"The InnoGastro project - Innovative Approach to Gastronomy in Vocational Schools was implemented by the Foundation Regional Competence Center as part of the Erasmus + Program Action 2 Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training.Main goals and results of the project:- improving the quality and effectiveness of vocational education in the catering industry,- developing new approaches to improve the competences of already practicing educators and equipping them with all competences and skills necessary to provide high quality services,- increasing access to and promoting open educational resources created in Europe.Results:- consolidation and deepening knowledge of cooking techniques,- understanding the effects caused by food ingredients,- getting to know the work culture and practices used in European vocational training institutions,- getting to know experimental cuisine dishes,- increasing the organizational, management and leadership skills of the partnership members,- strengthening cooperation with partners,- building cooperation with institutions on the labor market,- increase of social, linguistic and cultural skills,- participants will become more aware of the importance of language skills for personal and professional development,- increasing flexibility and mobility,- broadening tolerance and openness to other cultures.The main tasks under the project:1. Creation of one report being a set of three analyzes (PL, LT, ES) containing research and comparative analysis. The report is a diagnosis of the current situation in each country in the field of vocational education, only the gastronomic industry.The result: a report with a diagnosis, combined with a broad forum with entrepreneurs.Leader: RCK, with the participation of all partners.2. Analysis of the O1 report's conclusions. Selection of the content of each module. Preparation of training materials. Implementation of training courses, combining online training with the theoretical part and practical training. Validation of training (creation of evaluation questionnaires in order to measure the achieved expectations and identify improvements for future trainings). Designing, organizing and implementing a pilot training course at CSHM for a group of 18 people (12 teachers on behalf of RCK and 6 entrepreneurs from the ERCC).The result: a blended-learning course program combined with a forum with entrepreneurs.Leader: CSHM, with the participation of all partners.3. Pilotage of courses - teachers and entrepreneurs participating in an innovative program implement the effects of education with CSHM in the form of incorporating elements of the course into classes at the school / in the company.4. Developing a vocational education development strategy (in the catering industry) in the field of international cooperation and the internship program with elements of experimental cuisine.The result: a report with a diagnosis, combined with a forum with entrepreneurs.Leader: RCK with the participation of all partners.During the project, teachers and entrepreneurs of vocational subjects participated in the training in the field of experimental cuisine and new products in the field of gastronomy run by El Centro Superior de Hostelería del Mediterráneo (CSHM) in Valencia.During the training, they learned the results of research and experience on new products and trends in food production, and learned the main issues of experimental cuisine. The implementation of the project responded to the needs of knowing, identifying and applying remedial actions in the field of adjusting student competences in the catering industry of schools associated in the Regional Competence Center (project leader) in cooperation with business entities that cooperate with employers and know their needs on a daily basis.Project partners:Foundation Regional Competence Center (FRCK) - Partner from PolandEl Centro Superior de Hostelería del Mediterráneo (CSHM) - Partner from SpainViesoji istaiga ""Svietimo, tyrimu ir konsultaciju centras"" (ERCC) - Partner from LithuaniaThanks to the joint implementation of the project, the partners gained new experiences of international cooperation, increasing their prestige and experience in the field of gastronomy.Other partner benefits:- exchange of experience, knowledge and good practices through synergy of actions and cross-sector cooperation;- learning practical solutions in teaching used in European institutions;- raising teachers' professional and entrepreneurs qualifications according to foreign standards.The materials, documents and other products created as a result of the project will be made available and promoted free of charge and made available through information and communication technologies on the project website."

