Empowerment, Vitality and Assertiveness – Female Education in Mentoring 2 (EVA-FEM2) is a brand new approved project implemented by Asociatia Babilon Travel.

The project objective is to empower young women and girls, giving them a stronger sense of the identity, competences, value and strengths by exploring the self-confidence gained through the increase of the knowledge of different tools, technology, use of communication skills and ultimately the exploration of the need to create the tools to do this. The context and objectives revolve around the topics of inclusion, technology, communication, social media, bullying, leadership, coaching and the empowerment of the young participants. Young females will come from different cultural and disadvantaged backgrounds including single parent families, orphans, disabled females, migrants, physical or sexual violence, stress or trauma, and victims from conflict or disaster. All will join in activities and tasks and learn that everyone is “Different – just like me”. The learning from this project will have a positive impact in improving their emotional and mental well-being as young people from vastly different backgrounds work together in non-formal activities.

The promotion of equity and inclusion will be important objectives of EVA-FEM in terms of removing barriers to equal access to physical activity and martial arts, and promoting the empowerment of young women through self-defense tools. EVA-FEM2 will increase understanding and tolerance of other people’s cultures and their and the wider community’s sense of equality & equity by showing them that they are equally valued members of society.

In accordance with these objectives of the Erasmus program, the young women will learn informally whilst assisting the partners in developing an informal and non-formal learning programme, which will provide a psychosocial benefit to meet the needs of young women.

Martial arts will resonate for all of the participants aligning with the objectives of the project because they are concerned with self-regulation through control of body and mind.

The activities rely on the principles of non-formal and informal education promoting interaction and encouraging participants to learn by doing, joining in with a positive spirit. All the participants and leaders will be involved in the ultimate learning outcome of a framework for a course of self-defense empowerment for young women and girls. We intend for this Framework to be further developed into eLearning resources and workshops to provide long-term benefits.

To achieve its goals the project will have the following main activities:

– Advance planning visits in UK, Turkey, Croatia and Greece;

– Youth exchanges in the same countries.

Profile of the participants:

(1) APV:

– Age 18+;

– Proficient in English;

– Experienced in working with women with fewer opportunities.

(2) Youth exchange:

– Women and girls, 14-29 years old

– Coming from different cultural and disadvantaged backgrounds including unstructured families, disable female, immigrant, women subject to violence and victims from conflict and disaster zones.

– Reasonable level of English speaking;

– The leader and caretaker must be 18+, experienced in leading youth groups and taking care of them. They need to be good English speakers.

Project partners:

– Ikkaido LTD, UK (coordinator);

– Asociatia Babilon Travel, Romania;

– Athens Lifelong Learning Institute Astiki Mi Kerdoskopiki Etairia, Greece;

– Institute of Youth Power, Croatia;

– KyuShinKan, Spain;

– Izmir Valiligi, Turkey;

– Ikkaido Inclusive Martial Arts, Ireland.

Here you can download the info pack of the project: