Description
In the NEETs For NEETs Erasmus+ funded project, partners believe that NEETs know best about their situation, and thus could train those professionals working with them on how to improve co-creative mindsets at different workplaces. The idea is to create these NEETs-led training activities together with NEETs, rather than creating empowerment tools for NEETs without their say in it.
Beneficiaries
While NEETs are the beneficiaries , the target group of the project includes professionals working with NEETs and vulnerable/disadvantaged youth at risk of becoming NEETs, such as:
- social workers;
- refugee case workers;
- teachers in adult education and non-formal adult education;
- other staff members in education centres such as assistants, social pedagogues, caretakers, lunch restaurant & café staff, etc.;
- job counsellors;
- study and vocational guidance counsellors;
- case managers.
Potential working contexts of the target group include:
- civil society organisations (CSOs);
- NGOs;
- municipal labour departments;
- public employment services (PES) and/or public bodies;
- social services;
- social insurance agencies;
- employment agencies;
- adult education and non-formal education centres, such as folk high schools.
Aims of policy/initiative
The main rationale is to foster a participatory approach by developing tools for NEETs together with NEETs. Within this context, NEETs themeselves can train professionals working with supporting NEETs on a daily basis. By doing so, the project aims that today’s NEETs will be able to play a (substantial) part in improving the skills of the professionals of the future, thus supporting future NEETs. This is why the project’s name is: NEETs for NEETs!
The objectives of our initiative/ practice are:
O1: NEETs training NEETs at local level
O2: NEETs training professionals
O3: NEETs training NEETs in different European countries
O4: Summarising the competence development toolkit
O5: Creating a handbook of best practices – for dissemination and future activities!
Features and types of activities implemented
Thanks to the civil society organisations involved in the project (Save the Children and Support Group Network), this project is inspired by their existing toolkit called ReACT. This toolkit was developed together with refugees in contexts where integration and job counselling for third country nationals needed to be boosted.
This toolkit consists of the following activities:
1. Storytelling
2. Co-creation
3. Forum theatre
4. Strategic planning
5. Interculturality
6. Communication & Leadership
Resources
EUR 296 272. Funded by Erasmus+.
5-10 staff members repeatedly represented in the project from all 9 project partners.
Evaluation of the measure
Evaluation is ongoing. For more information please see the final report, which will be published together with the NEETs for NEETs handbook in December 2023.
Evidence of effectiveness of the measure
So far, we have had several local pilots and one workshop at European level.
As the project aims to encourage self-reflection among professionals working with NEETs with a view of adopting a new attitude by changing their own mindset towards a more co-creative one, they have told us that the workshops are having an impact on their perspectives on the importance of co-creation activities.
Several NEETs too have told us that they have gained self-confidence throughout the activities chaging their lives to the better.
More information is available in the following EARLALL articles:
Youth Experience in the NEETs For NEETs Training Workshops | EARLALL
First Training Workshop for NEETs for NEETs held in Stuttgart | EARLALL
Success factors
The key success factor of the project is its own focus: training the professionals who work with NEETs to be able to support them effectively.