THIS IS THE NOW JOURNEY
WHAT’S THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO BE IN THE WORLD?
THE NOW JOURNEY
The NOW Journey was a 6-month non-formal education program that, in each edition, brought together 30 young people from diverse backgrounds to learn from and with each other to become active citizens and create social change projects in their local communities.
The idea is that the participants would become agents of social change, while also taking care of themselves and the planet. NOW ran two editions of the NOW Journey, in 2016 and in 2017.
You can learn more about the two NOW Journey editions in our Impact Reports.
During the program, participants dedicated on average 4 hours per week to the program and attended one coaching session every month. Our biggest goal was to be inclusive and offer opportunities for youth from diverse backgrounds.
Here you can read a bit more about some of the projects our participants developed.
Participants of the NOW Journey developed a combination of hard and soft skills, knowledge and attitudes, that are relevant for self-development and social change. These elements are mapped in the NOW Framework, which is based on NOW’s four learning goals:
- Diversity;
- Change and transformation;
- Interconnectedness;
- Collaboration.
The NOW Journey Blueprint explains all the elements of the program and it is meant for people who would like to replicate it in full or parts. Also, the Project Creation Handbook explains the aspects of project development and management of the Journey.
These documents are available in our Resources page.
THE PROGRAM INCLUDED
WHAT DO OUR ALUMNI SAY?
GHIZLANE from Casablanca, Morocco
“I think what I liked most about the NOW Journey was the diversity of the participants. We are different in age, where we come from and in many other ways. But we have in common that we want to make this world a better place. As for myself, the NOW Journey was really an eye-opening experience! I got to see myself and the world in a different perspective: we all have the power to create change and to make things better in our local communities.”
YOUNG
Serhat from Adana, Turkey
“Looking back, I can totally say that NOW change my life in so many aspects. Through my project, the coaching and the connection with the others, I improved my leadership skills, my self-awareness, as well as my communication and project development skills. During the program I had a chance to visit my Buddy in Bosnia which was a unforgettable experience where I learned a lot about other cultures and how we have a lot in common after all.”
MOTIVATED
Kriszta from Targu Mures, Romania
“When I went to the NOW Encounter, it was the first time when I left my country alone. I was terrified of doing this with totally strangers in a language I did not use before outside of school. Yet, I had the feeling that I was in the right place. The NOW Journey was one of the most important milestones in my life. I got to know myself, and I learned to believe in a better world and in a better me. The things I’ve learned during the program gave me the strength to start a program in my hometown on my own.”
WHO WERE THE NOW JOURNEY PARTICIPANTS?
YOUNG
NOW Journey participants were young in heart and age. The program was tailor-made for youth aged 18 – 25. We were a bit flexible to people close to that age range.
MOTIVATED
COMMITED
NOW participants were in for good! To make this program happen, we relied on people committing for the whole six months. During the online period, the NOW Journey was not a full-time program, but we expected people to dedicate 5-10 hours/week to NOW.
WHAT DID THE PROGRAM COST?
The full cost of the Journey was aproximately €1000/person – plus travel costs, which we reimbursed for the majority of our participants.
We wanted the NOW Journey to be accessible to all youth no matter their circumstances. And we made that happen together with our community through crowdfunding, fundraising actions, and funds from our partners.
We made sure that young people could participate no matter their financial situation and didn’t let money stop people from applying!
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