To develop and realise innovative workcamp projects with European partners, that is the goal of youth work organisations from the Federal States of Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia, as international youth work strengthens the competencies of young people. With support of the International Association for Education and Exchange (IBB e.V.), in the coming three years a total of nine international youth encounters will take place in six European countries. This became possible through funding by the Innovation Fund of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in 2015 and 2016. The name of the programme, further developing international youth work with new forms of communication and cooperation is: ewoca³(+) – for everyone!
The project name ewoca³(+) (three partner, three workcamps, three countries) derives from the fact, that partnerships are formed with one partner from Germany and two further European partners. Together they will realise one workcamp, with up to 30 participants, in each of the participating countries. The goal of ewoca³(+) is to open doors for youth with special support needs. Young people, which for cultural, social, economic, physical or geographic reasons only have impeded access to projects of international youth work, are a primary target. However, ewoca³(+) is not explicitly focused on the disadvantaged, instead youths from different social milieus take part in the workcamps together. These grant opportunities for personal development, convey key competencies, help to develop dealing with cultural diversity and support employability.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the programme is already successful. Within the framework of the funding programme ewoca³, IBB e.v. supported and enabled a total of 72 trinational youth encounters in the past six years. With ewoca³(+), the project partners now continue to develop current practice in international youth work. They also do not solely rely on their own experiences, but also become part of a European network. Together with the project partners of ewoca³, they will form a European network of international youth work professionals.
Consequently, there will be a support programme, allowing for further education and networking of youth work professionals on an international level. The all-day commencement event will take place on the 8th of November, at Dortmunder U, Centre for Art and Creativity. Besides the project partners, representatives of politics and civil society have announced their participation. Furthermore, youths will present their experiences from the workcamps of 2012 to 2014.
These are the new ewoca³(+) partnerships, which, in the years 2015 to 2017 will develop innovative concepts in international youth work and realise a youth workcamp on the topic of „Education for sustainable development“ in each of the participating countries:
Partnership 1: Brandenburg — France — Greece
Interkulturelles Netzwerk e.V (Neuruppin/Brandenburg)
Décodanse (Sèegrave;egrave;te/France)
Samothraki Municipality (Samothraki/Greece)
Partnership 2: Schleswig-Holstein — Ukraine — Denmark
Alte Schule e.V. (Buchholz/Schleswig-Holstein)
German Youth in Ukraine e.V. (Kiev/Ukraine)
Educational Centre Knivsberg (Roedekro/Denmark)
Partnership 3: Thuringia — Belarus — Greece
EJB Weimar (Weimar/Thuringia)
Education without borders (Dunaewa/Belarus)
Hellenic Youth Participation (Athens/Greece)
ewoca³(+) – for everyone! is a funding programme of the International Association for Education and Exchange in Dortmund (IBB e.V.), funded by the Innovation Fund of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. It further develops the programme ewoca³, to enable international youth encounters in the tested format of ewoca³, but now also with participation of youth work organisations from Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia.
ewoca³ is a funding programme of the International Association for Education and Exchange in Dortmund (IBB e.V.), funded by the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and Stiftung Mercator. It supports and enables international youth encounters, with participation of youth work organisations from North Rhine-Westphalia. In the years 2015 to 2017, twelve trinational project partnerships will realise 36 workcamps in 15 European countries.