth Centre promotes the participation of young workers or unemployed people, young women and candidates from environments and countries with lesser-developed training structures, members of minority communities and peripheral regions in Europe. Candidates will be informed in March 2003 whether they have been accepted, put on the waiting list or refused. The accepted candidates will receive all relevant course documentation in due course. The sending organisations and their successful applicants are reminded that once a candidate has been placed on the final list, they must make every effort to attend for the full duration of the course. If, for any exceptional reason, they are unable to take up the offer of a place, they must inform the Directorate of Youth and Sport immediately. Replacements, but not necessarily candidates from the same organisation, will be taken from the waiting list.

Enrolment Fee, Travel, Costs of the Course and Compensation for loss of earnings

Board and lodging are provided and paid for by the Directorate of Youth and Sport. Travel expenses and visa fees (on presentation of the relevant receipts) are reimbursed according to Directorate of Youth and Sport rules, similar to those applied to study sessions. Payment will be made either by bank transfer after the course, or at the end of the course in cash. An enrolment fee of 54 ? per participant will be deducted from the amount to be reimbursed for travel expenses. The Directorate of Youth and Sport operates a system of compensation for cost of living for young workers and young unemployed who are obliged to take unpaid leave in order to attend one of its activities - further details are sent at a later stage to those participants accepted.

Other EYC Training Courses

If you are interested in a training course in international youth work, but your profile does not fully correspond with the requirements of this course, please note that the Directorate of Youth and Sport organises other training courses, such as

    a.. Long Term Training Course for Projects with an Intercultural Dimension

    b.. Training Course on Organisational Management

    c.. Training Course on Conflict Transformation in Multi-Cultural Youth Activities

    d.. Training Course on Intercultural dialogue and Human Rights Education in the Mediterranean

    e.. Training for Trainers

    f.. Training for Trainers in Human Rights Education with young people

    g.. Assistance Programme training courses

    h.. Training courses within the framework of the partnership of Council of Europe (Directorate of Youth and Sport) and the European Commission

    i.. Regional Training courses on Human Rights Education

Further information about these courses can be obtained from the Directorate of Youth and Sport Secretariat or on our web sites http://www.coe.int/youth or http://www.eycb.coe.int.

Council of Europe Directorate of Youth and Sport

European Youth Centre Strasbourg
30, rue Pierre de Coubertin
F - 67000 Strasbourg, France
Tel: +33 3 88 41 23 00
Fax: +33 3 88 41 27 77/78
E-mail: nina.kapoor@coe.int
http://www.coe.int/youth