What has the European Dimension brought to you?

The following points have been listed by European Youth Workers during workshops at the study visit “Europe goes Switzerland"

Target group Young People

• Bigger and better perspectives about different cultures and traditions 
• Networking 
• Clear understanding about their capabilities and the need for a constant improvement 
• Authentic dialogue through friendship and the unique beauty of sharing different experiences 
• New opportunities and validation, gratification for their work 
• Growth 
• The possibility to learn new soft skills, discover different languages and cultures, the power of being different 
• A new chance to improve their communication skills, social skills and the benefits of community work and environment 
• Different perspectives about the life or about how other young people are facing the daily challenges to make extended network 
• Europe is the new hope for all kind of youngsters 
• New perspectives and understanding 
• Seeing others can be inspirational for more activities. We could see results of efforts and good work practices. Youth looked empowered, joyful and happier in a more structured environment 

Target group Professionals 

• Inspiration, ideas, sense of community, creativity, new ways of expression, originality, empathy and cooperation, other perspectives, network different skills 
• Being grateful for the aspects that work well 
• Experience as well as increased social skills 
• Opportunity to rediscover our reality 
• Adoptability to various cultures 
• Motivation to do well, always improve, so the results get better and they reach more people and change things for the better 
• More discipline, easier way to deal with adulthood struggles (e.g. finding a job, starting a business, fight for your dreams) 
• Organizational skills 
• Break stereotypes 
• The other way of thinking 
• The professional mindset has opened up to the realisation that rules and methods can be so different and diverse

 
Target group: our Organization, NGO, Institution 

• Exploring local methods 
• Validating your NGO’s methodology
• Awareness for different situations 
• Human resources 
• Taking people from the local communities outside the box 
• New ideas and to see how others implement projects in a certain way. It is an inspiration 
• Widening the network is not just strategy. It gave us tools and skills that we couldn’t perceive alone 
• Capability and capacity building 
• Unmask fake news through interorganizational communication 
• Always new ideas because of a source of progress and creativity 
• Creating local leaders with European experiences and values 
• Visibility and recognition 
• New methods 
• Experience from “hands on” approach. 
• A broad network 
• Inspiration to do more immersive projects in the traditional culture and the long practicices of the locals, involving the daily life 
• It shows the real needs of the community involved in this kind of projects 
• Refreshment of artistic, cultural events 
• A more diverse dialogue and youth community 
• Equality within the European group 
• Resilience
• Better funding options
• Connection
• A more accessible way of developing ideas
• More appreciation
• European glasses
• Change of routine 

 
 Target group Community, Society 

• Take actions in education field 
• Civil education
• Surrounding is more attractive
• Life quality 
• Feedback from outside 
• Inspiration to create youth centers 
• Diversity and cooperation 
• A new way of approaching the existing issues at the local level
• To see things with new eyes 
• Exchanges keep rural youth together 
• Municipalities could be more linked and getting to know each other better 
• Openness, acceptance and friendship 
• The need to change: the working methods, the way to looking at the needs of youth education
• To invest more into the nonformal education.
• Opportunities to learn 
• Taking a step back and have a critical look at our practices 
• Finding a way to bring people together, community building 
• Integrating immigrants 
• Communication between EU level and regions 
• Ideas, budget, money for the municipality 
• Changing the point of view 
• Municipalities are in charge of everything, added value because you offer something more
• Better citizenship and have a voice 
• Power and sustainability, same values, together strong 
• Include all the ages, generation mix 
• New ideas from youngsters who were abroad 
• Confidence allow-based on the impact that projects have in other countries 
• Give support to NGO’s – that is a plus

The study visit enabled the participants to take the first steps towards long-term cooperation. Synergies have already been recognised and initial ideas for joint projects have been developed (e.g. music and video project for young people, Italy-Romania-Switzerland or a visit with Swiss young people to Romania (promoting ecology, sustainable tourism). It is important for us to have the opportunity to get to know the local conditions (Romania, Italy) better. The international guests have already indicated their desire to organise this. In any case, the study visit to Switzerland was a successful project that had a major impact on each of the participants. This was reflected in their posts on social media and the report they wrote.

