- Detalji
- Kategorija: About NAPOR
How did it all start?
National association of youth workers was founded in 2009, as a result of an initiative of civil society organizations, which implement youth work. They recognized the need for quality assurance of youth work programs, the need to standardize, professionalize and recognize youth work by youth, institutions which work with youth, the state and society as a whole.
Our main accomplishments:
● 3 vocational standards in the area of professional youth work (Youth Leader, Youth Worker and Specialist for Youth Work and Policy) developed.
● Participation in the core working group for creation of the Law on Youth in Serbia, where definition of youth work found its place.
● Standards for youth work programs and the mechanism for its implementation developed.
● Code of Ethics for Youth Workers developed and signed by all members; Council for Ethical Issues established.
● Non-formal education curricula for Youth Leaders and Youth Workers developed.
● Mechanism for validation of previously attained competencies in youth work developed.
● Partnership with Ministry of Youth and Sports, National Youth Council, National Association of Youth Offices and numerous other organizations and institutions in Serbia and abroad.
What is NAPOR?
National Association of Youth Workers is vocational and representative union of associations whose mission is creation and development of conditions for quality assurance and recognition of youth work with the aim of developing potential of youth and youth workers, who contribute to welfare of community and society.
Our vision is that each young person has their own youth worker.
Who is NAPOR?
NAPOR embraces 47 organizations of youth and for youth and 26 individuals who implement youth work throughout Serbia. All member organizations have one representative and individuals have five representatives in the association General Assembly of which takes place at least once a year. The Assembly elects members of Steering and Supervisory Board, as well as Council for Ethical Issues. Steering Board names Executive Director, who manages NAPOR Secretariat.
Steering Board has 7 members and manages the association in between two Assembly meetings, organizes regular activities and implementation of strategic and action plan of NAPOR.
Executive Director executes plans and programs that Assembly and Steering Board decided upon, selects employees and manages Secretariat of NAPOR.
Supervisory Board has 3 members and has a role of supervising the legitimity of work of all association’s bodies, as well as of financial management of NAPOR’s assets.
Council for Ethical Issues has 5 members who ensure support to youth workers in terms of ethical issues.
Council of parents has 11 members and is tasked with ensuring the continuous involvement of parents in processes that deal with issues of importance to youth work and young people.
NAPOR for quality
In order to define quality in youth work, we developed a set of 8 standards that each youth work programme should fulfill. According to quality standards in youth work mechanism for their implementation has been created. The Mechanism is based on good will of member organizations to participate in accreditation process during which the fulfilment of each standard is checked. It includes self-assessment and assessment of accreditor - person with experience in youth work and advanced supervision skills.
Accreditation implemented by NAPOR has solely developmental function as it helps organizations to assess their practice in youth work and continuously work on its improvement. Therefore, the organizations who go through the process get the certificate of Accredited organization for implementation and promotion of quality standards in youth work, by which NAPOR guarantees their openness and readiness to constantly work on promotion of their youth work programs.
NAPOR accreditation is recognized by member organizations, which suggested and decided about this mechanism, as well as by Ministry of Youth and Sports, which supports the process of quality assurance in youth work in different ways. NAPOR works continuously on promotion of quality assurance in youth work through accreditation process among organizations which implement youth work, as well as among wider public and donors.
NAPOR for professionalism
In order to have quality youth work programmes, competent youth workers are needed to implement them. Therefore, NAPOR created Curriculum for education of youth workers, which contains training program for two vocational levels (Youth Leader and Youth Worker) and mechanism for validation of previously attained competences in youth work. Validation process is intended for persons who implement youth work in practice and continuously work on self-improvement, but have no comprehensive formal or non-formal education in youth work. For those practitioners, it is possible to prove the competences that they gained through experience and different training courses in front of board of experts, in order to gain certificate for one of 2 vocational levels.
For those who don’t have enough experience for validation, the training program is created. It consists of several thematic modules and practice in youth work. Thematic modules, with defined learning outputs, cover competences defined in Vocational Standard and contain theoretical basis of youth work, that is acquired through online learning, as well as practical skills, attitudes and values, which are developed and practiced through direct work of trainers with a group of participants. Practice in youth work, as a part of the training, is a continuous program of youth work with a group of young people, which each participant implements in their local community and their organization.
Implementation of Curriculum can be coordinated by NAPOR, or any of the member organizations. In both cases NAPOR issues certificates for all the participants who fulfil set of competences needed for the vocational level they are trained for. NAPOR certificate is recognized by member organizations, as well as by Ministry of Youth and Sports.
NAPOR for recognition of competences of youth gained through youth work
After being proved by research in 2013 that through youth work young people gain the very transferable competences that employers value, NAPOR decided to start the process of creation of tool that would facilitate recognition of these competences. Creation of tool for recognition of competences of young people gained through youth work programmes (Passport of Competences) is implemented in cooperation with Ministry of Youth and Sports and other relevant actors from public, private and civil sector who contribute to development of the Passport and mechanism for improvement of youth employability through intersectoral consortium. Main purposes of this tool are: recognition of transferable skills (competences) that young people gain through youth work programs by employers, in order to foster youth employability; more efficient planning of professional and personal improvement of young people and recognition of impact of youth work on development of young people.
Passport of Competences enables self-assessment of competences through online platform, as well as assessment by youth worker. Program of training of youth workers who would offer mentorship and supervision to young people and assess their competences was developed. During 2015/16, pilot testing of the Passport was implemented by 200 young people who went through the process of assessment of gained competences through online tool, and then used these results on experimental interviews with employers. According to recommendations of young people, youth workers and employers who participated in pilot testing, further improvement of the Passport is planned.
NAPOR for ethics
In order to ensure that youth work practice is ethical, NAPOR developed Code of Ethics in Youth Work and formed Council for Ethical Issues.
Code of Ethics is a document which defines ethical and professional principles of work and each organization and each youth worker binds to respect them.
Council for Ethical Issues is an independent body in NAPOR which takes care that Code of Ethics is respected and promoted. It has mandate to react in cases of violation of Code of Ethics, through recommendations to member organization, or opinions that they send to organizations which are not members of NAPOR. Council for Ethical Issues continuously works on promotion of ethics in youth work, among youth workers, young people and their parents, in order to ensure ethical practice in youth work in Serbia.
Contact NAPOR
Nacionalna asocijacija praktičara/ki omladinskog rada – NAPOR
(National Association of Youth Workers)
Address: Sutjeska 2/II - 12, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
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