<< Background >>The number of youth (juvenile) offenders across Europe is declining in recent years. However, the number of youth re-offenders remains high. Several studies across European countries show that the vast majority (from 60-75%) of youth offenders are reoffending after their release. There are several reasons why this is the case, but the primary is their social disintegration. Specifically, juvenile offenders are less likely to find a job, therefore are more likely to struggle with issues such as poverty, housing and so on. Crucial for the lack of their employability is their lack of education (due to the fact that they are sentenced) and their awareness about key competences they need to develop to increase their employability.The proposed project aims to address this issue by working with local NGOs, CSOs and authorities to strengthen the employability of minors, youth at risk of offending or reoffending to increase their integration to the societies. Building on other relevant projects, we aim to strengthen youth offenders’ soft skills through high quality educational material on the development of key employability skills, such as soft skills. Providing training to the educators, who they will train the participants we aim to strengthen the efficiency of the provided education. At the same time, the proposed project aims at addressing the needs below:NEEDS OF MINORS, YOUTH AT RISK OF OFFENDING OR REOFFENDING Youth juveniles, or at risk of offending or reoffending, face discrimination and lack of opportunities in terms of employability. A key reason of their exclusion from the job market is the lack of employability skills, as those individuals are likely to drop-out from schools, and thus not receiving adequate education. The proposed project directly addresses the needs of these individuals’ by providing necessary training on soft skills, which are considered crucial as employability skills. NEEDS OF PARTNERS, NGOs and CSOsThe proposed project aims to meet the needs of the partner organisations and the targeted NGOs, CSOs, youth organizations. Despite the available guidance on employment opportunities and job seeking for minors or disadvantaged youth, there is a lack of systematic training, and collection of educational materials on how they can develop necessary skills for being employable. The materials and methodologies that will be developed during the project can be used from the youth organisations, NGOs and CSOs, who work closely with minors and youth at risk of offending / reoffending for the purpose of training but also guidance. This is particularly important as it complements to the need identified earlier for the provision of alternative, informal or non-formal, educational activities to youth across Europe.SOCIETAL NEEDS ACROSS THE EUThe problems of youth marginalization, youth poverty and youth unemployment across European countries is one of the key challenges identified by the EU. This project seeks to address this issue by strengthening the employability of youth people involved in the project.<< Objectives >>YOUTH REGAINED aims to: -Strengthen ex-convicted child offenders’ competences and basic skills in order to ease their transition to adulthood and support their integration in the labour market. -Develop activities focusing on the strengthening of inclusion and employability of child offenders as young people with fewer opportunities.-Support CSOs focusing on the protection and the re-integration of child offenders and encourage young people at risk of marginalisation to regain their life and place in the society.-Engage CSOs and stakeholders from the business sectors and educate them to eliminate the stereotypes related to child offenders post release employability.<< Implementation >>The project’s methodology is based on a participatory approach, which engages directly with the target group in all stages of its implementation. The project implementation is divided into four main phases: Research and training (PR1); OERs (PR2), Workshops and training (PR3), and Digital tools and network (PR4).PR1 entails the development of a Good practice guide that will be used so to raise awareness as regards effective, successful, socially sustainable, replicable education and learning methods and competencies in Europe, for minors and youth at risk of offending / re-offending, so to incorporate them in future schemes. Partners will carry out a study at local, national and European levels, in order to assess the needs, key competences and life-skills that child offenders lack and if acquired they would potentially affect positively their employability rates. PR2 will be the phase of the e-course’s development. The e-course developed for the YOUTH REGAINED project, will support and complete gaps in life-long learning education and will provide valuable soft-skills which will include but will not be limited to the following categories: a) communication; b) teamwork; c) work ethic; d) positive attitude; e) critical thinking; and f) leadership. The e-course will contribute towards strengthening minors’ competences and basic skills in order to ease their transition to adulthood and support their integration in the labour market. PR3 will focus on the provision of tailor-made training. In particular the project will organise educational and training workshops in partnership countries engaging minors and youth at risk of offending / re-offending and relevant CSOs and summarize their results into an awareness raising and policy toolkit for CSOs and youth organisations related to child offenders. Under PR4, the project will develop a virtual participatory platform in order to create a european network of young people sharing common experiences from detention centres, exchanging ideas as regards their status and competences, providing guidance and tips to each other related to job search and application. The platform will also engage Vulnerable youth plus youth organisations, CSOs and NGOs that will provide consultation to child offenders and ultimately post job vacancies and internship opportunities. The platform will also host the learning resources developed in previous project results such as the e-course and the toolkit. Finally, the platform will host an e-job fair, where participants will be able to come closer and engage with business representatives.<< Results >>The implementation of the project activities will entail the delivery of the following project results: -PR1.A needs assessment of key competences and life-skills that child offenders lack and if acquired their employability success rate would be considerably increased -PR2. An e-learning/e-course providing soft-skills which will include but will not be limited to the following categories: a) communication; b) teamwork; c) work ethic; d) positive attitude; e) critical thinking; and f) leadership. As part of this result, YOUTH REGAINED will pilot the e-course in local detention centres in consortium countries and also in vulnerable youth.-PR3. Organise educational and training workshops in partnership countries engaging ex-convicted child offenders and relevant CSOs and summarize their results into an awareness raising and policy toolkit for CSOs and youth organisations related to child offenders. -PR4. Develop a virtual participatory platform in order to create a European network of young people sharing common experiences from detention centres, exchanging ideas as regards their status and competences, providing guidance and tips to each other related to job search and application. The platform will also engage Vulnerable youth and youth organisations/CSOs/NGOs that will provide consultation to child offenders and ultimately post job vacancies and internship opportunities. The platform will also host the e-course and the toolkit. Finally, the platform will host an e-job fair, where participants will be able to come closer and engage with business representatives.Project outcomes:-Extend the competences of at least 200 ex-convicted child offenders as youth workers, working/collaborating with CSOs, youth organisations and cross sectoral grassroots, in order to foster their ability to enhance youth participation and to motivate youth to re-integrate in the society.-Enhance access to CSOs, youth organisations, and good practices to ensure youth employability.-Support minors or youth at risk of offending / reoffending and relevant CSOs to raise public awareness, to lead and contribute to the development of youth policies that promote active participation of youth and enhanced support and acceptance from employers. -Raise national and European awareness on the project’s activities and achievements and promote the project’s outputs and results to a wide range of stakeholders at local/regional/national and/or EU level.