Training course for youth workers and trainers (professionals working with young people)

Objetives

The 6-day training course (+2 days travel) took place between 10th – 17th of November 2019, Poland. The training course brought together 27 participants from 8 organisations:

1. Shelter international e.V. (Germany).
2. TEAM4Excellence (Romania) – that’s us.
3. SOPRO (Portugal).
4. Youth for Equality (Slovakia).
5. Udruga gluhih i nagluhih Nova Gradiska (Croatia).
6. United Societies of Balkans Astiki Etaireia (Greece).
7. The Starry Start of Talents Foundation (Bulgaria).
8. Fundacja po DRUGIE (Poland)

The participants of the training are people associated with partner organizations. The goal is to work on a daily basis with young people and having a degree in law, psychology, social work or pedagogy.

Topic

The action is aimed at preventing risky sexual behavior and health promotion. The idea is to improve the skills of professionals working with youth (pedagogues, psychologists, social workers) in the field of sex education. For example, how to provide reliable information to young people about their sexuality and prevention of inappropriate attitudes and behaviors.

Project summary

The necessity to implement the project is related to the great difficulty of the professionals working with youth in conducting preventive activities. But also individual conversations with the youth regarding sexuality.

Limitations, are usually a result of cultural conditions. This is the cause why the teenagers do not have reliable knowledge about sexuality. As a result, they get information from inappropriate sources (including pornography). Across Europe, there is a decline in the age of sexual initiation, which does not go hand in hand with information and prevention.

However, the training enabled the participants to facilitate work with young people. Also, allowed them to deal with many difficult subjects (not to avoid them) and resulted in building appropriate attitudes among final beneficiaries – young people with whom they work on a daily basis. Undertaken training activities, but also preparation of a scenario of preventive workshops for young people. This will support the professionals in solving important problems such as early abandonment of education (related to both early parenthood and addictions).

Results

In conclusion, as a result of the training, a scenario of preventive workshops has been created (in cooperation with all participants), that is being implemented and disseminated in the networks of all national partners. Click here for scenarios