<< Background >>In recent years, the share of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEETs) has shown a remarkable increase in many European countries, such as Italy, Greece, Spain and Bulgaria. The wide diffusion of NEETs represents an alarming social issue, as being NEET predisposes young people to long-term unemployment and social exclusion (EUROSTAT, 2019).More specifically, unemployment is generally higher among young people than prime age adults, and those who do work tend to have poorer-quality jobs and are much more likely to be on temporary contracts or to earn low wages than older workers. Moreover, young people with disabilities are twice as possible to be in a NEET situation as their peers without disabilities.The Consortium of ENTER project, shaped by 5 partners from Greece, Italy, Spain and Bulgaria (these countries recorded NEET rates above the EU average of 16.4 %, while the highest rates were recorded in Italy and Greece, 27.8 % and 25.1 % respectively), decided to implement the ENTER project in order to reinforce digital skills and social entrepreneurial mindset of young people (20-34 years old) neither in employment or in education or training.Keeping up with technological advancements and developing digital skills will be important in order to create, market and host creative output, content or services…. demand for business support skills such as management and planning will be likely to increase. Within this skills set, financial management is perceived to be paramount to ensuring the smooth running of a business.ENTER focuses on innovation and adaptation where young people are encouraged to try new ideas in an open environment. Also focus on empathy and understanding of the needs of the local communities, moving the participants of the project and other stakeholders to a more active role in their community.Digital skills & technologies, like 3D design and 3D printing, can transform new innovative ideas into reality with low cost and immediate response to challenges and problems of local communities.The 3DP technology allows for the localised, decentralised production of customized products based on the needs & demands of the local communities. This technology can help young generations to adapt in new social demands and priorities by developing new technology skills & knowledge.<< Objectives >>Projects objectives:1. Developing digital skills & competences (3D Design & Printing) for young NEETs with or without disabilities with a focus on the challenges faced by the society & local communities2. Developing social entrepreneurial skills & mindset for young NEETs3. The Design & support of a “Social & Entrepreneurial Digital Hub”4. Increasing the employability of young NEETs with or without disabilitiesTarget Groups of the ENTER project●Youth NEETs between 18-30 years old●Youth NEETs between 18-30 years old that suffers from any kind of Disability (Visual or Hearing impairment, body amputation, people on the Autism Spectrum) to such an extent that they are allowed to participate in the trainings●Young people, who want to be involved actively in society initiatives and find solutions in critical problems of local communities. ●During the selection of participants, ENTER consortium will follow intersectionality criteria giving emphasis to avoid gender or race inequalities. For all of these groups, the project aims to cultivate digital and entrepreneurial skills in order to provide them with fertile ground to develop new alternative ways to promote their personal work or be competitive in the labor market, especially during the post COVID-19 pandemic. One significant criteria for all groups, is the selection of people with disabilities, that’s why is indicated as an individual target group. The project aims to reinforce vulnerable groups and because of their lack of employment (already mentioned that youth with disability NEET rate is twice as for their peers without disabilities) and the relation of the partners’ mission and activities with people with disabilities, we aim to promote the selection of people with such characteristics.<< Implementation >>The ENTER consortium plans to implement the following activities- Four (4) results: R1 & R2 Webinars. The consortium will invite young people, through an open call, to participate in the Webinars about digital technologies (3D Design and 3D Printing) and Social Entrepreneurial mindset. The interested participants will apply through the project's website by filling in an application form and uploading their CVs. The consortium will follow an evaluation procedure according to specific criteria for the selection of young people with or without disability. R3 an e-learning platform with all the educational material produced during webinars. R4 the Social Entrepreneurial Digital Hub will allow participants to connect, communicate, engage and collaborate. Moreover this Digital Hub will act as a connection between youth NEETs and technology & Social Entrepreneurial world. Activities like Mentoring and Networking will be implemented. -- Training activity C1, youth participants will have a unique possibility to share experiences, practices, doubts, learn from those who might be more experienced or help with their advice and emotional support those who are just starting out.