Description
In Romania, youth work as a recognized official job is less spread and less practiced, therefore youth work is an activity made mostly by passionate people as volunteers. This project aims to specialize 16 Youth Workers, who will gain experience in this profession through 150 hours of voluntary youth work practice at the Youth Center in Baia Mare. The need we answer with our project is to give young people proper contexts for personal and professional development in order to grow as responsible adults, actively involved in society, process facilitated by specialized human resource. In this project, 320 young people from Baia Mare will benefit from the activities of 16 youth workers. The impact of the youth worker as a contributor in education will become more understandable and accessible for young people, local authorities, teachers, parents and other members of the community. Therefore we will be able to show the youth worker as a powerful resource in the community development.
Summary of project results
The experience of the Association for Development through Education, Information and Support - D.E.I.S. has shown that the youth worker can have a major impact on youth’s education, being able to find the most suitable means to prepare them for the adult life. However, the community in which the project was implemented is poorly informed and reticent towards this profession, not giving it the necessary recognition. The purpose of “Urban Volunteer - The Youth Worker a support in the community development” project was the accreditation and specialization of 16 youth workers and improving the image of the youth worker as a promoter of volunteering activities in the local community. The 16 participants were formed in a training acknowledged by the National Authority of Qualifications, but also in a counselling training; their specialization was completed by a 5 month voluntary service at the Baia Mare Youth Center. During this time, the youth workers designed and facilitated 12 non-formal education activities for 333 young participants and offered counseling services for 80 young people from Baia Mare. As a result of this project, the 16 youth workers have acquired skills regarding facilitation of non-formal activities and counseling in youth work, thus being able to bring great benefits to the community they belong to. Some of them even found their true vocation during the project, which led to a huge change in their professional life. At the same time, they conducted a campaign to promote the youth worker and volunteering activities, which reached 1002 young people from 12 high schools in town and made their presence felt in the community by participating in events of interest to it. Another important result were the connections with teachers, who now manifest a greater interest towards non-formal education and call for the intervention of youth workers in high schools. The project results were disseminated through a national youth conference with speakers who were important personalities in the youth domain, such as the State Secretary from the Ministry of Youth and Sport and the President of the Youth Council of Romania. The event was attended by 124 representatives of NGOs and young people from Baia Mare and other cities.
Summary of bilateral results