Wrap up by participants: 

From 16th to 20th the Study Visit “Europe goes Switzerland” was organised by Jugendarbeit Regio Kerzers, Jugendarbeit Köniz and Reper Fribourg, hosting youth workers from Italy, Romania and Switzerland.
 

The Swiss EGL Delegation led by Cosima Oesch and Hansjürg Hofmann and Nikita Brasey has demonstrated the highest professional level of Switzerland in the subject of youth work while actively cooperating with society and stakeholders. At the same time, both the Italian delegation and Romanian delegation have introduced and presented their best practices and youth work masterpieces in the framework of EGL. 

The programme has been rich in content and meetings and it has provided different perspectives and inspirational practices through an intense agenda: 

⁃ Youth and Community Center “Schönberg”, Fribourg 

⁃ Center at the “Schönberg” district in Fribourg 

⁃ Youth and Community Center “Jura” and Conference “Europe goes Switzerland” for Youth Workers, Fribourg 

⁃ Visit of the Youth Center of Kerzers, presenting the renovated Center and the offer of the rural “Kinder und Jugendarbeit Regio Kerzers” 

⁃ Meet Point Youth Center and the Skatepark, Kerzers 

⁃ Walk through the old town of Berne 

⁃ Dinner and Visit of a Cultural Center in Berne 

⁃ Visit at at “Villa Bernau”, Köniz 

⁃ Visit of the Project “Swiss Bike Park”, Niederscherli - Köniz 

⁃ Break at a youth Center in Köniz and Conference “Europe goes Switzerland” for Youth Workers, in Köniz. 

The EGL Study Visit was having different moments in which guests were joining us and meeting the delegations, which marked relevant findings for us all, exchange of practicalities and support ideas in Municipal and local youth work. We could visit infrastructures and see the transformation and hard work that has commuted the years of practice with young people of our Swiss colleagues and harnessed their efforts. 

We could hear about the path and development of people, the curricula and history of such special and unique places, the changes and the multi-cultures of certain districts and neighbourhoods. Everything that has been presented by our colleagues was having a direct interlink with local youth work and a professional embedding with municipal support which we should take example from. And what is more, the EGL Charter was beautifully implemented. 

The study visit was complemented by two conferences momentum when the Italian and Romanian delegations were introducing their practices respectively to the presence of the stakeholders: 

Italian projects and best practices

1. Ilaria Zocco representing Associazione Il Vergante (lead Organisation) with the project "Building communities brick by brick" (http://progettieuropei.ilvergante.com/), and EGL good practice 

2. Silvia Trolese representing Comune di Sarezzo with the project "Idee in Comune" (structured dialogue - 2018) 

3. Aldo Cammara representing Work InProgress Calabria with the project "Shared responsibility" (on non-formal education competences through badging - 2016) 

4. Silvia Crocitta representing EuroDemos Youth Mobility NGO with the project "Focus Youth Work" (on Europe Goes Local and the European Youth Work Agenda / Bonn Process for youth work - currently developing 2023/2024) 

5. Bianca Simona Petean and Victor Constantin Marutoiu, representing “Dumitru Farcas” Student House of Culture, Cluj Napoca 

6. Iordache Paul holding the headquarters of the BMN association , Tiberiu Popescu representative of the youth community from the Dornelor Basin , Cristi Teieru representative of the community from Saru Dornei commune , Adriana Costinas Writer and volunteer of BMN associates, Ioana Maxim expert in youth projects and Costin Lostun, volunteer of the BMN association and representative of the youth group from Șaru Dornei 

The EGL study visit was supported on Swiss national level by Movetia. It has been a successful cooperation thanks to the stunning work and lead of our Swiss colleagues who have demonstrated dedication and commitment to the EGL group and to which we express our gratitude and enthusiasm after hosting us, hoping in further cooperation to develop local youth work activities and projects.