https://www.s-activa.se
Sweden - Learning Environment
Active Euromobility
Supported mobility
Focus of the project Active Mobility
Focus:
support individuals to reach work or education
Situation
Active Mobility. The project helps to increase the participants'
-health conciousness
-ability to activate themselves
-Work training before mobility
Participants receives coaching / pedagogic support while participating in active health (walking together in a group once a week), on-the-job-training (before travelling abroad) and during internship abroad as well as with placements/further steps after home coming.
Preparation phase
During the preparation phase, weekly meetings take place; an overnight stay at a folk high school, study visits to workplaces/internships, school (the one you are already in or one we arrange). It is a great advantage that the participant at home has the opportunity to gain work experience and routines before the implementation phase abroad.
In the preparations, it will be fun and varied if you occasionally hire external actors, for example for language teaching, conflict management or health and lifestyle, alternated with making some study visits to different workplaces and perhaps to the Public Employment Service.
The overnight-stay-element (the group stays overnight together) has proven to be very valuable and has had positive effects on the participants' interaction and group dynamics and gives a taste of living together. The participants get a shared experience together, which creates a feeling of coexistence and an opportunity to get to know each other better. We have chosen to collaborate with a folk high school: it is affordable, it is possible to hire educators for the desired content and there is the opportunity to get study information for the group. After the internship abroad if it may be relevant for some to study, then folk high school can be a good alternative.
Overnight-stay with accommodation has the following content:
-Cooperation and communication exercises in order to create a good climate in the group and get a good dynamic, get to know each other's strengths and weaknesses, gain an understanding of each other's differences and abilities
-Joint cooking to have the opportunity to plan, practically work together and distribute tasks
-Try to share a room with someone else before the stay abroad, where young participants can count on living at least two in one room.
-Develop a common set of values, how should we be towards each other in the group? Here, it is appropriate for the supervisors to initiate issues relating to non-discrimination, gender equality and accessibility, norms and criticism of norms.
In the preparation phase, we strive to get each participant to put their expectations into words. What is the purpose of going, what do you want out of it?
During the individual conversation, each participant receives positive feedback, for example if you have helped someone in the group, include all participants and been involved. There is also an opportunity to talk about which workplace you have as a wish in Sweden and / or the country you are going to.
Close contacts between sending and receiving organizations are important throughout the process in order to be able to match to the right workplace and gain an increased understanding of the participant's needs. A Skype meeting or similar is held where the participant, the handler and staff from the receiving organization have the opportunity to get to know each other.
Continuously during the preparation phase, the supervisors collect the participants' personal and contact information, information about supply and government contacts, information about any medicines that require Schengen certificates, allergies and draw up a consent where the participant knows contact and information exchange between us and authorities to facilitate planning. Each participant may also sign an agreement that it is mandatory to participate in all three phases.
An individual conversation with each person before departure is planned to give the participant the opportunity to give their views on the content, thoughts before the trip, expectations, fears, etc. Examples of important questions to ask the participant:
-Your thoughts of the trip ahead?
-Are you worried about something particularly?
-How do you feel about the group?
-Do you miss / want to change anything in the preparations?
During the individual conversation, each participant receives positive feedback, for example if you have helped someone in the group, include all participants and been involved. There is also an opportunity to talk about which workplace you have as a wish in Sweden and / or the country you are going to.
Close contacts between sending and receiving organizations are important throughout the process in order to be able to match to the right workplace and gain an increased understanding of the participant's needs. A Skype meeting or similar is held where the participant, the handler and staff from the receiving organization have the opportunity to get to know each other.
There must be a readiness to make mobility accessible, if necessary, provide support or be able to adapt premises and materials. Examples include reasonably long work shifts, reading out questions, help with spelling or wording, that there is a hearing loop and that you adjust the pace so that everyone keeps up.
Examples of content in the preparations
-Information about the project, the EU, the structure, the host organization, etc.
