As the countdown to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games is now a year to go, 3 international youth organisations came with the idea to build on the Olympic Legacy and convince institutions about the power of using sport as a methodology for non-formal education. As part of this project 30 young people from Europe and Brazil will flock to Rio to volunteer during the Olympics.

Three youth organisations, Gold de Letra (Brazil), Everything is Possible (United Kingdom) and Polgár Foundation (Hungary) will cooperate during a 2 year project with the objective to ride on the wings of the Olympic Games and work for the recognition of sport as a methodology for non-formal education. They come from different countries but have a similarity: they all support young people with fewer opportunities, using sport as an education methodology and would like to encourage national institutional fundings to support post Olympics projects and bring sports education to a wider target group, specifically targeting young people.

Clair Brown, co-founder of Everything is Possible, said:

“There is a little recognition of the significant impact on young people’s educational development. Many young people on the edges of mainstream society (having failed in school, experienced homelessness, drug and alcohol misuse or contact with the criminal justice system) can be easily engaged through the diverse mediums delivered through sports education.”

As part of ‘Olympic Legacy’, 30 young people will flock to Brazil to volunteer during the Rio 2016 Olympic/Paralympic Games. They will be in charge of promoting recycling and support disabled and older people accessing the Games.

The three organisations are all based in a country which has hosted or will host Olympic activities: London 2012, Rio 2016 and the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2017 in Hungary. This European funded project is therefore aiming at building capacity and developing good practice giving sport the visibility and legitimacy it deserves as an educational methodology. The ‘Olympic Legacy’ project will start in November in the United Kingdom where youth educators will have the opportunity to visit legacy projects in London in order to inspire the creation of local community sports education projects in Hungary and Brazil.

For more information or to arrange an interview with anyone at Everything is Possible, contact Raphael Harfaux, Visibility and Communications Co-Ordinator.

Notes to editors:

1. Olympic Legacy is a project funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission.

We have now reach our capacity limit and can’t accept any more applications. We are very sorry. Please contact raphael [at] everythingispossible [dot] eu in the case you would like to receive more information about our next year salvage action.

Following last year success, Everything is Possible will once again be salvaging good quality reusable camping equipment left behind at Leeds Festival.

When? 1st September (11am-1pm) … save the date!
Where? Leeds Festival site (more info will be sent to organisations who applied before the event)

Last year our action helped 50 organisations from all around Yorkshire, Lancashire and even Norfolk and West Midlands. We passed onto them more than 400 tents, 350 sleeping bags and 300 roll mats and tonnes of camping items which are left behind at Leeds Festival, equipment which has often only been used for one weekend. Click here to read feedback from previous years.

We tried to make the process as easy as we could for you.

1. Express your interest as soon as possible to Raphael
2. Download the application and send it fully completed.
3. One week before the collection date, we will send you all practical information you need to collect your equipment.
4. Our salvage experts will pick the best camping gear for you after the festival.
5. Just come on Tuesday 1st September 2015, between 11.00 and 13.00, with a big vehicle to pick up your order.
6. We will just charge £25 for the Salvage Package, which include a maximum of 5 tents (pop-up, 2men tents, or/and 1*4men tent) ) and a few sleeping bags, mats, camping chairs, pairs of wellies to fill a builder bag! You can also order some extra tents (pop-up, 2 men tents, 4, 6-8 persons). Donation will help us to pay for meals for the volunteers who will be spending the day picking up your camping gear.

Watch the video report from BBC LOOK NORTH:

Please contact Raphael who will give you more info and arrange everything with you

We will be joined by 30 young people passionate by recycling. They will have the mission to find for you the best camping equipment. We’ve got a rule: Each item we collect needs to be good quality. If it’s damaged, we don’t take it! But if you want you can also check the equipment in case something was missed: You can do so when you come to pick it up. If you are not satisfied with an item we will replace it with another.

Not convinced? Have a look at the feedback we got after previous salvage! Click here.
*As all the equipment has been used at the festival, and our volunteers don’t have the time or equipment to properly clean it on site, we recommend you clean all equipment fully before use. Depending on the weather you may have to clean it even more (but not if August is as beautiful as July!).

For individuals who are not part of an organisation, or organisations that can’t make the dates, please contact Raphael

After just a few months into a Vocational Educational Training (VET) project, young participants already started to disseminate the impacts that this Erasmus+ opportunity had on their personal and professional life.

Despite the fact our project Go Further Reach Higher (GFRH) started just 5 months ago, it already offered more than 40 young students the opportunity to undertake a VET experience abroad. Some went to Aruba and Malta to work towards animal care professions, while some went to Sweden to develop and learn some new skills in a carpentry. This project has been funded with the generous support of Erasmus+ UK.

