Press Release – Capacity Building Programme: Implementation and Outcomes, by I.R.T.E.A.

PRESS RELEASE

The Institute of Research & Training on European Affairs – I.R.T.E.A, in the framework of the “Young Service Designers – YSD” Project, funded by the European Union and the ERASMUS+ programme ((European Youth Together (EYT) Sub – programme under Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency – EACEA (GA n°624732)), successfully completed the Capacity Building Programme: 6 hybrid training sessions in the month of July and one in September, for 20 young people with a total duration of 40 hours, on the central themes of social inclusion and green growth and sustainability. Main objective of the CBP was for the YSDs to develop the methodology required for designing a service, while also enhancing their soft skills. The training sessions were conducted by Mr. Nikolaos Moraitakis, a specialized and experienced Trainer in the field of youth empowerment, youth political participation and policy making on local level.

The goal of the CBP’s 1st meeting, on the 8th of July, was for the YSDs to understand the project’s objectives and activities and become familiar with its structure. After the welcoming ceremony, the YSDs had the opportunity to become acquainted with their trainer and I.R.T.E.A’s team, but also with each other. In addition, they were assigned roles in preparation for the future activities and workshops and were asked to evaluate the programme’s start through online questionnaires. 

Moving forward to the 2nd  Meeting, which took place on July 19th, the YSDs started the day’s activities with an ice-breaker game using MIRO. Afterwards, they were presented with a detailed overview of the UPSHIFT programme, a UNICEF initiative for empowering young people with fewer opportunities. They were also introduced to the Capacity Building Programme and the YSD project on a deeper level. The aforementioned presentations were conducted by I.R.T.E.A’s team. During the second half of the meeting, the YSDs became familiar with the partner Municipality – the Municipality of Salamina – and its policies in service design so far. 

The 3rd meeting on July 20th aimed to introduce the YSDs to the field of service designing and user experience. The day was filled with practical exercises, namely a workshop on Design Thinking and a Problem Tree exercise. Lastly, the YSDs were assigned two hours of homework as practice.

At the 4th Meeting, which took place on July 21st, the YSDs worked together to examine the subjects of social inclusion and green growth in today’s world, the main challenges and prospects offered. They participated in simulation exercises (stakeholder mapping) and role playing activities, in order to study their intended target group. The day concluded with a World Cafe session on the central topics of the programme. Finally, the YSDs evaluated the programme, having reached its halfway point.

On July 24th, day of the 5th Meeting, the YSDs once again participated in a program full of interactive workshops and brainstorming sessions. The YSDs worked together in breakout rooms and brainstormed ideas on the central topics of the programme. They also studied the methodology on how to build a successful and useful persona. Lastly, the YSDs ended the day with two hours of homework.

The 6th meeting on July 27th was joined by Mrs. Eleni Bilia, Vice-Mayor of Education of the Municipality of Salamina. Her presence gave the YSDs the opportunity to discuss the Municipality’s needs – both present and future – on service design. Afterwards, the YSDs worked on their pitching skills, how to present their service design ideas in an easy to understand and convincing manner. In the end, the YSDs were asked to evaluate the programme overall through the specified questionnaire. 

The YSDs met with the trainer and I.R.T.E.A’s team on September 20th for the CBP’s 7th meeting. Together, they discussed the outcomes of the programme, exchanged feedback and began the selection process for which service design ideas to present for implementation in the Municipality of Salamina, in the framework of the Public Innovation Labs. Additionally, the YSDs were informed about practical matters by I.R.T.E.A’s team, namely the upcoming peer-to-peer training events in Poland, Italy and Finland, as well as about the schedule of the PILs.

For more information about I.R.T.E.A and its activities, you can contact via phone +30 21 3025 0217, email address irtea.greece@gmail.com or through the official social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn).