How to attract undermotivated, overburdened youth with a community? We take up this challenge to create a space where along informal education young people develop their skills and thus overcome diverse disadvantages (arising from the lack of cultural and social capital, or struggling with high expectations). Turning learning into adventure, transforming participation into inner need, developing critical understanding of the world through creative activities, using interdisciplinary methods.

Józsefváros, the 8th district in Budapest (in large parts a “slum” and a gentrifying area)

The target group of our project are teenagers and young adults living in “urban deserts”, mainly in the 8th, partly in the neighbouring districts. This area is slowly gentrifying and is inhabited by a mixed population of lower income social groups and newcomers, as emigrants, artists, intellectuals. Many act against social inequalities, creating better opportunities for inhabitants, NGOs aim to provide missing social, cultural activities taking over the role of well-functioning institutions. The challenge we face too, is to educate responsible, freedom-loving youth whose critical attitude could trigger changes for a more democratic, solidar society. It is always difficult “to reach beyond the choir” and involve those who seem to be “lost” for society before starting their adult life.

This project will mainly involve young people who are lacking access to cultural and social capital because of diverse disadvantages. Often their families do not provide them with appropriate conditions of learning, which makes them undermotivated. The project aims to counterbalance limited resources by skill development and alternative learning methods. It aims to create a supportive environment for sensitization and enhancement. Target groups are technical college and industrial school students, who are often over-aged when leaving school. Young adults, who are not successful in graduation and cannot find jobs without a profession. Aim is to integrate to this group youngsters with high expectations in their education, resulting in a mixed community where emancipation is a basic value.

In the strategic plan for 2020/2021 we have already fulfilled some tasks: the start with a productive open space format was followed by action planning and setting up working groups. We had coordination meetings where we shared results. We organized a "stock exchange" of alternative teaching methods with possible partners. Next step is to present the program for school teachers, experts in order to engage their students towards the program. Later this summer we will announce the program and website. We will finish the background work by September, find the venue for the activities and prepare them together with future participants. Finalization of first year group members is planned to be closed by October and the pilot year of implementation programs starts in November 2020.

The most important result will be a functioning community space filled with 20-25 young people and 10-15 adult participants. Their strong engagement, belonging and responsibility for each other would be a real success. They could reach out to local communities and while organizing programs with and for them, they would be empowered, get involved, and mobilized. Our biggest challenge - deliberation instead of the production of new duties, motivating the young people to define and reach their goals, and building a strong community - could be the founding stone of a democratic, solidarily functioning local community and on the long run, societal changes.

We do not want to put another burden on young people making them aware of the fact how much future democratic conditions depend on them. But on the contrary: we try to deliberate them from their everyday monotone mainly aimless tasks and find new objectives: to experience together how creative, innovative activities can influence local communities. We want them to realize that democracy is essential for their future, but this can be achieved only through action and involvement in societal changes at local and structural levels. We aim to create the experience of an active community membership in which - mostly segregated, disadvantaged young people - can feel important members. A space where they can have valuable connections with each other and with and the wider society.

The Association tranzit.hu considers the creation of informal learning and self-educational situations and empowerment with the involvement of artists, cultural workers, young people and other interdisciplinary groups as one of its main impact goals. It is a long-year aim to put an educational platform alive, which can create a community with and for young people and supports learning through experience and brings liberation from the paralyzing, unequal and exclusive educational system. And which helps to understand the suppressing power structures, and by gaining critical thinking in a supportive community empowers to become reflective and responsible citizens.

Budget August 1 2020- July 31 2021

Honorary for course leaders 10 people /12 m
34 000 EUR

Honorary for additional personnel (administration, space hosting, PR, website maintenance etc.) 5 people /12 m
17 000 EUR

Web and app programming 2020
6 000 EUR

Space rental + facility costs annual
14 400 EUR /12 m

Material costs (equipment, materials, renovation of space, furniture), 2020
14 400 EUR

Travel, accommodation (“country weeks”, camps Fall and Summer)
8 500 EUR

Sharing experiences of similar ideas
Comment if our challenge is well defined and identified
Spread each others ideas
Mobilizing young people to become active citizens - networking with international initiatives
Partnerships - learning pairs in the same age group in European countries