2017.30.04 – 06.05 speech therapists Ināra Kļaviņa and Aiga Pavasare, as well as psychologist – practitioner of sand game therapy method Inita Gaile, participated in the organization of the Erasmus + project “Freedom in learning” in Riga. 24 participants from 8 countries (Latvia, Italy, Spain, Romania, Slovakia, Macedonia, Poland, Portugal) joined forces to delve into the topicality of dyslexia prevention among young people in the context of non-formal education.

The Training course involved a total of 24 youth workers and leaders from 8 European NGOs in 8 different countries and focused on providing them with competences and Non Formal Education tools (NFE) to actively promote social inclusion and well-being of disadvantaged youngsters (youngsters suffering from dyslexia and/or linguistic difficulties).
NFE methods provide an immediate, experiential framework as an efficient method to address the learning needs of these vulnerable youth targets, overcoming their sense of isolation and providing them with attitudes of self- onfidence and participation, relational skills as well as soft skills and transversal skills fostering their inclusion and personal development.

The objectives of the Training course were:
– Providing youth workers with knowledge, skills and NFE tools to enhance active participation, relational competences and transversal skills of young people with dyslexia/linguistic disorders and foster their social inclusion by means of direct education of youth themselves.
– Developing NFE tools and methodologies to directly address vulnerable youth targets to foster their participatory attitudes, relational competences, soft skills and transversal skills and enhance their social inclusion.
– To create a network of NGOs and youth operators capable of utilizing peer education methodologies as well as to serve as a catalyst for the development of similar activities in the future through the visibility/impact determined by exchange and release of information (reports, publications, methodological handbooks) as well as the launch of further initiatives in the European frame.

The project developed a handbook in English that combines different games and techniques for working with young people with dyslexia.

All participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the Erasmus + KA1 project writing procedure. Each group of young people also developed their own project plan, which helped them to understand how to write projects. The participants were inspired by the opportunity to independently submit and implement various Erasmus + projects, and each brought to their country many new ideas and a desire to actively participate in the program in the future.