RAY NPC interviews and focus groups – informed consent

 

If you made it to this page, you have been invited to participate in a focus group or interview about the impact and potential of projects involving a partnership between programme countries (EU Member States and third countries associated with the programmes) and neighbouring partner countries (third countries not associated with the Programme but bordering the EU). In order to proceed with participation, please read this informed consent page in full and use the form at the end to declare that you have read it and that you agree with participating in RAY NPC focus groups or interviews on the terms explained below.

Participation in RAY NPC  is voluntary and unremunerated, and you have the right to stop your participation at any time during the process.

Summary of the research in RAY NPC

RAY NPC explores key aspects of collaboration with neighbouring partner countries in the context of the European youth programmes (Erasmus + youth and the European Solidarity Corps) and is conducted in close colaboration with the long-term strategic activity on neighbouring partner countries, Beyond Borders, and the regional SALTO Resource Centres. The project has several modules that include an English-language survey and focus groups with people involved in projects with progamme and neighbouring partner countries and a thematic in-depth analysis of relevant RAY MON results.

Purpose of the focus groups and interviews

The focus groups should help us dig deeper into aspects already touched upon in our RAY NPC survey. We would like to explore such as the benefits and challenges of having program and neighbouring partner countries collaborating in the same project, the impact of these collaborations when it comes to results such as capacity building and recognition of youth work or the bureaucratic and financial difficulties that beneficiaries have to face.

Duration of the focus groups and interviews

Focus groups and interviews will likely last between 60 and 90 minutes – they might be shorter and if needed and agreed, may be slightly longer.

Procedure

One to six participants will meet the research team virtually using the jitsi video conferencing application. The research team will ask questions about participant’s experiences with projects that involve a collaboration between program and neighbouring partner countries.

If all participants give their verbal consent at the beginning of the interview, the interview will be audio recorded for ease of analysis. Otherwise it will not.

The content of the interview will contribute to a transnational analysis of trajectories of Erasmus plus beneficiaries, which will be published in www.researchyouth.net in due time. The transnational analysis may include anonymized literal quotations from the focus group interview.

Foreseeable risks or discomforts

We do not foresee any meaningful risks or discomforts from participating in our interviews.

Expected benefits

Your participation in a focus group or interview will allows us to better understand the benefits and challenges of collaborations between program and neighbouring partner countries in the context of Erasmu + youth and the European Solidarity Corps.