Presentation

Back in their college, some of the students had to produce a small presentation which they showcased in front of their classmates. It’s what Derek, a student at ProCo. NW Ltd, did. He created the following PowerPoint about his animal care project in Malta:

Testimonies

All participants had to produce a testimony about their experience in the form of a comic page. On it they explained their motivation in taking part in this project, their activities and what they’ve learnt personally and professionally. All these comics are progressively published on the ‘Experience’ section of our website. You can also read them all onto the special GFRH we created on our partnersspace.eu website.

Word of Mouth

Before the start of their project participants received a GFRH TShirt which they often wore during their activities or free time, with the logo of Erasmus+ on their back. They acted as ambassadors of GFRH in speaking about their project to the local community people abroad and to their friends, classmate at their return in the UK.

Video

Even professionals ensured the promotion of the project. One of ProCo. NW Ltd Animal Care tutors, Helen Murphy who went to Aruba to support trainees there, created a small video to give a test about her experience:

Magazine

Kirklees College published an article on their Construction Employer Forum Newsletter. (Click on the following pictures to open the article)

Network meeting and mid-project evaluation

On the 13th July, Everything is Possible organised a network meeting and mid-project evaluation with all the colleges involved in the project. We were very pleased to hear them giving such a good feedback about the impact these VET projects had on their students.

Project supported by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.

We’re back in circus!

Following the success of Suitcase Circus for Youth, we decided to develop with the help of our international social circus partners a brand new project called ‘SCREAM’. This project aims at both the recognition of circus arts in non-formal and formal education, and also the delivery within different institutions.
SCREAM stands for Social Circus; Recognising Educational Activity Methodologies

In October 2014, Circus professionals and young participants from eight different countries went to Buenos Aires for the culmination of a year-long project teaching circus activities to disadvantaged young people across the globe, including in some of the poorest neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires.

During a busy week in the Argentine capital they visited a local community and shared the skills they learnt with the young people living there.

Since January 2014, 8 well-known circus organisations from Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Estonia, Mexico, Spain and the UK have been taking part in ‘Suitcase Circus For Youth’, an international project supported by the European Union. Their objective has been to bring the skill of
circus to those who normally don’t have access to this kind of activities, whether for fun, personal or professional development.

The eight projects came together in Buenos Aires to celebrate the impact Suitcase Circus has had on communities around the world. They’ve been welcomed to the city by Circo Social del Sur, an Argentinian non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the art of the circus as strategy for transformation and development of young people from vulnerable sectors of society.

This international project, supported by the European Union,has been created and coordinated by Everything is Possible, a non for profit organisation from United Kingdom, that offers international volunteering and training opportunities to young people with fewer opportunities around the world.

Vanesa Zambrano, coordinator of the project at Circo Social del Sur, said:
“This was a fantastic opportunity for the young people of Buenos Aires and for the Suitcase Circus partners from Europe and Latin America. Those day activities brought an international aspect to the activities we normally run. It opened the mind of the young people and the partners.”

In just one year, Suitcase Circus for Youth had such an incredible impact around the world. This project supported by the Euopean Union, will be extended in February with a new circus organisation from Australia.

Clair Brown, co-founder of Everything is Possible, said:
“The most rewarding aspect of this project is the impact that Suitcase Circus For Youth had – and is still having – on young people. Partners sent us pictures, testimonies and videos of the young people explaining either how they enjoyed the project, either what they learnt.”

Everything is Possible is turning 15!
We are celebrating our anniversary by publishing – via social media – memories of our international projects which supported, and sometimes changed the life of, thousands of young people around the world. During our national youth meeting ‘Young Pride’, we were very proud to hear that our mobility opportunities and trainings had such a positive impact on their lives!

Send us your pictures, videos, birthday’s wishes and testimonies via our social media (Facebook, Twitter) or by emailing raphael (AT) everythingispossible (DOT) eu.

Have a look! (Facebook, Twitter)
Tweets by @eispossible

Following last year success, Everything is Possible will once again be salvaging good quality reusable camping equipment left behind at Leeds Festival.

When? 26th August (12-2pm) … so save the date!
Where? Leeds Festival site (more info will be sent to organisations before the event)

DEADLINE HAS PASSED. See you next year! If you are interested in getting camping equipment in 2015, please contact Raphael: raphael@everythingispossible.eu 

Last year our action helped 70 organisations from all around Yorkshire and Lancashire. We passed onto them more than 500 tents, 450 sleeping bags and 400 roll mats and tonnes of camping items which are left behind at Leeds Festival, equipment which has often only been used for one weekend. Click here to read their feedback.

