It is important for a youth center to have a vision of sustainable development. We are not completely structured, we have different formal frameworks of work, but the main goal is to be a place for socialization of education and meaningful leisure for young people. In order to better understand our role in the community, to study the needs of young people, to communicate with the authorities and to rationally plan our work, we offer:

 1. Strategic sessions for workers and youth leaders of the centers, at which we will be able to work on your mission, vision of development, priorities and areas of activity, as well as to outline the initial plan for the year.

2. Creative workshops on the analysis of needs, environment, communication tools, mechanisms to implement different directions of activity and to find new forms of activity.

3. Lasting mentoring support (at least 3 months). During this time, we will monitor, analyze, evaluate and improve the activities of the center together.

The duration of the event depends on your needs – activities can last from 3 hours up to one day.

We can hold information meetings for stakeholders to better explain why youth centers exist and what benefits they give. It is appropriate to invite those who influence political decisions to such meetings: local deputies, employees of local executive authorities, representatives of local self-government, public initiatives, youth organizations, public and youth councils, journalists, bloggers and all those who have an impact on public opinion.

You will learn from us the following:

• What the youth policy is and why youth centers are so important;
• What it looks like in other countries;
• What the history of youth reform is and what the AYCU has been doing all these years;
• How the AYCU appeared, what it does and how to join us;
• And all the answers we can give to your questions.

1.5-2 hours will be enough for this.

We consider the youth center to be the main place where youth work is carried out. Today, many youth centers and spaces, which are often located in a single room, are opening in Ukraine, attracting young people who have already participated in various activities. Instead, it is important for youth workers and youth centers to "reach out" to those who have never been involved and do not even have experience of common community activities, to understand their needs, opportunities, and to help build social connections.

This program is designed for workers of youth centers and spaces, as well as for other youth workers who are interested in attracting new young people to their activities, focusing on the needs and aspirations of young people, and working also outside a limited room.

At the training participants will be able to:

• To learn and understand youth work based on the principle of openness;

• Define the possibilities of youth centers to attract young people, as well as the skills of youth workers to develop a system of work based on the needs of potential visitors;

• Develop the competencies needed to build trusting relationships with young people and respond to their needs and aspirations.

• Develop joint initiatives on how to implement open youth work practices.

The duration of the training is 2,5 days, and there is a possibility to make a short version –

a one-day activity.

For the development of youth work in Ukraine, it is important to pay attention to open youth spaces/centers accessible to all young people. This is inextricably linked to the competencies of youth workers, who must be able to ensure inclusiveness in their daily work.

Inclusion in this program is understood as the ability of a particular youth center/space to take into account the interests and needs of all groups of young people who may be potential visitors/clients of the center. In youth work, inclusiveness is directly linked to the principle of social inclusion, which means equal access for all young people to social rights and opportunities for participation. It also includes formation of policies that are accessible and understandable to people, regardless of circumstances, identity or lifestyle.

At the training participants will be able to:

• Learn about inclusion in a broad sense and understand what inclusiveness is in youth work;

• Understand how inclusiveness of participants can be measured in youth centers and develop ways to improve work in this area;

• Develop the competencies needed to work with groups to include and involve unorganized youth in the activities of youth centers and spaces;

• Develop joint initiatives to implement inclusive practices and establish communication between youth centers working or seeking to work in the field of inclusion.

The duration of the training is 2.5 days, and there is a possibility to make a short version - a one-day activity.

The AYCU considers youth centers to be places of civic education. In Ukraine, the conceptualization of this notion is still ongoing, but it does not prevent us from being agents of change and promoting the ideas of civic education in educational, cultural and youth policy. In open discussions, we seek to feel the connection between our personal perception of civic education and the documents that define the content of civic education. It is important to remember that at this stage two areas are meeting – youth work and civic education. Given the diversity of concepts and interpretations, we proceed from the following key theses:

• Civic education is a broad notion, it must form the skills and abilities allowing to exist in a democratic society, based on different levels of needs, including local ones.

• The ideal for civic education are proactive citizens who have the necessary competencies to participate in society.

• In the narrow meaning, civic education focuses on involving citizens in public life and active participation in decision-making. This does not mean that we only study the techniques of participation, but also provide the necessary basic knowledge, skills and abilities for such participation to be truly successful, both for individuals and the society.

With our help you can organize a discussion for which we will:

• organize the discussion process itself and fill it with content;

• help you find in your city (community) those who have something to say on this topic;

• highlight the issues that concern your participants, and before that identify their desires and aspirations;

• select a discussion format that is most relevant and understandable to you and your participants, both live and online.

The duration of the discussion is from 1.5 hours (short version), up to one day (conference).