-Presentation, we get to know each other
-Security information: premises, evacuation, emergency exits
-Approaches and structures: computers, Internet, times, breaks, sick leave
-Passport and insurance card, bank card - withdrawal, security, lock number
-Introduction to the working material
-Labor market knowledge, what requirements asks an employer?
-Study information
-Europass, CV with request for an internship, three industries
-Accommodation, difficulties and possible solutions
-Homesickness
-Put words to expectations. What is the purpose
with you going, what do you want out of it?
-Expectations from the project owner, directing and receiving organization, employer, etc.
-Non-discrimination, gender equality, accessibility
-Participants who have been abroad and practiced tell about their experiences and experiences
-Language skills, simple phrases, listening to pronunciation. Preferably someone with the language as a mother tongue who can provide simple teaching.
-Travel times, airport, luggage rules, packing, security. How to act in case of delays / lost luggage on the way home?
-List relatives' contact information, enter ICE (In Case of Emergency) in the mobile.
-Budget for the internship weeks, currency conversion
-Contact forum - for example Facebook, closed group
-Investigate: what to do and discover in the town / area?
-Own responsibility: each participant is responsible for their own safety and to behave as an adult, eg not staying in unsafe areas and being careful with alcohol.
-Information from EURES Advisers, AF: working in another country
-What is required for the internship period to be successful for me, for the employer and for the receiving organization?
-The country's food culture - what typical foods are there?
-Feel good - physical activity, food, sleep, stress
-Socio-emotional training, conflict management.
-What do you need to think about before leaving home? Flowering, pets, bills, emptying refrigerators and garbage, etc.?
-The art of producing a report in different ways: text and images, slide shows,
film, blog, voice notes, etc. What do I need to bring with me for my documentation while abroad?
-Language skills, useful words and phrases in my internship.
-how to make the most out of your freetime? Take the chance to go sight seeing and discover the country!
Important Aspects
What is it with a mobility that makes a person develop and grow on various levels?
A qualitative study summarises project Active Mobility and advises which factors have led to change among participants;
-to get away from their home environment
-be responsible for themselves (without any back up from family or friends)
-the realisation I can manage more than I thought
-to be part of a new context and environment in which the participant can grow
-be active again, in a job, workshop, project etc has contributed to increased initiative among participants
-receiving support from other participants
-giving support to other participants have strengthend the participant
Softskills
self-confidence
greater confidence in one's own abilities
better at taking responsibility and standing on one's own two feet.
increased self-awareness (strengths and weaknesses)
Learning Principles
Conflict management, socio-emotional training
In our method, great focus is placed on conflict management. Through exercises, the participants will get strategies and mental preparation for how to act in difficult situations such as anxiety and anger. Above all, the participant needs to reflect on how they themselves react to different moods and tell this to the others in the group.
The group is asked to solve problems according to the following scale:
1. I try to solve the situation on my own.
2. I try to solve the situation with the help of my peers in the group.
3. I am looking for my contact person at the receiving organization.
4. I contact the sending organization.
Health and lifestyle
Many participants we have met over the years have a lack of knowledge about the factors that affect health and it is common to suffer from overweight and poor stamina. In order to be better equipped for and cope with working life, it is important to work with health-promoting initiatives and motivate to a healthy lifestyle. Many common diseases are linked to lifestyle, ie how we live our lives every day. Changing your daily habits can have major health effects in the long run and even small changes can make a big difference.
In an easy and unpretentious way, the participants should therefore learn how to adapt their lifestyle and add good habits to achieve better health.
Working life knowledge
In the preparations, there is a recurring topic: what concerns the demands of the labor market and expectations from an employer. Sometimes people in the target group have a diffuse picture of how the labor market works. Especially if a participant has their employment in an activity where there are not so great consequences if you are absent, the understanding of working life is small.
Exploring, seeing the country and culture is a way to develop and gain an increased understanding of others and get the chance for unique experiences.
