6.9 Awareness-raising about non-formal and informal learning and quality youth work
On this page
On this page
Information providers / counselling structures
The Czech Republic used to have a National Youth Information Center and the regional network of Youth Information centres, coordinated by the state level. However, since 2020 this was abolished. The main providers and counselling structured about the non-formal education are thus the local or regional centres for the free time and Leisure-based education and also very importantly the youth organizations and NGOs working with children and Youth.
Since 2022 there is a new department for Youth and interlinking of formal and non-formal education within the National Pedagogy Institute of the Czech Republic which is focusing on promoting non-formal education.
The Czech Republic uses the Eurodesk network, which focuses on information concerning mobilities, and, of course, also non-formal educational activities for young people.
The Centre for International Cooperation in Education, which is the administrator of the Erasmus+ Programme in the Czech Republic also offers information about non-formal educational activities on its website; however, to a considerable degree it is information rather for organisers of such activities than for young people as such. There are several informal networks, especially on social media which promote non-formal education directly toward young people.
The centre publish also a magazine called Mozaica which is focused on the promotion of international mobility and particularly non-formal learning opportunities.
The main provider of information from the youth sector, youth organisations, youth work, and youth policy is the web portal Adam.cz and a magazine called Archa, both managed by the Czech Council of Children and Youth.
Awareness raising initiatives
In 2017 the National Conference on Youth took place, which was on one hand part of a mid-term evaluation of the Youth Strategy 2014-2020 and on the other a platform for youth workers, 'who are interested in professional growth as individuals, as well as at the same time in development of the activities of the organisations, in which they work. Its goal is the deepening of competences in the field of youth work, sharing of experience, and networking.”
Since 1st of September 2018, started a new project of the National Institute for Further Education called '"Interconnecting formal and Non-Formal, including Leisure-based education". Main goal of the project is to support the cooperation between teachers and youth workers who should perceive together as partners by the common goal of developing the competencies of Children and Young people. The project period is 2018 - 2021 and the costs are covered by the EU ESF Fund and the state budget of the Czech Republic.
Among the outcomes helping to the promotion of Non-formal learning are e.g. piloted educational programmes or their wider commented Methodics.
In 2021 several conferences and activities related to promotion and raising awareness about non-formal education were organized by the National Pedagogy Institute of the Czech Republic and NGOs. Closed Round tables to the topic were also organized by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.