- Multiplier events. Youth with disabilities will be in the front stage, having the ability to talk about their experiences. These leading role will help them to increase socialization, initiative and self confidence. Four National multipliers events and one International are planned to take place during the project.<< Results >>- HIGH and ACTIVE participation of all the target users (partners and other involved organizations, Youth NEETs or in general young people interested in actively engaged in social activities).- Skills development and professional improvement of young people, mainly in the organizations of the partnership.- Through the plan, we expect to foster the bonds between the involved organizations and the local community and highlight the contribution of them in improving social cohesion in the area.- Alternative social activities will be designed, suitable for the restrictions that has been set because of the COVID -19 pandemic.- The Conduction of the webinars will educate at least 75 young people from the participating countries, who will act as ambassadors of the project in their organizations. Moreoverthese participants are expected to act as multipliers for their colleagues and for other youth associations in the local and regional community.- more and better learning opportunities for young learners coming from disadvantaged backgrounds- strengthening foreign language and intercultural skills of young peopleNational- Promote the digital transformation of youth NEETs groups, by developing inclusive educational materials (Webinars) and tools (Hub) for the active engagement of youngpeople.- Increase of the employability rate of the young people, which has been drastically reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.- On a national level the “Social Entrepreneurial Digital Hub” will be available on the web-page of the project and the web-pages of the participating partners.Any institute/organization that wishes to use it will communicate with the organization Institute Dei Sordi di Torino, who will be in charge of the HUB, so as to create the requiredpermission/accounts. The consortium will have the commitment to maintain and support the HUB for at least 3 years.- Participation in national conferences that will be organized and conducted by each partner. The content of the new educational materials, Webinars sessions and Evaluation reports will be presented in full scale. We expect to raise awareness of the youth community and social enterprises ecosystem for alternative ways to maintain our culture, arts, traditions and social cohesion during the COVID-19 pandemic.-Increase the awareness of best practices, new approaches and methodologies in the field of youth education and culture- Achieve greater confidence and cultural entrepreneurial awareness of citizens as well as decision makers in order to prevent exclusion- Contribution to European Cohesion through the forming of European partnerships in order to overcome COVID-19 consequences.- On a European level the project will promote the modern skills and knowledge (critical thinking, problem solving, design thinking etc.) required for young professionals of cultural,creative and social sectors.- Material in 5 oral languages (Italian, Greek, Spanish, Bulgarian and English) and in International Signs ready to be adapted into other languages.- Share of knowledge, good practices and innovation between training centers, companies and educational professional impacted by common issue- - Promote the recognition of the potential and benefits that cross-sector dialogue, cooperation and international networking has towards the improvement of professional practises of individuals and organisations.- Promote social entrepreneurship as a means of inclusion for all- Encourage institutions and companies to implement similar projects and activities related to the topic and promote EU values and cooperation between institutions from different EU Members states.

<< Objectives >>Our objectives are to promote cooperation and exchange of experiences and good practices in the field of social inclusion and sexuality education for parents of people with disabilities (PWDs).<< Implementation >>We plan to implement:3 Transnational project meetings.3 Main results of the project:- Identification of barriers and social needs.- Course curriculum.- Empowerment guide and materials.5 Multiplier events.<< Results >>- Prepare and deliver sex education classes for parents with children with disabilities.- Develop question and answer materials for parents to help them provide accurate, rights-based information to their children.- Implement sex education sessions for families to encourage intergenerational dialogues.- Target parents through activities with the community or identified/guested.

