"The idea of the project: ""The disappearing professions in Europe as the inspiration to create new business ventures"" within the International Youth Initiatives was born in the Youth Entrepreneurship Club (www.yec.org.pl), run in Warsaw by the Ad Meritum Foundation. The idea for the project was to create a catalogue of professions at risk of disappearance in Europe, in the form of photographs, films and interviews with artists/craftsmen, placed on an electronic online platform; the idea was to select professions that have the potential to transform into new business in order to develop new business ideas for them. Young people from YEC have established contacts with youth leaders from different organisations in Europe, have determined the project tasks and tasks of individual leaders in different countries, and have obtained the consent of the legal representatives of partner organisations for the participation of leaders in the project. As a result, 5 partners: from PL, LV, PT, IT and FR submitted a joint project. Why did we want to implement this project together, as youth leaders? - We were looking for inspiration for entrepreneurial activities that will help us in the future to set up our own companies or realise our professional passions, we believed that we can find such inspiration in saving the vanishing professions by looking for opportunities to transform them into business activities; - We wanted to master digital competences well, because we believe that they are very important and necessary for our future occupations and functioning in society; we wanted to obtain appropriate ICT skills and competences on a high professional level; - We wanted to establish contacts between youth leaders from other countries in order to learn from each other and work together and for our local communities; - We needed to learn foreign languages well, especially English, so that language is not an obstacle to our future work, - For many of the young people we included in the project, such a project was supposed to be an opportunity to improve their school performance or to detach them from negative behaviour and practices; - We wanted to open up to European cooperation and the idea of active European citizenship, promoting diversity, intercultural dialogue, especially in times of difficulty for the unity of an open and secure Europe; - We were interested in peer-to-peer and intergenerational education; we thought we could learn a lot from each other; - Some of us wanted to enter into vocational training for youth workers. The target group of this project was young people aged 15-25 years, as youth leaders from our organisations, we aimed the project activities at this age group, we engaged young people from our schools and organisations to visit the representatives of disappearing professions together to do interviews, short films about them and photographic documentation. When submitting the application, it seemed to us that the project may also be important for the representatives of the disappearing professions themselves, that they may find inspiration to develop the company, even perhaps in cooperation with us. For many of them the obstacle is the lack of ICT skills and the lack of knowledge of languages to develop through e.g. internet shops or participation in some international events. The results of the project: - An interactive electronic catalogue has been created, available on the project website: www.bolderasmus.eu, containing documentation of 20 disappearing professions in Europe, in the form of descriptions, interviews with professionals, photos and videos. The catalogue has been structured according to countries and professions, and the presentation of one profession has the same scheme: description, video interview with a representative of a vanishing profession and showing it at work, photographic documentation of the profession; the language of the catalogue is English, but in the case of video interviews, these are interviews in the original languages, with subtitles in English. - There are business plans for 8 disappearing professions, about possible transfer of these professions to business activities. The business plans were published in a separate section on the project website. - Mentors of leaders, together with the participation of leaders, developed guidelines for teachers and educators working with young people how to incorporate the project results into educational programmes in the field of entrepreneurship - the so-called ""Vademecum"", which was posted on the project website, distributed in a newsletter to institutions working with young people, and disseminated through a webinar for educators of young people on the project results.All project result has been published on the Erasmus+ results platform."

