Learning Bridges
Building bridges between Europe and Latin America in the field of International Voluntary Service
“Learning Bridges to Youth Empowerment, Creativity and Participation” is a project funded by the European Union through the Youth in Action Programme (Action 3.2). It is coordinated by the Alliance of European Voluntary Organisations with the participation of 8 European 10 Latin American organisations. The project comes from the common assessment within the Alliance that “international volunteering” can be a fundamental tool, that leads to youth empowerment and to the development of key competences, necessary to make young people think critically, participate actively in the local communities and into the labour market.
The main goal is to create a space to explore and analyze innovative and alternative ways for the reinforcement of social cohesion, civil society development and inclusion.
The plan of activities includes:
- a Kick-off networking seminar (December 2012, Tepoztlan-Mexico, hosted by VIMEX)
- a Multipliers’ Training on Youth empowerment in voluntary projects combined with a field visit (February 2013, Morelia-Mexico, hosted by VIVE Mexico)
- 8 Job Shadowings dedicated to networking actions between Europe and Latin America
- an Evaluation meeting and final dissemination event (September 2013, Belgium, hosted by JAVVA)
- local awareness campaigns/events in 18 different countries,
- an international logo contest
Along the entire project participants will develop and collect examples of good practices, innovative approaches, educational methods, successful stories about volunteering, youth participation and empowerment. The material will be collected in a booklet published in English and Spanish, and spread at local and international level.
Through the activities organized and the material produced, we expect:
- an increase in the number of youth, specially from disadvantaged background, participating for the first time in local or international volunteering projects run since 2013,
- the creation of direct links of cooperation and mutual support between EU and Latin American organisations,
- the improvement of the training capacities of key youth workers in the partner organisations,
- the enhancement of learning support measures for volunteers in international voluntary projects.
This is the final overview of the local and international activities implemented
