Young Volunteers in the Cultural Events – Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Crisis, or short YOUNGETEERS, was a project co-financed by Erasmus+ Programme as strategic partnership of 7 partners:
Subjekt d.o.o., Croatia (applicant)
OBSTINSKA FONDATSIA PLOVDIV 2019, Bulgaria
Larpifiers AMKE, Greece
Cooperativa Sociale Immaginaria A R.L.Onlus, Italy
FUNDACJA EDUKACYJNA NAUSIKA, Poland
ASOCIATIA TIMISOARA 2021 – CAPITALA EUROPEANA A CULTURII, Romania
FONDACIJA NOVI SAD 2021 – EVROPSKA PRESTONICA KULTURE, Serbia.
The total approved budget of YOUNGETEERS was 126.896 €.
The formation of the YOUNGETEERS partnership aimed to address the challenges faced by volunteer programmes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The partnership’s interdisciplinary approach to volunteering in culture was critical to ensuring the long-term success of these programmes and mitigating the broader impact of COVID-19 on cultural and creative sectors.
The specific objectives of YOUNGETEERS were:
1. To strengthen participating organizations by training staff and improving their capacity to work with volunteers and develop sustainable crisis-resilient volunteer programmes
2. To exchange good practices among partners and strengthen cross-sector international collaboration
3. To design and test innovative educational tools, like educational LARPs scenario, based on the needs of young volunteers, to strengthen bonds between volunteers and mentors and help volunteers develop future competences
4. To develop high standards, methods and tools for youth workers and mentors working with young volunteers, especially in crisis management and mental well-being.
These were the main activities:
1)PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES
– detailed project planning, online meetings, formation of work teams, communication, documentation of activities, monitoring, financial arrangements, dissemination, evaluation, reporting.
2) TRANSNATIONAL PROJECT MEETINGS
TM1 – Kickoff Meeting, 6/2021, Croatia
TM2: Mid-Term Review Meeting, 9/2022, Greece
TM3: Final Meeting, 12/2022, Serbia
3) INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS AND ACTIVITIES
IO1: Designing and testing methodology for training youth workers to manage volunteers in culture during crisis situations.
IO3: Production of YOUNGETEERS Manual on Volunteering in Culture – Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Crisis (preparation, writing, proofreading, editing, design, publication).
4) LEARNING/TEACHING/TRAINING ACTIVITIES
C1: Short-term joint staff training, Bulgaria, June 2022 – Prior to mobility, the participants were involved in online training sessions.
5) MULTIPLIER EVENTS
Dissemination events were organised in Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, and Greece.
The project was implemented in the period from 1st March 2021 until 31st December 2022, with a total duration of 22 months. The YOUNGETEERS project achieved several concrete outputs and results in accordance with its objectives. These results include:
– The design and testing of a new methodology for training youth workers to manage volunteers in culture during crisis situations.
– The creation of a manual for volunteer management in culture during crisis situations.
– An improvement in the quality of youth work in participating organizations, based on the increased competences of the staff.
– Shared good practices among partners and enhanced cross-sector international collaboration.
These results are aimed at addressing the challenges faced by volunteer programmes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new YOUNGETEERS methodology and manual provide guidance and best practices for managing volunteers in culture during crisis situations, while the increased competences of the participants involved in the project result in improved quality of youth work in participating organizations and their associates.
Download project results here:
