Why you should not drink coffee before recording a podcast and why having a blanket over yourself for better sound does not really work? What should be your “to-do” list before starting an international project and how to even start? Join us in this final episode of "Gems of Youth Work" as we reflect on our Erasmus+ project and share the inside scoop on how we created the podcast series. From the initial idea to the selection of guests, we will take you through the process step by step, sharing our key learnings and insights along the way. Discover the hidden gems that we uncovered throughout ..read more

Do we still understand street art as vandalism? How much work goes into promoting legal murals? What is the role of youth leaders and young people in moving attitudes towards accepting brighter neighbourhoods? A passionate young street artist and newly emerged youth leader Emilia Sabirova shares her experience coordinating an international youth exchange that brought lots of bright colours into a soviet neighbourhood ..read more

How to strengthen local youth work? What is the role municipalities can play in that, and how to establish good cooperation with them? Why is dialogue always relevant? And how can we use the European Charter on Local Youth Work and the Changemakers Kit to ensure quality in local youth work? Judit Balogh is project coordinator of Europe Goes Local (EGL) at JINT, the Flemish National Agency for ERASMUS+ and the European Solidarity Corps. Europe Goes Local has been incepted in 2016 and  is the longest standing strategic cooperation project among National Agencies. Judit has been there since ..read more

What if we say that anyone can draw? How many are comfortable with using visuals to create systems and help our brain to understand concepts? How can visuals help us to engage others? Jaanika Siiroja, trainer and visual facilitator in the youth work and education fields, shares her experience in using visuals, symbols, and simple shapes to communicate better ..read more

Why do future car mechanics benefit from learning mobilities and training approaches from youth work? How to combine the best of the worlds of formal and non-formal education for the sake of young people? How to bring sustainability to youth work via cross-sectorial co-operation? Why is it good to establish long-term partnerships with vocational schools? Mariusz Librowski, a Poland-based entrepreneur and youth work manager, founder, and president of SPARK Foundation, shares his experiences of working with all options and sectors of the ERASMUS program, and what are his lessons learnt and recom ..read more

What if improvisation is the key to authentic communication? Is there a way to learn about oneself when learning to improvise? How do you invite people to leave the safe space of plans into the unknown of improvisation? In our latest episode, we get to hear about all that from Mafalda Morganti, a trainer in the field of youth work who uses a lot of improvisation and theatre techniques in her work with young people and youth workers ..read more

What is art with a small “a”, and what is art with a big ”A”? What does it mean to take art seriously and still have fun? And what on earth is puppeteering? Dagna Gmitrowicz, a Berlin-based artist and forest therapy guide shares her experiences of applying art in youth work. LINKS AND RESOURCES Dagna Gmitrowicz - art www.dagnaart.com “Colours of feelings and needs” - https://cardsoffeelings.wixsite.com/cards Marionettes in public space (tutorials on how to build marionettes)  - https://marionetteinpublic.wixsite.com/project ..read more

How can roleplay games build awareness about climate change? Where do you start from when building edu-larp scenarios? How to keep the whole process safe and sane? In the first episode of our last podcast season, Zbyszek Janczukowicz, founder of Nausika Educational Foundation, shares his passion for educational live action roleplay games. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Nausika Foundation https://www.facebook.com/FundacjaNausika Larp For Climate https://www.facebook.com/LarpForClimate Open source scenario "Fortitude", free and available in Polish, English and Ukrainian: www.nausika.eu/fortitude ..read more

What are the elements and mechanisms of games, and how can we use them to spice up learning and youth work? What are the human needs for autonomy, relatedness, and mastery, and how can satisfying them give us intrinsic motivation and a feeling of being in the flow? Why do grades demotivate us, and why should we all have extra lives when it comes to tests? Our guest Antonis Triantafyllakis from Greece, draws from his experience of applying gamification to youth work and education and shares his insights ..read more

Can you imagine how youth work can be organized without a youth worker? What if young people take ownership of the space, program, and each other’s development? And how can they involve adults as mentors or supporters when needed? Alii is balancing studying in two universities simultaneously, working in a kindergarten, and running a youth hub in her hometown of Ploiesti, Romania. For the fourth year, Alii is responsible for managing the youth hub where young people engage in personal development activities through non-formal learning methods, where the main initiators and designers of activiti ..read more