BADU fosters the use of Open Badges for validating youth workers' competences in the areas of youth mobility and non-formal learning.
The need for an Open Badges project to recognise and validate youth workers' competences arose from the direct experience of partners and the analysis of policy documents produced by the European Commission.
The European Commission wants to support the recognition and validation of youth work. The European Youth Strategy (2009) points out the need ‘to equip youth workers with professional skills and promote their validation through the appropriate European instruments (Europass, EQF, ECVET)’. The 2010 Brussels Resolution on youth work invites the Commission to develop ‘instruments for the documentation of competences of youth workers and youth leaders which would help to recognise and evaluate the quality of youth work in Europe.’
Youth organisations can use Open Badges to validate competences or achievements (for example learning or mastering specific tasks, developing work-related basic and transversal skills, mentoring peers to support their learning, etc). Youth workers and volunteers who work in the youth sector can use Open Badges to validate social competences, which are usually not certified by formal or higher education. Open Badges can be collected by different sources and can be stored into a virtual portfolio. Collect your BADU Open badges and prove your experience in youth work!
The BADU Open Badges are based on the principles of gamification- the application of game-design elements and game principles in educational and work contexts to improve user engagement, flow and learning.
