Back to the Future

Multiplier Event in Germany, Erfurt / November 30, 2022

Marina Bykova — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 12:57:00 +0000

On the 30th of November, 2022 CGE Erfurt e.V. hosted a multiplier event in Saline34 in Erfurt, Germany.

The program of the multiplier event.

We introduced the Back to the Future project at first, and then discussed the developed outputs:

IO1 – The publication “Where to now? Effective follow up of international youth mobilities on local level”,
IO2 – Online portal and tool bank,
IO3 – Set of recommendations towards organisations for improving post-mobility activities.

After a break, a workshop with the “Fast Forward” game followed. We got new perspective from the participants and

At the end, we held a panel discussion, where key stakeholders in international youth work in Erfurt could present their good practices of follow-up in Youth Exchanges and Training Courses.

Last but not least, as CGE Culture Goes Europe – Soziokulturelle Initiative Erfurt e.V. has been hosting several ESC volunteers over the 16 years of existence, we also had the chance to introduce our module on Follow-up in Volunteer Management and discuss it with the participants.

The photos from the multiplier event.

This project has been co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Multiplier Event in Croatia / November 26, 2022

Marina Bykova — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 12:12:00 +0000

On November 26th, 2022 the OU PODUM gathered local youth work stakeholders, youth department and young people.

The program consisted of the following:

Introductory Remarks – with regards to the organization and partnership
Introduction of Intellectual Outputs (I, II and III)
- The research, publication, and digital copy for participants
- The website and various formats (https://back2thefuture.4learning.eu/)
- Database of tools and related materials
- Policy Recommendations (for national and individual NGOs)
A round of the Fast Forward Game.

Table discussion on how follow-up can benefit local and individual projects/organizations.

The program of the multiplier event.

This project has been co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Multiplier Event in Austria / November 26, 2022

Marina Bykova — Sat, 26 Nov 2022 15:43:00 +0000

On November 26th, 2022 Plattform Generation Europa e.V. organised a local multiplier event in Moenichkirchen, Austria.

On Saturday morning, the project team presented the Back2theFuture project in a general overview, including a quiz about follow-up. Participants engaged in conversation tables discussing the meaning of follow-up. The presentation, which included a short slideshow and questions, took place during a plenary meeting in the auditorium at the Blue Whale Education Center. After the presentation, there was a workshop using a World Cafe approach, including an introduction and reflection. The workshop continued in a game space at the Blue Whale Education Center where participants were divided into six groups, each focusing on different items. Groups changed after approximately 20 minutes. Results were presented and discussed by each group, followed by a reflection. The workshop concluded at 17:00 with a buffet.

The coordinators of the event with the city mayor of Moenichkirchen.

The results shared with participants were about:

The B2F web portal,
An online database with tools and materials related to follow-up activities,
A publication,
A game called “Fast forward” focuses on follow-up activities and was an unexpected outcome of the project.

The photos from the multiplier event.

This project has been co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Multiplier Event in Hungary / November 22, 2022

Marina Bykova — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 14:36:00 +0000

On the 22 of November our partner TE IS Foundation implemented the Multiplayer Event of our beloved project “Back to Future” (B2F) in Hungary.

The program of the multiplier event.

This is a one-day event for youth workers, educators and staff of NGOs. The aim of the event was to present the project Back to Future, discuss the topic of follow-up activities after international youth mobilities and share the results of the B2F project:

Web Portal,

Database of tools and related materials,

Publication “Where to now? Effective follow up of international youth mobilities on local level”,

and a Game “Fast forward” dedicated to follow-up activities game and which is also an unexpected but amazing outcome of the project.

The event took place in Budapest at Board Game Café.

The photos from the multiplier event.

This project has been co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Multiplier Event in Germany, Berlin / November 19, 2022

Marina Bykova — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 12:39:00 +0000

The multiplier event organized by MRL e.V. was held on November 19th, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. The event was attended by over 20 individuals representing various organizations from Berlin and Brandenburg.

The program of the multiplier event.

