This Contact Making Event will provide you with support for partner finding, the project idea development and project implementation. Besides this, several training elements focus on competence building of each participant within the non-formal educational setting created, with a particular attention towards working around themes, programme building and visibility in the local community.

Objectives:

• To build up partnerships for future youth exchanges
• To provide a platform for developing international youth exchanges in a strong partnership
• To explore, exchange and discuss different ways how a youth exchange can contribute to empowerment of young people, within the different phases of the youth exchange.
• Share and explore ideas, experience and areas of common interest in the intercultural settings.
• To explore and experience local impact and involvement
• Explore different quality aspects and features within a youth exchange

Activity overview

For 30 participants: Youth workers and leaders who can represent their group/structure interested and ready to be actively involved in working on the concrete construction of future Youth Exchanges, based upon the interest of the young people they represent, and in partnership with other promoters present on the partnership building activity.

Description

Over the past years, many youth exchange projects have been developed and run between organisations from different countries. An exciting and challenging intercultural encounter! In order to strengthen the partnerships and especially the quality of these projects, this partnership building activity aims to provide the needed support and training elements for the participants who intend to organise such a youth exchange in the near future. The first The REAL DEAL took place in Finland in September 2012. Due to the successful outcomes, this event was repeated several times over the past years, and lately with a strong component of ‘local involvement and impact’ as an additional sauce of the event.

“The REAL DEAL” will take place in Funchal – Madeira Island. Combining the experiences over the past years with the ‘Rural Centre of Non Formal Education’ (in Vila da Marmeleira and Janeiro de Cima – Portugal) where international events are fully in betted in the local community, this seems to us an excellent setting to organize.
The REAL DEAL, focusing also on the following additional aspects:
• Young people as actors in the different steps of a youth exchange, supported and coached by youth workers.
• The local community as the integral supporting structure of a youth exchange.
• The impact and permanent mark on a local community as a result of a youth exchange.
The above features will not only be discussed and analysed, but will also be based upon real practical experience during the Partnership Building Activity, experiencing first hand such a local involvement.