In 2016 our member organisation Ofensiva Tinerilor and other project partners did a research in 5 countries on the inclusion and participation of young people with visual impairments in youth and lifelong learning activities (in the frame of an Erasmus+ funded project KA2 called “Erasmus 4 VIP”). The results were quite upsetting. For example, as little as 2% to 4% of youth with visual impairments were participating in activities conducted by a youth organisation and close to 90% of youth organisations were not providing accessible services to persons with visual impairments. Further research showed that this is quite a general trend, as in a lot of the EU28 countries the participation rate to non-formal activities of persons who have difficulties in performing basic activities is about half the one of the ones who are not facing these difficulties (Eurostat). Statistics, own research and observations indisputably showed that at EU level persons with disabilities have far less opportunities to get engaged in youth and non formal education activities than their peers with no disabilities.
The project
“Peers for Inclusion” comes as a response to the identified need in the form of an Erasmus+ KA1 Mobility for Youth workers project, involving partners from 11 countries (Belgium, Estonia, FYROM, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Turkey and the United Kingdom). It consists of 2 training modules that will take place in Arad, Romania, in 2018:
- Peers for Inclusion - Thematic Awareness Training (TAT*) - 15/05/18 > 21/05/18 - in Arad, Romania
(Arrival Day 14th of May / Departure Day 22rd of May)
During the “thematic awareness training” , youth workers will learn how to improve the activities that their associations are doing so that people with visual impairments can also participate. They will learn more about what they need to take into consideration when working with persons with visual impairments, how they should act as a sighted guide, how to prepare accessible working materials and much more.
- Peers for Inclusion - Train-The-Trainer (TTT*) - 19/09/18 > 23/09/18 - in Arad, Romania
(Arrival Day 18th of September / Departure Day 24th of September)
During the second training (19-23/09/18), the same participants who will have gained some experience in working with persons with disabilities will discover how to teach others to be more inclusive in their work. This “train-the-trainer” will give them the chance to develop their facilitation skills and to learn how to develop a training programme that addresses inclusion.
Peers for Diversity is a new European project funded by Erasmus+ and coordinated by our member organisation Ofensiva Tinerilor. It aims to train youth workers and youth mentors to use different peer education tools to fight cultural discrimination and to be able to raise awareness in their own communities through local workshops on this topic.
The project objectives are the following:
- To equip 20 youth workers through 2 x 6-day training activities to raise awareness about the complexity of diversity and to tackle discrimination, exclusion and extremism;
- To provide youth workers with competences (knowledge, skills and attitudes) and a certification to facilitate discussions and lead workshops about antidiscrimination with their peers;
- To prevent various forms of extremism among young people through the projects initiated by the peer trainers after their trainings;
- To promote the powerful impact of youth-led peer education projects on the integration of vulnerable groups.
In this frame, 2 trainings will be organised in 2018:
1. Thematic Awareness Training (TAT*) "Peer training against discrimination and extremism": 20.03.2018 - 25.03.2018 in Arad, Romania (Arrival day 19.03.18, departure day 26.03.18)
2. Train-the-Trainer (TTT*) against discrimination and extremism: October 2018 in Luxembourg
“Peers for Equality” is a new European project funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission (KA2 Capacity Building in the Field of Youth) coordinated by Ofensiva Tinerilor (Romania) in partnership with the European Peer Training Organisation (EPTO, Belgium) and Y-PEER Kyrgyzstan. It aims at developing the capacity of peer education platforms and NGOs for reducing gender-based discrimination. To achieve this, the partners will design a new peer education programme by exchanging, adapting and creating non-formal methods and tools which can be used in youth work. This programme will be put together in a new toolkit, upon which a group of 22 participants will be trained through 3 mobilities:
• a “thematic awareness training” (TAT) in April 2018 in Romania;
• a “train-the-trainer” (TTT) training in June 2018 in Kyrgyzstan;
• a “Peers-To-Professionals” (PTP) training in December 2018 in Belgium.
