Experts meeting in Tallinn
‘This is the right programme and the right time’ was the comment of one participant in a workshop of experts and leaders in the learning programme, ‘Make Change Yourselves: Turning Challenges to Your Advantage!’ The programme is on the way to explore empowering work with marginalised young people. Over a one-year learning process, this programme involves 14 youth diaconal workers and volunteers from 8 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The process involves learning about active engagement with marginalised young people and the implementation of learning in practice.
From 24th - 27th April, participants came together in Tallinn (Estonia) to debrief the learning process and evaluate the programme impacts for the youth workers and marginalised young people. ‘Co-learning is one of the most important aspects of the process , which is strengthened by the diversity of the participants - it enriches them, and their colleagues’ was the conclusion of one working group. Another group stressed that ‘working and studying simultaneously is a strength and the programme, which brings new impulses and new knowledge’. As well as evaluating the programme so far, the group also developed a concrete action plan for producing the learning outcomes.
The finalised project outcomes will bring to external readers explicit guidelines and supportive materials for organising and running practice-rooted learning programmes for youth Diaconia. The programme participants will share their stories of youth empowerment gained during the programme and the joint work of youth workers, young people and resource people will bring forward the recommendations for strengthening participatory youth Diaconal work. The whole programme ends in December 2023 and will include an international event to share the learning and the recommendations and look to the future of interdiac work in this field.
