Do you want to learn more about international youth exchanges and the practical aspects of organizing international projects and activities?
• Are you interested how to bring them to success and use them for development of your own group?
• Do you want to find potential partners for your project?
• Do you want to use the IYNF networking support framework for your youth exchanges?

Then join the GetStarted II – training course on practical organization of youth exchanges and international project management!

The course is jointly organised by International Young Naturefriends (IYNF) and German Young Naturefriends (NFJD), within the networking programme of IYNF.

What is GetStarted II about?
GetStarted II is a practical and experiential training course about the basics of organising and managing international youth camps and youth exchanges, and also presents the framework of Youth in Action programme of the European Union. The YiA programme enables young Europeans to organise projects on an international level in order to meet each other, learn about other cultures and share knowledge and experience.

GetStarted II is a continuation of GetStarted I. This training course covers practical issues connected with more advanced stages of organizing a youth exchange or other international activity.

The topics covered include:
• group dynamics and leadership
• intercultural learning (also in part I but we find it an important point)
• safety issues (e.g. first aid)
• teamwork and cooperation
• conflict management
• PR, finding participants, disseminating the results, visibility of the project and YiA
• admission of participants
• Quality and impact of the exchange
• Financial management during the project
• Volunteers management
• Preparatory meeting/advance planning visit
• Evaluation and follow-up
• Practical issues: venue, food, transportation

Program of the activity

Traveling, meeting new people, speaking English – these are the most visible aspects of international youth work. Yet, there is so much more than that! Great fun and joy, intense learning, enjoying connection with people you know barely for few days, feeling a part of large international community, experiences very different to what you are used to from your local group. International youth work is an exciting world that awaits young brave Naturefriends from Europe to get started in it.

Who is it for?
Everyone, who is:
• Interested in the practical way of organising international youth exchanges and camps within the IYNF network
• Looking forward to meet new people from all over Europe and find potential partners to really start projects after GetStarted
• Motivated to get involved in international youth work
• Between 18 and 30 years old, with exceptions possible on both sides
• Able to understand and speak English
• Working or volunteering on the local, national or international level in the field of youth work
• A newcomer, ex-participant, team member, international volunteer and so on

We can only accept participants from Slovakia, Portugal, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Turkey, Latvia.

The project is for 32 participants.

With what you will you come back home:
• Competence and motivation for working in an international environment, having the necessary knowledge and support for it
• Knowing opportunities of international youth work in Naturefriends movement – networking activities, IYNF Key programmes, programmes for networking on local level etc.
• Many new contacts – to IYNF and also to other local groups and organisations
• Opportunity to get involved in future IYNF activities as project team members/leaders or (and) activities organiser
• Practical hand outs that will make the organisation of the youth exchange(s) that you would like to organise much easier

Practical information
Participants selected for the activity will receive a detailed infosheet with all practical information relating to preparing for the training, arranging travel and the venue.

The training will be ran in artefact, International Centre for Sustainable Development in Glücksburg, Germany, between 3 and 11 March 2012 and will consist of 7 full working days.

Participation fees
The actual costs of the whole project (preparation, travel, training, accommodation) amount to over 700 euro per participant, however, we want to offer this value to you at an affordable price, which is why we only ask for a small contribution to these costs in the form of a participation fees.

IYNF follows a policy of fair prices, dividing Europe into five regions according to the different income levels. In addition, Students and Naturefriends (members of IYNF member or partner organisation) have a combinable discount and there is a special reduction rate for Registered IYNF Volunteers. You can find the price valid for you at the intersection of your region and your status in the table in the attachment “Call for Participants”

Deadline for first wave of applications: until 25th of January!

To apply you need to fill in an application form available below.

You will get immediately an automatically generated confirmation of your application. This only means that your application was successfully processed by the system.
IYNF Secretariat will contact you as soon as the selection is made and your participation is confirmed. This will happen in several rounds.

The applicants will be notified of the results on 2nd of February 2012.
The accepted applicants will need to confirm their attendance by 6th of February and prove their attendance by presenting the scans of travel tickets by 9th of February.

More information available in the call for participants.

For pictures from GetStarted I click on this link. You can also watch a short movie from In Touch 2010, the previous edition of GetStarted.

If you have any questions please contact EVS volunteer Joanna at
joanna@iynf.org