International forum ”ME TOO! Conversations on social inclusion”

If you already do this… ...You are working with young people with fewer opportunities and/or special needs in order to foster social inclusion. ...You have developed local/international project with youngsters with fewer opportunities and/or special needs that you consider to be an example of good practice. …and are interested in… ...sharing your experiences, thoughts, and learning experiences; ...listening and learning from other participants; ...reflecting about what additional value an international dimension gives to inclusion projects; ...exploring how to extend your practice to the international level within and beyond Erasmus +: Youth in Action? Then you are just the person we are looking for to take part in this Forum. In this forum nobody will tell you how to do your job. We are convinced that you do it well and therefore have many great experiences to share with other professionals in the field. The forum will provide space for exchange, make sure that conversation on inclusion flows and that you will be inspired by good practices and approaches from other countries. We will also explore pros and cons of working on inclusion at the international level and see how Erasmus +: Youth in Action can support you in that. Still interested? Then do not hesitate and apply! We hope to see you in Ljubljana! *** BACKGROUND INFORMATION Since the very beginning, EU programmes in the field of youth have been putting special emphasis on the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities. In 2007 the first Youth in Action Inclusion Strategy was launched and between 2007 and 2013, the EU Youth in Action programme reached successful results as regards social inclusion. However, recent research findings suggest that the Programme could still further improve its outreach to different disadvantaged groups of youngsters. In 2014 a new, revised Strategy for Inclusion and Diversity has been launched in order to support a greater impact of the Programme in targeting young people with fewer opportunities and to ensure that Erasmus+ responds positively to diversity in the field of Youth. However, the financial support and other support measures that the Programme provides for the inclusion of disadvantaged groups often makes it difficult , to overcome different obstacles that the organisations working in this area face when engaging in international (and sometimes also local) activities with disadvantaged youngsters. In the past years we have noticed that youth organisations that are well connected in their local environments with different specialised institutions dealing with disadvantaged groups of youngsters, be it public or private, seem to be quite successful in dealing with these challenges and are including young people with fewer opportunities in their projects in an efficient and meaningful way. We would therefore be interested in exploring this aspect further and see, if and how such local cooperation could be successfully upgraded into international cooperation. Furthermore, we would like to explore, how the development of international partnerships can support the inclusion of young people at the local level. AIMS AND CONTENTS OF THE FORUM We have decided to call the event “forum”. In the Roman times, the forum served as a marketplace and an important social meeting place where diverse activities took place, including political discussions and debates. It is our wish that this event would serve similar purposes in the frame of youth work activities contributing to better inclusion of youngsters with fewer opportunities and special needs into the society. The forum aims to bring together about 50 experienced practitioners working with young people with fewer opportunities to exchange, discuss and learn from successful and challenging practices, see what works well and what are major challenges and needs faced by organisations working in this field. In particular, the forum will try to: • identify and present examples of good practice at international and local levels contributing to inclusion of young people at local level; • explore success factors for inclusion projects at local and international levels with a particular focus on cooperation between partners / sectors; • create space for in-depth discussions on social inclusion issues & topics relevant to participants; • reflect on Erasmus+: Youth in Action and other programmes as tools for inclusion DATES AND VENUE The activity will take place in Hotel Lev (www.union-hotels.eu/en/hotel-lev/) in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 24-27 November 2015. ARRIVALS, DEPARTURES AND A WELCOME TOUR THROUGH “Invisible Lublana” The participants are expected to arrive on the 24th of November as early as possible to be able to participate in the special welcome tour scheduled for mid & late afternoon (see information about the tour and schedules below). EXTRACT FROM THE PRESENTATION: The tour is called “Invisible Lublana” and it does not show you traditional touristic spots, stories and legends – we want to show you another side of Ljubljana. Tours are guided by people who experienced homelessness on the streets of Ljubljana and the routes have been chosen by the guides themselves. Tour groups are small and intimate (up to 9 participants), which gives you a chance to connect with your guide. If you have some special interests and topics connected with streets of Ljubljana, feel welcome and free to ask! Guides will be glad to show you many hidden places and tell you everything they know based on their first-hand experience. The tour will be organised in two rounds: • Tuesday, 24th of November, 15:00-16:30 • Tuesday, 24th of November, 17:00-18:30 (For those that will not manage to participate in any of the two rounds on 24th, another round will be organised on Saturday, 28th of November, 10:00-11:30.) Please note that the tour will be organised in any weather conditions as to reflect the reality of homeless people, so make sure you bring some sturdy boots, warm coat and an umbrella! TARGET GROUP AND NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS The forum will gather 50 participants representing: • Youth organisations working with young people with fewer opportunities on the local level who are interested in establishing international inclusion projects. (Priority will be given to those who are working on the local level in cooperation with other specialised institutions from their local environment. In limited cases, participation of the representative of the local partner institution will also be possible.) • Youth organisations working with young people with fewer opportunities, who have already established successful international cooperation with partners from abroad either in the frame of the Erasmus+ Youth in Action programme (exchanges, EVS, etc.) or beyond. PROGRAMME See the programme and other important information in the PDF call (under Downloads!)