First In-Person DEAR Hubs

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From Finland to Brussels by train. One DEAR project participant took several days to join 49 peers for their very first in-(real)-person DEAR Learning and Development hubs. DEAR Hubs are regular events organised by DG INTPA and the DEAR Support Team (DST) for DEAR project implementers. The Hubs aim to stimulate learning, exchange of experiences, and networking opportunities among DEAR projects.

Guest speakers came from the pan-European Youth Peace Ambassadors Network, YouthBank International and FinnWID (Finland). Together we explored the role of young people as policy influencers and changemakers (first hub) and peer learners and educators (second hub). “It was so nice to see people after two years at the home office! The atmosphere was really nice and encouraging, with ´safe spaces´!” one person highlighted. 

Some takeaways:

• In the context of Global Citizenship Education (GCE), policy advocacy requires a concerted effort in both education and awareness-raising. 
• Peer learning reinforces (youth) participation and is core to GCE values and approaches, as it strives to be more egalitarian and democratic. 
• Youth empowerment is a journey and there is an acute need to foster youth participation going beyond tokenism and passive, one-way communication with youth. 
• Addressing the root causes of global injustice and ecological crises implies difficult conversations and is challenging both on the side of practitioners and of policy-makers, making advocacy efforts even more complex. 

Most participants appreciated the hubs´ atmosphere and cooperation: “I really enjoyed that we were never passive learners, but always actively engaged.” Inspired by feedback from participants, the DST is working hard to aggregate DEAR project results and opportunities in shared spaces, starting with a new website to be launched in the autumn. 

The DST has also noted room for improvement for future meetings: a desire for more space to learn about other projects and for debriefing learning sessions. Many wanted to delve deeper into common issues and challenges. There were also concrete suggestions for more efficient brainstorming, through anonymous inputs and through online tools.  

“I would appreciate more space for young people to talk/share their experiences…(eg with participation, climate change)” a younger participant noted. “Sometimes it was hard for them to speak next to very experienced project managers.” 

For all take-aways and learnings,  read the full Hub report below. 

For more participant insights, see the articles from Mindchangers and GameOn.

And check out the top pictures here.

^{Image credit: Graphic notes by Olalla Gonzalez olalla@shokkin.org Behance | Instagram}