PODJECT Project – News Release

“PODJECT: Empowering Marginalized Youth Through Podcasts for Enhanced
Democratic Participation and Peace-building”

PODJECT, launched on January 01, 2023, empowers disadvantaged youth through podcasts, fostering civic engagement and active participation in democratic processes, change, and peacebuilding. The project, concluding on December 31, 2024, aims to amplify the voices of marginalized youth, driving positive community change.

PODJECT, a collaborative effort consisting of Sciara Progetti Associazione di Promozione Sociale (SCIARAPROGETTI) – Italy, ETS TWOPLUSTWO – Italy, Action Synergy – Greece, Holy Land Trust/ Power Group – Palestine, iDARE for Sustainable Development – Jordan, and the Lebanese Development Network – LDN, Lebanon, has embarked on a transformative project aimed at empowering youth workers and young individuals in harnessing the potential of podcast creation for civic engagement.


The primary objectives of the project include:
▪ Capacity Building: Enhancing the capabilities of youth workers and organizations to effectively utilize podcasts as a tool for boosting civic engagement among their target demographic.
▪ Promoting Participation: Increasing the involvement of young individuals affected by conflicts as catalysts for change in civil society through the creation and dissemination of podcasts.
▪ Amplifying Voices: Expanding the utilization of podcast platforms to amplify the voices of conflict-affected young men and women as agents of change at the local, regional, national, and international levels.

To achieve these objectives, the consortium will undertake the following strategic actions:


▪ Local Needs Research: Conducting comprehensive research to understand the civic engagement, political participation, and expression needs of youth in partner countries.
▪ Training Material Development: Creating comprehensive training materials to guide youth workers and young individuals in the art of podcast creation.
▪ Webinars: Hosting 12 webinars to impart essential skills to youth workers and young individuals, equipping them with the necessary knowledge for podcast creation.
▪ Face-to-Face Trainings: Organizing two face-to-face training sessions in Jordan and Lebanon, providing youth workers with practical experience and opportunities to network with fellow podcasters.
▪ Podcast Platform: Establishing a dedicated podcast platform to showcase the creations of youth workers and young individuals, providing a platform for their voices to be heard.
▪ Podcast Productions: Facilitating the creation of podcasts by the target group, fostering a space for dynamic expression and dialogue.

This groundbreaking initiative seeks to empower and mobilize the younger generation as active contributors to civil society through the impactful medium of podcasts

About LDN (Lebanon)
The Lebanese Development Network (LDN) is a national non-profit organization “dedicated to assist individuals, communities and institutions build their capacities by conveying knowledge and improving practical performance to enable them manage the changing social requirements, catch opportunities and meet the development challenges.” LDN works in the education, culture, economy, social and health fields through the various strategic levels of Capacity Building, Social Marketing and Networking Practices, and provides Consultancy, Training and Program Development services.


About Twoplustwo (Italy)
Twoplustwo is a non-profit organisation established in 2008 in the city of San Giorgio a Cremano, South Italy. The body of the organisation is mainly composed of young profiles with diverse academic and non-academic backgrounds: international youth work, social field, visual arts, communication. Aim of the organisation is to inspire young people and engage them into activities where they can explore their talents and develop themselves.


About Action Synergy (Greece)
Action Synergy is an organisation which is an expert in the development and implementation of e-learning courses, non-formal education seminars (podcast creation included), as well as in the creation of synergies between organisations working in various fields. They are also an expert in the organization of international mobility and European projects from 1987 when the organisation was established.


About Sciara Progetti (Italy)
Sciara Progetti Teatro Association is an artistic production company founded in 2009 by a group of young professionals who, after years of experience and training in Germany, England, Spain, Chile and Argentina, decided to settle in Emilia-Romagna Region in 2012. Since its establishment in the province of Piacenza, Sciara Progetti Teatro has established itself as the main Under35 theatre company operating in the area, and the Emilia Romagna Region has
supported its activity since 2016 through public recognition as a show production organisation. Sciara Progetti Teatro has built part of its identity around an intense tour, along all national roads and beyond.


About Holy Land Trust (Palestine)
Holy Land Trust Power group (Palestine) from the beginning of their work experience they were focusing on audio visual production trainings and specially podcasts, for this project it will build on our previous experience in two ways, first it will improve our team skills and give them the chance to engage their previous trainees in a different titles and opportunities as trainers for examples, and secondly it will give them the chance to reach variable areas.


About Idare (Jordan)
IDare Jordan started working on prevention of hate speech in 2015 as one of its very first projects in Jordan, after that, in 2017 and based on primary research as part of scoping phase to get insights into the behaviour of Jordanians youth who joined the fights in Syria (foreign fighters), IDare worked on prevention of violent extremism.

Learn about cinema and through cinema

How you can use cinema for educational purposes? How you can create a small movie when you study in an Art School? Action Synergy in cooperation with the Cultural Association of Fortetsa, has organised two seminars in the beautiful building of Old Hamam in Fortetsa, Iraklion Crete.

The first seminar was organised in the evening of Friday with the participation of teachers from primary and secondary education. The main subject of the training course was the “Use of Cinema as an Education Tool” and examined different ways that cinema can be used in education.

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LEADEXT Meeting in Aarhus

On 20 and 21 October, the second meeting of the LEAD EXT project “Leader of external cooperation of a vocational school”, financed by the European ERASMUS+ call, took place in Beder (Denmark), also in a blended format.

During the meeting, the participants had the chance to visit the headquarters of the company Makita, which actively collaborates with the project partner Jordbrugets Uddannelsescenter Århus, as a successful case of collaboration between company and vocational school.

The aim od the project is to improve vocational training by developing cooperation actions between vocational schools and companies.

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Well – youth project

The focus is on providing support resources to address the well-being of unemployed young people, disrupted by the pandemic crisis of COVID-19, by developing skills and competencies to combat social stress, anxiety due to lack of work, developing financial education skills for efficient and optimal management of financial resources, developing the ability to know how to manage time to face all social challenges, strengthening the ability to interact/communicate with others and actively participate in the life of society. Doing so intends to provide youths with the necessary tools and competencies to develop their well-being/mental health and innovative solutions to face new risks and challenges, both in personal, educational, and professional contexts.

The project is also aimed at youth workers who are also facing these pandemic challenges of their target group, so we want to create a methodology adapted to the new pandemic and digital context that offers optimal solutions to facilitate quality education & social inclusion has given the new standards in all educational contexts: formal, informal& non-formal. The new methodological and curriculum design and component for career guidance that the Well-Youth project aims to develop takes into account all these motivating aspects for youth: the curriculum adapted to the hybrid environment with a dedicated strategy (teaching methods, form of organization, tools, and support materials) in order to create a new educational climate adapted to the current requirements of society and focused on finding optimal solutions to support the well-being and mental health of unemployed youth affected by COVID-19.