Online Training Course

Building the Vision: Youth environmental organisations of the future

Call for Participants! 

• Are you passionate about environmental sustainability and environmental protection? 
• Are you a youth worker or a member of the environmental youth movement or informal group wishing to enter the political environment? 
• Do you want to have a long term impact on environmental policies and influencing local policymaking through participation in youth environmental organisations of the future? 
• Are you a young change-maker aged between 18 and 30 with a good level of English residing in one of the Council of Europe member states, Belarus or Kosovo?
• Will you join us in building the vision for more sustainable and environmental youth movements, informal groups and organisations to ensure young people’s access to participation in policy-making processes? 

If you answered yes to all of these questions, then this training course is the right choice for you and your organisation! 

Youth and Environment Europe is looking for participants for the online international training course “Building the Vision: Youth environmental organisations of the future” between 29 January – 07 February 2021. The sessions will be held on the weekends – Friday to Sunday 29-31.1. and Friday to Sunday 05-07.2. The week between will be spent on individual and team work. The online training course is the first activity of YEE’s project ‘Imagining the Green Future’ supported by the European Youth Foundation, Council of Europe and Erasmus+.

Would you like to participate in an online interactive training course based on non-formal education principles? During the online training, we will explore how to shift from an informal group or a grassroots movement into an organisation with a vision and structure! The training course will prepare young people from environmental movements, informal groups and NGOs to think of (re)establishing their structure and (re)defining their vision, organisational aims and objectives.

What can you expect?

During this online training course, we will train various competencies that youth workers need in order to shift from an informal group or a grassroots movement into a sustainable and effective organisation with a vision and structure. YEE wants to support youth environmental activists, workers and informal groups to create a vision and structure for entering the political environment. We will have various interactive sessions during which 

• You will gain competences and skills needed to advocate, campaign and lobby for environmental policies on a local level; 
• you will learn how to develop the organisational structure and vision, mission & values for an organisation as well as practical skills of training it;
• you will learn how to properly set up aims and objectives for your organisation and how to practice non-discrimination and creating an inclusive atmosphere within your organisation
• you will gain knowledge of membership management and develop skills in creating fundraising strategies and crowdfunding campaigns; 
• you will have the opportunity to present your movement or organisation and to share your previous experience and establish the common ground and new partnerships with other participants;
• you will have the chance to talk to other learners and youth workers from all over the world, and learn from each other;
• you will have the chance to work on the exciting training course outputs (articles, videos, infographics, etc.)! 

Who are we looking for? 

We welcome applications from those who are interested in the topic, are motivated to learn and share knowledge with an international group of young people in the training course and get involved in projects on the topic following the course. The criteria for applying are the following:

• Be between 18 and 30 years old, residing in one of the Council of Europe member states, Belarus or Kosovo;
• We encourage especially participants from Latvia, Spain, Turkey, Belgium and Serbia to apply;
• Have good communication skills and speak English very well (you should be able to clearly express yourself both orally and in writing);
• Be active in a YEE member organisation or any other youth organisation, group or movement, or work/volunteer in such an organisation;
• Be interested in the topics of the training course: environmental issues, sustainability, youth movements, NGOs, vision building, organizational management, fundraising, and political lobbying;
• Be willing to support the rest of the group and be a team player;
• Be able and motivated to attend the whole training course and take part in the activities and tasks specified below (“Important Info”);
• Have the motivation to take part in the following project activities (second training course in August and local actions after the second training course);
• Have the motivation to take back the learning experience to your home organisations and/or communities;
• Be committed to the aims of the project and YEE values!

How to apply? 

Interested candidates should submit the online application which you can find HERE. 

Deadline for applications: 09 January 2021 (23:59 CET).

You will be informed about the results of the selection within 5 days after the deadline.

If you have any questions regarding the prep-team application please don’t hesitate to contact YEE Project Manager Karolina at karolina@yeenet.eu We are looking forward to receiving your applications! Good Luck! 

Important Info

1. The training course will take place online via Zoom during the weekends from 29 January to 07 February 2021. The training will have 6 working days (Friday 29.1. , Saturday 30.1, Sunday 31.1. and Friday 05.02, Saturday 06.02 and Sunday 07.02) with a total of max 4,5 training hours daily. On Saturdays and Sundays, we will hold two blocks of online sessions, first from approximately 10.00 to 12.00 (CET) and the second one from 13.30 to 15.30 (CET). Each working day will be closed with the “evaluation and reflection session” from 15.30 to 16.00 (CET). The 6 working days will be complemented by the 5 days (01-04 February 2021) of individual and teamwork. 
2. The training course programme will be based on the principles of non-formal education and intercultural learning. We strive for an active, inclusive program that includes direct communication and a sharing of knowledge. The online sessions will be balanced between theoretical inputs, workshops, discussions, training and other interactive methods of non-formal learning. We will use online interactive tools.
3. This online training course is a part of the YEE long-term project “Imagining the Green Future”. Therefore, there are follow-up activities which participant should attend. 
4. By submitting the online application form you undertake an agreement to participate in the whole programme of the training course, meaning every session during the full 6 working days. 
5. By submitting the online application form you agree to take part in the tasks after the training course and to participate in the long-term project´s following activities. 
6. By submitting the online application form you agree to respect the YEE Code of Conduct for online learning.