13 long-term European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteering projects in Austria

Looking for participants for long-term European Solidarity Corps #ESC volunteering projects in Austria. Accommodation, pocket money, travel (road tickets), food and transportation expenses are fully covered during the project period. More information about projects: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QbtG1NdfVlhA3rRd-33fXfbIs8Mf0GSf?usp=sharing To apply, fill out the appropriate registration form by visiting the appropriate link.https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXntrBKDmp63Fvem1k5CwschdqUX5yEnfuTcfriKcO60oMnQ/viewform?usp=pp_url Note: The sending organization for each project is “Bridge to the Future” YPU. Participation in projects is completely free of charge. For other questions, you can write in the message section of the page. Only those whose applications are deemed acceptable will be contacted. ATTENTION: Applications that have been written using any artificial intelligence tool will not be considered. Deadline: 10.06.2024

A representative of “Bridge to the Future” Youth NGO participated in the international training course.

The representative of BF NGO, Nihal Yusifova, participated in the 8-day training course “Train the trainers: It is up to me” organized for trainers in Bremen, Germany, on June 11-19, 2024.  The event aims to inculcate the model of the European Training Strategy to young trainers through various workshops and interactive sessions including practical activities, skills development and individual mentoring. During the training course, the participants had the opportunity to learn various training methods and apply them in practical exercises.  It should be noted that the training course was organized within the Erasmus+ Program.

“Bridge to the Future” organized an informative meeting with local young people 

Local young people met former ESC volunteers who participated in ESC volunteering projects in different European countries.  Within the meeting, former ESC volunteers Mansur Hasanzade and Aygül Huseynli shared their experiences about their volunteering experience, the preparation stage for participating in ESC projects and other important points, and answered the participants’ questions. The meeting continued with an interactive presentation. It should be noted that the event was jointly organized by the “Bridge to the Future” Youth Public Union and the Ganja-Dashkasan regional representative office of the Youth Development and Career Center.  More information can be found about the activities of our organization within the European Solidarity Corps Program here: https://www.bfngo.az/esc/ 

A representative of “Bridge to the Future” Youth NGO participated in the international youth event.

Rauf Aliyev, representative of the “Bridge to the Future” Youth NGO, represented the organization at the “Confidence in Tomorrow” youth event organized at the European Youth Center in Strasbourg, France, on May 14-16, 2024. The aim of the event is to support the creation and strengthening of close ties between the current and future generations of young people living in Europe. The youth event brought together 100 representatives of national youth councils, international youth organizations, as well as representatives of the national authorities in charge of youth. For a three-day programme was a strong experience of the participatory approaches characteristic to non-formal education and youth work. The participants took part in plenary sessions, group work on the main topics of the event, as well as topics suggested by the participants. Group meetings with executives from different European countries were also organized for the participants. The youth event Confidence in tomorrow was organized in the framework of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe under the Presidency of Liechtenstein.

“Bridge to the Future” Youth NGO was represented in the international youth forum.

Javahir Alakbarli, representative of the “Bridge to the Future” Youth Public Union, represented our organization at the youth forum “Level Up!” organized in the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, on April 13-14, 2024. Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, on April 13-14, 2024.   LevelUP! is aimed at everyone who aspires to make a positive change on the issues they care about. The forum strongly encourages people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders and people living with disabilities to join and are committed to making LevelUP! an inclusive and accessible event.  Within the framework of the project, Javahir met with 1,300 young leaders from different European countries. She participated in interactive sessions organized by experienced experts and organization representatives on the development of communication, public advocacy and organizational skills for young people. It should be noted that the event was jointly organized by the European Youth Forum, the European Youth Event and the European Parliament.

A new project related to international cooperation opportunities launched in Ganja.

The first stage of the project “Support for the expansion of international cooperation opportunities of the higher educational institutions of Azerbaijan in the regions” started. The project is funded by the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and implemented by the “Bridge to the Future” Youth Public Union.  The aim of the project is to increase employees’ skills and knowledge of higher education institutions located in the region in order to take advantage of international opportunities, including the formation of relevant skills. In the opening event of the project, MP (deputy) – Parvin Karimzada, board member of the “Bridge to the Future” YPU, Seymur Valiyev, and head of the Innovation Department of the Azerbaijan Technology University – Shamo Salayev spoke and noted the importance of this project for regional universities. Later, the trainer Gulshan Bayramova organized the first training module on internationalization in higher education. In the training, topics such as internationalization strategies of higher education institutions, analysis of the current situation were explained and practical exercises were carried out with the participants. As the first stage of the project – the training course will continue with the participation of a total of 20 potential employees of 6 higher education institutions from different regions. As a step after the training, the project experts will conduct an online mentorship program for university employees for a period of 1 month. Based on the mentorship program, the employees will now work on formulating real project proposals. It should be noted that the project is one of the winning projects of the grant competition “Organization of voluntary activity in education” announced by the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

A new project related to international cooperation opportunities will be implemented in Ganja.

The project “Support for the expansion of international cooperation opportunities of the higher educational institutions of Azerbaijan in the regions” will be implemented for employees of higher educational institutions located in local and surrounding regions. The project is funded by the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and is being implemented by the “Bridge to the Future” Youth Public Union.  The aim of the project is to increase employees’ skills and knowledge of higher education institutions located in the region in order to take advantage of international opportunities, including the formation of relevant skills. The project, which will involve 6 higher education institutions from different regions and 20 potential employees, will be implemented in two stages. Within the framework of the first stage, a 4-day informative training course will be held in Ganja city for the employees from regional universities (Ganja State University, Azerbaijan Technology University, Azerbaijan State Agrarian University, Nakhchivan State University, Sumgayit State University and Lankaran State University). The training course will be related to strengthening European and international cooperation, project writing and implementation for Erasmus+ and other grant calls.  As a step after the training, the project experts will conduct an online mentorship program for university employees for a period of 1 month. It should be noted that the project is one of the winning projects of the grant competition “Organization of voluntary activity in education” announced by the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

“Students’ Vocational Education Guide” project ended.

The second stage of the “Students’ Vocational Education Guide” project funded by the Azerbaijan Youth Foundation and implemented by the “Bridge to the Future” Youth Public Union was completed. Within the framework of the last stage, interested students who participated in informative seminars in the previous stage took part in a study visit to the Ganja State Vocational Education Center for Industry and Technologies located in Ganja city. During the visit, the students were given extensive information about the conditions, opportunities, material base, and practical experiences in the specialties at VEC, and the students’ questions were answered. The study visit gathered a total of 35 students – 5 from each of the secondary schools where informative seminars were organized.  The aim of the project is to increase the interest of students studying in secondary general education schools in Ganja city, to instill the job opportunities created by the professions and effectively deliver this priority area to the target group through the activities to be implemented. It should be noted that the project is one of the winning projects of the 17th grant competition announced by the Youth Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan for youth organizations.

A new project on vocational education for pupils has started in Ganja.

The first stage of the “Pupils’ Vocational Education Guide” project, which is supported by Azerbaijan Youth Foundation and implemented by the “Bridge to the Future” Youth Public Union, has started. The first informative session took place on February 12, 2024, in Ganja city secondary school No. 3 with the participation of 20 pupils. They were informed about priority professional qualifications, vocational centers operating in Ganja, taught qualifications, admission rules, and development prospects of professional qualifications in vocational education system in Azerbaijan. The aim of the project is to increase the interest of those pupils studying in secondary schools in Ganja city towards to vocational education, to inculcate job opportunities offered in the vocational fields, and to effectively deliver this priority field to the target audience through project activities. The first phase of the project will continue with organizing of informative seminars in 6 more secondary schools of the city. After the sessions, pupils interested in vocational education from those secondary schools will participate in a study visit to the Ganja State Vocational Education Centers for Industry and Technologies and Trade and Service. Through the visits, they will get a visual experience of the conditions, opportunities, material base, and practical experiences of VECs in Ganja. It should be noted that the project is one of selected projects in the 17th grant call for the youth organizations by the Azerbaijan Youth Foundation.

A new project will be launched for Ganja pupils.

“Bridge to the Future” Youth Public Union is going start the project “Pupils’ Vocational Education Guide” with the support of Azerbaijan Youth Foundation. The aim of the project is to increase the interest of those pupils studying in secondary schools in Ganja city towards to vocational education, to inculcate job opportunities offered in the vocational fields, and to effectively deliver this priority field to the target audience through project activities. Within the project there will be carried out informative sessions about Vocational Training Centers, their activities, taught specialties, perspectives, job opportunities for graduates, and admission rules. Those sessions will be delivered for 140 pupils in total covering 7 secondary schools in Ganja city. After the sessions, pupils interested in vocational education from those secondary schools will participate in a study visit to the Ganja State Vocational Education Centers for Industry and Technologies and Trade and Service. Through the visits, they will get a visual experience of the conditions, opportunities, material base, and practical experiences of VECs in Ganja. It should be noted that the project was selected in the 17th grant call for the youth organisations by the Azerbaijan Youth Foundation.

About Us

“Bridge to the Future” Youth Union (Union) – is a national non-governmental organization established in April 2000 by youth initiative.

Address

 28 May str. 34, Ganja city, Azerbaijan