The project focused on social and educational reintegration and inclusion of remigrant pupils (children coming back to their native country after a period spent abroad with the intention of migration), as international researches (Valtolina, 2013) shows that the school performance of remigrant pupils is decreasing after returning in their native country compared with the performance in the country of migration and remigrant children experience psychological and educational difficulties after returning “home”. The partnership developed through this project a general strategy for the educational system to implement in order to facilitate the re-adaptation after returning home, including research data and theoretical background, training methodology and optional courses, handbooks. Those tools address all the educational actors (school management, teachers, parents, pupils, teachers trainers) and allow schools to organize coherent activities based on a general intervention strategy. The project focused on supporting schools to tackle early school leaving by providing schools the necessary tools to be integrated in their general strategy of preventing dropout in the remigrant population. During the project, the partners developed 6 intellectual outputs (research regarding methodological information for teachers working with remigrants, theoretical materials on the effects of remigration, training methodology for teachers trainers, optional course for facilitating the reintegration of remigrants, handbook for teachers and handbook for pupils), tested and validated through two joint staff training events, one focusing on formal education, one focusing on non-formal education, integrating both methodologies in the outputs of the project; 23 trainers and teachers from the partner organization participated to at least one of those trainings, developing their skills in using the resources developed through the project and in integrating them into their current activities. The primary target groups of the project were: remigrant children; teachers, especially class masters, irrespective of their specialization; school counsellors and other experts in school education; school management and policy makers in school education; educational researchers; teachers trainers; parents of the remigrant pupils. The secondary target groups of the project were: native children (children that never migrated) and parents of the native children; as the educational activities proposed through this project were designed to be implemented with the hole class group, native pupils (and their parents) could benefit from this project even if they are not necessary targeted. In the follow-up period, the partners organized training for teachers and school counsellors, trainings for trainers and informative activities for pupils in order to promote the utility and efficiency of the intellectual outputs of the project and to develop the professional skills needed for active usage of those resources. Through this project, the partnership provided: increased access to specific educational methodology and tools to facilitate the reintegration of remigrants and tackle early school leaving in the remigrant population; increased access to education and social inclusion for remigrant children; increased access to training for teachers and other specialists working with remigrant children; good practice examples that schools could adapt to tackle other educational needs of other specific target groups; encouraging initiative to develop and implement innovation in education. Staff involved in the project improved their competences linked to professional profiles as teachers and teachers trainers, especially regarding the integration of remigrant children in education and preventing early school leaving in the remigrant population. Organizations involved in the project developed innovative approaches for addressing their target groups, by providing new practices to cater for the needs of disadvantaged groups, assisting the remigrants in their reintegration efforts. Through this project, teachers and school counsellors gained increased capacity to facilitate the re-adaptation of remigrant children and prevent early school leaving, by using the strategy developed during the project; teachers trainers increased their capacity to design and implement quality trainings and to develop teachers abilities to integrate the remigrants and remigrant children increased their capacity to involve themselves in their reintegration process; better knowledge and understanding of their specific needs.

<< Background >>The increasing accessibility and complexity of financial services is accentuating individual responsibility on many crucial financial decisions. Starting from this consideration, the EU and other international organizations, like the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and UNESCO, engaged in a strong effort to promote the teaching of Financial Literacy across all educational levels. Nonetheless, cross-country reports are still showing inadequate financial competencies. For instance the 2020 OECD/INFE survey on adult Financial Literacy still reported low results in Financial Knowledge, behavior and attitude. On average, individuals across the entire sample scored just under 61% of the maximum Financial Literacy score (OECD, 2020), which translates in insufficient knowledge about basic financial concepts (e.g., simple and compound interest), lack of rational financial behavior (e.g., saving money, long-term planning, control of finances) and a wrong attitude towards financial decisions (e.g., preference for short-term gains instead of long-term benefits). Within this context, COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated pre-existing issues, causing more harm to the wide portion of the population which is not financially resilient. According to the European Banking Federation, the negative effects of COVID-19 can only be curbed through better Financial Literacy and education programmes, starting from a young