LIVE-EX Virtual Exchange - International Cultural Youth Exchange

Exchange and Cooperation for a Living Earth.

2024-2027

Are you ready to make a difference and connect with peers across Sub-Saharan Africa?

The LIVE-EX project offers you the chance to gain essential digital and soft skills through engaging virtual dialogues and hands-on community actions. Focused on digital inclusion and climate justice, LIVE-EX empowers you to become a global advocate for change. Join us to fight climate crisis, enhance your employability by building your skills, engage in lasting friendships, and drive meaningful impact in your community.

About the project:

LIVE-EX is an Erasmus+ funded Virtual Exchange project for the period 2024-2027, collaborating with 2 European and 8 partners from Sub-Saharan Africa. The project is a multi-network, transcontinental collaboration, which aims to foster youth engagement and global cooperation for social and climate justice by supporting digital inclusion among IVS organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa. This collaborative effort is designed to offer young people access to high-quality virtual intercultural exchanges, helping them build skills, gain critical thinking, and engage in environmental and social causes at a global level.

LIVE-EX is part of the Living Earth Campaign. If you would like to know more about Living Earth click here: https://ccivs.org/livingearth/

Key Objectives:

LIVE-EX stands for Living Earth Exchange, a project that strives to address the digital and environmental challenges faced by young people in Sub-Saharan Africa. The primary aims and objectives of the project include:

Digital Inclusion: To provide young people with the digital skills and access necessary to participate fully in today’s interconnected world. This includes overcoming barriers such as inadequate ICT infrastructure and high costs of internet services.
Climate Justice: To educate and engage youth on the impacts of climate colonialism and to empower them to advocate for climate justice. The project focuses on creating awareness and driving actions that contribute to sustainable and equitable environmental practices.
Capacity Building: To enhance the capabilities of youth organizations in the region, enabling them to support and mentor young people effectively. This includes training youth workers in virtual volunteering and hybrid project management.
Intercultural Dialogue: To foster intercultural understanding and cooperation among young people from different backgrounds through virtual exchanges and collaborative community actions.
Youth Empowerment: To support young people in developing critical thinking skills, active citizenship, and global competence, ultimately improving their employability and ability to contribute to their communities.

Key Activities:

Blended training for mentors: A two-month program focused on mentoring and peer supervision to build capacity for conducting virtual exchanges.
Earth Advocacy Mentorship Virtual Exchange: Four cohorts designed to support youth involvement in climate justice activism.
Advocacy actions: Online and local community actions to spread awareness and engage young people in advocacy for climate and social justice.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Ongoing assessment to measure the impact of the project and ensure continuous improvement.
Virtual dialogues: Online events aimed at disseminating project results, discussing issues related to intercultural exchange, and promoting youth empowerment.
Youth advisory roles: Encouraging young people to take part in decision-making processes within major IVS networks.

Expected Outputs:

Good practices map: A resource to share successful models and methodologies used in virtual exchanges.
Minimal standards for virtual volunteering: Guidelines to ensure quality and inclusivity in virtual volunteer experiences.
Mentorship curriculum: A comprehensive curriculum and toolkit designed to train youth workers and mentors in conducting effective virtual exchanges.
Online course: A digital learning platform providing youth with skills and knowledge related to digital inclusion, intercultural communication, and climate advocacy.
Newsletters: Regular updates to keep stakeholders informed about progress and outcomes.

Direct Benefits:

2000 virtual exchange participants (pax): Young people engaged in virtual exchange programs, developing skills and understanding of global issues.
25 youth workers: Individuals trained to support and facilitate virtual exchanges in their local contexts.
10 IVS organisations: Organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa receiving direct support and involvement in the project.
32 local communities in Sub-Saharan Africa: Communities benefiting from youth-driven actions and knowledge sharing.

Indirect Benefits:

10,000 young volunteers: Youth across the network who gain indirect exposure to the project’s outcomes.
500 youth workers: Additional youth workers benefiting from shared resources and best practices.
200 IVS organisations: A broader network of organisations receiving knowledge and support from the initiative.
Hosting communities in 96 countries: Communities globally, benefitting from the increased participation and advocacy actions driven by the project.

By empowering young people, particularly from underrepresented and vulnerable communities, the Live-X Project strengthens the environmental movement with strong mentorship, diverse participation, and youth-led advocacy for climate justice.

Our Partners:

The partners bring a wealth of experience in international voluntary service and community development. The consortium includes the following countries; if you are from one of these countries, please contact the organisations to find out about how you can become involved!

Kenya: International Cultural Youth Exchange (ICYE Kenya): Runs virtual exchange programs and places volunteers in community projects, fostering intercultural interactions.

Malawi: Community Forum (COFO): Actively involved in virtual exchanges and climate change advocacy, promoting youth engagement and education.

Mozambique: Associacao Juvenil Para o Desenvolvimento do Voluntariado em Moçambique (AJUDE): Works on digital access and intercultural exchange, promoting environmental awareness among local youth.

Nigeria: International Christian Youth Exchange (ICYE Nigeria): Engaged in virtual exchanges and Erasmus+ projects, focusing on diversity, equality, and sustainable development.

South Africa: South Africa Volunteer Work Camp Association (SAVWA): Focuses on the inclusion of disadvantaged communities and environmental actions, including managing community garden projects.

Tanzania: United Planet Tanzania (ICYE Tanzania): Introduced virtual exchange programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on various volunteer tasks, including marketing and social media.

Togo: Astovot : l’Asociation Togolaise des Volontaires au Travail: Promotes peace and improved living conditions through initiatives in education, environment, socioculture, and health.

Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Workcamps Association (ZWA): A leading organization in the African volunteer network, with strong local youth engagement and virtual exchange experience.