Learning how to prevent the marginalization of the young people from the standpoint of problem based learning
Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Pasi Nissinen, Tuula Saarnio

The European Union`s Leonardo da Vinci – project Youth at Risk (YARi) (2003-2006) has created an International virtual working and learning space on the Internet. Partners involved in the project come from Finland, Italy, Great Britain and the Netherlands. The project is directed to the young people who are at risk of being socially excluded. The project group consists of multiprofessional representatives, such as educational scientists, social scientists, psychologists, psychiatrists and youth workers representing both educational organizations and organisations functioning in the field with the clients.

The project consists of two phases. In the first phase of the project the virtual learning space was used for developing a working model for professionals working with young people at risk of being socially excluded. Partners involved in the project put seeds of information in the virtual learning space, which was a starting point for collaboration. The theoretical framework was based on experiential learning, anticipation dialogues and solution focused approach was a result of the collaboration. The working model was implemented simultaneously in each partner country between November 2004 to April 2004.

In the second phase of the project the partners constructed a virtual study module, where the students representing the partner countries are study the phenomenon of marginalization young people from the standpoint of problem based learning as well as the YARi working model, which provides information about the usability of the model for future development.

The students are studying social work, youth work, psychology programmes in higher professional education (Finland, Great-Britain, Italy and the Netherlands).

The study module was implemented between November 2005 to May 2005. The students are guided by the partners according the expertise they posses. This means that the students receive multiprofessional cross cultural guidance. The studying is based on case work contained in learning objects, presented in the form of videoclips. The study module is planned to be used in the future in larger with context professionals working with youth at risk to be socially excluded.