Momentum is the YOUTH 4 CHANGE Irish partner and is a specialist youth training organization with a particular interest in inciting social change and innovation impact because of previous youth work and projects in Ireland. They have strong digital storytelling expertise garnered from EU Stories an Erasmus+ project using storytelling to enhance the cultural diversity of European regions. Given this experience, MMS are part of the development team of the YOUTH 4 CHANGE Technology Toolkit.
YOUTH 4 CHANGE Technology Toolkit
The YOUTH 4 CHANGE Technology Toolkit investigates, trials, and tests at least,
20 of the best low-cost or no-cost tools and platforms for storytelling for social change. The toolkit will be a practical resource for youth leaders across Europe. It will build young people’s digital and analytical skills and their knowledge of the tech for good movement.
Expected Impact of YOUTH 4 CHANGE Momentum and Irish Regions
YOUTH 4 CHANGE will assist Momentum to deliver essential added value to their comprehensive experience of working with youth leaders and educators. It will help them to improve the quality and impact of social innovation and storytelling training for youth. Their extensive Erasmus+ experience has shown that the impact and sustainability of social change-oriented projects continue to improve educational systems and youth-driven structures. It is not just about the quality of the concept, or a simple knowledge transfer, but the way it is delivered and packaged to create attitudinal and behavioral change that is the power of YOUTH 4 CHANGE, the secret lies in the power of storytelling. YOUTH 4 CHANGE will actively help deliver best practice examples and new, exciting ways of delivering high-quality training to the youth sector through storytelling.
Impact on Irish Youth
YOUTH 4 CHANGE will deliver and communicate practical opportunities for Irish youth currently employed, unemployed, or under-employed through the provision of training and opportunities in social innovation and enterprising skills which will provide a route to business creation (inc social enterprise), self-employment, and financial empowerment. They will also develop entrepreneurial thinking which will develop their resilience in all spheres, personal and professional.
Zak Moradi, Ireland
Zak Moradi, is an Irish hurling player & book author. He uses sports to produce stories about inclusion and draws inspiration from his refugee background. He advocates that social media is important in social change, it can bring democracy. ‘It can be used for positive things, and we must be careful about the negative sides. Refugees need to be in the stories. We must be included in positive stories that are producing peace and equality, and narratives’.
Click on the link to hear more https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUJJC2nV-dg
More Information on sports against racism: https://www.sari.ie/
Con Bartels speaks about the Green Roots Project. He is passionate about innovative social change and sustainability for young people. Click on the link as he tells his story about sustainability. He explains about tying social media content to promote actions. He also talks about tying stories about the land, community, heritage, ancestry, and the sense of pride that evolves telling a story that produces social change and motivates people towards sustainable approaches.
Click on the link to hear more https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiFP_3mLhGw
More Information on Green Roots Project https://www.thegreenrootsproject.ie/
Young Social Innovators (YSI) Ireland Empowering Young People to Come Up with Innovative Social Solutions to Social Challenges
Young Social Innovators (YSI) is a non-profit organization that empowers young people to use their talents, insights, passion, and creativity to come up with innovative solutions to social challenges. For the past 21 years, their fun and engaging programs have supported students to create team-based action projects and storytelling on issues they care about, putting their innovative ideas into action to bring about positive social change for the benefit of people, communities, and the environment.Young Social Innovators empowers young people to reimagine the world into one that is more caring, equal and fair, and to come together to bring their ideas to life. Through engagement in YSI and, through our research and advocacy, young people are given a voice and agency on the issues that matter to them.
The Impact YSI Makes
Every year, some 15,000 young people are supported to effect positive change in their communities and beyond and to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals through Young Social Innovators. Their network of engaged young people and Youthreach Centres demonstrate foresight and leadership around the development of active, creative, and global citizens who care about the creation of a fair, more equal, and sustainable world.
Our training and world-class resources equip educators with everything needed to facilitate social innovation projects with young people, and our platforms and events provide important mechanisms through which young people's ideas can be shared and their voices heard. Young Social Innovators is for all young people and every child can contribute to the work of a YSI team.
https://www.youngsocialinnovators.ie/stories/
The Social Issue – Impact of Pollution on Marine Life
Commotion in the Ocean
Understanding that the oceans play an essential role in our life on Earth, this YSI team decided to tackle the issue of the impact of pollution on marine life. After learning that the oceans provide us with over 50% of the oxygen we breathe and contribute to over 97% of the world's water supply, it has become clear to the young Irish people that the issue of ocean pollution affects mankind as much as marine life.
