Colectivo GENTES

The Social and Cultural Association called "GENTES" (PIC: ) was founded in Jaén in May 2003, as a non-profit organization, aimed to promote Implicative and participatory Methodologies as well as Social Volunteering and Civic Participation. In addition, it was our goal to promote better procedures to active participation at individual, group and community levels of participation in the organization. This is possible through a dynamic and systematized teamwork, which improves the socio-cultural reality of the province of Jaén. GENTES is also a non-formal education training school, focused on animation, youth learning process, development of heritage and sharing knowledge. GENTES has experience developing YiA Programme projects, especially in the action 1.1 Youth Exchanges. As a member of the Provincial Volunteer Network LIENZOS, we have designed and mentored projects in action 2, European Voluntary Service. Our experience in EVS has focused on the education and training of our technicians regarding the EVS programme and the JAMO (Jeunes Avec Moins Opportunites en Mobilité) project .Our experience has also focused on the support and the management of hosting and sending projects for some entities which take part on it as well. Currently, we are developing YiA Programme projects and leading the European Volunteer Centre (CEV). We are consultants for local authorities in youth participation and teaching methodologies. We have more than nine years of experience taking part in the territorial youth policy: Andalusian Plan Gyga, Young Code, and the brand-new Provincial Plan for Youth . Recently we have created the Leisure and Freetime "Gentes" School, in which we teach non formal education in animation and social participation through smile-therapy and training in emotions as well as the exchange of life experiences. All this it s performed in collaboration with local and regional authorities and other non governmental institutions like Labour Unions, associations and civil organizations. Our social and youth practice work has included the following: - Taking part in associations, platforms and social development projects. - Participating in training and teaching processes, from formal to non-formal education, for active civic participation building common spaces. In "Gentes" we are improving processes of non-formal education and training for social rights and educational competencies. In order to obtain our aims, we understand the access to the education and civil participation as a right. Throughout our trajectory, we are improving our competences in this field organizing intercultural training exchanges, learning other ways to develop strategies, creating and taking part in networks. Our organization collaborates with local and regional authorities to perform and organize activities to promot active youth participation, thus developing the Strategic Regional Youth Planning in the province of Jaén. In regards to the EVS experience, we are expecting to improve our competencies to work in the Human Rights framework with young people, as well as engaging young people within the youth policy fields of their territory. GENTES usually leads projects with young people of our territory. Those are the medium term projects to work in several fields related to young life, such as environmental affairs, independence life, culture and free time, youth leadership, communications and new technologies, overland life, living abroad, the past- the present and the future, removing linguistics barriers, employment, etc. We will perform it with implicative methodologies and applying a common method based on non-formal education, exchange experiences, meetings with expert local actors and laugh-therapy. These projects are developed in small groups who work in teamwork, showing the results obtained in public places and sharing them with the community.