The activities of the ME were prepared in advance by our team. Some of the activities included:

Pre-ME preparation: Lists, event content, place, printing of card games, etc.,
Finalization of Intellectual Outputs (IOs) for final presentation to the public audience,
Presenting the Online Portal,
The IOs were presented from the B2F project, which aimed to provide a deeper understanding of youth mobility and its impact,
Participants also engaged in the card game FAST FORWARD, which was developed as part of the B2F project, providing a fun and interactive way to learn more about the follow-up activities.

Additionally, a panel discussion was held where participants actively engaged in discussions surrounding defining and understanding follow-up activities. The presentation of the B2F online portal was also presented as a tool for participants to access the project’s results and outputs. The discussions opened up the floor for informal chats on the impact of youth mobilities during and after the ME. The event concluded with music and snacks, providing an opportunity for participants to network and continue discussions in a relaxed setting. Overall, the ME provided a platform for participants to learn, engage and share their thoughts on youth mobility and its impact, and plan for future actions.

The photos from the multiplier event.

In conclusion, the event was a success and the participants were given the opportunity to tour the Haus der Statistik, a unique co-working space where more than 52 NGOs work and collaborate. This provided our organization and local partners with the opportunity to network with new individuals and organizations in the same field of work. Overall, the event was beneficial in both achieving its goals and fostering connections within the community.

This project has been co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Multiplier Events in Cyprus / 15 & 20 October, 2022

Marina Bykova — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 19:20:00 +0000

Two events were organised by the Cypriot partner on two various occasions, which gained public interest.

Erasmus+ Days Festival / 15.10.2022

The first event was at the Erasmus days festival on the 15th of October 2022. The #ErasmusDays 2022 took place on the 13, 14, and 15th of October throughout Europe and also the world! One event that was organized in Cyprus, Nicosia was at Plateia Eleftheria (Freedom square) in Nicosia. This year the main event was organized by the Lifelong Learning Institute and the Youth Board of Cyprus. The event was an excellent opportunity to promote and disseminate the project as many NGOs were present and all the participants were interested in the Mobilities the Erasmus ‘world’ has to offer! During the festival, Emphasys had the opportunity to present the project and its results and play the Fast Forward game with the participants. The participants included NGOs, newly established and also more experienced one. Volunteers from various NGOs who showed a great interest to the project and the fast forward game! During the event a station was setup for Emphasys and the Back2theFuture project were interested participants were informed about the project.

Event at Mall of Cyprus / 22.10.2022

The second event for the Back2theFuture project, was organized on the 22nd of October at the Mall of Cyprus in Nicosia. This event was an excellent opportunity to reach out to young people and other youth organisations who were interested in the Erasmus+ mobilities.
During the event, small workshops were setup for the Back2Future project were the project and its results were presented and the FastForward game was played at the end which intrigued some interesting brainstorming ideas and conversations!

This project has been co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Final Partner Meeting in Berlin / 13-14 September, 2022

Marina Bykova — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 09:30:14 +0000

Another Erasmus+ KA2 project is reaching a successful end!

The final meeting of the Back to the Future project took place in a hybrid form on the 13th – 14th of September 2022 (online and in Berlin)!

The project Back to the Future – Redefining the Post-Mobility addresses the specific need and provides sustainable solutions for overcoming the follow-up challenge faced in many youth organisations.

During the meeting, all outputs were discussed and finalised, as well as the organisation of the big, end-of-the-project events – multiplier events where each partner had an idea of where and how the events would be organised. Additionally, dissemination and quality assurance were discussed and the finalisation of the website and platform for the project.

A big congratulations to the Back to the Future team for their hard work. Specifically, the coordinator of the project MRL (Germany), as well as the rest of our partners CGE (Germany), Plattform Generation Europa (Austria), TE IS (Hungary), Omladinska Udruga Podum (Croatia) and Emphasys Centre (Cyprus).

For more information about the project, check out the website back2thefuture.4learning.eu

Partners:

Mensch Raum Land e.V.

CGE Culture Goes Europe – Soziokulturelle Initiative Erfurt e.V.

