PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Breaking the Cycle is a transformative project addressing educational discrimination and school dropout among marginalized youth. With a focus on youth empowerment, inclusion, active citizenship, and social generativity promotion, the project adopts grassroots, learner-centered approach.

The partners, deeply invested in these fields, aim to benefit teenagers facing various challenges: those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, at risk of dropping out, experiencing social exclusion, dealing with issues related to migration, and second-generation migrants, including NEETs. The project anticipates being a catalyst for positive change in the lives of these young individuals, creating a network that promotes civic engagement and a brighter future.

OBJECTIVES:

The project’s specific goals, centered on fostering active citizenship, youth initiative, and entrepreneurship with a social focus, as well as promoting EU common values and civic engagement, are outlined as follows:

• Strengthening partner organizations’ capacity to promote youth empowerment, active citizenship, and social generativity.
• Encouraging the engagement, initiative, and active citizenship of young people through innovative, bottom-up, and learner-centered problem-solving approaches.
• Enhancing the hard and soft skills of young individuals through hands-on social innovation experimentation, thereby boosting employability, entrepreneurship, and fostering social cohesion.
• Empowering participants with personal competencies that foster independence.
• Advocating for inclusion, equality, and non-discrimination within educational settings.
• Promoting civic engagement and participation within the EU network.

ACTIVITIES:

The project will implement a range of activities, including non-formal education programs, learner-centered approaches, and engaging initiatives designed to promote active citizenship and entrepreneurship among young people.

• Virtual training focusing on XXI century hard and soft skills to empower the target group personally and professionally.
• Virtual training covering financial independence topics, including sustainable economy and youth entrepreneurship.
• Presential local activity where participants apply learned skills in practical scenarios, addressing family conflicts, independent living, teamwork, and financial management.
• Presential events, starting in Sweden, emphasizing peer education and a learner-centered approach, fostering interaction and networking among participants from different countries.

EXPECTED RESULTS

• Facilitated collaboration and synergy among partner organizations, key education stakeholders, and the social sector across European, national, and local levels, fostering the exchange of existing best practices and the development of innovative ones.
• Increased participation and cultivation of EU citizenship among young individuals, with a particular focus on those from marginalized backgrounds.
• Advancements in the enhancement of both hard and soft skills crucial for the social innovation, employment, and entrepreneurial endeavors of young people.
• Provision of youth educators with valuable knowledge and practical resources in the realm of non-formal learning, coupled with the promotion of enhanced community development and financial awareness.

Overall, these outcomes are expected to contribute to a more integrated, skilled, and socially aware youth demographic in the European context.