Time to Youth

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KAINOTOMIA & SIA E.E.

Organisation:

KAINOTOMIA & SIA E.E.

Country:

Greece

About organisation:

Lifelong Learning Center KAINOTOMIA was founded in 2013 by a group of people with expertise and a lifelong commitment to the subject of learning. Our goal is the implementation of continuous training programs targeted at employed/unemployed youth,educators, students of higher education & vulnerable social groups for the development of professional opportunities and their integration into the labour market and society.We have implemented more than 65 national projects(>3.500 people have been trained)in cooperation with the Ministry of Labor&Social Affairs and more than 30 European projects(KA2 Youth,VET,Adult Education,KA3,Horizon)in which local, regional and national community had the opportunity to be trained.Our organization is selected as the only Eurodesk Multiplier in the region of Thessaly,while we offer entrepreneurial opportunities as an Intermediary Organization for the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs.To enhance youth participation we host workshops and events for young people

Title of the project

Time to Youth

Start date:

15/10/2022

End date:

15/10/2022

Objectives:

KAINOTOMIA hosted the "Time to Youth" event as part of the Time to Move campaign. Young participants and policymakers were invited, including the Governor of the Thessaly region, Deputy Mayors, representatives from the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, and the Larissa Economic Chamber.The event aimed to-empower young people to become active citizens -highlight their concerns & needs-raise their voices and showcase perspectives-co-create an action plan for the youth generation with the help of policymakers Round Tables,Workshops & the Final Discussion consisted of the event's 3 sections. The round tables focused on civic and cultural participation,entrepreneurship & European opportunities, and employment at the EU. On each round table, the participants, working alongside policymakers discussed the perspectives and challenges that young people face, according to the topic while documenting specific solutions using the SWOT Analysis method. Following that, the participants attended workshops:in the first,they were asked to make decisions as local leaders while taking into account social and economic conditions, whereas in the second, they were trained on creating a CV. During the event's final session,participants and policymakers gathered to hear the results of the previous sections. One representative from each round table presented their table's proposals,while both the participants and policymakers designed a plan centred on the presented needs and proposals of youth.

Why the project was: empowering young people, adapting to changing realities, or thinking out of the box:

Time to Youth was an innovative event for our region.It was the first time that an event brought together young people and policymakers from the local, regional, national & European levels to discuss the needs of young people in depth and design a future action plan together. The event provided an opportunity to hear young people's voices, strengthen collaboration between them & policymakers and lay a solid foundation for future synergies. Before the event our organisation approached young people of the local community to identify their generation's expectations and concerns. Participants emphasised a lack of motivation to participate actively in the local community while they highlighted the importance of developing new skills,suitable for professional development. The event's methodology was based on the project "YouPart" (KA220-YOU-Cooperation partnerships in youth) in which KAINOTOMIA is an active participant. During the project, 80 young people across Europe met, collaborated and analysed current issues, designed solutions and presented them at the European Parliament. We created the event "Time to Youth" considering this methodology. The activities were implemented using a youth-led model and with the assistance of policymakers, produced an action plan with qualitative proposals that better meet youth’s needs. In addition, the participants had the opportunity to express their opinions and highlight perspectives for their generation, promoting their active participation.

How the project was inclusive:

Information is the key for young people to discover new opportunities and expand their horizons. Considering this, the implemented activities provided the participants with up-to-date information about European opportunities for entrepreneurship, employability, mobility, and active civic participation. Particularly, there were presented Eurodesk’s opportunities and tools, by the invited representative of Greece’s Eurodesk Network, Kaliope Dalla. Other opportunities such as Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, Erasmus+ projects, Discover EU, European Youth Card & Europe Direct’s services were presented too, motivating the participants to discover new educational and professional paths.As a Multiplier of the Eurodesk Network, we used plenty of dissemination material promoting Eurodesk. Until the day of the event, KAINOTOMIA conducted an online contest on its Instagram account including as a rule following Eurodek’s account, increasing its visibility on young audiences. The Eurodesk and “Time to Move” campaign’s logos were included in all the graphics, videos, and presentations. Banners and posters provided by Eurodesk were displayed in several locations inside the venue while informational leaflets were available. The presents for the participants were also provided by Eurodesk (t-shirts, stickers, hats, bags, etc) and included its logos. Finally, at the photo booth installation, the participants used props presenting the logos of Eurodesk, Time to Move and European Year of Youth.

Green aspect:

Eurodesk’s Green Guide was taken into consideration for ensuring the incorporation of green methods in the event. Beginning with the registrations for the event, we shared electronic participation and evaluation forms and used QR for the registrations at the venue of the event. The informational material was sent through email (agenda, instructions for the venue, reminders). Also, the dissemination material was uploaded online, without the need to print leaflets and posters for the event. We also encouraged participants to arrive at the venue by public transportation or bike because our facilities are in the heart of the city and are accessible by both. Also, the distributed material was durable and made out of recycled paper, the photo booth’s props were made out of wood, while the presents for the participants were made of fabric. Information and presentations were displayed on screens throughout the event, which was run in energy-saving mode. In terms of the catering service, the meals mostly utilised regional and organic ingredients, while the remaining food was composted, contributing to the efforts for food waste reduction.

How the project has given a European dimension to your event and ensured the visibility and promotion of Eurodesk?

Information is the key for young people to discover new opportunities and expand their horizons. Considering this, the implemented activities provided the participants with up-to-date information about European opportunities for entrepreneurship, employability, mobility, and active civic participation. Particularly, there were presented Eurodesk’s opportunities and tools, by the invited representative of Greece’s Eurodesk Network, Kaliope Dalla. Other opportunities such as Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, Erasmus+ projects, Discover EU, European Youth Card & Europe Direct’s services were presented too, motivating the participants to discover new educational and professional paths.As a Multiplier of the Eurodesk Network, we used plenty of dissemination material promoting Eurodesk. Until the day of the event, KAINOTOMIA conducted an online contest on its Instagram account including as a rule following Eurodek’s account, increasing its visibility on young audiences. The Eurodesk and “Time to Move” campaign’s logos were included in all the graphics, videos, and presentations. Banners and posters provided by Eurodesk were displayed in several locations inside the venue while informational leaflets were available. The presents for the participants were also provided by Eurodesk (t-shirts, stickers, hats, bags, etc) and included its logos. Finally, at the photo booth installation, the participants used props presenting the logos of Eurodesk, Time to Move and European Year of Youth.

Impact:

The local community benefited from “Time to Youth'' in several ways. Before the event, the local community were informed and motivated to participate by our events campaign on social media and through press releases. The total outreach of the campaign, including Eurodesk and Time to Move logos, was approximately 50,000 people! The event was attended by almost 60 young people, individuals & representatives of organisations along with 5 policymakers from the local and regional levels. The event significantly increased the level of engagement between the youth generation, local and regional organisations and policymakers’ building a solid foundation for future synergies. It also resulted in the development of a strategy tailored to the youth’s needs, designed by the participants with the support of the experts.Some of the ideas proposed at the event are currently being discussed by the Region of Thessaly and the Municipality, such as the creation of a Career Hub, supporting young people in the employability sector and the founding of a Youth Center in the city of Larissa, proving that the event had accomplished its purposes. It would be an omission not to mention the fact that after the event, a great number of event participants and people belonging to their networks contacted our organisation for more information on European mobilities while others took part in several projects we implement, developing new skills and gaining knowledge.