"6 partners will exchange best practice to develop a common understanding of positive parenting, attachment theory, positive practices and simulations in parenting awareness to up-skill those working with young people in order to address the Europe 2020 agenda regarding poverty and social exclusion in terms of addressing early school leaving and improvement of academic attainment in young people. Aim: to create a best practice training resource (BPTR) representing a synergy between partners from different cultural backgrounds, working in different fields of education, training and youth. The BPTR will be useful for those working in Higher Education, Youth Work, School Education and in a health and youth related setting.Objective: to create a resource of best practice non-formal parenting awareness training and support for young people in each partner language. This resource will include a comprehensive evaluation of the different practices exchanged and exploited during the lifetime of the project. At each partnership meeting (6 ), the host partner will present 2 one-day workshops of best training practice: how to help young people explore issues around parenting, pregnancy, Perinatal Mental Health and parent-child bonding (attachment theory). Each workshop will include a contribution from a young person about their experience having been the recipient of the host's workshops prior to the meeting. This resource will be presented to 240 attendees at events held July 2021.Context / Background:Early School Leaving and Low Academic Achievement is a priority of the Europe 2020 agenda, in terms of addressing issues of poverty and social exclusion. Poor early attachment underpins poor emotional resilience and other factors that contribute to early school leaving and social exclusion. “Attachment theory states that a strong emotional and physical attachment to at least one primary caregiver is critical to personal development. John Bowlby first coined the term as a result of his studies involving the developmental psychology of children from various backgrounds: https://www.psychologistworld.com/developmental/attachment-theory”.6 participants:PADM (UK): working in perinatal mental health and fostering emotional resilience in young people.BUCOVINA (Ro): working with the School Inspectorate of Suceava.IRIS (Po): Foundation Institute of Social Re-Integration supporting new reforms in non-formal education.OPENEUROPE (Es): education and training centre offering informal and non-formal learning opportunities to young people and youth workers.European Development Foundation (Bg): works for civil society development, supporting innovative practices, education and training of children and young people.Kilcooley Womens Centre (NI, UK): Works primarily with socially disadvantaged women, children and families, to help improve their life chances and deliver high level outcomes.Description of Activities:Each partner will bring 2 persons to each externally hosted learning activity/transnational meeting; each will host a learning/transnational meeting. All partners: recruit and deliver to 60 PAFYP trainees and 600 young people in total.Methodology:Each partner will prepare 2 one-day workshops in presenting their best training practice; emphasis being on ""bite-size"" learning activities that can be practised, taken away, implemented and evaluated prior to the next round of learning activity.Evaluation to take place immediately after each meeting. Partners will share their learning with colleagues who will evaluate the shared learning. Each participant will complete learner diaries following each partnership meeting to record impact of the learning on their own personal and professional development. Local delivery of the workshops (translated into own language) will also be evaluated in order to address ""fitness for purpose"".Results:Short bite-size learning workshops; implementing the workshops upon return from the partnership meeting and evaluating them will build substantive records regarding the impact of widening participation of the workshops within partners' own working practices, and further afield to stakeholders in the field of youth. Impact:We will present an evaluated resource of shared best training practice at the final local conferences and make available on the project web site. Partners will make recommendations and complete a report of activities regarding impact of the learning packs with impact on young people's mental wellbeing measured using Warwick and Edinburgh Mental Well Being Scale (WEMWBS). Each partner will form a local stakeholder committee to build bridges between people in need and our specialised services to support future sustainability initiatives.Longer term benefits:We will explore the potential for developing an accredited common training programme mapped to the EQF. Long term, the outputs of the project will be embedded in the daily practice of each partner."

"The inclusion of disadvantaged audiences remains a major challenge for the museum sector. And inclusion starts with the question of accessibility. This does not stop at the accessibility of the buildings and the adaptation of visits for disabled visitors. It also involves the presentation of the content and with the development of online museum offers, digital devices and settings which can prove to be a tremendous asset for people who have little or no access to culture, if done inclusively. The confinement due to COVID 19 has helped to put the spotlight on this type of initiative and accelerate them with numerous museum offering digital tours. But if one praises the accessibility of museums from one's couch, what about the accessibility of digital content to users with special needs? The content of a virtual exhibition using the standard codes of mediation (display of the work, display of the cartel) can quickly prove to be just as inaccessible to low-skilled people or people with special needs. The question of the accessibility of an image, both in its feeling and understanding, arises just as much in physical as in digital form. The issue of image accessibility is often restricted to visually impaired people but to be truly inclusive it must also include people with special needs (people with little or no qualifications, people with DYS or disability