SHINE International Training on Civic Engagement -

SHINE International Training on Civic Engagement for Youth Workers was successfully held from 10 March to 19 March. A total of 9 youth workers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro and 6 EU trainers from Romania, Germany and Bulgaria joined the training, aimed at testing the non-formal tools drafted as a part of SHINE Training Toolkit on Citizenship Competence and building the capacity of youth workers, educators and trainers to conduct educational sessions on democracy, active participation, civic engagement, media literacy and critical thinking with young people.

The first (theoretical) part of the international training was implemented in Timișoara, Romania. On Day 1, the participants were introduced to the SHINE project, its goals, timeline and activities. Through non-formal tools, they brainstormed about topics such as democracy, active citizenship and levels of participation. The youth workers explored the core EU values and their role for the society and designed campaign ideas to promote them among young people. They also participated in an activity which introduced a learning zones concept and shared personal examples linked to youth participation and building confidence to join public life as active citizens.

On Day 2, the youth workers explored various levels of youth participation through real-life examples and joined a simulation activity focusing on human rights case studies. They also explored the basics of debate and discussed the controversial statement People get the leaders they deserve.

Day 3 started with a discussion about inclusion and equality. The youth workers had to research and present the current situation in their countries. They discussed the similarities and the differences in terms of community attitudes, government support and policies. After the discussion, they had to create a Utopian vision for the future and draft it as a newspaper’s first page. At the end of the training, the participants visited a lecture about the future of democracy by the famous author Anne Applebaum hosted at the West University of Timișoara.

The second (experiential) part of the International Training was conducted in Frankfurt, Germany. On the first activity day, the youth workers explored recent news related to the inclusion of minority groups and had to prepare a short summary of the most important data in front of the group. Later, they joined a creative activity, in which they presented positive and negative scenarios related to the inclusion of vulnerable groups.

On day 2, the youth workers drafted projects with concrete steps to fulfill the Utopian Future ideas, presented in Romania. In the afternoon, they explored the Privilege Flower activity, highlighting the lifestyles of various groups (and the challenges some of them face) concerning gender stereotypes and exclusion. Day 3 focused on the SHINE podcast and the adoption of podcasts in youth work.

The third (practical) part of the training took place in Sofia, Bulgaria. The youth workers joined a variety of non-formal sessions about the design of raise awareness campaigns, e-voting and the Erasmus+ Programme and tested the Democracy in Play Board Game. The game is centered around the idea of involving young people in debate and raise their critical-thinking, soft and leadership skills by engaging them with various topics vital for society. At the end of the training, all youth workers were awarded a Youth Pass certificate.

The SHINE project is co-funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme.

Members of the project consortium: