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Forum Summary #leargasforum

European Citizenship

30 Years on

Forum 2017

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This year’s Léargas Forum was always going to be special. We wanted to mark the 30 years ‘from Erasmus to Erasmus+’ by recognising the remarkable work done under the programme, but also to reflect on its relationship to European Citizenship and what that means today.

Over 150 practitioners and participants in our programmes came together from all over Ireland for the Forum. Each received badges celebrating the 30th anniversary of Erasmus+ and its different sectors: Adult Education, School Education, VET and Youth. A lucky few also got to tuck into one of 30 commemorative cupcakes! There was a packed agenda with a keynote speech from Barbara Nolan of the European Commission; a panel discussion; performances; a project showcase and four workshops. In his opening speech, Léargas Executive Director Jim Mullin explained our intention for the day:

“The years since Erasmus started have seen many changes in the programme. But of course Europe itself has changed immensely during that time too. The last few years in particular have brought a new wave of economic, political and social uncertainties, from bailouts to Brexit, from conflict to migration.

With these many challenges, we feel that now it’s more important than ever for programmes such as Erasmus+ to encourage and support the values of European democracy and citizenship. It’s for this reason that we feel it’s very timely to consider what European citizenship means in such a changing world, and to examine the ways that programmes such as Erasmus+ can help shape that citizenship.”

The keynote speech and panel discussion directly addressed these dual objectives, by exploring both the achievements of and challenges to Erasmus+. The performances and project showcase demonstrated the transformative power of collaborative projects, while the workshops explored topical issues including digital citizenship and mental health. Our sincere thanks go to all the participants, exhibitors, performers, facilitators and speakers involved. Ultimately it is they who made the Forum what we hoped for it to be: both a celebratory and a thought-provoking day.

This summary gives an overview of the Forum, with links to more detailed reports. We’d also love to hear your feedback and suggestions at comms@leargas.ie.

We look forward to seeing you at Forum 2018! Léargas Communications Team

Introduction

Keynote Speaker Barbara Nolan with Léargas Board Chair Michael McLoughlin and Executive Director Jim Mullin

“We feel it’s very timely to consider what European citizenship means in such a changing world, and to examine the ways that programmes such as Erasmus+ can help shape that citizenship.”Jim Mullin, Léargas Executive Director

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“If there’s any one programme that really embodies the spirit of what it means to be a citizen of Europe, it has to be Erasmus+” Barbara Nolan, European Commission

Keynote Speech“The debate about the future of Europe is in full swing. (…)The key feature of this debate is the need for stronger efforts to connect or reconnect with citizens and listen to their views, and better understand the challenges they face in their day to day lives. It’s fair to say that during the turbulence of the financial crisis, the EU’s focus was really on trying to sort out the economy. But I think following the Gothenburg Leaders’ meeting a week ago, the social dimension of Europe is very much back on the agenda.”

Barbara Nolan is head of Erasmus+ coordination in the Directorate General for Education and Culture in the European Commission. She has spent most of her career working in Brussels, but was head of the European Commission representation in Ireland from 2010 to 2016. Drawing on this experience, and as an Irish woman herself, her speech connected European policy and political developments with its local significance.

Noting that since 1987 almost 90,000 participants from Ireland have benefited, she remarked that Erasmus+ has “led to the internationalisation of education in a big way. Before Erasmus, it was only really the ‘happy few’ who were well off enough who had the opportunity to go and study abroad. It has opened up this possibility to people who would not otherwise have had that chance”.

She highlighted the commitment to increasing Erasmus+ funding in the next generation of the programme as evidence that the EU recognises the key role of education, training and youth work in developing social cohesion and active citizenship. This is also reflected in new initiatives like the European Solidarity Corps, the consultation process on the next Youth Strategy, and the European Citizens’ Initiative. After discussing the improvements recommended in the recent midterm evaluation of the programme, she closed by telling participants and practitioners: “There’s nothing like the Erasmus+ programme anywhere else in the world - or if there is, we haven’t found it. I think we can be justifiably proud of what we have collectively built together.”

Barbara Nolan with Léargas Board members Hugh McConville and Des O’Loughlin,Communications Manager Fionnuala Broughan and Executive Director Jim Mullin

Listen to the complete speech on Soundcloud

Read an edited transcript on our blog

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PerformancesCrooked House Theatre Company

Crooked House and its founder Peter Hussey have been involved in European programmes since 2003. The Forum opened with a short piece written and performed by Erasmus+ and EVS participants from Greece, France and Denmark, and a student on placement from NUI Maynooth.