age (EBF, 2020).Although it is widely recognized that Financial Literacy should be taught from early education levels, as individuals who studied it since primary school become more financially responsible adults (OECD, 2018; Godsted & McCormick, 2006), many European countries do not teach Financial Literacy before secondary education (EBF, 2020). Moreover, even if many EU countries have already put in place national strategies to address the teaching of Financial Literacy, these strategies often give considerable discretion as to whether and how to incorporate it into lessons, hindering their own effectiveness, while also creating a wide gap between EU countries. Unfortunately, it appears that also teachers' competencies are hampering the effectiveness of Financial Literacy education, as different studies show their low level of financial competencies and suggest the adoption of further training to enhance their financial knowledge (Harrison et al, 2019; De Moor and Verschetze, 2017).Finally, different researches clearly demonstrated the important role that parents play in determining not just the Financial Literacy of their children, but also their interests, behaviours and attitudes towards money. A 2018 PISA survey shows a higher level of financial literacy among 15 years old students that have been taught or given financial responsibilities by their parents. In accordance with this, it is important to accelerate and develop the Financial Literacy of parents in order to increase pupil’s Financial Literacy levels. Thus, taking in consideration the scenario outlined above, the project “Promotion of FINancial literacy in primary and secondary EDUcation through gamification and DIGItal storytelling” (DigiFinEDU) addresses the needs of the following target groups:1- Primary and early secondary education pupils (9-12 y.o), who are in need of more coherent and accurate Financial Literacy programmes to develop adequate financial competencies;2- Primary and early secondary education teachers, who needs training to effectively teach Financial Literacy to their pupils;3- Parents, who, by improving their Financial Literacy, would be able to improve also the Financial Literacy of their children and play an active role in their educational development;4- Local, Regional, National and EU Institutions, who are in need of more data on Financial Literacy policies, to develop more coherent and adequate strategies to reinforce the Financial Literacy of their young and adult citizens.<< Objectives >>The project “Promotion of FINancial literacy in primary and secondary EDUcation through gamification and DIGItal storytelling” (DigiFinEDU) mainly aims to increase primary and lower secondary education pupils’ (9-12 y.o) Financial Literacy in order to help them become financially resilient adults. To reach this general objective, DigiFinEDU will also aim to the attainment of the following 5 specific goals:- To promote the implementation of financial education in primary and lower secondary education:DigiFinEDU aims to disseminate the adoption of an innovative teaching methodology and ready-made didactical material about Financial Literacy among European primary and lower secondary schools, in order to spread the teaching of financial education and literacy in Europe. - To develop the understanding and predisposition of children (9-12 y.o.) towards money and basic financial concepts:The project aims to improve young children's financial knowledge, behaviour and attitude by providing them new didactical material and an engaging learning experience through the integration of gamification.- To improve the readiness and effectiveness of parents and teachers when explaining financial concepts to young children:Through this objective, the partnership seeks to improve parents and teachers financial competencies. All project results will include instructions, exercises, training material and content targeted to attain this goal, explaining to them how to transfer it to their pupils, as well.- To increase the inclusion of parents in children’s education process and encourage the mutually beneficial learning environment:The partnership will aim to provide parents an opportunity to play a more active role in the educational development of their children, by presenting them several exercises, teaching practices and involving them directly in project activities. Parents engaging within project activities will also increase their involvement in scholastic activities.- To improve the understanding of financial education policies and strategies on a national and international scale and promote policy harmonization at EU level:Through DigiFinEDU project, partners will also aim to raise awareness among all target groups about national and EU strategies promoting the adoption of Financial Literacy in formal and non-formal settings. Moreover, the study carried out during the project to analyze national and EU policies related to Financial Education will also aim to showcase similarities and differences among EU countries to present good practices and promote policy harmonization by aligning common goals and topics to be addressed.<< Implementation >>The activities planned to reach the objectives may be divided into three steps:Step 1 - Analysis and methodology development: All partners will carry out primary and secondary research activities to:- Outline teachers and parents perceptions, expectations and challenges related to financial education and Financial Literacy;- Compare national and EU education strategies and policies to better outline the wider political context related to Financial Literacy and provide policy suggestions to local, regional, national and EU institutions;- Identify good practices for teaching Financial Literacy, both in school and community-settings;- Present the teaching methodology that will be adopted within DigiFinEDU project.This step will be mainly carried out through the integration of primary and secondary research activities. Primary research will consist in the administration of questionnaires, the