4 c engagement.dbroej

Youth as actors of social Youth as actors of social changechange

Youth Engagement ContinuumYouth Engagement Continuum

Action WeekAction Week

Leadership-trainingLeadership-training

Dirk De Block – D'Broej vzwDirk De Block – D'Broej vzw

Youth engagement... Youth engagement... Mission impossible?Mission impossible?

• ““Youth are no longer interested in Youth are no longer interested in committing, engaging themselves”committing, engaging themselves”

• ““A leadership-training of one year? They A leadership-training of one year? They won't last!”won't last!”

• ““You want to change the world? You want to change the world? Utopian!”Utopian!”

• ““Why don't you just propose them a Why don't you just propose them a animator-training?”animator-training?”

• ““You're working with an elite!”You're working with an elite!”

Indications of some strange Indications of some strange motivational force field...motivational force field... El Hoceima earthquake shook more El Hoceima earthquake shook more

than we thought...than we thought... When a playing ground gets serious When a playing ground gets serious

businessbusiness Can an issue be too hot to handle? Can an issue be too hot to handle?

Palestine...Palestine...

First try: the leadership First try: the leadership trainingtraining 18-22 year18-22 year Potential volontary and interested in Potential volontary and interested in

debatesdebates Understanding our personal Understanding our personal

experiencesexperiences Group dynamics and leadership-Group dynamics and leadership-

attitudesattitudes Project-managing skillsProject-managing skills

First try: the leadership First try: the leadership trainingtraining Collectivizing individual experiencesCollectivizing individual experiences

Against individual victim blamingAgainst individual victim blaming Learning to see the structural, Learning to see the structural,

collective root mechanisms behind collective root mechanisms behind exclusionexclusion

The causes are social, not culturalThe causes are social, not cultural Against culturalizing and racist reflexesAgainst culturalizing and racist reflexes We're in it together!We're in it together!

So why no try to take it on together?So why no try to take it on together?

Results of our first tryResults of our first try

• 4 groups of youth leaders (in 8 years)4 groups of youth leaders (in 8 years)• 2/3 boys, 1/3 girlsan 10 avondsessies2/3 boys, 1/3 girlsan 10 avondsessies• Interesting projects: documentaries – Interesting projects: documentaries –

multicultural soccertornament – multicultural soccertornament – intergenerational exchange between intergenerational exchange between children and third age – peercounseling children and third age – peercounseling against dropout – action against crowded against dropout – action against crowded classrooms – exchange between police classrooms – exchange between police and youth – documentary about youth that and youth – documentary about youth that engage themselves – video-inquiry on engage themselves – video-inquiry on reasons for schooldropoutreasons for schooldropout

Results of our first tryResults of our first try

• Several leaders work in the social sector, Several leaders work in the social sector, social-cultural and social-economicssocial-cultural and social-economics

• Leaders are administrator in youth centreLeaders are administrator in youth centre• Leaders went back to school, took up Leaders went back to school, took up

language courseslanguage courses• Leaders engaged themselves in political Leaders engaged themselves in political

activitiesactivities• Leaders organized their own cultural eventsLeaders organized their own cultural events• Leaders acted as spokespersones for Leaders acted as spokespersones for

neighbourhood youthneighbourhood youth• Leaders realized their own project Leaders realized their own project

(exchanges, expositions, etc.)(exchanges, expositions, etc.)

Limits of our first tryLimits of our first try

Motivated young leaders did not find Motivated young leaders did not find their place in our youth centrestheir place in our youth centres

Are the youth workers convinced that Are the youth workers convinced that we have to take on together with the we have to take on together with the youth their issues?youth their issues?

Second try: The Action Second try: The Action WeekWeek

An audio-visual toolkitAn audio-visual toolkit

www.dbroej.be/toolkitwww.dbroej.be/toolkit

Second try: The Action Second try: The Action WeekWeek8 steps8 steps GroupbuildingGroupbuilding ListenListen ChooseChoose LearnLearn PlanPlan ActionAction ValuateValuate Party!Party!

We did not invent We did not invent anything...anything... Objectif Oriented Planning (Project Objectif Oriented Planning (Project

Cycle Management)Cycle Management) Freire's pedagogy of the oppressedFreire's pedagogy of the oppressed Alinsky's community work and social Alinsky's community work and social

actionaction Youth OrganizingYouth Organizing Child-to-ChildChild-to-Child

Youth OrganizingYouth Organizing

Funders' Collaborative on Youth Funders' Collaborative on Youth OrganizingOrganizing

Youth Engagement ContinuumYouth Engagement Continuum

Proces Youth OrganizingProces Youth Organizing

Development and Skill TrainingDevelopment and Skill Training

Outreach and New Member Outreach and New Member RecruitmentRecruitment

Community Assessment and Issue Community Assessment and Issue IdentificationIdentification

Campaign Development and Campaign Development and ImplementationImplementation

Aknowledgments...Aknowledgments...• Touria Aziz and Alhambra for their inspiring Touria Aziz and Alhambra for their inspiring

exemple and engagement in the aftermaths of the exemple and engagement in the aftermaths of the Kureghem-riots of 1997Kureghem-riots of 1997

• Marie De Leener for her support and Marie De Leener for her support and methodological expertise, for writing the methodological expertise, for writing the leadership-training manualleadership-training manual

• Bruno Bauwens for making the Action Week a Bruno Bauwens for making the Action Week a succes, and writing the manual for the toolkitsucces, and writing the manual for the toolkit

• Caroline Van Kerckhoven for realizing the audio-Caroline Van Kerckhoven for realizing the audio-visual material for the toolkitvisual material for the toolkit

• FCYO for giving us the YECFCYO for giving us the YEC

• Makarenko, for helping me through some tough Makarenko, for helping me through some tough times with his pedagogical optimismtimes with his pedagogical optimism

Summary - SloganSummary - Slogan

That's up to you!That's up to you!