Interreg IIIA Italia/Slovenia 2000-2006 project
Project promoter: Slovene Regional Institute for Vocationl Education (SDZPI)
Project performer: Slovene Regional Institute for Vocationl Education (SDZPI), SLORI-Slovene Research Institute, Youth center Podlaga Sežana
Project implementation period: 2007-2008
The Slori institute took an active part in the project Mejni dogodki/Eventi di frontiera (Border events) Interreg IIIa Italy-Slovenia, dedicated to the young citizens living in the Italian-Slovene border area, by developing a research, which was divided into two parts:
a) research (year 2007): a poll was submitted to the youth, who live in the border Karst area in the eastern part of the Trieste and Monrupino Municipalities in Italy and in the Sežana and Divača Municipalities in Slovenia. The objective of the research was an overview of the general situation of the youth in the border area and in particular an understanding of the causes for the motivation in the involvement in the activities of the associations and organizations of volunteers and an assessment of the relationship of the youth towards the territory on both the sides of the border.
b) learning part (year 2008): the institute carried out a series of guided workshops on the theme of research and on the basis of its findings. The workshops were free of charge and dedicated to all citizens, and especially to those, who take an active part within the youth organizations, clubs and other organized groups. The workshops were led by the youth coaches of the programme Mladinska akademija (Youth academy) of the Mladinski ceh association in Ljubljana. A brief description of the single workshop contents follows.
1. learning workshop: How to motivate others?
The introduction to the workshop explained that self-motivation is the fundamental condition for a successful motivating of others. The participants therefore examinated first their own motivation and discussed some techniques about how to find the energy to act. The participants then learned how to use these elements while working with other people. They went home with a fund of motivational techniques and new ideas for their work.
2. learning workshop: How to lead a youth organization, so that it is ever more successful?
This time the participants were informed about the basics of the planning mentality, the phases of preparation, leading and assessment of the project, about the basics of team work and were given useful advices for the work in associations and organizations. With the explanation of real examples they learned how to lead successfully an association or a youth organization.
3. learning workshop: With a good communication towards better relationships, groups and participation
Several exercises allowed the participants to learn how to reach the core of a message and find a suitable reaction to it with the help of a system of questions. They were informed about different communication types and they learned that the ability to recognize them is a useful tool for the creation of groups and for a successful work in the associations’ world.
The last phase of the project envisaged the arrangement of the data and of the conclusive findings of the whole research for the publication of the work entitled Mladi v čezmejnem prostoru/I giovani nell’area transfrontaliera (Youth in the cross-border area), which was introduced to the public in March 2008.