<< Objectives >>64 young people who are unemployed or dropped out of school with our project:*They will have knowledge and skills in 4 basic areas of traditional handicrafts such as leather processing, household items made of soil and clay, knitting and wooden products. So,they will have job opportunities in this field.*Participating young people will be able to develop their artistic aspects. Thus, they will produce their own unique art products.<< Implementation >>To increase employment of young people in this sector :*Participants will enhanceknowledge and skills on the handicraft before mobility. They will constantly be supported with online meetings.*They will receive training on handicrafts through transnational mobility activities.*Dissemination and sustainability activities, courses will be organized after the activities.So, more young people will acquire these skills.<< Results >>Young participant who are among disadvantaged groups:*will acquire the basic skills to increase job opportunities in the handicraft sector* will become aware of their artistic side* will have social circles outside their own country.* will increase their intercultural interactions, so they will recognize different cultures.Partners of the project:*will be international* will improve their capacity and staff competence levels.

<< Background >>The BRAND project, aligned with the European Youth Strategy 2019-2027, recognizes the crucial need to fortify the responsibility of young people in order to start acting responsibly and impact the life of future generations. Its priority goal is to take action towards a sustainable green Europe and the achievement of a society in which all young people are environmentally active, educated, and able to make a difference in their everyday lives.The clothing industry is directly related to those goals impacting the environment as people buy more and more clothes with the business model of fast fashion to encourage this consumption habit (ECAP, 2017). An IOWA State University study (2019) focused on younger Millennials aged from 17 to 24, found that this age group shows a tendency to buy primarily from fast fashion stores, than any other age group (Cohen, n.d.). This cohort has more money than any other young consumer in history, and most of their disposable income is spent on new clothes (Anguelov, 2016). The Quantis International 2018 report found that the three main drivers of the industry’s global pollution impacts are dyeing and finishing (36%), yarn preparation (28%) and fiber production (15%). Given the growth in the global population, the UN predicts the need for the equivalent of almost three planets to be provided with natural resources needed to sustain current fashion lifestyles. Experts are ringing the bell for a 63% increase in clothes consumption by 2030, thus it is of great importance to take action, by changing our perspective on how we use and consume fashion products (ECAP, 2017).In response to the above, the European Union created the Education for Climate Coalition, which is the flagship initiative of the European Education Area, aiming to promote the green and digital transitions of education and training throughout the European Union. The Coalition aims to mobilize the education and training community to work towards achieving climate neutrality by supporting and promoting bottom-up, co-created sustainability actions involving pupils, students, teachers, education institutions and stakeholders. With this initiative, complementing other European Green Deal transition actions, the European Commission invites the education community and the youth field across the EU to make a pledge to contribute to achieving climate neutrality and promoting sustainable development.Green skills development, youth workers and teachers training, behavior change and collective awareness raising are some of the main priorities that the Education for Climate Coalition pledges. Youth work has a long tradition of supporting young people’s understanding of the world around them and promoting values such as responsibility, concern for future generations and appreciation of nature (Sustainability and Youth Work, 2018). By equipping youth workers with the necessary digital tools and knowledge to promote the understanding of key concepts relating to fashion sustainability and develop young people’s knowledge on fast fashions’ environmental and social impacts, youth work can undoubtedly act as a major stimulus towards the empowerment of young consumers as agents of their own, sustainable future (European Youth Forum, 2020).Moving towards this direction the BRAND project aims to raise the awareness of young people on the themes of fast fashion and its severe impacts on the environment as well as to provide youth workers with all the necessary material and tools in order to raise awareness, influence and empower young people towards more eco-friendly fashion choices to earn a greener and more sustainable (fashion) future through the use of digital innovative tools and deliverables.