problems, etc.). Access to art and culture is part of the basic skills and can allow different and complementary learning of basic skills such as reading and writing.This is why we created TEAM / ART. The project takes advantage of a double opportunity: the availability of European heritage works in high definition and the development of digital visual narrative forms increasingly present in the press and digital publishing sector, in open source and standard formats.This project wishes to question the accessibility of the images, as well as the accessibility of the text and presentation, by proposing a narrative and visual experimentation in the presentation of works of art for learners with little or no qualifications, with specific needs.To do so, we want to develop a digital museum accessible to :1) Learners, with low or no reading skills, with disabilities or learning disabilities and who have had little or no contact with classical European culture by offering:> digital exhibitions with at least 120 animated and scrolling works of art> a glossary of key art words, illustrated and accompanied by videos in sign languageBoth the animated and scrolling works of art and the glossary will be written according the principles of the ""easy to read and understand language"" (equivalent of level B of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)).2) Training and mediation professionals (educators, trainers, mediators) by offering :> pedagogical dossiers and practical sheets> a pedagogical guide for implementation The ambition of the project is to combine access to European culture with the acquisition of basic skills. Few or no offers are made to adults with few or no qualifications beyond factual language learning or writing and do not cover storytelling, literature and even less the arts. The project's target audiences generally have little or no access to books and heritage. However, they are formidable vectors of learning and personal development. This is why our challenge is to combine an accessible, narrated, interactive presentation of works of art with an ""easy to read and understand language ""(level B of the CEFR) and thus contribute to the transmission of a common cultural heritage and the integration of audiences with little or no traditional access to this heritage. We wish to contribute to the promotion of major works of European cultural heritage to audiences with little or no access to culture and whose basic skills (reading, writing) are not or only poorly developed, and to encourage innovative forms of cultural mediation and training using digital tools.Through its transversal and multi sectoral approach, this project thus makes it possible to address together key EU priorities such as the promotion of culture and heritage, the strengthening and expansion of trainers' skills, the improvement of adult language learning and key competences such as writing and the development of digital skills among trainers."

<< Background >>The use of robots to help adult learners is a relatively new field, which has shown interesting results. Robots have been developed to support a wide range of educational activities, including training for specific skills, language learning, vocational education, continuing professional development and others. Specific robotic devices have been developed to aid learners with disabilities as well, including developmental, learning and sensory disabilities, communication disorders, emotional and behavioural disorders and physical impairments. Research has shown that some of them have demonstrated promising outcomes in aiding the educational outcomes of learners. Most of the research to date pertains to the use of educational robots in school education for children and few projects or initiatives have focused attention on adult education, despite the potential benefits. This project is going to address this gap and bridge the divide between the education and the robotics sectors, which is currently wide, as the sectors are lacking communication and common ground between each other. The HEART project has four target groups. The first group is educators in the adult education sector, who are responsible for teaching and training adults. Their needs are related to applying innovative approaches to reach their students with the teaching material. For educators who want to use robots with adult learners, there is no overview of what is available on the market and how they should make use of it. This project will conduct a systematic review of the currently available technology and produce outputs that will support educators to improve their capacity to use robotics technology in their work. The second group is educators and professionals who focus specifically on adult learners with disabilities, with this group comprising primarily of teachers and trainers, but also including other specialists, for example occupational therapists, counsellors and others. Their needs are also related to the most effective methods which they can use to meet the specific learning needs of the learners they are working with. The third group comprises of experts from the partner organisations who will be trained as mentors and will be able to support the first two target groups in their direct work with adult learners. The fourth group is specialists in the Higher Education sector - teachers, lecturers, educators, researchers and other specialists who work in the Robotics departments of universities, specialising in educational robotics. The project will support them in connecting the field of robotics with the field of education and contribute to the development of academic know-how in this area, which these specialists can use in their work.