Our Project
Our KA2-strategic partnership project “Living Solidarity Alliance” was realized through the 21months-long cooperation of five involved partners. It comprised of the production of the intellectual outputs (research, Video and Podcast-Series, guidebook), online exchanges, networking and community-building through solidarity practices on the local levels. The project was consummated by the Solidarity Conference that brought together many engaged actors in the area of grassroots activism and civic engagement. This all enabled us to develop a solid ground for the Solidarity focus in the local Youth work with young people with fewer opportunities.
Referring to the recent developments on the youth policy level in Europe and the challenging situation of young people in Europe (Covid19, unemployment, rising of populism, climate crisis) we intended to contribute as NGOs to the development of a strategic and systematic support structure to empower young people to participate in activities with a solidarity focus.
We supported the professional development of our youth workers, so they got empowered and guided young people to get involved in solidarity activities. Also – to reflect the world we live in, to express our needs and wishes, to develop our inner potential and enter a creative process with other young people to make a change towards more solidarity in our society.
We trust we became active creators of a life journey where the values of togetherness, respect and solidarity are experienced as a creative dialogue. With the project, we developed a network structure and methodological strategy to implement within our NGOs a new solidarity dimension in the local youth work.
The participating youth workers and youth leaders were trained in three online learning activities on different thematic aspects of the solidarity dimension in youth work context (participation, inclusion, community building) in order to implement the learning in the local context, sharing and reflecting on their experiences in a community of practice with other youth workers from our network.
We organized a common work on the the intellectual outputs of the project: the research report, Video and Podcast-Series on Solidarity in Action and the guidebook with toolbox.
With the dissemination of the project results in our local, national and international networks and also though the final conference we stimulated a wider impact on the European youth work field enabling to include the solidarity dimension in the youth work with a special focus on empowering young people with fewer opportunities.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. “
Margaret Mead
Living Solidarity Alliance 