<< Objectives >>BRAND project’s main binary aim is to raise awareness of young people on the themes of fast fashion and its effects on the environment as well as to provide youth workers with all the necessary material and tools in order to inform, influence and empower young people towards more eco-friendly fashion choices to create a greener and mοre sustainable fashion future. More specifically, BRAND project aims to achieve the following objectives:- To develop young peoples’ knowledge of the multiple environmental and social impacts of fast fashion at local and global level- To raise awareness on the concept of eco-fashion and on how to be responsibly fashionable as well as the understanding of key concepts and principles related to sustainability- To promote tools and knowledge in order to help youth workers grow responsible, eco-friendly and sustainable young consumers’ behavior in fashion and garment industry- To provide sustainable and eco-friendly information that can be easily applied by young people in order to strive for a positive change towards a better and sustainable fashion industry and hence, future- To enhance the development of digital innovative tools in order to make better use of digital technology for teaching and learning and thus develop digital competences and skills.BRAND consortium, combining expertise, knowledge and experience will meet its objectives through the generation of 4 digital innovative tools and deliverables:The PR1: ECO-FASHION Toolkit is an interactive set addressed both to young people and youth workers and will be presented under a PDF interactive format. Its two parts, “Be Aware” and “Be Prepared”, serve to deliver deep knowledge on the concept of eco-fashion to young people and youth workers and youth educators, while the context promotes the nurturing of ethical, ecological and sustainable mindsets towards the fashion industry.The PR2: BRAND ebook displaying case studies and best practices, influence and inspire target groups of the BRAND project. Creating and promoting this deliverable, partnership provides practical guidance for environmental sustainability, elimination of environmental harmfulness, positive impact towards consumers etc., generating a pleasant educational environment.The PR3: BRAND e-NFLUENCERS, the digital role-model guide, will redound the consortium to meet its objectives presenting responsible, wise and green personas to be followed. Role models have the power to influence young people to follow sustainable and responsible behaviors and equip youth workers with knowledge on boosting such behaviors.The PR4: BRAND App mainly addresses young people, developing an interactive environment of knowledge (5R Library & Materials and Textiles sector) and aims to cultivate young fashion customers and consumers with sustainable, eco-friendlier mindsets towards more eco-conscious fashion decisions.The transferability of the PRs will help the consortium achieve the goals of dissemination, making it easy for everyone to access and obtain the deliverables and also easy to adapt them in an educational context and educational processes.The type of the PR’s and their content enable the sharing of the BRAND concept, increasing the impact on national, EU and global level.Finally, the BRAND LTTA aims at expanding the learning impact on direct participants coming from the participating organizations which will increase the capacity building of each organization through the internal dissemination of learning results as well as at further building the cross-sectoral cooperation of our project by bringing together staff members of partner organizations (youth workers) and young people. Moreover, participants will be trained in the themes of the project and on how to become multipliers of this initiative.<< Implementation >>BRAND LTTAThe partnership of the BRAND project has planned to implement one multiplier event per organization country between 22 and 23 months, as well as a Learning, Teaching and Training Activity in Larisa, Greece.The BRAND project is expected to implement learning, teaching and training activity during the middle of the projects’ lifecycle. The LTTA is scheduled to be fulfilled in that time of the project as it will create additive impact and valuable feedback regarding not only the knowledge of young people on the themes of fast fashion and its severe impacts on the environment, but also the provision of youth workers with all the necessary materials and tools needed to promote a more eco-friendly consumptive attitude. During their visit to “From scratch store”, participants will have the opportunity to experiment with fabrics, be trained in sustainable and eco-friendly material, design their own pieces and exchange their knowledge and thoughts on eco-fashion and garment sustainability. Participating in the activities, learners will realize the immense impact traditional fast fashion practices have for environmental sustainability, while they will learn best practices towards the embracement of sustainable fashion practices and purchasing habits.Multiplier EventsAfterwards, “Boosting and empowering youth towards Responsible and sustainAble choices in fashioN inDustry” multiplier event will be conducted in order to raise awareness about the increasing importance of green skills and responsible consumption in the fashion industry.The objective of the multiplier is to inform the target audience located in the partnership countries about the produced outcomes of the project, meaning (PR1, PR2, PR3, PR4). Moreover, during the events stakeholders and participants from associated