The Idea: Commotion in the Ocean
The big idea for the Commotion in the Ocean team was to bring awareness on how people can reduce their carbon footprint, which impacts the amount of pollution entering the seas, and oceans and damaging marine life. The team came up with the idea of designing turtle bins to be displayed in the local area of Donegal Pier. In addition, the team took the issue of pollution into their own hands and organised regular beach clean-ups on Rossnowlagh Beach. To educate younger generations and engage them in helping combat the problem, students created resource packs that were shared with local communities in preparation for World Oceans Day 2022.
Working in conjunction with Donegal County Council, young students created a turtle bin that was installed at Donegal Pier. The bin is a response to the growing problem of marine pollution in the communities local area, caused by the lack of bins at the pier, which increases the chances of litter getting into the local waters and impacts marine life.
In order to raise awareness in their community, the team organised a successful fundraiser for the whole community, and ran a Commotion in the Ocean Quiz which included four rounds of questions based on ocean facts, water sport, marine creatures and a music round all based around water-related issues. Through this activitity, the team fundraised over €300, which was donated to Seal Rescue Ireland (SRI), gifting the animals a second chance at life as well as allowing SRI to take lead in the fight against climate change, ocean pollution, habitat degradation and unsustainable fishing.
The Impact:
The Commotion in the Ocean Team's thoughtful and strategic action has made a positive difference to marine life in the Dongeal area. The beach clean-up organised by the team resulted in reducing the chance of multiple full bags of litter entering the waters at Rossnowlagh beach. In addtion, the bin created and installed by the team at the Donegal Pier, provides a long-term solution to the problem of litter-caused marine pollution in the Donegal area, by reducing the amount of litter entering the sea.
The bin, despite its practical function, is also a statement piece, and has been constructed to raise awareness on rubbish distribution and pollution. This wooden art piece, shaped like a turtle, included a clear plastic “shell” to hold the rubbish. The “shell” is made with a clear material in order to represent what marine life can ingest as a result of the dumping of plastic and rubbish in the ocean.
Young people are the future and by educating them on the vital issue of marine pollution, we are thriving for a better future.
Commotion in the Ocean Team Member.
Our ambitious project seeks to address digital transformation through development of digital readiness, resilience and capacity, promote active citizenship/young people’s sense of initiative and strengthen the employability of young people. Our main objective is to upskill project partners/associated partners/youth leaders empowering them with new knowledge and practical training resources to help young people put technology and digital stories to good use. Our goal is to empower young people (15-24 years) to become active, empowered digital citizens capable of advancing strong social change missions online.
The project addresses the needs of young people and the issues they face regarding digital skills attainment, access to quality non-formal learning opportunities, active citizenship and employability. YOUTH FOR CHANGE uses the term “youth leaders” to encompass youth workers, educators, organizations and institutions who care about the quality of their work with and for young people. The project partners are all engaged in informal and non-formal youth work and reflect the broad range and scope of youth sector supports. Technology was a saving grace for young people during the COVID19 lockdowns in Europe offering them an opportunity to escape, learn, socialise and connect.
While technology is a great enabler, the current over and quite often misuse of technology by young people has been proven to be detrimental to their emotional wellbeing, mental and physical health, and many other areas of life. Despite increasing efforts and many projects to warn young people of the potential damaging effect of technology and social media, we have yet to see the issue systemically improve. Despite their prolific use of technology and social media, the EU Digital Education Action Plan tells us that in 2019, a fifth of young persons in Europe reported not to have basic digital skills. The Plan highlights digital literacy as an essential for everyday life, but it also reports that more than 40% of young people consider that critical thinking, media and democracy are not ‘taught sufficiently’ in school. It is clear therefore, that more needs to be done in this space and that highlighting the negative effects is not enough.
YOUTH FOR CHANGE seeks to change the dynamic by engaging young people in the non-formal learning opportunities which build on their existing interest in social media platforms like Snapchat, Tik Tok. Across Europe, youth unemployment and disengagement are on the rise. In 2020 the share of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) across Europe returned to the 2017 level (13.7%). In a short space of time, the global pandemic resulted in the gains from 3 years were wiped out. The situation is worrying for the youth leaders working for and with young people particularly in Lithuania. Last year, the number of young people under the age of 29 registered with the Employment Service increased 2.7 times, and the number of young people aged 16–24 - as much as 3.8 times. In addition, as much as 56% of young jobseekers under the age of 29 did not have professional training. Relative and worse statistics can be seen in partner countries. In Italy, youth-unemployment rate is at 32.2%. As of July 2021, 2,854 million people under 25 years of age were unemployed across the EU, of which a total of 2,339 million come from inside the eurozone, according to Eurostat.
