From 20th to 27th of November 2023, in Ceuta, Spain, we co-organised the Erasmus+ Seminar “Strengthening Diversity and Inclusion Youth Work in Europe”, hosted by our Spanish partner K’MON Association.
The Seminar with partnership-building elements was the first mobility activity of the project that aims to strengthen the capacities of 10 European youth organisations for working with diversity, inclusion of vulnerable groups, and youth participation in order to address the growing issues of exclusion, xenophobia, discrimination, and radicalization of youth.
The seminar was all about helping our partner organisations step up their game in supporting their youth workers. We aimed to boost their skills, especially in managing diversity, and promote social inclusion while encouraging young people to get actively involved. We also wanted our participating organizations to build strong and lasting partnerships with groups working on inclusion and diversity issues, all in line with European values and improving conditions for young people with fewer opportunities.
Looking back, we successfully dug into the main project themes — culture, identity, values, inclusion, integration, diversity, and intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. We also rolled up our sleeves to understand and analyze problems in the countries involved and Europe as a whole. At the local level, we explored the needs of young people facing fewer opportunities and took a good look at the factors that either held them back or pushed them forward in participating. We shared loads of practical experiences and practices to help them out. One of the coolest things that came out of the seminar was the birth of a European Network for Diversity and Inclusion. It’s all about keeping the momentum going and making a real impact!
The seminar was attended by 23 youth workers and active leaders from partner organisations from Netherlands, Lithuania, Poland, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Romania and Spain.
