Anyone having a brief look into the EECA region on the last years would agree in a main conclusion: the escalation of tensions among the countries of the region and with the neighbouring Russia is a fact that no one can ignore. Ukraine is the lately most affected country, with an on-going war in the eastern regions of Lugansk and Donets, which is having consequences in the entire country and region. The “relations” between the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan became especially tense in the last months, with mutual accusations for different episodes of increasing violence in Nagorno-Karabakh, while the conflict between Georgia and Russia for the disputed territories of Abkhazia and South of Ossetia is on a dead end. Transnistria is another affected region within the EECA countries that has fallen into a frozen status that is far from being solved. On top of that, the Ukrainian crisis has triggered a change of scenario, tensioning the relations of EU institutions with Russian authorities. In this context, the training course aims to establish a space for dialogue among youth workers interested in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of contemporary conflicts, while at the same time developing their capacities to influence their realities at local and national level by implementing effective peacebuilding activities within their communities or in cooperation with other international peers. By providing an overall understanding of conflict theories and providing space to analyse concrete conflicts and tensions, participants will increase their competences to look at their context with a wider scope and develop their critical thinking. Therefore, youth workers participating in the training will gain the skill to plan and intervene in these situations with transformative approaches, by implementing peacebuilding activities. The training will provide practical and easy-to-use tools for conflict analysis and design for conflict intervention. Therefore, a variety of non-formal educational tools such simulation exercises, group work, debates, theatre methods will be accompanied with feedback and evaluation sessions, cultural evenings organized by the participants, and excursions. The aim of the Training Course is to increase youngsters’ understanding of conflict theories and their capacities to lead peacebuilding activities at local, national or international level. More precisely, the objectives of the Training Course are: • To study approaches to conflict, conflict transformation and peacebuilding; • To gain skills to critically approach conflicts and analyse them; • To improve participant’s capacities to plan effective peacebuilding activities with transformative approaches; • To share methods for youth empowerment in conflict settings and highlight it’s importance; • To work on future plans for European cooperation on youth project in processes of conflict transformation. The methodological approach of the Training Course is based on non-formal education and its principles. Workshops, discussions, presentations, theater, role-plays and theoretical inputs will be used. The main expected impact and results include: - Increase knowledge in conflict transformation and peacebuilding, with strengthened capacities in contextualizing youth empowerment work in conflict settings and increased competences in how to empower and involve young people to take an active role in peacebuilding initiatives fostering understanding and respect among people from different backgrounds (religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation etc.) - Enriched tool box to foster youth participation and foster youth empowerment and establishing at least 5 follow-up projects fitting their work context - Newly created partnerships with youth stakeholders from other European countries The Training Course will take place in Misaktsieli, in Georgia, from 21st to 29th of November 2015, and will include 24 participants from 12 countries from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Spain, Ukraine.