Youthpass

What is Youthpass?

For ESC projects

Wooooow! The eighth month since I officially became a resident of Spain has already ended! What an adventure!

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, our second training, which was supposed to take place halfway through the project, was canceled.

And why am I mentioning this? We were supposed to learn more about Youthpass and reflect on the skills acquired so far. Luckily for me, I already know quite a bit about Youthpass, as I have participated in several exchanges through the Erasmus+ program, and it's also almost two years since I became a member of Youthfully Yours SK.

That's why we'll try to talk about it today. Shall we? In addition to the certificate of participation in the project, another document you will take home with you on your journey is the Youthpass! We can very simply characterize it as a document that recognizes non-formal education. It is also a tool through which the recognition of youth work is ensured. In addition, it supports the European citizenship of young people and youth workers by further characterizing the benefits of their project. It also plays an important role in the participant's next steps in the labor market, providing a thorough description of the acquired and developed competencies. But what is specific about it? Each project participant creates it themselves -> the host organization plays a supportive role. In most cases, a tutor is available throughout the project to help the participant reflect on their skills and acquired competencies, and is also the person who assesses whether the development described by the participant has occurred.

This certificate contains, in addition to contact details and a project description, a description of the acquired competencies -> this is a kind of combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Competencies can be considered the most important part of Youthpass. It is divided into these 8 competencies:

1) Multilingualism -> competencies in several languages;

2) Civic competence

3) Mathematical competence and basic competencies in science, technology, and engineering;

4) Digital competence;

5) Literacy;

6) Social and civic competencies, but also the approach: learning to learn;

7) Entrepreneurship skills;

8) Cultural awareness and expression.

When filling it out, we don't have to use all the competency fields, because some projects don't overlap into all types. It is essential to set aside enough time to fill it out, because in the future, this certificate provides a potential employer with a good overview of the soft skills you have improved during the project.

An important note is that in addition to the acquired experience, you can also include further plans when filling out this certificate -> for example, an ecological project might interest you so much that you would like to continue this initiative in your country -> you don't have to be afraid to mention further milestones on your journey when describing your skills!

That's all for today! See you!