Inside Out.
KA210 - Inside Out: Exploring Outdoor Education as Inclusion Tools in work with young migrants in NEET situation.
This is a 15-month project.
Starting: 01/10/2023 - Ending: 31/12/2024.
Project info.
Eurobug we are partners of the ¨Inside Out¨ small scale project that started this year and being coordinated by Icelandic partner. The main goal is to integrate outdoor educational approaches with migrants and NEET youth into the regular work of the consortium and partners. The project also aims to strengthen cooperation with local educational and integrational institutions for the development of collaborative services to support migrants using outdoor environments. The exposure to outdoor settings improves mental health, resilience, adaptation to challenges, decision-making ability, teamwork, leadership, and community building.
Main target group .
NEET young people, with a special focus on Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers from IS,IE,DE.
Educators and Members of the consortium and its’ networks as a target of case studies, focus groups, publication materials and multiplier actions:
Education & Integration Services Providers, who already use Outdoor methodology in IS,IE, DE and Europe.
Formal and Informal Civil Society working with migrant communities, in Reykjavík, Dublin, Kilkenny, Erfurt, Weimar, Berlin, Dublin.
Specific Objectives.
Engaging with young migrants in NEET from partner countries and conducting a thorough needs analysis.
Conducting research (questionary+focus groups) and case studies of best practices.
Developing and testing a transferable educational program on outdoor education.
Facilitating a continuous mentorship program with selected participants.
Creating and posting dissemination materials to promote project results.
Running local dissemination activities and integrating learning into our organizations' ongoing practice.
Case Study #1
Research Phase!
One of the most important tasks for any projects is to understand how the setting looks, before any action can be taken. As part of Inside Out, the Eurobug Int team had the opportunity to gather some information on Outdoor Education, and how it is used as a method to support young migrants who are in NEET situations (Not in Employment, Education, or Training).
This was done through three case studies (as seen below) with representatives from PeacePlayer; Sports Against Racism Ireland; and Creative Places MacUillíam. These case study interviews provide insights into the methodologies that can be used to work with young people, through sports and creativity. The Eurobug Int team also conducted a focus group with 8 young migrants living in Ireland, to understand their experience with outdoor education and what must be understood before beginning any action plans.
Case Study #2
Case Study #3
Testimony 1:
”During the course, I experienced significant personal growth by unlearning and returning to the basics of who I am and who I aspire to become. This process allowed me to shed preconceived notions and strip away unnecessary layers of stress that often clouded my daily life. By approaching everything with a fresh, objective perspective, I was able to reassess my priorities and gain clarity on what truly matters. This shift in mindset not only helped me manage stress more effectively, but also empowered me to focus on personal development and the future I want to create for myself. Also, engaging in activities that encouraged connection with others and thinking outside the box significantly contributed to my growth as a teacher. These experiences provided me with a wealth of new strategies and ideas that I can now incorporate into my teaching practice. By collaborating and stepping out of my comfort zone, I gained fresh perspectives on how to approach challenges, create engaging learning environments, and better support my students. This not only enriched my personal development but also expanded my professional toolkit, equipping me with more innovative and effective methods to enhance my teaching.”
Short Documentary: Inside Out!
Training Course
Iceland, April 2024
In April 2024, the Eurobug Int team invited 6 participants to join 12 other young people, representatives of The Opportunity (Iceland), and CGE Erfurt (Germany) for a training course on outdoor education methodologies. This group spent a week experiencing and dissecting different approaches and methodologies: from classic outdoor survival skills such as fire-building and navigation; to improving communication and teamwork with walkie-talkie exercises; from learning leadership skills, giving instruction, and the roles that become apparent in groups; to innovation and creative problem solving.
Below are some testimonies from two of the Eurobug Int partipants, following their time on the Training Course:
Testimony 2:
”The Training has had a huge impact on me. I knew intuitively the importance of the outdoors on our Physical, Emotional and social health but the training gave me the terminology, evidence and the confidence to advocate for it. The experience has ingrained in me the importance of using the outdoor as the incredible resource that it is. Meeting like minded people and learning from other people’s experiences has been extremely motivating. Since the training I have become more assertive in advocating for more outdoor resources and opportunities for people. I am more creative in addressing challenges after witnessing how other cultures overcome them. I have researched and am more aware of how my own community is working to plan for and resource more outdoor opportunities for people. I have already had some of my ideas come to fruition in that we now have more outdoor spaces to avail of and a newly constructed green house in m work. Also one of the groups I facilitate on a voluntary bases have committed to moving outside as much as possible.”
Local Piloting
The Eurobug Int team participants came together to host two Local Piloting Activities.
On 29 August 2024, they hosted an activity day in Seán Walsh Park, Tallaght, where they practiced the methodologies they had learned in Iceland, four months prior.
On 30 August 2024, they hosted an activities evening, where they introduced 15 young people to problem-solving activities, and illustrated examples of the benefits of the outdoors.
Read more about these activities here!
Research Outputs
As part of this project, the Inside Out Consortium (made up of The Opportunity; CGE Erfurt; and Eurobug Int) compiled a research report. These findings consist of information gathered in the Research Phase; the sharing of methodologies during the Training Course; and learnings from the Local Pilotings, when these methodologies were applied in local contexts.
For more information on this report, click here!
Multiplier Event
For the final activity as part of this project, Eurobug Int hosted a multipler event in Rua Red Arts Centre, Tallaght. They screened the movie “Inside Out”, the short documentary compiled and created during the Training Course in Iceland in April 2024. It was a privilege for Eurobug Int to share their learnings from this project and more information on their work in Erasmus+ with the local community.
Click here to read more about this event.