conducting of semi-structured interviews and/or focus groups with schools’ staff, teachers and parents, to better understand their opinions, expectations, wishes and challenges in relation to Financial Literacy. Primary research will mainly aim at identifying target groups’ perceptions, as well as identify some suitable local teaching practices. On the other hand, secondary research will comprise a desk review aimed at collecting the necessary data for the topics outlined above.Step 2 - Didactical Material design and testingThe Didactical Material will help teachers and parents obtain knowledge on financial literacy and increase their confidence in explaining and conducting activities with children. There will be several activities for this step to implement:- Develop the Didactical Material with lesson plans according to partners’ knowledge and experience- Train teachers from partner and associated partners schools to obtain the knowledge and competences needed to successfully implement the didactical material developed in their schools and among families, promoting the adoption of financial education practices at EU level;- Test the didactical material in a 12 week piloting within partner and associated partner school;- Monitor the implementation of the testing, receiving constant feedback from teachers, pupils and parents;Activities for pupils will take place in classrooms and at home with their parents, promoting the adoption of community-based teaching practices that will benefit both schools and families. Step 3 - Visual NovelA story-telling based interactive game to teach Financial Literacy of this step, which will include the following activities: - Create scenarios for the game through international teamwork in short-term joint staff training events according to conditions, templates and solutions prepared and discussed by partners. Scenarios will correspond to the modules of Didactical Material;- Implement digital solutions for the game according to created scenarios and provide the game online as an open tool for promoting and improvement of financial education in primary and secondary schools;- Testing activities will be conducted in several phases during the project creation period; - Improve the game according to the feedback received from teachers and pupils.The game will be used in combination with the Didactical Material and will be an engaging up-to-date educational tool for alpha generation children.<< Results >>DigiFinEDU foresees the realization of three main results:1. DigiFinEDU Methodological Material will be based on 3 main reports made by partners. For a deeper understanding of the real situation regarding the integration of financial literacy in schools and among families of pupils aged between 9 to 12 years old. The next two important partners’ reports will be made as desk research of national policies and strategies about Finance Literacy and also synthesis of national reports (transnational analysis). The combination of these three reports will give a broad overview on what activities according to particular policies and strategies should work in practice, but also what is the current situation in the schools and families regarding financial knowledge. This Methodological Material will be delivered to a vast audience as an e-book on the project website.Main deliverables:- National reports on teachers and parents’ perception of Financial Literacy- National and Transnational Analyses reports- Methodological Material (e-book)2. DigiFinEDU Didactical Material will be dedicated to the creation of practical tools, methods, descriptions and instructions for teachers and parents to reform and upgrade their knowledge and competences to teach Finance Literacy. The descriptions of the activities will be included in a comprehensive lesson plan accompanied with test and assessment tools to effectively assess the knowledge and skills obtained by the pupils. This result will also cover the testing phase of the material created engaging pupils and their parents in learning financial literacy. At the end of the testing phase, a report will be developed documenting its effectiveness in fostering financial literacy and skills. Main deliverables:- Didactical Material and lesson plans- Instructions for teachers and parents- Testing evaluation reportsDigiFinEDU Visual Novel will be implemented as a storytelling based online educational game with financial topics scenarios. Teachers and parents will have an innovative and engaging digital tool suitable for children, that will provide them substantial help in understanding basic and more complex financial topics and their implications. Also the Visual Novel will be tested in partner and associated partners schools, to verify its efficacy, which will be documented in a final report comprising the results of this piloting activity. Main deliverables:- Visual Novel- Internal and External evaluation reportsSuccessful implementation of project activities is expected to have a positive impact on schools and associated partners directly involved, in the respective local, regional and national education systems of partners and at the European level. Project’s outcomes can be divided into short-term and long-term outcomes. Short-term outcomes include:- Increased knowledge and awareness about financial literacy formal and non-formal teaching practices of teachers and parents;- Increased awareness of financial literacy national and EU policies by teachers and policy makers;- Enhanced financial competencies of pupils aged between 9 to 12 y.o.;- Adoption of a comprehensive teaching practice in partner and associated partner schools, involving formal learning, community-based teaching practices and blended learning.Long-term outcomes are:- Dissemination of financial literacy educational material at early educational stages at local, regional, national and EU level;- Support to the harmonization process of EU educational policies regarding financial literacy;- Promotion of blended digital practices in schools at local, regional and EU level.

