Training course: From new challenges to innovative contributions: using online tools to promote exchange and understanding

Location: Ommen, Netherlands

Dates: 31 July – 8 August 2016

Number of participants: 24

Participating countries: Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, United Kingdom

Organizer: Jongeren voor Uitwisseling en Begrip

Apply here: application form

Deadline to apply: 2 July 2016

Date of Selection: 9 July 2016

Inquiries about this training course: Alex El-Jbeily: alexjbeily@gmail.com

For general Inquiries and consultation: hello@abroadship.org

Costs: This project is financed by Erasmus+ programme. JUB will cover your stay 100%, including food; • 80% of all travel costs (door to door, cheapest way, until the limits below) will be reimbursed afterwards, after receiving all relevant receipts, including boarding passes;  • There is a participation fee, which will be deducted from the travel reimbursement:
– Participants from EU countries: 50 euro
– Participants from non-EU countries: 30 euro

Limits for travel costs (door to door, to be reimbursed for 80%):
Belgium 180 Netherlands 0
Cyprus 360 Poland 275
Estonia 275 Portugal 360
Greece 360 Romania 275
Latvia 275 Turkey 360
Macedonia 275 United Kingdom 275

From new challenges to innovative contributions: using online tools to promote exchange and understanding

The main goal is to empower youth workers with essential competences to promote exchange and understanding, using online methods. One particular output will be expected: publishing articles similar to ‘Humans of New York’ pages on Facebook and Instagram.
Jongeren voor Uitwisseling en Begrip (JUB) is looking for participants for a training course called “From new challenges to innovative contributions: using online tools to promote exchange and understanding”. The main goal is to empower youth workers with essential competences to promote exchange and understanding, using online methods.

In our European societies there are all kinds of minorities, which are not always treated equally. Distinctions are made because of skin color, ethnic background, sexuality or religion. The current refugee / migrant crisis in Europe adds another dimension. Many people fear the arrival of newcomers. People get treated in a certain different way, without thinking. Usually it is based on stereotypes and prejudices. There is a clear lack of knowledge and interaction between different people, who just move around in their own ‘circles’. With this training course we want to promote an exchange of personal stories, to overcome prejudices.

During the training, the attending youth workers will first learn what the root causes of prejudices are in our societies and analyze the situation in different countries. The next phase is about exploring and mastering online tools to promote an exchange of information between different people. One particular example will be given: publishing articles and matching photographs at ‘Humans of …’ pages on Facebook and Instagram.

The idea originates from the hugely successful ‘Human of New York’ page, which has gathered over 16 million likes on Facebook by now. It presents street portraits and interviews, collected on the streets of New York. With the initiative, the subscribers of the page can read short stories of people they would perhaps normally never speak to. It offers a unique insight into the lives of others, broadening your own viewpoint. The power of social media is that it can reach a lot of people quickly, and it offers an easy space for interaction afterwards as well. Moreover, as most young people are active on social networks, it is good way to reach them.

In this training course the youth workers will learn the basics of publishing such articles, including interviewing people, writing the story and shooting matching photographs on the street. The focus would be on subjects with a particular minority background, with a certain interest to tell their story. By the end of the training, every participating city should have a page. In case a page of a city already exists, we count on that the forces can be joined. In the weeks after the training, the youth workers should transfer the skills to the youngsters in their organizations, creating more impact and ensuring a sustainable flow of articles on the pages.

The main aim of this training course is to empower youth workers with essential competences to promote exchange and understanding, using online tools.

Objectives:
• To understand the root causes of prejudices and its role in our societies;
• To analyze the situation in different countries regarding prejudices;
• To explore ‘Humans of …’ pages on Facebook and Instagram as a contribution to promoting exchange and understanding;
• To acquire competences (attitude and skills) to do street interviews, to make a short article about it and to shoot and edit street/portrait photographs;
• To brainstorm and to investigate more online tools to promote an exchange of ideas;
• To learn how to maximize the impact via online tools;
• To gain skills on transferring competences to youngsters.

Each partner organization will send 2 participants, making a total of 24 participants. Three professional trainers will guide the learning process. The methodology is based on non-formal education, with energizers, brainstorms, group work, discussions etc.

Click to access onlinetoolstopromoteexchange.pdf