EU Sportastic! encourages 22 young people to participate in a bi-lateral Youth Exchange between the UK and Hungary in September and November 2014, focusing on: increasing sports participation; increasing work-focused skills; and developing young people’s understanding of culture on a local, national and EU-level. Participants are aged 16 to 24 years old, are currently Not in Employment, Education or Training, those over 25 are long term unemployed, or have recently started an Apprenticeship after a period of economic inactivity. Approx 50% of participants will be from a BAME background, secondary generation migrants, some will be at risk of gangs and officially homeless. Participants all will have Skills needs, in particular: Communication; Inter-personal; Team; Work-based skills; Punctuality. • Sports & Physical activities • Skills development • Cultural awareness EU Sportastic! will encourage participation in life, work and sports, developing full rounded and mature individuals with the skills, mindset and energy to engage with modern European life. Sports & Physical Activities: All EU Sportastic! sports and physical activities are aimed to build a young person’s vital Life Skills which will benefit their social, economic and health lives. Focusing on leadership, team-skills, communications, all sports are designed to increase physical activity participation for life, and introducing new sports to young people including: Rock Climbing; Ultimate Frisbee; Kayaking, as well as more traditional sports such as: Football; Basketball; Squash; and Hockey. Participants will also try activities in swimming and gym activities. Sporting habit for life. Skills development: EU Sportastic will mobilise an Employability, Life and Sector-focused skills development informal training, workshops and group activities. The series of sessions are designed to enhance participants abilities to identify, apply and obtain work, while also ensuring long term employment. Employability skills sessions will include: CV building; Jobsearch skills; Interview techniques; Mock interviews; and ‘Dress to impress’ days. Life skills will develop a young person’s wider skills, essential in society and work including: Communication; Inter-personal; Leadership; Team-building; Behaviour in the work place; and Punctuality. Young people will also learn new language skills both in English and Hungarian and will be encouraged to continue of their new language skills beyond the youth exchange. Participants will also learn real work sector-skills including: Administration; Customer Service; IT; Health & Social Care; Social Media; Marketing & Communication; Youth work; Project management; Enterprise skills amongst others. Cultural awareness: EU Sportastic will bring different young people from different countries and cultures together for an unique cultural experience. Platforming wide multi-cultural, European cultures, including Hungarian, UK and minority community cultures. Young people will participate in a series of fun activities utilising non-formal techniques such as: tasting different foods from different cultures; dressing up in traditional outfits; listening to music; learning about different cultural groups throughout the EU, specifically in the UK and Hungary. For instance, young people will learn about the UK’s BAME communities in particular: Afro-Caribbean heritage, Asian history and the significant of the migrant workers background through young people explaining their own cultural heritage through role plays and theatrical activities. Young people will also learn about Hungary’s diverse background from the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, throughout the Communist era, during WWII, the People’s Republic, 1956 Revolution, and following the fall of communist the Republic of Hungary. In particular, young people will learn about the effects of conflict on ethnic minority groups, such as Jewish communities, Travelers communities and most recently the rise of the rights’ towards migrant workers. EU Sportastic will mobilise icebreakers, energisers, roles plays, sports, skill training, all within an informal learning session to engage, connect and encourage young people to be active, develop job-readiness skills and to understand different societies.