Mindfulness is defined according to academic literature, as a natural human capacity, which involves observing, participating and accepting each of life’s moments from a state of equilibrium or loving kindness (Albrecht, 2018). Mindfulness is a way of training the mind to be present. It is a secular meditative practice, which involves paying attention to what is happening as it happens, and doing so with an attitude of kindness, acceptance, and non-judgment. As such, cultivating mindfulness results in greater self-awareness, and enables us to become more joyful, more empathic, and more resilient. We can learn to respond with greater wisdom and flexibility to difficult emotions and experiences, and learn to live with greater happiness and vitality Research in mindfulness is growing at an incredible rate. A substantial and growing body of evidence demonstrates myriad positive effects, from improvements in optimism, resilience, emotion well-being and positive relationships, to reductions in aggression, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. Some research suggests that meditation and yoga may be associated with beneficial outcomes for children and youth (Greenberg and Harris, 2011). Despite the fact that mindfulness techniques could help young people who suffer from stress and anxiety or have other mental health issues, not many young people actually know how to do it. Similarly, youth workers lack the relevant knowledge and experience and feel incompetent at delivering mindfulness training. Therefore, comprehensive programs are needed in mindfulness education to help youth workers new to mindfulness share the practices with youths. This need urges to achieve a transnational partnership among the partner institutions involved, aiming at the preparation of a comprehensive Mindfulness Training package and the training and education of youth workers, as target groups and youths as final beneficiaries. The purpose of the MindfulYouth project is an international synergy between 5 European organisations with the same need - mindfulness training and youth workers' professional development towards promoting mindfulness among youth to help them embrace and practice mindfulness towards the betterment of their mental health. The project has the following objectives:1. To design, test and publish a Mindfulness training package for youth workers, 2. To contribute to the professional development of youth workers in mindfulness education3. To promote mindfulness education among youths, at the European level and internationally. The objectives will be achieved through: INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS/ACTIVITIES: The development of 4 IOs which will consist a comprehensive Mindfulness training package for youth workers’ professional development, IO1- MindfulYouth CurriculumIO2- Guidebook on Simulation Scenarios for mindfulnessIO3- Mindfulness AppIO4- Simulation Scenarios for MindfulnessTwo training activities will take place: C1: Training activity for the trainersC2: Training activity for young learners4 Multiplier Events and 1 Final International Conference will take place aiming at the dissemination of the project outcomes to the relevant stakeholders. Target users: youth, youth suffering from stress and anxiety, mental health problemsPartners: 5 partners from Finland, Cyprus, Lithuania, Croatia and Italy

<< Objectives >>The aim is to provide an innovative solution introducing green care wellness programs and methods to tackle work-related stress, faced by an increasing number of professionals and organisations. Addressing needs and challenges of a big number of professionals and support them with innovative VET program is our main goal. The project interprets health holistically, including wellbeing as part of the health concept, accepting a more dynamic health concept, combined and balanced with nature.<< Implementation >>The project “ENERGY” is structured into four consecutive modules: Development, Implementation, Evaluation and Sustainability. The ENERGY Program will be delivered in two learning paths - blended learning for 30 participants in Lithuania and N. Macedonia who will have workshops in nature, exercises in forest and urban gardens and follow online education, and 100 participants in online education through the ENERGY Platform and implement the new skills in their workplace.<< Results >>The main results address directly the needs of the target groups: VET Training Contents, VET Digital Training Platform, Practicum with Case Studies and Personalised Action Plan, Guidelines and Policy Recommendations.Globally the project expects to involve directly in its activities along the project development about 400 professionals, 60 organisations and owner/managers/entrepreneurs, 20 Facilitators and 10 key actors (governmental organisations, decision makers).

