Project

YOUTH-WORKNET aims at promoting the exchange of good practices in the field of networking-based activities for young unemployed people. By taking part in several EU and national projects, consortium partners have observed that traditional employment services tend to result ineffective in comparison with more innovative, informal and flexible solutions such as those based on networking and training support.

In particular, partners previously involved in two projects based on the Job Club methodology registered a much higher success rate in employment and personal activation (e.g. exiting the NEET condition) than that resulting from institutional support measure.

That’s why YOUTH-WORKNET proposes the exchange of a set of networking-based practices to be transferred and implemented in different contexts with similar needs. By actively involving about 240 young people in 8 different EU countries, YOUTH-WORKNET will produce a catalogue of at least 20 successful practices from 12 different countries, together with critical analysis of their features and operative description of transfer and implementation conditions.

After a focused training programme, 40 young people and youth workers will become able to manage and evaluate the exchange programme, as well as to promote the personal, social and career development of peers – therefore becoming expert youth workers. These new competences will be assessed and certified via EU transparency tool.

During the exchange phase, at least 8 practices will be exchanged, implemented and monitored. Their “migration” will be evaluated in all key aspects and data will be collected in a final report to be presented in the final project meeting. By the end of the project, at least one more network of interested institutions will be officially established with the purpose of a further exploitation of the project results and the development of new networking-based interventions for youth employment.

All project activities will be performed directly by the target group addressed, i.e. young people involved, via a strong participatory design approach. In this way the project will promote their full and deep commitment and will provide them with the opportunity to exercise the right-and-duty of active citizenship towards their peers, their families, their communities and, first of all, themselves.