”MIJARC Europe Paths” – an annual work plan co-funded by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe and the ERASMUS+ Programme of the European Union.
The year 2021 will mark the end of the 4-year (2018-2021) strategic cycle of MIJARC Europe, led around the three thematic focus points and the four operational objectives adopted by the General Assembly in 2017.
Therefore, the main challenge lies on capitalising on the outcomes and the achievements of the activities implemented over the past three years and on transforming those into tools that will help build the capacities of our member organisations and nourish the next four-year strategic cycle. Our network is strong when its members are strong and our national organisations grow stronger when their young members are empowered to participate actively in society, to advocate for their needs and interest and for those of their organisations and when they are able to improve their own lives.
In 2021, through its annual work plan, MIJARC Europe will focus on the fundamental role young people play in building our network and on supporting them and their organisations to continue to work towards achieving MIJARC Europe’s vision of being a key actor in the development of rural areas in Europe.
The aim of the work plan 2021
The aim is pursued through the following objectives:
- increase the awareness of the involved young people on the rights that they should be able to enjoy
in their rural communities - increase the ability of young people and of their organisations to claim their rights and to stand up for
them when their rights are violated - motivate and train young people from rural areas in ten different countries to take a more active role
in the management of their organisation and of MIJARC Europe - increase the capacity of MIJARC Europe to transfer knowledge to its member organisations and to
support them in strengthening their own capacity
The work plan includes 1 local and 2 international activities.
The first phase ”Rural footprints” takes place at local level and consists in a 2-day workshop with a double aim: firstly, to help the member organisations to self-assess their compliance with the CoE’s standard for youth work and quality in non-formal education, and the level of their organisational development; secondly to perform a situational analysis focusing on the barriers experienced by young people and their organisations in accessing their rights at local level. The visits should take place at local level or online, between May-October 2021.
The second phase ”Youth leader path” is a seminar for experienced youth workers, who want to take their competences to the next level and become more engaged in the management of their organisation and of MIJARC Europe. The methodological planning is based on the findings of the local visits and will guide participants towards developing minimum 5 concrete project proposals for improving the access to rights of young people, using a rights-based approach. The seminar is hosted by MRJC in France, between 29 October and 3 November 2021.
The third phase ”Steps to youth worker” is an international training course for entry-level participants, which brings them on the path from participant to youth worker with the purpose of preparing the future generation of youth workers and MIJARC Europe’s European Coordinators. The output of this activity will be an online training programme to be used as an induction training for those who join the executive bodies of MIJARC Europe. The training course is hosted by FYCA in Armenia, in December 2021.
MIJARC Europe is planning to organise the international activities face to face, using a very strict COVID-19 testing or vaccination proof procedure. Keep an eye on the news section for updates.
See you soon!