Already nowadays, demographic developments result in a lack of a qualified health care work force, especially in western European countries. It is expected that this lack will increase in the next decades. The mobility of qualified workers across Europe is one essential means of acting against this. To enable and to motivate young people, who are being trained in a health care profession in VET, to benefit from the European labour market as a whole for the pursuit of their careers, was thus a central objective of this project. Mobility projects for VET learners are an opportunity to foster the intercultural and linguistic competences of the participants, and at the same time they help to diminish thresholds for access to the European education and labour market. Therefore, the project started out to develop tools for the facilitation of mobility project implementation. The project consortium was composed of altogether six institutions from Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, the Netherlands and Turkey. The partners represented VET schools and / or experts in mobility implementation. Together they developed processes and instruments for the efficient implementation of VET learner mobility projects. High quality standards are now guaranteed by a sustainable partnership among these institutions.The project successfully completed the following objectives: 1. To support and facilitate the implementation of VET learner mobilities by developing reliable processes which are to be implemented according to defined quality criteria.2. To provide for the recognition of learning outcomes acquired during these VET learner mobilities. For this purpose, the project provides transparent descriptions of Units of Learning Outcomes according to ECVET principles alongside with instruments and methods for delivery, assessment, validation and recognition thereof.3. To support flexible learning pathways and readiness for European mobility of VET learners in health care professions, which plays an important role for the provision of well-qualified staff: young professionals with an easier access to the European labour market. The project consortium undertook the following activities to reach these objectives: 1. Analysing the needs of the regional and local labour markets as well as of the existing training profiles in initial VET at the participating institutions in health and social care professions.2. On the basis of a multilateral comparison thereof, defining units of learning outcomes in health and social care which are suitable for acquisition during VET learner mobilities and which represent a particular added value. The learning outcomes have been described transparently in terms of knowledge, skills and competences according to ECVET requirements.3. Defining processes for the assessment, documentation and validation of learning outcomes acquired during mobility.4. Defining processes for mobility project management from an organisational point of view and developing templates which can be used for the facilitation of these processes. 5. Summarizing the above-mentioned findings in a “Quality Guideline for mobility projects in health and social care professions”6. Implementing VET learner mobilities of altogether 25 learners for testing purposes and revising the beforehand developed documents according to the findings. The tangible results of the project – a set of Units of Learning Outcomes and a “Quality Guideline for mobility projects in health and social care professions” – makes provisions for the desired impacts to increase- the percentage of VET learners who participate in European mobility projects and - the use of ECVET for the recognition of learning outcomes acquired during mobility.The project results will remain available to support the implementation of more mobility projects with a high quality level and the guarantee of recognition of acquired learning outcomes. The project partners have established a network of institutions active in mobility implementation, and are open to welcoming new members to their network.

"<< Background >>The population of Europe is ageing rapidly. The average age of Europeans is already the highest in the world, and the proportion of people aged 65 and older is forecast to increase from 14% in 2010 to 25% in 2050 (WHO data). Although people are living longer, but not everyone has a good quality of life in old age because of physical and mental health. On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation declared the global spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly contributed to the worsening of the physical and mental health of seniors. Quarantine has been announced in almost all European countries, making people feel insecure, anxious and afraid of their own and their loved ones' future. Seniors are considered more vulnerable during public health emergency crises. During the pandemic, they were isolated from a full life like no other part of society. The newest research states that one year after the declaration of the pandemic there is strong evidence that social isolation has caused older people to feel lonely, which in turn has led to increased mortality, cardiovascular disease, depression and anxiety. Research have also shown that psychological therapies are one of the most effective means of overcoming the consequences of isolation for human psychological health. And especially good quality mindfulness-based interventions demonstrated a significant improvement in mental health (Research article, published on 17th February, 2021 ""Interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness during COVID-19 physical distancing measures: A rapid systematic review""). Researchers have long shown that art therapy has a particularly positive effect on adult mental health.In most of European countries