We are happy to invite young leaders to take part in YMCA Europe Leadership Academy Course in 2025: “Bridging Cultures: from personal transformation to community development” co-funded by European Youth Foundation.
Leadership Academy training course is a signature project of YMCA Europe developed for young leaders of Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) to strengthen their skills in the spheres of intercultural diversity, project design and management, governance and organisational culture.
We have been empowering young people since 2017 (see how) by equipping them with relevant knowledge so they live as active citizens, promote social change and strengthen their movements as bearers of democratic values and change-makers in communities.
Near 150 graduates continue their journeys within and outside YMCAs as more skilled and global-minded citizens striving for self-development and sustainable social impact.
For the seventh cohort of YMCA Leadership Academy, we invite young people motivated to develop themselves as leaders of CSOs operating in diverse intercultural environments to apply for this course!
Aim: enabling young people and youth CSOs to promote peace, social transformations and intercultural dialogue through community projects and organisational culture.
Objectives:
- Providing space for young people to analyse and formulate their personal identities and values, life purposes and role in society, connected to the current social contexts and intercultural diversity;
- Supporting youth in designing and implementing of social transformational activities promoting peace and intercultural dialogue as part of community work in youth CSOs;
- Strengthening capacity of youth CSOs to promote peace, social transformations and intercultural dialogue as part of intercultural governance and organisational culture.
The Training Course will have the following 3 main phases:
- International Activity One: face-to-face educational session focused on intercultural diversity, identity and values, role of CSOs and social projects design.
8-11 April 2025 (four full days of the training plus one day of arrival, and one day of departure: 7-12 April 2025) - Local Activities: socially relevant community projects promoting intercultural understanding and values of peace and inclusion will be implemented by the participants. April-September 2025
- International Activity Two: face-to-face educational session focused on analysis and lessons learned from the implemented activities; analysis of organisational culture of CSOs and exploring ways of its improving to more inclusive and democratic ones. 27-30 October 2025 (four full days of the training plus one day of arrival and one day of departure: 26-31 October 2025)
Profile of Participants to be selected
- 30 young leaders of civil society organisations from at least 15 countries of Europe;
- Being part of a Civil Society Organisation and motivation to apply gained knowledge within the civil society sector, grow as a Leader of a CSO;
- Having some experience in the topics of the training, but little theoretical background of it so far (for example: being part of projects’ teams; newly elected Board member or a nominate to it; newly hired staff person; active programmes/projects volunteer, etc.)
- Motivation to develop themselves in the areas of a project manager, Board member, Staff member of a CSO;
18-30 years old; - Good command of English;
- Ready for intensive education (the training days will include evening sessions) and for implementation of practical assignments (design and implementation of community projects);
- Working with youth with vulnerable backgrounds will be the priority for selection.
Key knowledge and skills to be obtained
Knowledge:
- What is identity, how complex it is, what it impacts;
- Values and means of their implementation;
- Intercultural diversity;
- Cultures and Intercultural dialogue (at interpersonal and community level);
- Cultural issues in communities and ways to approach them;
- Algorithm of designing a project;
- Design and description of a social project;
- How to manage a project;
- Evaluation and reporting;
- Lessons learned from the implementation of the social local activities promoting peace and intercultural learning;
- Organisational culture, its components and what it impacts;
- Identity and values of CSOs, their mission and strategy;
- Ways of implementation of organisational culture and values;
- Intercultural dialogue within a CSO.
Skills:
- Identifying identities, cultures, values of own and others;
- Needs and problems identification;
- Designing a social project;
- Presentations of implemented social local activities promoting peace and intercultural learning;
- Analysis of organisational culture;
- Non-violent communication.
Methodology
- Non-formal education face-to face (60%): we will use methods of non-formal education during 2 face-to-face meetings (4 full days each).
- Online (10%): between face-to-face meetings we will suggest studying some theoretical materials and organise online support meetings.
- Learning by doing (30%): practical design and implementation of educational activities.
Application process
Please, submit the Leadership Academy application form by 10 December 2024
The application form is available here: https://forms.gle/xTQBK3K3pof5Wpsc8
Participation fee includes
- Board and lodging in youth hostels, in shared rooms with common bathrooms for the days of the training;
- Covering cost-efficient and ecological travel costs to the training sessions;
- Programme costs, including work of external experts;
- Administrative costs which includes communications and mentoring during the practical assignments implementation.
Participation fee: 500 euro
Subsidies are possible, please, mention this need in the application form.
The responsibility of National movements:
- To provide mentoring at all levels, especially at the stage of social projects’ implementation;
- To provide further involvement of the participants in YMCA activities at local and national levels.
Contacts:
Should you have any questions, please contact Olga Lukina, olga[at]ymcaeurope.com
Co-funded by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe.