organizations will be free to provide feedback on the produced outcomes of the project.The Multiplier event will be implemented between 22 and 23 months, in order to offer a distinct validation of the produced deliverables and increase the sustainability after the end of the project. It is expected stakeholders from each partner organization region to take part, stakeholders from businesses or entrepreneurs that have adopted sustainable fashion practices, youth workers and young people, as well as associated organizations that collaborate with the host leading organization. The latter will contribute to increasing the impact of the project’s results by offering a holistic perspective about how fast fashion causes severe effects on environmental sustainability and what we can do to prevent such practices. Moreover, participants will be encouraged to participate in activities, which will give an insight to the practices included in the intellectual results.Added Value of the activities The implementation of both LTTA and multiplier activities will provide additive value to the impact and dissemination of the project that will last even after the completion of the BRAND project. Participants will come closer, exchange various perspectives and experiences regarding purchasing choices and habits and how they affect their everyday life. They will also be trained on how to be eco-conscious, what is ethical and responsible fashion. Stakeholders and other participants may also operate as multipliers for the dissemination of the project’s vision and outcomes towards more sustainable behaviors to present a better future. Moreover during those activities, TGs will have the opportunity to talk with real experts on the field, debate with them and gain significant insights and knowledge.<< Results >>BRAND Partnership has elaborated on a detailed plan of the project activities and expected results and has distributed tasks, roles, and responsibilities according to each partners’ field of specialization and knowledge.Tangible results- PR1:ECO-FASHION Toolkit will be an interactive set of theoretical and practical tools addressed both in young people and youth workers and will be presented under a PDF interactive format. The handbook will consist of two main parts: the “Be Aware”part and the “Be Prepared” part. The first part, which is addressed both in young people and youth workers, aims to give an concrete understanding on what eco-fashion is, referring to a wide range of to-know practices, in order to cultivate a more eco-friendly way of living and purchasing. Moreover, the second part will provide the educational basis for cultivating a sustainable approach to clothing. In order to effectively influence learners, they need to know more about “who” and “how” regarding the clothes they buy and wear to gain a holistic perspective on the theme.- PR2: BRAND Case Studies will be developed in an interactive, user oriented and friendly way with diagrams and graphic illustrations, giving a clear image of the numbers achieved by each best practice regarding the environmental sustainability, the elimination of environmental consequences, the positive impact towards consumers etc. Additionally, BRAND: sustainaBility stoRies in fAshioN inDustry will operate as a digital catalogue that includes success stories in terms of ethical and sustainability-oriented ideas and initiatives originated from the fashion industry world. Inspirational stories can become an example for many young people and youth workers to realize how an innovative eco-friendly fashion approach results in preventing environmental harmfulness and fostering sustainable fashion practices.- PR3: BRAND e-NFLUENCERS will practically be digital role-models that will constitute a figure of empowerment for young people towards the development of sustainable and conscious behaviors. It will address youth workers, aiming to enlighten them about the detrimental effects of fast fashion and fashion in general on the environment and will point out the benefits of decreasing these fast fashion effects by cultivating and adapting a “less is more” mindset and way of purchasing attitude.- PR4: BRAND App addressed to young people, as it can effectively function as an educational tool especially for these age groups. The BRAND App will be designed to include two main tab-sectors. The first tab-sector will provide access to the 5R Library. The 5R: reuse, reduce, recycle, rethink, refuse Library will introduce young people to the 5R hierarchy in an effort to influence and shape their consumer profile towards a more eco-friendly direction. The second tab-sector will give users the opportunity to learn more on materials and textiles while the third will provide them with info and contact lists with entities that work on the 5Rs hierarchy. - Projects' Logo: a trademark that will contribute to both the dissemination and the visual identity of the project - Dissemination Materials: 4 Newsletters, leaflet with the logo and information about the partners and the project, FB cover photos, presentation templates- Website: that will be a visibility and dissemination tool as well as a place for someone knowing more about the project and find our project results- Social Media: Facebook page & Instagram account.- Project Plans: Quality assurance, Evaluation, Risk Management, Dissemination and Exploitation and Sustainability Plan- Video: A short video to introduce themselves and express their expectations on the project.3) Intangible results-Raising awareness on the themes of fast fashion, eco-fashion, sustainability etc. -A local and EU network of cooperation will be created between partner organizations, associated partners and stakeholders-Learning outcomes from the BRAND LTTA

