Volunteer Action for Change Kenya

28/08/2026

7 days. 30 participants. 12 partner organisations. Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa brought together by one shared commitment: making young people’s skills more visible, recognised and valued. 🌍

From 14 to 22 August 2026, the YOUTH360 partnership came together in Antananarivo, Madagascar, for one of the project’s major international activities: a seven-day Training Course focused on 21st-century skills, Open Badges, learning pathways and the recognition of non-formal learning.

Throughout an intensive week, we moved from discussion to practice; learning from one another, testing new approaches and exploring how young people’s learning can be better recognised and connected to future opportunities.

Together, we:

🔹 Explored young people’s skills, needs and opportunities across different national contexts;

🔹 Learned how to design meaningful, quality Open Badges that recognise knowledge, skills and competences;

🔹 Exchanged examples of skills development and recognition systems;

🔹 Developed and tested online learning pathways and badges;

🔹 Explored the Cities of Learning ecosystem and its potential to support youth skills development, learning and recognition;

🔹 Connected with the Malagasy youth ecosystem through a World Café with local stakeholders;

🔹 Experienced Madagascar’s rich culture, history and natural heritage;

🔹 Reflected on how these tools and approaches can be adapted to different local realities.

One of the most valuable lessons from the week was that learning does not only happen in classrooms. Young people develop important competences through volunteering, community engagement, work, creativity, digital activities, peer learning and everyday experiences. The challenge is making these skills visible and giving them the recognition they deserve.

Madagascar reminded us that, despite our different contexts, many of the challenges facing young people are shared — and so is the ambition to create better opportunities for them.

The YOUTH360 journey continues, with a shared goal of building more inclusive ways to learn, demonstrate, recognise and value young people’s skills. 🚀

Skills matter. Learning matters. Recognition matters.

28/08/2026

7 days. 30 participants. 12 partner organisations. Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa brought together by one shared commitment: making young people’s skills more visible, recognised and valued. From 14 to 22 August 2026, the YOUTH360 partnership came together in Antananarivo, Madagascar, for an intensive seven-day Training Course focused on 21st-century skills, Open Badges, learning pathways and the recognition of non-formal learning. Throughout the week, we moved from discussion to practice, exploring young people’s skills, needs and opportunities across different national contexts; learning how to design meaningful and quality Open Badges; exchanging experiences of skills development and recognition systems; developing and testing online learning pathways and badges; exploring the Cities of Learning ecosystem and its potential to support youth skills development and recognition; and connecting with the Malagasy youth ecosystem through a World Café with local stakeholders. Beyond the training sessions, we also experienced Madagascar’s rich culture, history and natural heritage, creating space for intercultural learning and reflection. The experience reminded us that young people develop valuable competences not only through formal education, but also through volunteering, community engagement, work, creativity, digital activities and everyday experiences—and that these skills deserve to be recognised and valued. Madagascar showed us that, despite our different realities, many of the challenges facing young people are shared, and so is our ambition to create better opportunities for them. The YOUTH360 journey continues with a shared commitment to making learning visible, skills recognisable and opportunities more accessible to young people. 🌍🚀

🌍 YOUTH360 MADAGASCAR TRAINING COURSE — WHAT A WEEK! 🇲🇬

7 days. 30 participants. 12 partner organisations. Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa brought together by one shared commitment: making young people’s skills more visible, recognised and valued.

From 14 to 22 August 2026, the YOUTH360 partnership came together in Antananarivo for one of the project’s major international activities: a seven-day Training Course focused on 21st-century skills, Open Badges, learning pathways and the recognition of non-formal learning.

Throughout an intensive week, participants moved from discussion to practice.

Together, we:
🔹 explored young people’s skills, needs and opportunities across different national contexts;
🔹 learned how to design meaningful and quality Open Badges;
🔹 exchanged examples of skills learning and recognition systems;
🔹 developed and tested online learning pathways and badges;
🔹 explored the Cities of Learning ecosystem and its potential for youth skills development and recognition;
🔹 connected with the Malagasy youth ecosystem through a World Café with local stakeholders;
🔹 experienced Madagascar’s culture, history and natural heritage;
🔹 and reflected on how these tools and approaches can be adapted to different local realities.

Madagascar showed us that, despite different realities, many of the challenges are shared — and so is the ambition to create better opportunities for young people.

What was learned, tested and created in Madagascar will now travel back to our partner countries. 🌍🚀

A huge thank you to all participants, facilitators, partners and to Youth First Madagascar for hosting this important milestone of YOUTH360. 🇲🇬🤝

🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Programme.

24/08/2026

Exchanging our realities in Africa and Europe gives us an opportunity to inspire the the development of 21st century skills for young people.

Youth360 project provides the platform for young people to develop their essential skills in partner countries.

Come on board and let's learn and develop our skills together.

23/08/2026

23/08/2026

The Universal Civil Service (Servizio Civile Universale) is an Italian government programme that offers young adults the opportunity to participate in structured work and training experiences, including in international contexts.

Participants spend 10 months working within local organisations, contributing to existing activities while supporting their development. They do not come from outside simply to implement temporary projects; rather, they become part of ongoing organisational processes, working alongside local staff and contributing to the organisation’s objectives.

They are therefore not visitors or occasional guests, but active members of the organisation who gain practical experience, develop professional skills, and grow through meaningful engagement with local communities.

The 2025 cohort saw seven participants join our teams in Nairobi and Ukunda/Diani, where they actively contributed to the implementation of our programmes, supported the development of key initiatives, and participated in fundraising efforts to make community activities possible.

