HEY! Project · Erasmus+
This project is part of the Erasmus+ KA220- YOU Cooperation partnerships in Youth program and is carried out in collaboration with 7 partner organizations from 6 European countries (CY, ITA, IE, FR, SP, PT): SPAO (Social Policy & Action Organization), ALDA (European Association for Local Democracy), REDIAL, PROIMPRESA, AGIS-NOTE & INNOVE y ROTA JOVEM.
Start and end date: 05/01/2022 – 04/01/20224
Based on a holistic approach, the HEY! project seeks to strengthen the capacities of the young population, especially those with fewer opportunities, who have suffered the socioeconomic and health consequences caused not only by the pandemic, but also by the growing social exclusion in the fields of education, the labor market, access to housing, health and participation in society, as a result of the lack of social policies that respond to their needs in recent decades.
Actions carried out within the project:
Guide: HEY! What is happening?
During this 1st phase of the HEY! project we will carry out 6 field research reports on the 3 focus groups per country. In addition we will conduct 10 interviews with returnees (60 in total) and a guide “HEY! What is Happening? translated into all project languages.
Collaborative documentary: HEY! Tell me your story
Storytelling workshop and a shared space of encounter and collective reflection on the difficulties experienced by young people during their transition into adulthood. A space where our story(s) turn into tools that will allows us to create new imaginaries, paths and possibilities.
Who are we addressing?
The project aims to contribute to the empowerment of young people, and is aimed primarily at:
Returnees to their countries of origin, including students and financial migrants who are in the process of reintegrating into society.
Ni-Nis, including the unemployed, youth facing social/cultural and/or financial barriers, suffering from substance abuse, ethnic, racial, minority, religious identities and with disabilities, to facilitate their development as active citizens in building more equitable and inclusive, socially and economically independent communities.
The project also aims to improve social work practice and will train social workers, job counselors, guidance counselors, private and public social service providers working with the youth population through capacity building to equip them with effective digital and innovative tools, enabling them to provide training and mentoring services and to address the youth policy challenges of the last decades.
What is our strategy?
To this end the H.E.Y project establishes a transnational strategy for smart and digital youth work through a series of actions aiming to:
1. To present data, information and life stories of these young people on how the pandemic is amplifying existing vulnerabilities in this group, and how youth social work responds to the needs, while providing suggestions on its role in the current context, through cross-border comparative research including mapping and exchange of good practices.
2. Foster the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities, returnees and others by creating a safe space for them to become active citizens. Inclusion will be fostered, increasing competences and self-esteem through storytelling, and co-production methods.
3. Empower social workers through a training programme to strengthen resilience and response capacity, incorporating comprehensive support, a coherent set of competencies, tools and methodologies.
4. Enhance skills and competencies, through the provision of a source of access to e-learning training tools and an interactive training and learning platform to foster the smooth integration of young people into society.
5. Support young people through mentoring and peer-to-peer consultations connecting young people with each other and with support staff.
6. Develop a policy recommendation booklet for the development of youth civic engagement policies, programmes, practices and interventions.
Project phases
The project consists of 6 phases offering activities in relation to the above-mentioned objectives:
- PR1 – Guide. “HEY! What is Happening? May – October 2022:
During this first phase we will conduct 6 National Field Research Reports on the 3 Focus Groups per country: 1st FG: 10 young people, 2nd FG: 10 professionals/social workers, 3rd FG: 5 public and private entities in the field of youth work, plus 10 interviews with returnees or young people linked regionally per country (60 in total) and a guide “HEY! What is Happening? translated into all project languages. For more information please click here. - PR2 – Life stories in documentary form. “HEY! Tell Me Your Story!”November 2022-April 2023: Audiovisual storytelling workshops in each country over 5 days. As a result we will present 6 documentaries, one for each country.
- PR3 – Training programme. “HEY! Capacity building of the Youth work” May- October 2022: Training Outline (Curriculum) and 5 Training Modules.
- LTTA (Learning Teaching Training Activities): Learning and Teaching Training Activities. August 2023: “H.E.Y! Heightening the Engagement of Youth” will be an event organised in Italy for 5 days with 28 social workers in total. The aim is to pilot test the training modules developed during the project, enhance skills and competences in the use of training tools and non-formal methodologies.
- National pilot trainings. September-October 2023: Involving 60 social workers and 35 young people in total. Over 3 days we will meet with the aim of testing tools and training approaches in the national context. We will be accompanied by service providers and young people, the aim being to foster a method of co-production and an opportunity for young people to act not only as service users but also as service providers.
- PR4- HEY! E-learning and training platform. Launch in 2024.
PR5- HEY! Online tutoring and peer-to-peer support and consultation:- September-October 2023: 3 virtual Tutor Training Workshops.
- October 2023: Organisation of 1 virtual Training Workshop for Trainees.
- November 2024: Organisation of 1 Peer Support Virtual Training Workshop.
- December 2023-January 2024: Implementation of Peer Support.
- PR6 HEY! Now What? Youth Policy Recommendations.
- 6 HEY dissemination conferences in each partner country during 2024 with the main objective to disseminate the project results and share the knowledge acquired during the project implementation with public and private key actors.