The COVID 19 crisis has hit the cultural and creative sectors (CCS) particularly hard. Education and training opportunities for youth have also been interrupted for long period, creating long-term implications for post-COVID-19 recovery. Although the pandemic intensified the uncertainty and anxieties for the future, it also helped to create new business models with market potential for young people, in helping to address both the major societal challenges that CCS are facing in light of this global crisis but also the opportunities for them that the crisis has brought to the fore. Building on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on both the education and the CCS, strategic complementarities can be developed. SIDE will develop tools as measures to accelerate digital transformation and use of digital means to adapt to the way creative products, cultural goods, and events are created, managed, disseminated, accessed, and consumed. The project aims to equip young people with the necessary educational material and tools, as well as with competencies needed to come up with creative and innovative solutions and overcome unprecedented risks and skills inequalities, as well as to unveil professional opportunities that can be sought in a critical context. The partnership consists of six different partners from six diverse EU countries (BE, IT, RS, CY, GR, PL), which will work together, in the fields of formal, informal, and non-formal education, supporting the CCS by empowering young people through enhancing necessary digital skills for promoting Arts and Culture, to be successful innovators by developing initiatives on Digitalisation of Culture, in local and international level, assessing their level of capacity through quantitative and qualitative self-evaluation, and stimulating at the same time EU culture awareness for future generations, thus contributing to the recovery resilience of the CCS.The SIDE project aims to involve young people and particularly young artists for participating in the project's activities and events, but also for any stakeholder who would like to learn more about the project's subject. This will be done via the following outcomes:-“Digital Culture Course” (IO1)-“Methodology Toolkit on Digitalisation of Culture and Creative Sector'' (IO2)-e-Assessment of digital skills in Culture and Creative Sector(IO3)This project will also include four transnational project meetings that will contribute to the preparation, implementation, and evaluation phase of the project as well as six multiplier events organised in each partner country. During the project, one Blended mobility for young people in Italy will be organised: Two representatives from each partner organisation will participate in a 3 days blended mobility. The aim is to train and empower young people in becoming Successful Innovators in Digital Culture Citizenship, supporting further the Culture and Creative Sector in the context of digitalisation and the new realities that COVID-19 caused.The Expected impact of the project is the following:-Increased skills and knowledge of young people, young artists, youth workers in each partner country to successfully implementing the tools in practice;-Improved access towards sustainable education through awareness of skills and qualifications gained by using the IOs, which are adapted in the new, digital demands for the Culture and Creative Sector.In particular, the most important impact on the direct target group will be their enhanced competencies in Digital Skills for Culture and Creative Sector. The proposed project supports the implementation of full innovative, creative and interactive digital tools to increase knowledge, skills, and capacity of young people and other stakeholders, especially from the field of Art and Culture, for achieving a better understanding of contacting activities, initiatives and that enhance the cross-sectoral collaboration, support the implementation of new technologies and promote the resilience and sustainability of the Culture and Creative Sector. The biggest impact of the project is to recognize the importance of using modern methods that adapt to the demands of society's needs and socio-economic challenges. The project will provide equal opportunities for everyone to participate, in educational tools, interactive practices, and networking opportunities. All the information and material gathered through this project as well as the developed innovative tools will be digitalized and uploaded on the SIDE website. The partnership will capitalize and build on each other’s knowledge and expertise, as well as experience from best practices in their national context, for future circulation and transfer of know-how. Last but not least SIDE project's results and outcomes will have both international and local impact as well as clear and tangible benefits and more opportunities for all stakeholders involved.