New technologies offer us access to sources we have never imagined. But there is a simple problem: Most trainers do not have the time & skills to implement them in their classes. This project aimed at combating these problems by creating a reference guide for language trainers that supports them in improving and acquiring new digital competencies. The final Mall Guidebook facilitates trainers the use ICT solutions in their teachings. It coaches users in a simple way through the processes of searching, selecting, implementing or even creating own online materials. It encourages trainers to embed Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) in their classes and learners to improve their language skills outside the formal context of the classes. The original application conceived the following Intellectual Outputs:- An online Catalogue compiling the most relevant digital learning tools- A guideline for trainers covering different methodological aspects to take into consideration when using or developing online tools for teaching languages - A guideline for trainers covering technical aspects related to the installation, usage, administration, and minimal technical requirements for the selected online tools. - A toolbox with 5 practical examples of possible implementations of some of the selected tools in language teaching situations including the necessary prerequisites and processes- A toolbox with 5 newly developed tools for language teaching using OERs including description of the development process- A concluding interactive online guidebook made up of all previously developed outcomes and a new section for links for further development programs and funding opportunities for trainersApart from creating the appointed outcomes and in order to improve the quality of the final products and adapt them best to the needs of our target groups this partnership has gone further developing the following additional resources that were not envisaged in the application.- Videos explaining the simple utilization of the online catalogue (1 English spoken version and 1 with background music and written texts in English)- Videos explaining the utilization of the toolbox catalogue (1 English spoken version and 1 with background music and written texts in English)- Active working sessions with external trainers using selected online materials and training them in the creation and development of new online materials using for example moodleThe final Mall Guide reference tools are definitely valuable resources for any trainers, learners and education institutions interested in using online resources. The project was originally targeted to SLA adult education trainers however the feedbacks received at the different events have revealed that the Mall Guide has also covered the needs of language teachers and trainers of other target groups, adult and VET trainers of other disciplines, different types of language learners and finally also education institutions. The Mall Guide is a multilingual and open reference online tool that informs, motivates and supports different target groups in the selection, implementation and development of MALL applications for their teachings and learnings. For the less experienced participants it also offers pdf versions of the reference guidelines and educational videos in order to coach these participants through the usage of the online reference tools. And last but not least, the guidebook also addresses learners offering them a simple platform to search for online materials according to their needs for up to 18 different languages. The direct impact can be resumed as: At least 83 trainers have developed new skills for creating more flexible learning pathways in relation to the learners’ needs.106 Learners have improved their attitude towards language teaching methods, increased their motivation for learning languages & improved their abilities in foreign languages.21 Learning providers have found support to enhance digital integration in teaching and training. Apart from improving IT skills of trainers & learners and from promoting linguistic diversity and second language acquisition, this project has lastly also emphasized on the awareness of the interconnection between formal, non – formal and informal education among participants encouraging trainers and learners to test different online tools in non formal & informal situations while improving language (learners) and IT skills (trainers). And finally, the success of this project has only been possible thanks to the human resources involved in it. A consortium composed by enthusiastic staff members with common understanding of expected involvement, team work skills, and sense of common trust. These have been the fundamental elements for a successful working atmosphere that have guaranteed the quality of the results obtained despite the initial financial cuts.

It is well documented that minority ethnic groups experience higher levels of poverty, social exclusion and greater barriers to accessing health, education and social services and equality of access to employment than majority indigenous populations in most European countries. Intercultural Mediation is an internationally recognised tool for overcoming the barriers to key services such as health, social protection, education, justice and law enforcement and also for overcoming the barriers in the workplace context, all of which are very often experienced by people from minority ethnic backgrounds. The practice of intercultural mediation involves a trained Intercultural mediator facilitating cross-cultural communication and mutual understanding between service users +/ workers from minority ethnic backgrounds and service provider and/or employers with the objective of achieving a high quality of service, participation and outcome for each party. Intercultural Mediators can work in a wide range of services. These include health and social services, education, judicial and law enforcement agencies, business and other employment, public administration. Their role is to :•facilitate cross-cultural communication and mutual understanding between migrant service users and service providers / NGOs / public administration/ employment bodies; schools and other educational establishments•empower migrant service users to communicate their service needs more clearly and effectively and participate more equally in their new societies, taking culturally related nuances into account •assist service providers deliver a culturally competent and culturally sensitive service•Promote diversity and equality of participation in the work place•advocate for migrants and their families.The aim of this project is to share and further refine and customise, the learning, training and practice of Intercultural Mediation which has already been developed by the lead partner, Culture Connect, with four other EU partners by:•Customising the methodology to the particular country and organisation culture and needs of each partner•Delivering training programmes in Intercultural Mediation to a small number of participants from minority ethnic backgrounds in each partner country.•Evaluating the effectiveness of ICM in a range of services. educational institutions and places of employment•Devise and publish a web- based Guide to Training and Guidelines for Best Practice in Intercultural Mediation•Developing an internationally recognised certification system for the training. +•creating, promote and test a new standard for a professional role of Intercultural Mediator within each partner countryThe project will work closely with migrant participants, with NGOs supporting migrants, with service providers and educators and with employers in the development, implementation and ensuring the long term sustainability of the projectExpected results during and after the projectThe project will create a systemic, comprehensive and empowering solution to overcoming the barriers encountered by people from minority ethnic backgrounds / refugees / migrants in access and outcomes to a broad range of essential sectors within mainstream society: health and social services; education and entering and equality in employmentIt will also raise awareness of these barriers amongst a range of health, social service and education providers, employers, and other key actors with whom the project impinges on and promote a commitment to dealing with them. The project will also leave a legacy of tangible results:•A maximum of 3 trained and experienced mediators in each country•An internationally tested and evaluated methodology for training Intercultural Mediators equipped to work in a range of sectors •A set of guidelines for the selection of participants •A code of practice for Intercultural Mediators•A professionalisation of the role of Intercultural Mediator The project will be designed and implemented by five partner organisations, from five different corners of EuropeCulture Connect, Drogheda, IrelandFundacia Diversity Hub, Krakow, PolandYork Associates, York UKRuni, Sofia BulgariaCentrul Pentru Promoverea Invataru Permanente Timosoara, RomaniaThe partners are engaged in a range of training and capacity building actions aimed at the integration of migrants and refugees and promoting interculturalism in their respective organisations. They will bring their very diverse skills and expertise to the project. Potential Long Term Benefits:•Empowering refugees and migrants and developing their social capital•Creating a broader awareness of interculturalism across society•Promoting cultural competence in education, health and social service, the workplace•Project outputs including the training programme, code of practice, job description for Intercultural Mediation will be available for wider use after project finishes

