Youth Mobility Pilots

Background The project was born out of the need for mobility for young people, particularly those with fewer opportunities, who do not have easily access to mobility programmes. We mainly work with young people who are far from opportunities of international mobility, and face economic, social and geographical obstacles... However, international mobility has a strong positive impact on these young people, who gain in autonomy and self-confidence and learn more about "the other" as well as themselves. That’s why we have developed the "Youth mobility pilots" project. Initially conceived as an experimental French-German intercultural project between dock europe and Une Terre Culturelle, we wanted to continue and extend the project to support young people who had already undertaken international mobility to become "relays" of international mobility for their peers. We have therefore submitted a strategic partnership project aimed at "training" young people to take on the role of relaying experiences and strengthening cooperation between our European associations and the training of our workers. Objectives Une Terre Culturelle is located in the heart of Marseille's 'North' neighbourhoods and has been working for over 30 years to promote international mobility for young people. Since 1992, we have been running intercultural youth exchange projects, internships and volunteering projects mainly aimed at young people with fewer opportunities. We work with European and international partners who are involved in youth mobility and encounter similar problems in youth work: lack of access to and knowledge of international mobility opportunities, especially for young people with fewer opportunities. We wanted to strengthen our local work for international youth mobility by supporting young people to become more active players themselves and to pass on their experiences. Indeed, the best people to promote international mobility among other young people are young people themselves: they can best answer the questions and apprehensions of their peers, and encourage them to "try" the mobility experience, to get out of their neighbourhood or town to meet other young people and discover their own continent, Europe. Implementation The project enabled young people from different districts of Berlin, Hamburg and Marseille to meet, discuss, exchange ideas and work together. By developing a collective identity as "young mobility pilots" at local and transnational level, the young people were able to meet other young people from Germany and France, as well as young people from their own area, whom they would not always have had the opportunity to meet. The project included : > a phase of preparing activities, strengthening the partnership and 'creating' a group of engaged young people who wanted to promote and share their experience of international mobility. This phase also included prepation time before the mobility and for the hosting of young people from the partners' home countries. > a mobility phase or hostinf of young mobility pilots and professionals on mobility as part of internship and work immersions at the partners' > an evaluation phase and capitalisation on mobility experiences and the project. The aim of the project was to encourage groups of young people to act as 'pilots' for mobility, while supporting them in a new mobility experience and in their local engagement. Achievements The project enabled the creationof groups of "young pilots" in France and Germany, made up of young people who had already "experienced" mobility and wanted to share their experience with their peers to encourage them to take up this opportunity themselves. Young people from each group strengthened their own mobility experience by going on a mobility at one of the partners' sites. They were accompanied by young workers who strengthen their youth work skills and find out about working with the partners and in a different country. The young people and workers took part in activities focusing on collective engagement and preparation for departure, and in activities promoting international mobility and their own experience, which led other young people to take part in intercultural exchanges, internships and international volunteerings. The participants and partners produced visual productions (videos, articles and testimonials on the blog) to support their intervention with other young people, and a guide to capitalising on the project for other organisations and professionals wishing to develop a similar project.