This project has been co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Magic Circle: International Project Participation Follow-Up Review

Marina Bykova — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 16:00:00 +0000

Hello! As an example of project follow-up, I would like to tell you about my experience with “The Magic Circle: Game and Narrative design as a tool for social inclusion and youth empowerment” project, funded by Erasmus+ and organised by La Fenice in Tortona, Italy.

In a nutshell, the project aims at supporting youth leaders and young people from 8 European countries in the development of their skills in games, activities, and methodologies put into use when working with youth. It is oriented towards a better awareness of interculturality with all disadvantaged groups in society, through a Training Course and 2 consecutive Youth Exchanges.

I first came across this project when I decided to participate in the Training Course in December 2021. From the beginning I was informed that my participation in the Training Course means that I have to organise local actions in order to ‘expand the circle’ and help to create more output for the project. Not only this, but I was also asked to attend the second part of the project which was a Youth Exchange in April 2022. There I went as a youth leader for the German team because I already had the experience and knowledge gained from attending the Training Course and organising my local actions.

In the meantime, La Fenice scheduled online meetings as a form of follow-up for the project. First, after the Training Course and before the Youth Exchange, we had a couple of meetings where we discussed about the local actions we were planning and organising. There we had the chance to share our ideas, hear others’ and help each other if needed. La Fenice further involved the participants, future youth leaders, by asking us to be in charge of finding participants for the Youth Exchange and to be the team leader. After the Youth Exchange, we had another online meeting with the organisers and the rest of the youth leaders. There we talked about the impact the project had on our participants and what could be done to further ‘expand the circle’.

As you can see, during this project various methods of follow-up were used. This ensured continuos participation in the project which created more output for the project and proliferated the message. Or as La Fenice referred to it, it successfully expanded the Magic Circle.

ESC Follow-up: Case of Andreea Kristea after “Community Goes Europe 3”

Marina Bykova — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 16:43:00 +0000

Hi! My name is Andreea and I am a former ESC volunteer for Culture Goes Europe (CGE). I would like to share with you an example of follow-up methods possible for previos/current ESC volunteers like myself.

So, what exactly do I mean by this? Well, it all started when my ESC year was coming to an end and I had to decide on what my next step will be. After considering my options, I thought that one of them would be to continue working with CGE if possible. I shared this idea with my project coordinator and after discussing the available opportunities, we came to the conclusion that there is a way for me to stay. So, I continued working with CGE on projects even after my volunteering year has ended. Not only this, but I also decided to be a mentor for the next ESC volunteer.

This is just one of the many follow-up methods which could be used to create more project output and help with the next generation of the programme. By continuing to work for my host organisation, I can continue playing an active part in our projects.

Joint Staff Mobility in Omodos, Cyprus / 25-29 June, 2022

Marina Bykova — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 11:42:00 +0000

Between the 25th-29th of June 2022, the C1 Short-Term Joint Staff Mobility of the KA2 Erasmus+ Back to the Future – Redefining the Post-Mobility project took place in Cyprus in Omodos village, located in the Limassol district.

During the C1 training, the participants trained each other on the materials developed for IO2 were presented, as well as the project platform and the upcoming tasks and events of the project!

Among the materials tested was the bespoken follow-up assessment tool – new board game called “Fast Forward”.

The main aim of the game is to provoke/inspire/engage a lively interactive discussion about follow-up and dissemination activities among the participants. Exploring their future plans and ideas, as well as inspiring and encouraging them to implement those activities in consequential steps, after the project.

Additionally, the participants of the C1 checked out the components of the Back2theFuture ToolBox, which can help project managers, youth workers and youth leaders to organise a follow-up action after a project activity.

The ToolBox includes:

– case studies of best practices in follow-up measures from other Erasmus+ or ESC projects;

– mind maps, templates, documents;

– games and workshop plans;

– publications and policy tools;

– online course, etc.

The participants took home valuable resources and are now able themselves to utilise them and even share the knowledge with the others.

For more information about the project, check out the website back2thefuture.4learning.eu

Partners:

Mensch Raum Land e.V.

CGE Culture Goes Europe – Soziokulturelle Initiative Erfurt e.V.

This project has been co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.