In 2016 our member organisation Ofensiva Tinerilor and other project partners did a research in 5 countries on the inclusion and participation of young people with visual impairments in youth and lifelong learning activities (in the frame of an Erasmus+ funded project KA2 called “Erasmus 4 VIP”). The results were quite upsetting. For example, as little as 2% to 4% of youth with visual impairments were participating in activities conducted by a youth organisation and close to 90% of youth organisations were not providing accessible services to persons with visual impairments. Further research showed that this is quite a general trend, as in a lot of the EU28 countries the participation rate to non-formal activities of persons who have difficulties in performing basic activities is about half the one of the ones who are not facing these difficulties (Eurostat). Statistics, own research and observations indisputably showed that at EU level persons with disabilities have far less opportunities to get engaged in youth and non formal education activities than their peers with no disabilities.
The project
“Peers for Inclusion” comes as a response to the identified need in the form of an Erasmus+ KA1 Mobility for Youth workers project, involving partners from 11 countries (Belgium, Estonia, FYROM, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Turkey and the United Kingdom). It consists of 2 training modules that will take place in Arad, Romania, in 2018:
- Peers for Inclusion - Thematic Awareness Training (TAT*) - 15/05/18 > 21/05/18 - in Arad, Romania
(Arrival Day 14th of May / Departure Day 22rd of May)
During the “thematic awareness training” , youth workers will learn how to improve the activities that their associations are doing so that people with visual impairments can also participate. They will learn more about what they need to take into consideration when working with persons with visual impairments, how they should act as a sighted guide, how to prepare accessible working materials and much more.
- Peers for Inclusion - Train-The-Trainer (TTT*) - 19/09/18 > 23/09/18 - in Arad, Romania
(Arrival Day 18th of September / Departure Day 24th of September)
During the second training (19-23/09/18), the same participants who will have gained some experience in working with persons with disabilities will discover how to teach others to be more inclusive in their work. This “train-the-trainer” will give them the chance to develop their facilitation skills and to learn how to develop a training programme that addresses inclusion.
Developing capacities for tackling gender based discrimination
Thematic Awareness Training “Peer training for tackling gender based discrimination”
19.04.2018 – 26.04.2018
Arad, Romania
Ofensiva Tinerilor is URGENTLY looking for 2 Romanian and 3 Belgian participants who are determined to go through this once-in-a-lifetime learning adventure!
“Peers for Equality” is a new European project funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission (KA2 Capacity Building in the Field of Youth) coordinated by Ofensiva Tinerilor (Romania) in partnership with the European Peer Training Organisation (EPTO, Belgium) and Y-PEER Kyrgyzstan. It aims at developing the capacity of peer education platforms and NGOs for reducing gender-based discrimination. To achieve this, the partners will design a new peer education programme by exchanging, adapting and creating non-formal methods and tools which can be used in youth work. This programme will be put together in a new toolkit, upon which a group of 22 participants will be trained through 3 mobilities:
• a “thematic awareness training” (TAT) in April 2018 in Romania;
• a “train-the-trainer” (TTT) training in June 2018 in Kyrgyzstan;
• a “Peers-To-Professionals” (PTP) training in December 2018 in Belgium.
Between the mobilities, participants will be asked to practice what they have learned by facilitating workshops tackling gender based discrimination in youth environments:
• 6-hour practice between the TAT and the TTT;
• 24-hour practice between the TTT and the PTP.
Peers for Diversity is a new European project funded by Erasmus+ and coordinated by our member organisation Ofensiva Tinerilor. It aims to train youth workers and youth mentors to use different peer education tools to fight cultural discrimination and to be able to raise awareness in their own communities through local workshops on this topic.
The project objectives are the following:
- To equip 20 youth workers through 2 x 6-day training activities to raise awareness about the complexity of diversity and to tackle discrimination, exclusion and extremism;
- To provide youth workers with competences (knowledge, skills and attitudes) and a certification to facilitate discussions and lead workshops about antidiscrimination with their peers;
- To prevent various forms of extremism among young people through the projects initiated by the peer trainers after their trainings;
- To promote the powerful impact of youth-led peer education projects on the integration of vulnerable groups.
In this frame, 2 trainings will be organised in 2018:
1. Thematic Awareness Training (TAT*) "Peer training against discrimination and extremism": 20.03.2018 - 25.03.2018 in Arad, Romania (Arrival day 19.03.18, departure day 26.03.18)
2. Train-the-Trainer (TTT*) against discrimination and extremism: October 2018 in Luxembourg (exact dates announced later).