The performers mixed personal monologues of their experiences as young European citizens with short scenes from the ‘Bar Europa’: “Britain, you cannot use your pounds in here, we all use Euros! You know you can’t get a drink in here, Turkey. Spain, Catalonia, break up that fight!”. It was a humorous but powerful exploration of what an ever-changing Europe really means to the people who call it home. As Irish participant Ealaín put it in her monologue:

“Europe doesn’t have the luxury of getting stuck in a groove; And as Einstein said, nothing happens until something moves.So I say, welcome. I welcome change, the movement of people, of ideas, of love; I welcome the fluidity of gender, of politics, of a name; Because things never stay the same.”

Galway Community Circus

Community Circuses exist to build confidence in young people, to empower them and to improve their physical and mental well-being through developing circus skills. Galway Community Circus have been working with Erasmus+ and its predecessor programmes for several years. They host European Voluntary Services volunteers, and have taken part in a number of Youth Exchanges. Indeed, all the performers at the Forum had either been or were about to go on exchanges to Finland, Czech Republic or Luxembourg!

Galway Community Circus are involved in Strategic Partnerships with other circus groups across Europe, working on themes including disability, refugee integration, and mental health. Their Forum performance was developed especially for the day by the performers, on the theme ‘inclusion’. They used acrobatics, floor work and even tight rope walking to explore the feelings that being engaged - or disengaged - from others can produce. It was a moving and impressive performance, and a perfect start to the afternoon!

“I welcome change, the movement of people, of ideas, of love; I welcome the fluidity of gender, of politics, of a name; Because things never stay the same.”

Crooked House Theatre Company (above) and Galway Community Circus

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Panel Discussion

Moderated by political journalist Ursula Halligan, the panel discussion brought together Erasmus+ practitioners with politicians and policy experts to discuss Erasmus+ and European Citizenship. Peter Hussey of Crooked House Theatre, Aoife Dare of the Irish Refugee Council and Gerald Brennan of St. John’s Central College Cork gave their first-hand experience of Erasmus+ projects and how they’ve affected the communities they work with. Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin reflected on how Ireland has changed since 1987, and the role of European citizenship in bringing about those changes. Barbara Nolan emphasised the need for education on how the EU works if people are to truly engage with it. Questions from the floor highlighted the issues of access to the programme by non-organised youth; communication of the results of Erasmus+ at national level; and the potential for Erasmus+ to create a sense of global - as well as European - citizenship active round climate change, social justice and sustainable development.

Peter Hussey, Crooked House Theatre Company

Gerald Brennan, St John’s Central College, Cork

Barbara Nolan,Head of Erasmus+ Coordination

Aoife Dare, Irish Refugee Council

Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Seanad Eireann

Panel Q & A

Above: Ursula HalliganBelow: Gerald Brennan, Barbara Nolan, Aoife Dare, Aodhán Ó Ríordaín, Peter Hussey

Listen to the complete panel discussion on Soundcloud or click on the excerpts below

“You find with these projects that the barriers of nationality fall away, and what you end up with is just people”Gerald Brennan

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Project ShowcaseAdult Education Leaders and Learning in Europe(Erasmus+ KA1 Adult Education) AONTAS

Be Heard: Your Voice Matters(Erasmus+ KA3 Youth) Irish Refugee Council & The European Youth in Migration Forum

Bringing Belief Nurturing to Life(Erasmus+ KA1 School Education) Lucan Community School

European Focus on Upskilling(Erasmus+ KA1 VET) Cavan Institute

Good Nuck! Mental Health and Wellbeing for Young Irish Travellers(Erasmus+ KA1 Youth) Involve Navan

Learning Together to Live Together: Teachers Leading Ethical Education for an Inclusive Society(Erasmus+ KA2 School Education) Educate Together

LGBT Student Visibility in Third Level Education(Erasmus+ KA1 Youth) Outcomers

Participate | Learn | Grow 3(Erasmus+ KA1 Youth) Voluntary Service International

S.T.Age: Socio-drama tackling ageism, preventing abuse(Erasmus+ KA2 Adult Education) Age Action/Gaiety School of Acting

Stem for All Seasons(Erasmus+ KA2 School Education) Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh, Limerick

Use of Target Language in the Modern Foreign Language Classroom(European Language Label) Post Primary Languages Initiative

The project showcase is an opportunity to meet practitioners who have current or recently-completed projects

Above: The Project Showcase Below: Voluntary Services

International discussing volunteering at the Project

Showcase

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European Solidarity Corps: Introduction to the new European Initiative Facilitator: Suzanne Kavanagh, Léargas Client Services Team

This workshop gave an overview of the European Solidarity Corps initiative, and changes to the European Voluntary Service (EVS) which from 2018 will be called ‘Erasmus+ Volunteering’.

