"Spice Up Your Leadership!" Study session on leadership for youth workers and volunteers
16–23 May 2010
European Youth Centre, Budapest, Hungary

Introduction

“Spice Up Your Leadership!” gathered 40 participants from 20 European countries to explore the topic of youth leadership. The study session aimed at helping participants to identify key personal characteristics and qualities and explore aspects of effective leadership in youth organisations as well as promote a better knowledge of youth networks and management structures on the European level.

The need for leadership skills has become particularly urgent in the last few months as the global economic crisis worsens. The crisis is having a severe impact on many local communities, resulting in the cutback or closing down of many local and national funding sources. The financial viability of many youth organisations and youth clubs is now in question. Rural Youth Europe and the European Confederation of Youth Clubs (ECYC) have identified capacity-building training as a key way to strengthen and support our member organisations in dealing with this crisis. Youth clubs in both urban and rural areas have been negatively affected by the economic crisis and they are urgently calling for increased capacity-building in areas such as leadership and board management skills.

The study session empowered youth leaders through a wide range of innovative and interactive training methods. These methods stimulated the intercultural learning process of each individual participant through group exercises, simulations, role plays, forum theatre, interactive lectures, audio-visual presentations, small and large group discussions, and individual reflection. The study session highlight the skills required when working in a multicultural environment and provided opportunities to share experiences, methods and techniques, and explore cultural differences in approaches to all-inclusive youth work. The facilitators focussed on exploring the unique differences in each of the participant countries as well as the issues of commonness in order to explore the factors contributing to effective leadership in youth organisations.

In addition, the study session aimed at giving participants the opportunity to experience and reflect on the differences and similarities in youth work practices in rural and urban areas across Europe. The activity was designed as a mutual intercultural learning situation, where participants compared leadership styles and their own approaches to youth work. The previous experiences of the participants, as well as of the preparatory team, were used throughout the learning process.

Aims of the study session

• To provide youth leaders and current/potential board members from across Europe with the skills, knowledge and tools to become effective leaders of their organisations
• To support our member organisations through capacity-building and explore together how to lead youth organisations
• To exchange good practices on leadership in youth organisations
• To provide youth leaders and current/potential board members with a European perspective on youth work
• To strengthen the co-operation between RYEurope and ECYC and develop future activities

Objectives of the study session

• To support the participants in building confidence and forming a cohesive group
• To promote a better knowledge of youth networks and management structures on the European level
• To identify key personal characteristics and qualities and explore aspects of effective leadership in youth organisations
• To empower participants with practical skills in good communication, group dynamics, negotiation and decision-making
• To provide youth leaders relevant tools for problem-solving, crisis management and conflict resolution in their organisations
• To put into practice the learning outcomes of the week
• To assist participants in the personal self-development of their leadership competencies
• To utilise a wide range of tools and leadership methodology between RYEurope and ECYC
• Encourage RYEurope and ECYC member organisations to combine resources to achieve common goals on the international, national and local levels

Profile of participants

Participants represented diverse range of youth organisations across Europe, covering 20 different countries and 2 different youth organisations. These included Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Slovenia, Romania, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The participants were all in leadership positions in their organisations; interested in the theme and in becoming active at the European level. In addition, they agreed to take part in follow up and multiplication of the topics of the seminar and become active multipliers at the local/regional/national in youth organisations. The participants were also members of ECYC or Rural Youth Europe and had good language skills both in written and spoken English. The majority of participants were aged 18–30.

Main Outcomes of the Study Session

Main results for the organisers

• A network of 22 rural organisations was created through the development of personal links and contacts. This will led to the development of more common projects in the future.
• Development of skills that can be used back in participants’ local organisations and communities
• Intercultural experience, awareness about the diversity of cultures in Europe
• Understanding how ECY and RYEurope function at the international level and what are opportunities for involvement

Main learning points for participants

With regard to knowledge:

• RYEurope, ECYC and the Council of Europe
• A diverse range of youth organisations who from both rural and urban areas of Europe
• Learning about other countries and cultures within youth work
• Understanding of different leadership styles
• Understanding of a range tools and methods and how to apply them in our work (for example, how to make SWOT analysis)

With regard to skills:

• Facilitation
• Negotiation
• Public speaking
• Decision making
• Dealing with changes
• Dealing with crisis
• Working with difficult/challenging people
• Communication techniques such as master suppression
• Healthy leadership
• Group communication skills
• Team work skills
• Communication with people from different cultural backgrounds
• Energisers for team-building
• Personal reflection on own strengths & weaknesses
• Practical methods for learning and teaching things

With regard to attitudes:

• Motivation to work for better results
• Self-confidence
• Respect for time
• Being organised
• Listening carefully
• Sense of responsibility
• Tolerance
• More open minded towards other cultures
• More respect to other cultures
• Valuing diversity
• Understanding the importance of flexibility
• Understanding the importance of motivating others
• Every idea is good idea
• There are no stupid questions

Other learning points:

• Experience of inter-cultural learning
• Revealing hidden abilities
• You have to be with your group but at the same time lead them
• Leadership isn't something you can learn from books, you have to include learning by doing it too
• We aren't born leaders, we become leaders by working and showing individual approach from people to people
• In stormy weather we need all the team members on board
• With better leadership skills you will have better youth organisations!

Main results for youth organisations

• Realising that we are already well organised but we still can approve on certain techniques such as time and change management
• New knowledge to make own projects
• Realising that we need to give more training on leadership in our organisation
• Motivation to commit more time and energy in support our members, the organisation and the local community
• New ideas to use myself and to share with others in my organsation
• Healthier leadership practices
• Knowledge and experience to lead more effectively
• New contacts from other countries – for further discussion exploration of networking opportunities
• Solution for a crisis in my organisation – that's the most important thing for me.

See photos from event here!

Attachments:

Spice Up Your Leadership - participant's story.pdf

Spice Up Your Leadership 2010 - Official Report.pdf