Dynamo International’s mobility service offers specialised educational support for any young person aged 13 to 25 who wants to invest in a mobility project. However, the primary goal of the support is not necessarily to leave. Rather, it aims to help the young person to reappropriate his·her own life scenario so that he·she can become autonomous with regard to the implementation of a project that motivates him·her and that corresponds to his·her expectations. Thus, the mobility experience as such is only one step in the young person’s social integration process.
The diversity of the young people who come through our doors is such that we must give priority to support that meets the specific needs of each individual. The intensity of the support therefore differs from one young person to another. Some will need to be monitored several times a week, others much less regularly. The workers are therefore constantly juggling their two hats: mobility project counsellor and social worker.
We distinguish three stages in our support process: pre-project, during the project and post-project.
Collective mobility projects have many advantages, as do individual projects. They enable people to experience mobility without having to face the obstacles along the way alone. Thanks to this group idea, we can reach young people for whom an individual experience is not possible on their own. In this way we make national and international mobility projects more accessible.
Through these group projects, young people learn about group life and experience difference and tolerance on a daily basis. By leaving one’s reference points or habits and confronting others, one enriches one’s understanding of the world, but one also learns a lot about oneself. The group projects usually have an end goal that pushes the young people to discover in themselves a potential and creativity that was often unknown to them.
We always start a preparation with the groups in the months before the projects. In this way we develop group cohesion and ownership. The involvement of the young people is greater and we feel that there is a real added value in what they say on their return. In order to enhance the value of what has been learned, we organise an individual and collective evaluation session following the project. Thus, collective and individual support are complementary and reinforce each other.
Dynamo International aims to be a place of learning but also of encounters. Mobility favours contact with others, and this already starts within the service. By using the tool of collective animation, we wish to encourage learning between pairs and develop spaces for exchange between young people and between workers in order to reinforce individual support. These activities are also an opportunity for young people to take the lead and develop their own activities. These activities also allow us to mix our audiences (Brussels, Namur or Charleroi) but also to build partnerships with other organisations in the sector.
The activities can take several forms and the subjects covered are very varied, in particular climbing, DIY, do it yourself, volunteering with Brussels and Namur structures, etc.