"PISA 2012 report revealed the need for innovative, interactive and engaging teaching approach for 21st-century schools in order to reach higher achievement of students. This approach can be transmitted and practically realized in classrooms only by the properly trained teacher and educator.The project aims to develop teachers’ and educators’ competences - especially integrated STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) teaching skills, based on collaborative problem-solving (CPS) - sharing experiences among countries involved in the project (the project was compatible with PISA 2015 aims to evaluate students’ performance in mathematics, science and financial literacy; performance in problem-solving and reading).Objectives of the project:– To develop teachers’ and educators’ integrated teaching skills, based on collaborative problem-solving;– To explore new forms of teaching, learning and assessment of students achievements;– To guide teachers and educators, how to motivate children and inspire their passion for discovery and learning;– To share experience of good practice on increasing students' interest in STEM and technical creativity; developing students’ skills of logical and critical thinking, CPS, as well as learning to learn, creativity, initiative and entrepreneurial competencies; preparing students for a successful professional career, encouraging their active contribution to the progress of society.8 countries and 10 partners were involved in the project: UPC (Lithuania)–institution affiliated to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania providing educational support in the field of pre-school, primary and general education.Alytaus Putinai gymnasium (Lithuania), lyceum 1erGeniko Lykeio de Thessaloniki (Greece) and Liceum “M. Immacolata” (Italy) are schools, seeking quality of teaching and learning. OÜ Miksike (Estonia)–provides teacher training courses, manages and develops Miksike Learning Environment. CREF (Portugal)- important establishments of the region of Setúbal, oriented to the development of teacher education and training In-service training courses.The Galician Regional Ministry of Education (Spain) is responsible for educational standards and the training and development of the schools and works on the implementation of regional initiatives to meet school improvement priorities and to share in and support innovation in teaching, learning and school leadership. The Business and Finance College (Bulgaria)is a training institution experienced in training people for insertion into the world of work, in developing new methodologies in entrepreneurship education. CEI (Latvia)- provides training and implements projects in all regions of Latvia, develops and implements projects which promote quality education and accessibility of education to all children. Epimorfotiki (Greece) developed a wide network of associates, which includes a quality consultant, adults’ trainers, counsels of continuous local development, ICT, etc., This partnership is a good potential for dissemination of enriching experiences in the fields approached by the project and a genuine mutual interest in developing innovative approaches to sustainable education, the importance of teachers and educators competences, entrepreneurship and motivating measures in school.The target group of the project - teachers and educators, who are not afraid of challenges and are seeking quality of teaching and learning and higher learning achievements of students, are open-minded, communicative and collaborative, and are ready to provide meaningful learning experiences for 21st-century students.The main activities were undertaken:- 3 short-term joint staff training events- 4 international project meetings- 3 intellectual outputs were created: 1. PDP of 4 modules for teachers and educators2. Collections of good practices3. Collections of DLO This increased the variety of available learning resources.- The project activities (training courses, evaluation seminar, national multiplier events, dissemination events) involved more than 60 direct and more than 3000 indirect participants.- 8 national Multiplier event organised (285 participants)- 1 dissemination international conference organised and involved 46 participants (26 local and 20 international).Total Duration of the Project – 24 Months.The following outcomes are reached:- Raised competences and capacities of teachers, educators had a direct impact on students’ learning motivation, higher learning achievements.-The transnational network of teachers, educators, schools seeking higher learning achievements of students through applying CPS principles created.-The PDP were accredited at the national levels and offered to ERASMUS+ Key Action 1 by UPC (Lithuania), CREF (Portugal), Epimorfotiki (Greece). - New Erasmus+KA2 project ""STEAM capacity building"" (No 2016-1-LT01-KA201-023146) created."

