“For a Future to Come – International Youth Work on Conflict Management” aims to enhance the visibility of the Youth in Action Programme of the European Commission in Eastern Europe and to promote conflict management projects.
Combination of the promotion of the Youth in Action Programme and trainings in conflict management will give an advantage to both. The trainings provide basic applicable knowledge for the implementation of conflict management projects necessary for peaceful developments of existing conflict situations in local communities and international level particularly but not exclusively among people from different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds. The Youth Programme also provides the participating NGOs with a funding option for the realisation of several projects promoting mutual understanding, cultural diversity and tolerance among European nations.
To train youth workers in conflict management is of great significance for European countries. Looking at the latest history and the present political and social situation all over Europe makes it obvious that conflict management and conflict resolution on interpersonal and intercultural levels are important issues, especially for young people, considering the future developments of our societies.
Particularly, the regional and ethnic conflicts in Eastern Europe and Caucasus require resolution approaches that improve the relationship between the conflict parties. Conflict management projects from local organisations bringing international and intercultural influences into the different conflict processes is suitable for the improvement of the existing situations. Also the rise of populism, nationalism and intercultural tensions in EU countries makes it necessary for youth organisations from European Union countries to think about new approaches to conflict resolution that offer possibilities to improve working methods and to increase the impact of projects, particularly for those organisations that deal with the integration processes and fight against racism and xenophobia.
The project is organised in different steps, as described below.
At first, the project partners from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Poland, Germany and United Kingdom will attend a Training of Trainers (ToT) about conflict management and conflict resolution to improve and enlarge their working skills. Later on, the participants of the ToT will conduct two multiplying training courses for European youth organisations. During the trainings topics as conflict sources, escalation, effective communication, cooperation and conflict resolution will be approached. These events will be followed by two Contact Making Seminars in order to enable the training course participants to improve and apply their new competences in joint planned youth projects. After the CMSs the project partners will select for implementation three Youth Exchanges from those project proposals that had been developed by the CMS participants. The three Youth Exchanges will take place in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.
These project elements are accompanied by the set-up of an internet platform, which functions as a youth portal for youth organisations by providing information about the Youth in Action Programme and youth events connected to conflict issues. Furthermore, two training manuals – one on Conflict Management and another one on Contact Making Seminars (both printed and available on the webpage) - and a final report will be published. In addition, a short film informing about the project will be produced in order to create illustrative materials that inspire more European organisations to work on similar project topics.
Objectives of the large-scale project:
- To raise the visibility of the Youth in Action Programme of the European Commission in Eastern Europe and Caucasus (EECA)
- To train youth workers in conflict management and conflict resolution
- To establish a Trans-European youth network for intercultural youth projects dedicated to conflict resolution
- To build new partnerships between European youth organisations
- To create new project ideas within the Youth in Action Programme
- To provide knowledge about possibilities of cooperation with Eastern Europe and Caucasian countries
- To promote the implementation of youth projects in Eastern Europe and Caucasus regions
Events:
- March 2007, Tskhneti, Georgia: Training of Trainers on Conflict Management. Download the report of this event.
- July 2007, Poronin, Poland: Training Course on Conflict Management. Completed. Download the report.
- July 2007, Kobuleti, Georgia: Training Course on Conflict Management. Completed. Download the report.
- November 2007, Kobuleti, Georgia: Contact Making Seminar. Completed. The report will be uploaded soon.
- December 2007, Potsdam, Germany: Contact Making Seminar. Completed. Download the report of this event.
- June 2008, Azerbaijan: Youth Exchange 1
- July 2008, Armenia: Youth Exchange 2
- August 2008, Georgia: Youth Exchange 3
- November 2008, Coventry, United Kingdom: Public presentation
Outcomes:
- Trained youth workers in Conflict Management
- Training Manual on Conflict Management. Download it here.
- Training Manual on Contact Making Seminar
- Internet platform
- Video Clip