We tried to make the process as easy as we could for you.
1. Express your interest as soon as possible to Raphael: raphael@everythingispossible.eu
2. Download the application and send it to raphael@everythingispossible.eu by the 19th August (5pm). DEADLINE HAS PASSED. See you next year! If you are interested in getting camping equipment in 2015, please contact Raphael: raphael@everythingispossible.eu
3. One week before the collection date, we will send you all practical info you need to collect your equipment.
4. Our salvage experts will pick the best camping gear for you after the festival.
5. Just come on Tuesday 26th August 2014, between 12.00 and 14.00, with a big vehicle to pick up your order!
6. We will just charge £25 for the Salvage Package, which include a maximum of 5 tents (pop-up, 2men tents, or/and 1*4men tent) )+ you can request a higher number of sleeping bags, mats, camping chairs, pairs of wellies to fill a builder bag! You can also order some extra tents (pop-up, 2 men tents, 4, 6-8 persons). Donation will help us to pay for meals for the volunteers who will be spending the day picking up your camping gear.

 Watch the video report from BBC LOOK NORTH:

Please contact Raphael who will give you more info and arrange everything with you :
Raphael@everythingispossible.eu / 0113 242 0888

We will be joined by 30 young people passionate by recycling. They will have the mission to find for you the best camping equipment. We’ve got a rule: Each item we collect needs to be good quality. If it’s damaged, we don’t take it! But if you want you can also check the equipment in case something was missed you can do so when you come to pick it up. If you are not satisfied with an item we will replace it with another.

Not convinced? Have a look at the feedback we got after last year salvage! Click here.

*Depending on the weather you may have to clean the camping gear (not if August is as beautiful as June-July!).

For individuals who are not part of an organisation, or organisations that can’t make the dates, please contact Raphael: raphael@everythingispossible.eu .

Everything Is Possible co-founder, Clair Brown is at the Ri-Scosse 2014 seminar in Italy, this Friday 13th and Saturday 14th June. During 2 days she will speak about youth work and share the experience of Everything Is Possible.

There is a live stream of this event:

• Friday, 3.30-7.30pm
• Saturday, 8.30am – 12.30

Click here to watch the live.

Everything is Possible organised an Open day with the generous support of Europe Direct on the 29th of April at the Leeds Central library and presented their new volunteering and training opportunities abroad.

The session especially focused on a new European Voluntary Service project called Radioactive, which will give young people from 18 to 30 years old the amazing opportunity to volunteer from 2 weeks to one month during the summer in Sardinia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The field of work will be around radio, media and communication.

Around 30 young people attended the event and will be involved in a selection process in order to take their chance and participate to this great project funded by the European Commission. No special skills or experience in the field of radio are required.

For those who are interested, another session will very soon take place in London!
Contact us if you have any questions!

2 weeks in Philippines,

1 month in Indonesia,

1 month in Sardinia…

Everything Is Possible is about to launch new volunteering opportunities in Philippines, Indonesia and Sardinia. These projects are open to young people from 18 to 30 years old (living in the UK). During 2 weeks up to 1 month, volunteers will have the chance to participate in media and communications activities and develop skills in Radio.

Come and join us to our next OPEN DAY to learn more about these exciting new projects.

When? 4.15 to 7.00pm.

Where? Leeds Central Library (Portal room on the second floor).

This is a drop-in session so you can join us whenever you want between that time. We will present you the projects (program, countries, theme, conditions etc) and answer your questions.
This open day is organised with the generous support of Europe Direct Leeds and the Central Library.

For more info

about the open day or the projects, contact Fanny: (fanny@everythingispossible.eu / 0113 242 0888). You can also visit our website: www.everythingispossible.eu.

If you can’t make it,

please contact Fanny to express your interest. We may organise a future meeting in London beginning of May.

The Leeds Central Library address is :
Calverley Street
Leeds
LS1 3AB
(It’s not far from the train station)

Monday 3rd February 2014, Everything is Possible organized with the support of Europe Direct, an Open Day at the Leeds Central Library, in order to promote European opportunities abroad. During that day we presented our many opportunities (Volunteering, Training, Workshops, etc.) around the world (Aruba, Reunion Island, Italy, Malta, and many other countries). There are many international opportunities funded by the European Commission but few are known by the public. For this reason this kind of event is very important to give access to people who don’t normally  know about these projects.

Around 30 young people came during this presentation, expressing at the end an interest to learn more about the volunteering and training projects.

 
Everything Is Possible’s team would like to thank Europe Direct and the Leeds Library.
All the opportunities are supported by the British Council, ECORYS UK, the Youth in Action and Lifelong Learning programme.