International youth work needs qualified professionals. From the 3rd to the 7th of June 2015 the youth group leaders of 45 youth work organisations from 17 European countries participated in a shared qualification event in Hattingen/NRW. This summer and autumn, they will lead a total of 15 international youth work camps in Germany, Italy, Hungary, Denmark and Turkey. The five day workcamp leader training is part of the support and qualification programme of the ewoca³ and ewoca³(+) funding programmes.
How is it possible to actively fashion group processes? How does intercultural learning work? Which leadership styles are there? How does good conflict management look like? Questions like these have been on the mind of the future workcamp leaders for the past 5 days at the DGB youth educational centre in Hattingen. In roleplaying, and with lots of connection to practice, but also in theoretical units, the youth work professionals got to know methods, which might make their everyday life in international youth work easier.
“Youths from three countries with sometimes very different personal and cultural backgrounds take part in each of our workcamps„, said project officer Katharina Teiting, who coordinates the funding programmes ewoca³ and ewoca³(+) for the International Association for Education and Exchange (IBB e.V.). “In some cases, they do not even speak a common language. The team members come from the three participating countries as well, and bring very different experiences to the table. With the right organisation and fitting methods, this diversity is not a hurdle, but the greatest strength of our projects. Europe is as diverse as our workcamps.„
ewoca³ and ewoca³(+) are funding programmes of IBB e.V. for youth work insitutions to support international youth encounters. The concept is based on the idea of invitation and counterinvitation: Youths from three countries implement a total of three international workcamps in the course of three years — one in each country. In doing so, they collaborate to realise a sustainable project at the location.
ewoca³ is funded by the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and Stiftung Mercator. The programme enables twelve project partnerships with participation from youth work organisations from North Rhine-Westphalia. ewoca³(+) is funded by the Innovation Fund within the Federal Government’s children and youth plan. Within the framework of this programme, another three youth work organisations from Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia, together with their international partners, can develop and implement their own innovative workcamp concept.
Photos from the workcamp leader training 2015 in Hattingen/Germany:
