Story2Go

Creative Youth Information Award category

Organisation

Baltic Regional Fund

Country

Latvia

WEBSITE

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DmFYkm483/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Project link

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBirIYwi3vC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

General Overview

During the “story2go” event, participants hiked from Mangaļsala to Vecāķi along the beach and the surrounding forest area.

Fifteen participants were planned; however, the number of participants was much larger, and in the end, twenty young people aged 16 to 23, who are interested in the topic of various opportunities in Europe (youth programmes Erasmus+, ESC, etc.), participated in the event. The participants were young people of different nationalities who live or study in Riga and who had no knowledge or experience and wanted to learn and use some of the opportunities in the future. Some young people had some experience, which they successfully shared. Five international volunteers participated and helped with the event; they were not included in the number of participants.

The hike consisted of five parts or stages:

Introduction – before the hike/at the beginning of the hike, introduction activities were played.
Erasmus+ opportunities and experience stories from young people who participated in the activities.
European Solidarity Corps opportunities and experience stories.
Other opportunities – Eurodesk opportunity database, DiscoverEU experience stories, and other opportunities (pupil and student exchange).
Reflection and review of the event – young people reflected on the knowledge, impressions and attitudes they gained during the event.

For each section, official information was provided, followed by experience stories. Overall, by providing a versatile, inclusive and peer-to-peer methodology-based approach, the hike provided an attractive and relevant format.

Thematic Category Correspondence

(50 points max)

How does this initiative (project, event, material) correspond to the thematic category

In this day and age, youngsters have a lot of problems with their attention spans. We wanted to deliver information in a way that would be easy and entertaining to consume while benefitting them physically. Youngsters do not usually take the time to go out, be in nature, reflect, and simply walk around and explore new territories.

We took inspiration from the idea of “coffee2go” and the concept of doing things on the move. We pre-ordered a custom “Eurodesk” travel mug for each participant to symbolise the idea of learning stories on the go.

To make the walk more interesting and the information more accessible, we prepared different games and activities where we told them about opportunities, shared personal experience stories, and re-emphasised everything through games. We tried to encourage teamwork, cooperation, creative problem-solving, and the use of all their senses. We included items like the “Time to Move” cards, frisbees, blindfolds, and so on.

During the different games, the participants had the opportunity to get our custom-made tickets. At the end of the walk, whoever had the most tickets got to pick prizes first, then the others according to the number of tickets they had. In the end, no one was left without a prize.

Impact

(30 points max)

How did your project impact young people / your community?

More than half of the participants had no previous experience or knowledge, and after the event, they were inspired and determined to participate in any of the mobility activities and also in the Time to Move competitions.

During the hike, physical activities and informal conversations about experiences, benefits, and project results promoted young people’s understanding of European opportunities.

The event provided an opportunity for young people to spend time actively and interestingly with their peers and broaden their horizons regarding various opportunities. Additionally, they were able to share experiences and recommendations with each other about these European opportunities.

Green Focus

(10 points max)

Did your project have any green focus and/or did you implement any eco-friendly measures when organising it?

Since the hike was outdoors in nature, we tried to be as environmentally friendly as possible by not using plastic containers and adhering to the “Zero waste” policy, as well as ensuring that we did not create food leftovers. The activities also included environmental and nature issues, with practical examples in nature taught by one of the volunteers who holds a master’s degree in forest management.