This issue is now of crucial importance to the European Commission. It has launched a series of strategies and initiatives such as the EU Youth Strategy which seeks to ENGAGE, CONNECT and EMPOWER young people. It has also designated next year as the European Year of Youth 2022. All of this comes at a time when social change has never been more urgent in Europe. Every day, we face new and increasing challenges concerned with the pandemic, poverty, financial crisis and security challenges to name a few. YOUTH FOR CHANGE recognises the key role that young people can play as active citizens and actors of positive change in constructing a better and more sustainable future for Europe.
The European E-learning Institute (EUEI) is committed to providing high-quality learning experiences and innovative educational programmes which engage learners from a range of sectors and socio-economic backgrounds. EUEI is committed to promoting social cohesion, inclusion, and sustainability across Europe, making them a perfect fit for the YOUTH FOR CHANGE Project.
Our experienced team of trainers, researchers and technical experts are uniquely placed to guide educators from VET, HEI, Adult and Youth sectors to harness the opportunities that innovative and collaborative e-learning and digital tools offer for learners.
We specialise in the delivering of high quality, responsive and innovative projects to educators and learners in the topics of pedagogic approaches, entrepreneurial competences, digital skills, inclusion, and sustainability.
Meet our Climate Champions at EUEI working on the YOUTH FOR CHANGE project
Canice Hamill- Managing Director
Canice has worked in the field of lifelong education for over 20 years and is recognised as an expert in instructional design and the development of e-learning solutions for education and training. A former trainer and lecturer, Canice utilises a holistic approach to creating innovative, interactive learning environments and works closely with tutors, trainers, and development teams, emphasising the importance of empathy and user experience in every learning solution.
Our Logician -Innovative Inventors with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge
Catherine Neill- European Project Manager
An experienced EU project manager, Catherine is an integral member of our team. She is an effective communicator and has a strong background in areas of Inclusion. The oldest of 5 children Catherine quickly learned how to lead the pack, utilising organisational skills alongside her passion for helping others, she is committed to making the world a more accessible, sustainable, and friendly place.
Our Protagonist -Charismatic and inspiring leaders, able to mesmerise their listeners.
Aine Hamill- European Project Officer
Aine plays an important role in the learning design and subsequently in evaluating the effectiveness of our eLearning products on completion. Aine is always keen to engage with her creative side and implement the newest digital tools, pedagogies, and trends into our e-learning solutions. She is passionate about finding effective and relevant ways to engage learners from all walks of life.
Our Defender-dedicated and warm protectors, able to implement ideas and “create order from chaos”.
Including our key role in the initiation of the YOUTH FOR CHANGE project we will also work tirelessly alongside our project partners to deliver the highest quality project results as possible. Within the project EUEI will develop the project website and be responsible for the technical realisation of the materials.
Learn more about EUEI here:www.euei.dk
Jakarta. The famous quote of Indonesia’s founding father Soekarno on youth's power was repeatedly heard on the first day of the Y20 Summit, which saw participation from many youth delegates from across the globe.
Opening speeches were making references to Soekarno's "give me 1,000 elders, I will undoubtedly rip Semeru from its root. Give me 10 youths and I will undoubtedly shake the world" in a bid to show how powerful youth can be as agents of change.
A fitting quote as dozens of young people of different nationalities will discuss pressing matters related to youth employment, digital transformation, sustainable and livable planet, as well as diversity and inclusion.
Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi addresses the Y20 youth delegates in Jakarta on July 18, 2022. (Photo Courtesy of Y20)
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi was among those who referenced one of Soekarno's famous quotes. The senior recited Soekarno's saying before the youth delegates as she kicked off the Y20 Summit at the Nusantara V building in Jakarta on Monday.
According to Retno, the Y20 should promote the roles of youth as both agents of peace and change. The world is now home to 1.2 billion young people — all possess transformative capabilities that can provide immense contributions amidst global challenges.
“As future leaders, youth should take a bigger role in ensuring a peaceful, more inclusive, prosperous and sustainable future. In today's globalized and interconnected world, this can only take place by fostering dialogue, building bridges, and not building walls," Retno told the Y20 delegates.
"Bridges that are based on diversity, made through collaborations, fortified by inclusion. These are the streams that keep the river of peace running," Retno said.
As change agents, youth must think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions for the various challenges that the world is facing today.
"Youth must invest on issues that will determine the fate of tomorrow such as health, digital transformation, energy transition," Retno said.
At the gala dinner later that day, Co-Chair Y20 Indonesia 2022 Budy Sugandi also made another reference to Soekarno's speech.
"President Soekarno said ten youths would be able to shake the world. This room has more than a hundred young people, so nothing is impossible if we unite and join hand in hand with each other to make a better future," Budy said at the gala dinner.
The Y20 summit discussions will result in a Communiqué, a document of public policy recommendations which the youth delegates will present to the G20 leaders.
Article found at https://jakartaglobe.id/news/youth-ready-to-shake-the-world-at-y20-summit