"Project ""Leaders of change – mentorship program for entrepreneurial leaders in local communities"" was conducted between September 1st 2016 and August 31st 2018.The aim of the project was to improve the functioning of adults in small, local communities, affected by the problem of unemployment, economic stagnation, the need to change jobs, or the profile of activity through the development of activities conducive to creating entrepreneurial attitudes and entering the path of entrepreneurship.Project partners: - The AdMERITUM Foundation, a non-profit organization, founded by the micro, small and medium entrepreneurs, business trainers and mentors, and specialists in management, from Mazovia Voivoid based in Warsaw, Poland. It provides entrepreneurship education, especially for the adults and the youth. - CREF Education, a non-profit association of schools and other educational institutions, from Sesimbra, Portugal which provides educational support for basic and secondary school staff and for the continuous training of working and non-working adults and teachers from public and private sectors in the municipality of Sesimbra.- Center Spirala – Center of Selfmobility from Ljubljana, Slovenia, a private and non-profit institute for research and development within social and humanistic area. - Kairos Europe from London, UK, an organisation dedicated to promoting international education and training. One of the areas of expertise are the International partnership projects focused mainly on social inclusion, multiculturalism, employability and entrepreneurship, use of ICT in education.Main activities:During the two-year implementation of the “Leaders of Change” project, we have prepared a group of approximately 40 people in the Polish-British-Slovenian-Portuguese partnership - so-called ""leaders of change"" to work with local communities on the development of entrepreneurship in the area of SMEs.The target group of our activities were adults who looked for new job opportunities, who were changing jobs, or who had lost their jobs, as well as micro and small entrepreneurs, who were not very successful in their businesses. These people were looking for new opportunities for personal development, which would translate into changes in their life and a new career prospects. Our aim was to introduce to them and to encourage them to start in their life the entrepreneurship path or to support them due to facing certain difficulties regarding their entrepreneurial path. About 7-10 people were recruited from this specified project target group in each partner country. These people wanted to become “the leaders of change” – the leaders of entrepreneurship in their local communities of entrepreneurs and/or future entrepreneurs.In each country, each project partner organization chose the mentors among its educators’ staff (small business and entrepreneurship educators and trainers) who provided the meetings for the leaders in the form of the trainings and workshops.In each country, each project partner organized the international meeting for the leaders with a view to exchanging of experience with other leaders and entrepreneurs from partner countries who are successful in their own businesses.In conjunction with the leaders’ international meetings, mentors took part in their own meeting, which followed a separate agenda.Project results and impact:On the leaders’ return from international meetings, they organized in their regions and communities the meetings with the target group (adult entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs) with the support of mentors from partner organization. The leaders became the advocates of the new routes/ changes in their local environments. They became “the leaders of change” and “the face of entrepreneurship” in their communities. Their role was to promote the value of entrepreneurship to the society, emphasise the importance of developing entrepreneurial skills and experiences in education, and highlight entrepreneurship as a career opportunity. Together with the mentors, the leaders developed these ideas for further actions in the region, called: “Small Business Mentors’ Clubs”. At the end of the project, these Clubs continued to operate in accordance with the methodology and strategies developed during the project and would be supported by partner organisations.The description of the above educational process of mentoring for the leaders of change is the book ""Leaders of change. The mentoring program for the leaders of entrepreneurship in local communities”, which is the intellectual output (the result) of this project. Long-term benefits:-During the project, the leaders participated in the mentoring program, which influenced the development of the key competences: entrepreneurship, initiative, learning to learn skills.-The mentoring program developed by mentors has been made available to all European educators - trainers of entrepreneurship and small business.-SBMCs."