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Description
The project uses a comprehensive strategy crafted from consultations with both a local audience and a body of youth work, inclusion and performing arts professionals from across the country and Norway.
The strategy is comprised of a multi-pronged approach with each factor being assigned a specific activity:
- 1 - Restoration Works are planned holistically with the end-user audience and with stringent environmental and preservation criteria.
- 2 - Youth Centre Operations respond to emerging needs of children and youth
- 3 - Youth Work and Social Field Work programme is modeled after real-world experience of the Partner 1
- 4 - Youth Work Development Plans are conceived using best available practices from across the region to benefit the least developed districts’ youth under leadership of Partner 2
- 5 - Art Mediating Citizen Engagement is based off Erasmus+ best practice projects by the Norwegian Acting for Climate using performance art to engage with solutions to climate change
- 6 - Promotion and Dissemination draws special focus to Applicant and all Partners to actively communicate using preferred media of the young people, and to reach to institutional and municipal stakeholders in wider regions to develop the audience of the new youth infrastructure.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to address several key challenges, including the insufficient capacity for public investment in the restoration of cultural heritage and the lack of organizational capacity within the public sector to establish and sustain a daily youth center. Additionally, the project tackled issues such as segregation of youth groups, the lack of suitable social opportunities, brain drain and youth migration, and the limited opportunities for Roma youth.
The project strengthened and improved services provided to children and youth while fostering cooperation among organizations, extending beyond the mandatory project partners. It supported relationships within youth groups and began breaking down prejudices between majority youth and Roma communities.
Regular weekly activities were held at the Jordán center and later at the newly established youth center, including sports, cultural, environmental, and various leisure activities. These initiatives created valuable opportunities for meaningful engagement.
Several visits from the Norwegian partner took place, offering intensive collaboration and introducing new methods for working with youth, particularly in environmental and artistic areas. This cooperation contributed to the development of youth work concepts, enabling local governments to better understand and address the needs of children and young people.
The project achieved significant results with a positive impact on children, youth, and the broader community in Jelšava and the Magnezit microregion. The reconstruction of the heating system in the Jelšava Municipal Cultural Center (MsDK) enabled its year-round use, making it accessible to all residents and community groups in the area.
The establishment of a youth center further expanded opportunities for children and youth, providing safe and developmental spaces for meaningful leisure activities. With two operational centers now available, the options for engaging activities have significantly increased, benefitting the target group.
Bilateral cooperation with Acting for Climate played a key role in enhancing services for youth while fostering cultural openness. It helped reduce prejudices, fears of the unknown, and hesitation toward individuals from different cultural backgrounds.
Additionally, the project supported the development of youth work concepts, enabling local governments to better understand and address the needs of children and young people.
Overall, the project created inclusive and accessible spaces, strengthened youth services, and promoted cultural understanding, leading to safer, more engaging, and supportive environments for the community.
Summary of bilateral results
The project greatly benefited from the donor project partner, particularly through intensive visits from the Norwegian partner. These visits introduced new methods of working with youth, especially in the areas of environmental education and artistic activities. The partner shared valuable insights into how Scandinavian municipalities collaborate with the nonprofit sector, helping us explore new ways to utilize the natural resources and environment around us. This inspired greater integration of environmental topics into youth work.On the bilateral level, cooperation with Acting for Climate significantly enhanced services for children and youth in Jelšava. It contributed to breaking down prejudices toward foreigners and overcoming fears of the unknown and other cultures. This collaboration also supported the creation of the first community garden in Jelšava. The partner visited Jelšava and the microregion three times, delivering several theater and artistic performances for the general public and organizing activities with the local primary and nursery school, focusing on environmental themes.Looking ahead, we plan to continue the bilateral cooperation to further build on these successes and strengthen the partnership.