A new generation of peer trainers had their 2nd adventure on the peer education path! From November 12th to 18th 2017, the second training of the “Peers for Peace” project took place in Struga, Macedonia, with the great support of EPTO and the pedagogical expertise of CEJI - A Jewish Contribution To An Inclusive Europe. This 5-day "Train - The - Trainer" training tackling religious diversity, anti-discrimination and the prevention of extremism gathered 19 participants from Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Macedonia, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovenia and Spain, who had a few months to practice what they’ve learned through local workshops in order exercise their abilities and competences gained in the field in Struga, Macedonia. We take this opportunity to thank all the facilitators, participants and partner organisations for their involvement and dedication!
A new generation of peer trainers is starting its journey! From June 6th to 11th, the first training of the “Peers for peace” project took place in Arad, Romania, with the great support of our member organisation Ofensiva Tinerilor and the pedagogical expertise of CEJI - A Jewish Contrbution To An Inclusive Europe. This 6-day awareness peer training tackling religious diversity, anti-discrimination and the prevention of extremism gathered 27 participants from Belgium, Croatia, Estonia, Macedonia, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey, who now have a few months to practice what they’ve learned through local workshops in order to attend the second mobility of this project – The "Train the Trainer" course that will take place between the 12th and 19th of November 2017 in Struga, Macedonia. We take this opportunity to thank all the facilitators, participants and partner organisations for their involvement and dedication – with a special mention to Ofensiva Tinerilor for creating such a unique educational environment in a beautiful Romanian natural park!
The aim of the project was to develop and deliver a new educational programme to be led by school students aged 16-18 who will support their younger peers aged 12-16 in understanding their “inner diversity”. This programme aimed at helping students to:
• discover their own and others' ways of learning (metacognitive abilities);
• feel empowered and better participate in their learning processes and environments;
• (re)gain motivation, self-determination and resilience.
In Romania, Ofensiva Tinerilor was the local partner and delivered the peers training as well as the workshop in the local schools.
During February and March 2017, eight Peers Trainers were prepared and trained to lead the inner diversity workshops in the “Iosif Moldovan” primary school from Arad.
The eight Peers Trainers together with the Ofensiva Tinerilor staff delivered the workshops during one week in the school. A total number of 107 pupils participated to the workshops. The whole event was organized during the “non-formal” school week, which is a new approach on education that the schools are organizing every year. During one week pupils are involved in alternative methods of teaching organized by teachers themselves and other NGOs.
The aim of this project is to create awareness on the challenges persons with visual impairments are facing in their everyday life.
With the help of 11 foreign volunteers that were hosted for 6 months each in our community, we managed to organize such awareness workshops in five high schools and three elementary schools from Arad.
A two hour long educational workshop was prepared by the volunteers using the “Peers for inclusion” methodology developed by Ofensiva Tinerilor. Mainly youngsters learned how to manage everyday life as a person with visual impairments (in order for the youngsters to be able to put themselves in shoes of persons with visual impairments). The second part of the workshop was based on mobility and orienteering techniques for the blind, during which youngsters learned how to guide and help a person with visual impairments in public spaces.
More than 200 youngsters were participating in the workshops.
https://www.facebook.com/visuallyimpairedpersonsinaction
The “Erasmus 4 V.I.P. project” is addressing youth workers and trainers, offering them theoretical and practical tools to use when training and organizing activities for people with visual impairments. This T-Kit provides methods and instruments to:
• Better understand the process and content features of working with young people with visual impairments;
• Learn how to use the assistive technologies in preparing and facilitating a non-formal education activity;
• Develop confidence to begin facilitating non-formal activities for young people with visual impairments;
• Establish or strengthen links with participants; encourage open and honest communication, respect for differences, support of each other and active participation.
The Toolkit was developed with financial support from the European Union, as part of the ”Erasmus 4VIP” project, funded through the Erasmus+ programme.
We further invite you to explore the open sections of the website, where you can find a lot of useful information about working with persons with visual impairment, but also to register for free and get access to exclusive members content, training programmes, and much more.
http://www.inclusion.ofetin.ro
The first two thematic awareness training based on this methodology were organized in Arad Romania in October and November 2016.
More than 40 Youth workers from Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Italy and Macedonia participated and are the first generation of Peer Trainers that now organize local workshops using this methodology in their countries.
