SPEAK UP! Time for You(th)

The situation which young people are facing today is exceptional. Society had advanced to such a level that offers all means of modern communication such as the internet, social networking, phone, accessible to almost everyone. From our daily experience in working with young people and from the data received from the partners, we find an alarming situation: young people are not able to express themselves clearly (even in their native language) so to highlight their benefits and competencies within society. In our activity we notice young people full of potential (skills. digital, artistic, cultural) that are highlighted simply because they do not know communicate and promote themselves. Informational society inhibited direct dialogue skills of communicating, sustaining a speech. Our project proposed a simple concept, unsophisticated, but essential in the current situation of young people “learn to communicate together.” Many of the problems Europe today (discrimination, hatred) originate from the lack of dialogue and real communication with other cultures and lifestyles.

The project “SPEAK UP! Time for You(th)” proposed a various activities for development of communication skills, structure dialog and civic competences. We aimed to create the impact for participants and the local youngsters as the activities were implemented to multiply the concept and the activities experienced in all the communities of the partners, so we could integrate the concept in a mainstream for youth work, with a lot of visibility and participation of the community.

This Youth Exchange involved 45 young people from Lithuania, Spain, Italy, Poland, Turkey and Romania. During 10 days they were learning new methods of non-formal education, playing games, teaching the others, sharing knowledge, exploring new cultures, getting to know each other, improving their skills and competencies.

Through the project, young people from different parts of Europe had the opportunity to develop communication skills, understanding towards other cultures, get to know the degree of social responsibility, the importance of their role in initiating on the local environment, have developed an attitude of social entrepreneurs, self-esteem, competence in the labor market and intercultural awareness.