12 April 2024 – The final event of the project Carinthian Network of Supportive Environment for Youth (KOR-NET), co-financed by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, took place in Ravne na Koroškem. The project, which is primarily aimed at young people, advocates for more support, better education, and an inclusive social environment through equal access to ICT services for young people in the Carinthian region.
The event, which was accompanied by informative workshops for young individuals and a panel discussion with various stakeholders from the national and regional youth sector, brought two years of work on the project to a close. Project partners presented to the public a publication of good practices in the field of youth work “A Model for Active Participation: Community for Youth, and Youth for Community.”
The Active Participation Model: Learning from the Best
The focus of the closing event was on the future of youth work in Carinthia, which has been given a new push by the KOR-NET project and which, according to the participants, should be maintained in the future. After opening greetings by Žarko Tomšič, Director of Dravit (project promoter), and Sturla Bjerkaker, Bjerkaker LearningLab (Norwegian partner), Viktorija Barbič, Director of A.L.P. Peca, addressed the gathering. She presented the final publication of the project, titled “A Model for Active Participation”, which bears the meaningful subtitle: “Community for Youth, and Youth for Community.”
In the publication, the team summarised the main findings of the implementation of their diverse project activities. The publication summarises, among other things, the findings of an extensive survey on the needs of young people in Carinthia. Survey took the form of workshops and questionnaires and covered 10% of all young people (aged between 14 and 29) in the region. The publication also showcases exemplary youth work practices from Slovenia and beyond, gleaned from insightful field visits undertaken by the team. The final part of the publication, which aims at further activating the youth sector in Slovenian Carinthia, also provides a thorough description of project ideas.
The project is co-created by Dravit Dravograd Public Institute for Sports, Tourism, Culture and Youth Activities as project promoter and project partners the Kompleks Youth Culture Centre, the Public Institute for Tourism, Sports, Youth and Social Programs SPOTUR, and as representatives of the business sector the Regional Chamber of Craft and Small Business Ravne na Koroškem and the company A.L.P. PECA, and the Norwegian partner Bjerkaker LearningLab.
SOURCE: KOR-NET