Design the Programme and Plan Necessary Preparations - Erasmus+

If we were considering a short-term mobility project for youth workers, like a seminar, a study visit or a training course, it would have a specific programme with a certain methodological flow. A training programme can be built up in many different ways. The programme can be totally participant-centred and built by the participants once they arrive at the activity, while organisers just provide space, time, educational support and some structure.

The programme can also be built with all the elements defined in advance by the trainers or facilitators. In this scenario, the participants arrive to a very structured programme with a pre-planned methodology based on a specific time frame and pre-defined methods.

There is no pre-defined standard for how the programme of a youth workers’ mobility should look in Erasmus+ Youth in Action. Partners of every project agree on their own specific approach, depending on their prior experiences and competences, and the educational objectives of that particular project. The only requirement is that the methodology should be in line with the principles of non-formal education and should match the specific context of youth work and the needs of the participants.

However, some phases are common to almost every programme, regardless of the objectives and content. Every programme needs to work with the resources, dynamics and development of the group, introduce new knowledge and create possibilities for new experiences and the transferring of those experiences.

1. Welcome, introduction to the activity, getting to know each other is useful at the beginning. Participants are welcomed to the activity, and personal, technical, practical and thematic introductions are made.
2. This period overlaps with the group-building phase, essential in laying the foundations for integration, trust and genuine, open participation. Group-building is also the first step in recognising, valuing and working with the differences and resources present in the group.
3. The sharing experiences phase provides opportunities for participants to discuss their backgrounds and realise the scope of the resources present in an intercultural group. While sharing experiences should be an ongoing part of the programme, focusing on it at the beginning follows the principle of working firstly from the individual situations of participants, and then progressing to general insights within the given theme.
4. Receiving new knowledge, learning new skills and undertaking new experiences is the essence of the training activity. The main part of the activity is built on specific content elements, as well as methods, analysis and reflection of experiences aimed at involving participants in meaningful learning experiences.
5. The transfer part involves connecting this particular learning experience to the realities and working context of your participants. Therefore, time for planning follow-up actions is essential, as participants can share their ideas and get encouragement from other peer learners.
6. The time for conclusions and closure is dedicated to finalising what has been done during the activity, drawing conclusions, and producing a final product, if that was planned. It is also a time to recall the training process and review learning outcomes and experiences.
7. A proper evaluation is an ongoing process, with a final focus at the end of the activity. Evaluation helps organisers and trainers assess the impact of a training course. Participants, meanwhile, can focus on their learning process, progress and learning outcomes.

When an activity programme is developed, it becomes clear what the participants should be prepared for. Usually, a ‘mobility of youth workers’ is based on the contributions of participants, and those contributions are of better quality when the participants themselves are well-prepared.

The preparation of participants usually has several aspects:

• Practical preparation: informing participants about the venue of the activity, public transport and ways to reach the venue, prices of local travel, currency used, usual weather for that time of year, standard of electricity, etc.
• Cultural and linguistic preparation. Depending on the experience of the participants, they might need resources or links showing them where they can learn some basic language of the hosting country, and where can they read more about the hosting country and its culture. If youth workers are going to the hosting country for a longer period of time, they might need more intensive cultural preparation, like a short, intensive language course, or some intercultural training, to teach them how to live in a culturally different environment, how to accept differences and how to tolerate different cultural norms. 

Preparation for the learning process and specific content. Participants might be asked to prepare something that is specifically related to the main themes of the mobility. They might prepare a short introduction of their working context, activities, target groups, professional dilemmas or some key questions to be addressed during the activity. Participants might be asked to think of more specific learning needs or personal learning goals, which could be sent to the facilitators’ team or to all groups of participants in advance. In this way, the learning process or thinking about learning starts even before the actual activity gets under way.