Among the many milestones achieved through their contribution was the establishment of a community water point in Gandini Village, Kwale County, helping to improve access to water for the local community. The participants also supported the introduction of agricultural activities in collaboration with a local women’s group, creating opportunities for women to strengthen their livelihoods, develop practical agricultural skills, and contribute to greater community resilience.

These achievements demonstrate the value of the Universal Civil Service experience, not only as an opportunity for young Italians to develop professionally and personally, but also as a meaningful mechanism for long-term partnership, community development and intercultural exchange.
Cammini Minimi
Dipartimento per le politiche giovanili e il servizio civile universale – Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri
Servizio Civile Universale

23/08/2026

🇲🇬 YOUTH360 Training Course in Madagascar – Day 7!

And just like that, we reached the final day of our YOUTH360 Training Course in Madagascar.🌍✨

After seven days of learning, exchanging ideas and creating together, today was about testing, reflecting and celebrating everything developed throughout the week.

Participants tested the online learning pathways and Open Badges,, explored the first steps for using the Cities of Learning platform in their own contexts, and worked on their action plans.

More than a week of technical learning, Madagascar gave us the opportunity to connect people from different countries and realities, exchange youth work experiences, challenge our ideas and build new ones together.

A huge thank you to all the participants, facilitators, partners and especially our hosts in Madagascar for making this experience possible. 🇲🇬🤝

We leave the Training Course with new knowledge, new tools, new connections and plenty of inspiration.

For now, we celebrate the end of an unforgettable week. 🌍💛
📍 Antananarivo, Madagascar
📅 Day 7 | 21 August 2026

🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Programme.

21/08/2026

🇲🇬 YOUTH360 Training Course in Madagascar – Day 6!

From ideas to digital learning experiences! 💻🏅

Day 6 of the YOUTH360 Training Course was all about putting knowledge into practice and turning the work developed throughout the week into concrete online learning pathways and Open Badges.

The day started with technical training on quality learning activities, helping participants reflect on how to create meaningful experiences where learning objectives, activities, skills and recognition are clearly connected.

Then it was time for the Badge Labs. 🔧✨

Working in teams, participants continued developing their own:

🔹 online learning pathways;
🔹 learning activities linked to specific skills;
🔹 Open Badges and recognition criteria;
🔹 and practical approaches that can later be adapted to their local contexts.

The focus was not simply on creating a digital badge, but on designing a complete learning journey where young people can participate, demonstrate what they have learned and receive meaningful recognition for their achievements.

This practical work brings us closer to one of YOUTH360’s main goals: equipping youth workers with tools to make non-formal learning and young people’s skills more visible, understandable and transferable to education and employment opportunities.

The day ended with reflection, badge earning and national team meetings — another opportunity to connect what was learned in Madagascar with what will happen next in each participating country. 🌍🤝

Designing learning. Recognising skills. Creating opportunities.

📍 Antananarivo, Madagascar
📅 Day 6 | 20 August 2026

🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Programme.

21/08/2026

🇲🇬 YOUTH360 Training Course in Madagascar – Day 5!

After several intensive days of training, discussion and co-creation, Day 5 invited YOUTH360 participants to learn in a different way: by experiencing Madagascar itself.🌿🌍

Our hosts took the group beyond the training room to explore the country’s culture, natural heritage and unique biodiversity.

A highlight of the day was the visit to Lemurs’ Park, where participants had the opportunity to discover one of Madagascar’s most iconic symbols — the lemur — while learning more about the protection of endemic species, conservation and reforestation efforts. 🐒🌱

The experience offered much more than a cultural visit. It was also an opportunity to:

🔹 discover Madagascar’s extraordinary natural heritage;
🔹 learn more about local approaches to conservation and environmental awareness;
🔹 strengthen connections between participants in an informal learning environment;
🔹 and reflect on how place, culture and community can themselves become powerful learning experiences.

International mobility is not only about what happens inside the training room. It is also about understanding the country that welcomes us, connecting with its people and environment, and creating shared experiences that strengthen cooperation across cultures.

Five days into the YOUTH360 journey, the group continues to learn, connect and discover together. 🌍🤝

📍 Madagascar
📅 Day 5 | 19 August 2026

🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Programme.

17/08/2026

🌍 YOUTH360 Training Course in Madagascar – Day 2! 🇲🇬

Day 2 of the YOUTH360 Training Course in Antananarivo took us deeper into one of the main questions behind the project: how can we make the skills young people develop through non-formal learning more visible and recognised?

The day started by exploring young people’s skills, needs and opportunities across the different participating countries. Bringing together perspectives from Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa gave participants the chance to compare realities, identify common challenges and reflect on the skills young people need today.

From reflection to practice, participants then moved into the world of Open Badges. 🏅

Through the BadgeMe activities and technical sessions, the group worked on:

🔹 identifying meaningful learning achievements;
🔹 understanding what makes a quality Open Badge;
🔹 connecting skills, learning activities and evidence;
🔹 and starting to craft badges that can genuinely recognise learning gained through youth work and non-formal education.

It was a very hands-on day, with plenty of discussion, creativity, teamwork and shared learning. 💡🤝

And learning did not stop when the training sessions ended!

🌍✨ The evening was dedicated to our Intercultural Evening, celebrating the diversity of the YOUTH360 partnership. Participants shared elements of their countries and cultures, creating another opportunity to learn from one another, build connections and enjoy the richness of bringing Europe and Africa together in the same space.

Because international youth work is also about this: learning together, understanding different realities and turning diversity into a source of connection and cooperation.

Two days completed — and many more ideas still to come! 🚀

📍 Antananarivo, Madagascar
📅 Day 2 | 16 August 2026

🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ Programme.