Project name:
Team for European Networking (T.E.N.)
Project number:
2018-1-HR01-KA125-047284
Project duration:
01.09.2018 – 31.07.2019
Coordinating/host organisation:
LDA Local Democracy Agency Verteneglio
Partner/sending organisations:
Open Door International e. V., Köln, Germany
Mladiinfo ČR, Brno, Czech Republic
Soc. Coop. Soc. “Il Piccolo Principe”, Casarsa della Delizia, Italy
Asocijacija za demokratski prosperitet – Zid, Podgorica, Montenegro
Volunteers:
Selina Andric
Nardi Ahmetovic
Marta Ceotto
The long-term volunteering project Team for European Networking is the tenth long-term volunteering project which LDA Brtonigla develops as a pioneer in Croatia since 2009. The common theme in each of the past projects has been the development of youth’s capacity and potential while bringing different European cultures together to share, work and explore Croatia. The trans-formative power of EVS projects has brought numerous positive changes in the life of the local community in Brtonigla and across Istria, improved and expanded the network of partnerships of the agency, improved the professional standards and expertise applied in all of the local, regional and international work, and has empowered the life of the young Europeans who chose to volunteer with us and realize their potential, enriched with new knowledge, skills and perspective.
The current project aims to focus on networking, connecting the active Europeans, driven by different cause to improve the life in their community and turning the attention on fighting the similar (for different European communities) challenges, important locally and nationally. It aims at building bridges between the representatives of active European citizens who empower for original local solutions based on the European values and principles. The volunteers will be able to create networks of the root-grass leaders, organizations who share and voice their experience, achievements and vision, among themselves and across Europe. These networks will build a deeper understanding that regardless the differences in the national processes, there are common problems and common goals for all Europeans through bottom-up initiatives and active engagement of the citizens.
The concrete objectives follow that concept by aiming at enabling the volunteers’ creativity and originality. The volunteers original point of view will be encouraged in presenting and connecting the faces, the organizations and the themes in the youth’s life in their own communities: environment, institutions and technology, laws, culture, social topics, etc. They will be able to learn and compare, together with the local youth of Istria how and in what areas they face similar challenges, defined goals and essentially understand each other and establish networks. The networking will draw parallels and map of the locally diverse, but in its totality common goals and agenda of the young Europeans, across geographical, political and historical divisions. The project aims at:
1) The agency’s team to enable the creative process of presenting to the local community and internationally, volunteers’ local communities causes, goals and active leaders and organizations;
2) Support the individual project ideas which the volunteers want to develop in the context of the agency’s resources and system of partnerships;
3) Through participation in the work of some of the agency’s partners to collaborate, learn and train skills with the local people and institutions such as the kindergarten, the Center for inclusion and the touristic office;
4) To raise the awareness of the Erasmus plus programme opportunities for young people;
5) Contribute for the inter-cultural dialogue, among the volunteers and with the local community.
Croatia shares many of the persistent problems with the other Eastern and Western member states, and the T.E.N. project will provide a platform for information circulation, experience exchange and will align creative thinking on concrete topics among the participants.
During the project, the Erasmus+ programme, its goals and opportunities will reach to more young people in the countries of our partners through various events, meetings, presentations and social media. Life in Istria, the programme activities and the personal initiatives of the volunteers will shape an eleven months learning process, individually for each participant and as a group experience. This individual learning process will be the basis on which each volunteer will express and point to the concrete possibilities for personal growth through the programme when meeting with the local youth and through personal blogs, presentations, photo galleries and other original forms chosen by the volunteers.
The design of the project fully matches the goals of Erasmus+ programme, aiming to improve the level of competences and skills of the youth, to promote active citizenship, the EU standards and values, social inclusion. The project will also affect positively the cooperation, organizational and presentational skills. It will be a valuable contribution to the international dimension of youth activities of the agency and its partners.
On the side of the local community, it will benefit from: the presence and the activities of the volunteers, the possibility to collaborate with them in the project activities and local festivities, learn their languages, get to know their original cultures and create new friendships.