The European Solidarity Corps is rooted in the principle of solidarity between communities in Europe, and projects should have a strong connection to this theme. It’s an opportunity to engage young Europeans who may not have found it easy to access EVS in the past (for example, if they are not involved in youthwork). The Corps is only for EU Member States, and volunteering in your country of residence is possible. Young people can register at 17 but must be 18 when doing a project. The Corps will have a volunteering and an occupational strand, known as Traineeships. Vetting rules will apply according to the destination country and the role of the volunteer. Pre-departure training will be online, and Youthpass can still be incorporated.

Many details of the Corps are still to be confirmed but Léargas expect it will operate with a hosting and sending organisation structure. The maximum duration for traineeships will probably be nine months. Budgets are expected to be broadly in line with EVS, but with a possible relocation allowance for Traineeships.

Questions raised included whether these Traineeships might blur the line between volunteering and paid positions. Suzanne responded that all positions should be in line with the Quality Framework for Traineeships that Member States have signed up to.

From 2018, EVS will become ‘Erasmus+ Volunteering’ and there will be some changes to how it operates. Erasmus+ Volunteering projects must involve at least one partner from outside EU Member States. Volunteers from Member States must volunteer in a non-member state and vice versa. Erasmus+ Volunteering projects can include ‘complementary’ activities to strengthen their impact.

Organisations’ existing EVS accreditations will be valid for both the European Solidarity Corps and Erasmus+ Volunteering . All existing accreditations can be seen on the PASS website. New organisations will need to be accredited.

Léargas will hold workshops on both the Corps and Erasmus+ Volunteering in January 2018. Organisations considering applying should make sure their EVS accreditation is up to date, and make sure to develop project ideas in good time!

WorkshopsSee the Change, Sustain the Change: Recognising Project ImpactFacilitator: Charis Hughes, Léargas Impact Research Officer

This workshop focused on seeing and sustaining project impact at an organisational and community level. Participants first looked at the concept of the ‘Results Chain’ (input -> activity -> output -> outcome -> impact) and some real-life examples of it. They were then encouraged to consider that a key way to sustain change is to communicate and share project results, so that one person’s ‘impact’ can become an ‘input’ of knowledge or experience for someone else.

Participants worked in groups of four to develop their ideas on how to do this. Each group had a ‘handprint’ sheet with each digit representing a core concept:

Select: How and when do you collect feedback from the groups who first feel the difference made by the project? Sort: What are the key areas where your project makes a difference? Set out: Where do you capture the differences your project has made?Share: Which key people or groups do you communicate the results to? Support: How do you support them to take action based on your results?

Thinking of their own projects, the groups discussed each concept and wrote their examples on post-its. They then fed back their responses to the larger group and shared ideas and solutions with each other. One group raised the question of how to reach people outside the participants of the project. Solutions offered included ‘piggybacking’ on other groups already active in a similar area, and focusing communication on that specific target audience. Another group had found it difficult to get feedback from young people through questionnaires. It was suggested that a group interview in a relaxed setting might be more effective with that group.

Finally, Martina Early from Roscommon Leader partnership gave her own experience of coordinating Erasmus+ projects and the sustained impact they’ve had in her community. As an example, their project Creative Communities Igniting Change has led directly to the local idea of developing Ballaghaderreen as a ‘Hub for the Arts and Creatives’.

Download the European Solidarity Corps Workshop Presentation

Download the See the Change, Sustain the Change Workshop Presentation

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One Good Adult: Mental Health Challenges and Supports for Young People Facilitator: Aisling Doherty, Jigsaw

The presence of One Good Adult in a young person’s life has a positive influence on their mental health. Similar to the idea of putting your own oxygen mask on a plane before helping someone else, participants were guided through a hands-on tool for self-care so they could continue to support young people in their lives.

Participants were asked to:

• List the activities they do in a typical day• Label each of these activities as nourishing or depleting• Identify the activities that get dropped when things get busy.

