Research has shown that one of the key influences on young people outside the mainstream system are 'significant adults' within the community - parents, youthworkers, sports coaches, neighbours, siblings etc. For some young people outside the mainstream education system, these significant adults may the only source of guidance provision.

Between 1995 and 1998, a new course to meet the needs of these significant adults was developed through participant needs analysis, ongoing review and consultation. The course was developed in Ireland by NCGE in partnership with Cork City Partnership and Cumas Teo. Initially funded by the Leonardo da Vinci programme, the Certificate in Non-formal Guidance Skills, is now running in its fifth year in Cork, provided and accredited through University College Cork. The course is now funded through the Department of Health and Children as part of its drugs prevention strategy.

The course had the double benefit of both improving access to guidance provision and educational and labour market activities for the ultimate target group - young people outside the formal education system, but also acts as a re-entry route to education for the intermediaries - adults in the community, who may have been educationally disadvantaged themselves. Participants also have the opportunity to progress to a diploma level course as a result of the success of the certificate in Non-formal guidance. The project aimed to provide a model of guidance where the 'significant adults' in the community acted as access points/ links to the formal guidance system, either through a referral or an advocacy role or both. The initiative also informed NCGE's YOUTHSTART project in providing frontline guidance training to YOUTHREACH staff.

The Leonardo da Vinci project itself has also progressed - to a multiplier phase project where the learning from the project was transferred to new partner countries setting up similar courses linked to their own cultural context. Through transnational partnership and bi-lateral mentoring the learning, product and process of the original CBGA projects in the UK, Portugal and Ireland were 'multiplied' to new project sites in Bulgaria, Greece and Slovenia.

A briefing document on the Multiplication process - Transfer, Adapt and Multiply Good Practice in Europe; Community Based Guidance and Social Inclusion (Leonardo da Vinci) - can be downloaded by clicking here (PDF File).

For more information contact info@ncge.ie at NCGE