Crossroads

Crossroads – An experiential learning approach to the intersectionality of global issues for marginalised young people. 

01.11.2024 - 31.12.2025 

Crossroads is a European youth project led by Blackwater Training and funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union (Project Code: 2024-1-FR02-KA210-YOU-000246224).

The project connected young people and youth workers from Ireland, France, Portugal, and Romania to explore identity, belonging, and inclusion through creative storytelling, podcasting, and community mapping.

Over the course of the project, we:

  • Participated in two Knowledge and Solidarity Forums in Portugal and Romania, where youth explored themes of culture, prejudice, and community through dialogue and creative activities.

  • Supported young participants to develop and record a podcast series, sharing personal and community stories about migration, rural life, and intercultural understanding.

  • Collaborated on digital community maps, highlighting places, people, and memories that define local identity.

  • Produced training and learning resources for youth workers to apply storytelling and mapping methods in their own communities.

These activities helped young people build empathy, confidence, and solidarity, while strengthening cooperation between youth organisations across Europe.

The final outcomes include a collection of youth-led podcasts, community story maps, and a short video series capturing the journey of Crossroads participants. 

Trainers Manual 

heyzine.com/flip-book/f1c929da4a.html

We're proud to share the Crossroads Guidebook of Workshops which is designed to help youth workers, educators, and facilitators lead engaging, thought-provoking workshops that connect local experiences with global challenges. It includes four interactive sessions:

1. Identifying the Root Causes of Global Issues
2. Understanding Systems Thinking
3. Finding Solutions to Complex Problems
4. Communicating Complex Issues

This guidebook is an invitation to create safe, creative, and inclusive spaces where young people can share stories, understand systems, and shape the future together. Each workshop invites young people - particularly migrants and refugees - to explore how issues such as climate change, inequality, and migration are linked, and to see themselves as active agents of change in their communities.

At Blackwater Training, we piloted these activities with young people in Ireland, helping them think critically about the world around them, collaborate across cultures, and design small but powerful actions for change.