They were introduced to the ‘Exhaustion Funnel’: the idea that giving up nourishing activities when we get busy can lead to burnout. Participants considered their own early warning signs of moving towards exhaustion - “When did I stop dancing?” rather than “When did I start to feel exhausted?”. They then made a ‘menu’ of nourishing activities for their own self-care. This menu should encourage people to re-energise, and remind them what works for their own self-care. It should also help them to realise it’s key to “know when to call it a day, because you care about tomorrow”.

Participants found the tool to be user-friendly, practical, informal and extremely useful. Questions and discussion focused on participants’ own experiences, and Jigsaw’s availability to visit schools and offer support to young people. A list of useful websites were given including:

www.yourmentalhealth.iewww.spunout.iewww.jigsaw.ie

Screenagers: Active Citizenship in a Digital EraFacilitator: Jean-Marie Cullen, NYCI

Screenagers is a collaborative international research project focussing on the use of ICT, digital and social media with young people. The workshop identified the needs, gaps and opportunities for ICT in the youth sector, and what supports are available.

Digital youth work is an emerging term to describe youth work that uses digital media and new technologies to enhance outcome-focused youth development. This can happen in face-to-face and group situations as well as online. Digital youth work should be defined in relation to youth work goals in general, not as a separate project with a separate goal. It’s internationally established and underpinned by theoretical research and best practice learning approaches, such as the Clubhouse Network Model. It’s particularly useful in engaging young people who have been alienated by traditional educational approaches. NYCI’s Maker Project Officer demonstrated how the digital approach helps raise engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), inspiring young people to create, invent and make. Youth workers have for many years used sports, the arts and outdoor activities to engage with young people and the youth sector has developed broad expertise in these areas. However, youth workers often lack the confidence to deliver STEM subjects. Digital STEM work can help change this.

There was a short presentation on the No Hate Speech Movement, a Council of Europe youth campaign that addresses and combats hate speech by mobilising young people to speak up for human rights and democracy online, and reduce the acceptance of hate speech. It runs in over 40 countries that work together with European partners and online activists work to implement the campaign objectives and priorities for 2016 and 2017.

Participants left with an awareness of the vital role youth workers play in building young people’s capacity to make informed decisions in the real and virtual worlds; and of the policies, infrastructure and training that help youth workers do this. They also discussed internet security and child protection in relation to digital youth work, and how digital youth work and the No Hate Speech Movement could be implemented in the school environment.

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eTwinning Awards

Celebrating Vocational Skills

Congratulations to the schools granted awards for their excellent eTwinning projects!

• Davis College, Mallow, Cork• Eglish National School, Galway• Gaelscoil de hÍde, Roscommon • Glenamaddy Community School, Galway• Meánscoil San Nicoclás, Waterford • Our Lady of Fatima Special School, Wexford• Our Lady of Mercy College Beaumont, Dublin• Scoil Mhuire Lourdes - Carrigaline Boys, Cork• St. Michael’s Boys’ School, Galway• St. Patrick’s N.S. Bruree, Limerick

To mark VET Skills Week from 20-24 November we held a photo competition for VET trainees to share their stories on the theme ‘Discover Your Talent’. The winning photo (below) is by Conor Harkin from Templemichael College/Longford CFE. Conor discovered his talent for film editing while making a documentary for his Film and TV Production course. Conor’s tutor, Louise Morgan, represented Conor and the college at the Forum and is pictured above with Jim Mullin and VET officer Elva Duggan.

We were also delighted to welcome tutor Donna McCarron and VET trainees from the Multimedia course in Cavan Institute. They filmed the speeches and performances, and had every angle covered!

Above: eTwinning National Quality Label WinnersBelow: Donna McCarron and VET trainees from Cavan Institute filming the event

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Social Media Wall#LeargasForum

Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion on social media on the day. Your engagement made the conversation come alive and also meant that the hashtag #LeargasForum was trending on Twitter in Ireland! You can still see all our social interactions on the day over Twitter, Instagram and Facebook on the ‘social wall’ at:

Click the icons to visit or follow us on each of our social channels!

Above: eTwinning National Quality Label WinnersBelow: Donna McCarron and students from Cavan Institute filming the event

walls.io/LeargasForum

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What You SaidIt was great to hear people’s reactions to the Forum, in person, on social media, and from our feedback forms. Add your voice by telling us your experience of the day.

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