for many years mental health system has been underfunded, short-staffed, over-medicalised, and mostly based on psychiatric hospitals. Persons with mental disorders experienced bullying and they were avoided in society. The dominant way of thinking about people with mental disorders was as a threat that is to be isolated. The modern approach to the treatment of mental disorders through a variety of therapies is relatively new, especially in post-Soviet countries. MBAT is a new method of psychological intervention first proposed by Laury Rappaport in the US 12 years ago. Practitioners of MBAT are of the opinion that this method greatly benefits patients participating in therapy and helps to cope with depression, anxiety and stress. The project products are made to achieve high-quality skills and competences for educators such as supporting individuals with mental health issues and delivering MBAT sessions.<< Objectives >>The main of the project is to equip adult educators, working with seniors, exhaustive methodological material about use of MBAT with the aim to improve 65+aged learners' mental health in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we will provide seniors with an easily accessible and easy-to-use tool on how to use MBAT in every-day life.The objectives of the project are the following:1. To create tailor-made MBAT training package for adult educators and seniors available on e-learning web platform and Android mobile application.2. To improve mental health and well-being of seniors.3. To promote circular economy among adult educators, seniors and stakeholders.4. To create international network of adult education organisations working with MBAT.Target group of the project - adult educators (geriatric psychologists and nurses, social workers caring elderlies in care homes and daily centers, lecturers, coaches in the Third Age Universities, adult education centers, couching centers, working with seniors, artists and art therapists, providing educational and psychological help services for seniors, etc). Beneficiaries - seniors aged 65+.<< Implementation >>In order to achieve project aim and objectives partners will implement the following activities:1. Researched the impact of MBAT on seniors' mental health and composed the map of possibilities.2. Prepared innovative training package for adult educators and seniors consisting of training programme and tool kit for use in everyday life.3. Created project website and prepared e-learning platform and mobile application as a tool for learning on MBAT and use its techniques in everyday life through personal computer, tablet or mobile phone.4. Implemented international training of adult educators ""MBAT4Trainers: giving the guidance for adult educators"".5. Carried out testing sessions on MBAT4Seniors educational package in all partners countries.6. Hold local workshops for seniors about use of MBAT in everyday life.<< Results >>The main results of the project are the following:1. International in-depth Analysis: the use and impact of Mindfulness Based Art Therapy to improve the mental health of the individuals. It will be the guidance for partnership to develop training package for adult educators and seniors.2. MBAT4Seniors Manual. It will be exhaustive instructions with didactic material as well as practical tasks for adult educators with the aim to hold effective MBAT sessions for seniors, suffering from mild mental disorders such constant anxiety, depression, stress. Manual will contain material on circular economy in order to make MBAT sessions eco-friendly. 3. MBAT4Seniors Tool Kit. It will be a set of practical MBAT tools (exercises, tasks), specially designed to seniors 65+ , to cope with mental health light disorders.4. E-learning web platform and Android mobile application. Digitised tool, which will contain all training package for seniors, so that they can use it at any time in daily life.Other project outcomes: - 18 adult educators trained on MBAT;- 48 seniors aged 65+ trained on MBAT in local workshops in all partner countries;- 6 workshops Healthy Seniors carried out in all partner countries with expected 180 participants in total. Thanks to wide network of stakeholders of partners organisations and because of there are several big institutions in partnership, project will reach many organisations and individuals outside of partnership through associated partners, in-depth analysis, training activities and multiplier events:- target group members (geriatric psychologists and nurses, social workers caring elderlies in care homes and daily centers, lecturers in the Third Age Universities, adult education centers, couching centers, working with seniors, artists and art therapists, providing educational and psychological help services for seniors) - not less than 1000 adult educators;- beneficiaries (expected not less than 300);- stakeholders (governmental bodies, hospitals, universities) - not less than 80. All institutions, individuals counted above will be aware about project and its results.Other expected outcomes of the project.For adult educators:- enriched professional knowledge with new method - MBAT- gained learning experience in multicultural classroom- gained valuable experience and andragogic skills of working with elderlies in educational environment- deepened knowledge about circular economy and eco-friendly art therapy- improved digital skills.For seniors, it can also result in:- improved digital skills- developed artistic abilities- improved ability to pay attention and focus- better ability to regulate emotions and improved decision making- improved mood, self-confidence, and encourage positive thinking- ability to manage symptoms of anxiety, depression, and chronic pain- ability to explore creativity with courage- got knowledge about circular economy and eco-friendly art."