“POWER ON THE SPOT!” is a 6-day residential training course to take place from October 26 to October 31 of 2016 in Slovakia, in which 28 youth workers from 15 countries will take part. The training course aims at building up the competences of youth workers, youth representatives and the institutions they represent to empower young people to discover their potential and to create the conditions for real participation in a diverse, connected and inclusive Europe. A focus will be put on activities and measures on local level (e.g. municipal youth parliaments), as well as respective follow-up projects will be fostered. The added value of the project lies in providing additional input to "guiding Amsterdam questions 1, 3, 5 and 6".PARTNERS INVOLVED The partnership with Slovakia embraces 14 countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Turkey and organisations from the following four categories:- umbrella organisations & networks (African Diaspora Youth Network in Europe, UNCRC Policy Center, Youth for Understanding, EURO-NET and EuroDEMOS),- associations dealing with local participation (YouthNet - Confederation of Local Youth Councils, Adamastor, Youth and Civil Initiatives in the Rose Valley, Hodina H and SOFA),- students union (Kaunas University of Technology Students Union),- public sector representatives (Direccion General de Juventud and Usak Provincial National Education Directorate).OBJECTIVES(1) Discovering EU Presidency concept and formulating recommendations for V structured dialogue cycle (Amsterdam questions 1, 5 and 6)(2) Creating tools/e-tools for V cycle consultations based on sharing realities of youth participation in the different regions of Europe(3) Exploring how to empower young people to discover their potential and how to create the conditions for real participation in society, with a focus on activities and measures on local level (e.g. municipal youth parliaments, student unions, advocacy networks)(4) Providing expert support in fostering of thematic partnerships (radicalization, violent extremism, hate speech)(5) Developing professional networks for follow-up initiatives under auspices of UNESCO Youth Programme, Council of Europe's No Hate Speech Movement and EU Structured Dialogue ProcessMETHODSThe training course will be based on the specific needs of the participants and partner organisations, and will be highly participatory. Diversity will be considered as a resource for the exchange and transfer of competences, as well as special attention is paid to the intercultural dimension of the project. There will only be few frontal lectures, the main part of the training course will be delivered in the form of practical sessions implemented by the participants in a learning-by-doing fashion, using the full toolbox of non-formal education and experiential learning. The trainers will take care of creating a supportive and safe learning environment, where participants are encouraged and coached while mastering challenges that contribute to their personal, professional and organisational development. The learning takes place both on individual level as well as in synergetic group processes, while always based on the participants’ needs. Transversal emphasis is put on creativity and innovation, learning-to-learn, feedback, (self-)reflection and self-directed-learning as key supporting processes. Furthermore, special attention is paid to making the learning points of the training course relevant, sustainable and transferable, e.g. by producing exhaustive documentation and by providing templates for tailor-made development and action plans at all levels.KEYWORDS/TAGSNon-formal education, training course, quality of support systems, participation, active citizenship, V structured dialogue cycle, Slovak Presidency in the Council of the EU