Wednesday 01 April 2015

 

Erasmus+ calls for disabled youngsters to think international during World Autism Awareness Week

This week is World Autism Awareness Week (27 March to 2 April) and 19 year old Clarice Barber from Prestatyn is urging young people to consider an Erasmus+ placement, whatever their personal circumstances.

Clarice is diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and has speech and communication difficulties, but this did not stop her from taking part in a two-week volunteering project in Belgium.

Although an active young person, Clarice had never participated in any kind of international or residential activity for more than one or two nights.

Clarice said: “For two weeks I lived and worked near Marche-en-Famenne in Belgium with a group of 11 other young people from Belgium, Japan, Spain, Turkey, France, Afghanistan, the Czech Republic and Italy. We were working for a community organisation, called Grimm, building dry-rock walls, repairing a fountain, constructing a disabled toilet and removing Japanese knotweed.

“I gained a great deal from this experience, most particularly in self-confidence and independence. I proved to myself I can travel distances alone, negotiate large travel terminals and get on with people from different backgrounds and cultures. I made friends with the 11 other volunteers and took part in decision making and participating in group activities. Now I can’t wait to do more international volunteering, staying away longer and I think it is something more young people should consider, whatever their circumstances.”

Clarice’s volunteering placement was organised by UNA Exchange, a voluntary organisation based in Cardiff, which has been helping hundreds of people for more than 40 years to have international experiences.

UNA Exchange received funding through Erasmus+, the new European Union (EU) programme for education, training, youth and sport to support their ‘Step by Step’ programme.

SheilaSmith, Step by Step Manager, UNA Exchange, said: “’Step by Step supports young people who have fewer opportunities to join volunteering activities in other countries – mainly short-term volunteering through the EU’s European Voluntary Service (EVS) and youth exchanges, part of the Erasmus+ programme. We believe international volunteering is a powerful force for change in the world; it is an amazing way for people to learn new skills and gain new perspectives.”

 

Jenny Scott, director of British Council Wales, said: “Stories such as Clarice’s remind us of the impact the programme has on people in Wales and we’re proud to be able to support organisations such as UNA Exchange and the young people they work with. This is even more relevant during World Autism Awareness Week.

 

“Organisations looking to run similar youth projects and change young people’s lives for the better still have plenty of time to apply for funding as there are two further deadlines for the youth sector; on 30 April and 1 October.”

Notes to Editor

Erasmus+ is managed in the UK by the British Council in partnership with Ecorys UK, with the British Council team based in the Cardiff office.  Erasmus+ focuses on formal and informal learning across Europe to improve the skills and employability of students, young people, volunteers, teachers and professionals working in the education, training and youth sector. The funding UNA Exchange receives through Erasmus+ enables international volunteers to support local organisations to make a positive change in their communities, to learn about different cultures and promote global citizenship.

The British Council Erasmus+ team was set up in the Cardiff office last year and supports organisations across the United Kingdom to receive funding from the EU’s Erasmus+ programme.

 

In the UK, Erasmus+ is managed by the UK National Agency, a partnership between the British Council and Ecorys UK For further information on Erasmus+ please visit www.erasmusplus.org.uk. 

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide.

We work in more than 100 countries and our 8,000 staff – including 2000 teachers – work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year by teaching English, sharing the Arts and delivering education and society programmes.

We are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter. A core publically-funded grant-in-aid provides less than 20 per cent of our turnover which last year was £864m. The rest of our revenues are earned from services which customers around the world pay for, through education and development contracts and from partnerships with public and private organisations. All our work is in pursuit of our charitable purpose and supports prosperity and security for the UK and globally.

For more information, please visit: wales.britishcouncil.org/en

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