The ‘ConnectEd: Bridging Minds, Building Communities‘ Erasmus+ project aims at empowering youth workers with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively support young people. The essence of the ConnectEd project is the highlighting of its innovative approach to fostering key competencies among young people through a blend of formal and non-formal learning methodologies.

By combining the best of formal and non-formal learning, this initiative equips youth workers with the tools and knowledge needed to create positive change and prepare young people for the future..

At its core, the ConnectEd project aspires to equip youth workers with tools to foster self-directed learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills among young people. It promotes mental well-being, reduces stress, and builds resilience while enhancing social connections, fostering strong relationships, and creating inclusive communities. 

To achieve these objectives, the project team conducted comprehensive Desk Research, for identifying best practices and tailoring solutions to meet the needs of young people. The research encompassed a diverse range of secondary data sources, including academic journals examining youth work, educational psychology, mental health, and community development; NGO reports analyzing youth development, well-being, and education; government and EU policy documents outlining youth work strategies, mental health policies, and community-building initiatives; case studies exploring innovative practices within the three thematic areas; and best practices databases searching existing repositories for youth work best practices. 

The ConnectEd project is a collaborative initiative implemented by TiPovej! (Slovenia), BACKSLASH (Spain), Libero (Serbia), and Connect International (Belgium). These partners worked together to analyze and describe selected examples of best practices, ensuring they address the specific needs of youth workers. The practices were selected based on several criteria, including their alignment with the project’s research topics, demonstrated success, innovative approaches, feasibility, sustainability, and broad applicability.