<< Objectives >>The overall aim of the HEART project is to increase the capacities of the adult education systems in the partner countries to meaningfully engage adult learners with education and training through the use of robotics technology. The project also aims to contribute to the social inclusion of learners with disabilities by increasing the capacity of educators who work with them.The specific objectives of the HEART project are:O1: Improve the capacity of educators to provide education and training to adult learners through the use of robotics technology.O2: Improve the capacity of educators to provide education and training that is specific to the needs of learners with disabilities through the use of robotics technology.O3: Map out the field of educational robotics and enhance the understanding of the interconnections between technologies and practices, relevant to the needs of adult learners. O4: Create an international network of trainers and educators with a specific knowledge in the field of educational robotics in the partner countries. O5: Increase synergies between the adult education, the higher education and the robotics sectors through more targeted use of robotics technologies. O6: Increased capacity of the partners from the different project countries and enhanced cooperation between them.<< Implementation >>The core activities for the achievement of the objectives are as follows:A1 – MAPPING AND DATABASE DEVELOPMENT: The partners will carry out mapping of the robotic devices that are available on the market and their use for supporting adult education, including education for persons with disabilities. The mapping will include good practices on how the robots have been used in practice. The activity will be carried out mostly through desk research and stakeholder interviews. As a result of the mapping, a searchable database with a range of criteria will be developed and published as an online tool. A2 – GUIDE FOR USING THE DATABASE: The partners will develop a guide to complement the database, which will present the concepts, the selection criteria when searching a needed device, descriptions of all the devices and learning scenarios, in which they can be used. The guide will also include a set of competences that educators need in order to use robots to support educational outcomes. A3 – METHODOLOGY. The partners will develop a methodology for the training course, the purpose of which is to ensure that all the training modules are developed following a similar structure and in a way that meets the needs of the target groups. A4 – ONLINE TRAINING COURSE: The partners will develop a web-based training course, consisting of 6 modules, aimed at the target groups to enhance their capacity to use robots for adult education. Videos, animations and case studies will be used to present the information in a way that is easy to understand for a non-technical audience. The specific modules will be dedicated to different areas of adult education, with at least two of them focusing on robots for persons with disabilities. The training will include resources and quizzes that the participants must take in order to obtain certification.A5 – PILOTING: The partners will carry out the piloting of the online training course in order to ensure that it meets the needs of the target groups. A6 – TRAINING FOR TRAINERS: The partners will carry out a training for trainers, which will prepare them to support the target groups in their use of robots to support adult learners. This will create a trained pool of experts and improve the capacities of the partners. A7 – INTEGRATING FEEDBACK: Based on the feedback received from the LTT and the piloting, the partners will produce the final version of the online training course. A8 – WEBINARS: The partners will carry out a cycle of 6 webinars, 1 in each country, with the purpose of presenting the database and the training to local audiences. In addition to the dissemination effect, the activity will have the added value of creating synergies between all relevant local stakeholders – adult education establishments, trainers, government agencies, researchers, NGOs and industry professionals – in order to stimulate discussion on the use of robotics and technological innovations in adult education.A9 – INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: An international conference will be held at the end of the project, which will serve to inform about the project results. In addition to these core activities, the partners will carry out support activities, including project management and coordination; monitoring, evaluation and quality assurance; and sharing and promotion activities.<< Results >>The following results will be achieved during the project:1. Completed mapping of the uses of robotics technology to support adult learners, including learners with disabilities, with a created searchable online database;2. Produced guide for the target groups on the use of robots to support learners, to be used alongside the online database;3. Developed and piloted online training course as a learning tool to improve the competences of the target groups;4. Created network of trained professionals on the use of robots to support adult learners, who can provide support and training to the target groups;5. Improved competences on the use of robotics technology to support educational outcomes among the target groups through targeted training activities in each country;6. Achieved wide reach of the project results through an international event.Upon completion of the HEART project, the following impacts are expected:1. Improved capacity of educators to integrate robots in the teaching and training process for adult learners; 2. Improved capacity of educators (including non-teacher professionals) to integrate robots in their work with learners with disabilities to achieve their inclusion in education and better learning outcomes;3. Improved capacity of the partner organisations in relation to the issue of using robots to support adult education and created a pool of professional trainers in this area;4. Enhanced knowledge about the impact of robotics technology to support educational outcomes and raised awareness of the issue among and beyond the direct target groups;5. Created interconnections and synergies between the higher education, adult education and the robotics sectors, as well as between the project countries.The impact of the project on the indirect target group of adult learners (including learners with disabilities) will be seen in the improved learning and developmental outcomes, educational results, reduced rates of dropouts, improved readiness for the labour market and reduced risks of social exclusion. This will have roll-on benefits with regard to equality and diversity in society as a whole, both within the project countries and beyond.