The BEVIN project is targeted at a wide audience: • all public educational institutions/sectorial organisations involved in the non-formal and informal learning process and/or validation;• all educational entities and individuals who are actively implementing validation of non-formal and informal learning;• teachers and trainers who accompany or support their students during non-formal and/or informal learning,• all organisations and institutions that are planning validation of non-formal and informal learning. Adults who are in the process of, or are planning, validation of their competences acquired through non-formal and/or informal learning. The main aim of the BEVIN project is to raise the indicator of recognition of adults competences acquired through non-formal and informal learning. The partnership will achieve this aim through realization of the following operational goals:• developing of database of effective tools for validation of non-formal and informal learning;• developing of validation opportunities trends analyzer.The objectives of the project are consistent with strategic partnerships - supported activities as these objectives will strengthen the cooperation between organizations with a view to establishing exchanges of practices, promote the development, testing and implementation of innovative practices in the field of education.European Commission recommendation on the validation of non-formal and informal learning points that by the end of 2015 each Member State should develop a national system of validation which demonstrates citizens' competences acquired outside the formal system. The database developed by the BEVIN project will be a perfect complement to these national systems at the European level. Improvement and adaptation of citizens' competences to labor market requirements are essential for the growth of competitiveness, employment and social cohesion of the European Union, which is in line with the main objective of the Europe 2020 strategy - achieving a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.The partnership has been built based on the principle of complementarity of skills and experience among the partners. As a result, we can present a generated mixture of different organizations (Centrum Wspierania Edukacji i Przedsiebiorczosci - PL, Sea Teach S.L. - ES, Volontariato Torino- IT, RUNI CENTER – BG, Biedriba Eurofortis -LT) united around the main objective of the project. The expected impact on the target group of the project and relevant stakeholders can be estimated at more than 7000 people across the partnership (testing, multiplayer events, dissemination).

Responding to migration into Europe over recent years is a key issue at both European and individual member state level and has been recognised as a priority in a range of strategies and policy initiatives. Central to all initiatives to create community cohesion and harmony is the role of the interpreter and cultural mediator, who form an important role in bridging the divide between the public sector, society and the individual migrant and refugee. The quality level of the interpreter / cultural mediator is a vital ingredient in a successful outcome. Poor quality leads to poor outcomes and equally an excellent approach leads to positive outcomes for all stakeholders. The 2 year project was led by Dacorum CVS (UK) and included five other partners with expertise in the fields of learning, community engagement, language based projects, interpreter and community mediator training and supporting migrant and refugee communities. The partners also brought a diverse geographic prospective from Bulgaria (Runi Center), Germany (Iberika), Greece (Active Citizens Partnership), Italy (CSC Danilo Dolci) and Sweden (Swideas). The project focus was on the professional quality and standards of the interpreter and cultural mediator, the need for which is often overlooked in the planning and delivery of community initiatives. We developed a web portal as an effective training tool with materials (12 course sessions), videos (9) and a speech repository, created a badge recognition system and test with 60 learners the training system which looked to create the best from a mix of class and online provision. The outcome of this testing fed into an improved quality of the final version of the web portal. The overall approach was a trans-national one to an issue of trans-national importance. This was underpinned through research to update knowledge on the scenario in each partner country and two staff training activities (24 participants) which developed a team ethos common approach to all aspects of project delivery. The project was active in dissemination using a wide range of communication channels to the key target audiences of public sector service providers, decision makers, politicians, NGOs, learning providers, individuals with language skills and community members with an interest in migration and refugees. Twelve multiplier events (275 attendees) fed into creating recognition, impact and sustainability at both partner and wider stakeholder level.

The project idea came from analysis of the situation regarding the intercultural competences (IC) which in today's reality are a major key competence. The importance of IC has been recognised by EC and educational entities but it is still not yet prevalent or even common for every country to include intercultural education into every educational path. The extent to which the competence development is included in VET varies from country to country but interculturality has never been a major concern in vocational education. Instead, professional skills have always been regarded as being of the most importance. Consequently, there are many VET trainers who are experts in their field but when it comes to knowledge or experience in delivering their classes to learners from diverse cultural backgrounds, they have a real deficit detrimental to the content and delivery of their teaching. Taking into account the mobility of workers not only between EU countries, but especially from non-EU countries, VET Trainers need to be aware of intercultural differences and to be able to deal with various cultures every day. In view of this situation, the main objective of the project was to develop and increase intercultural competences of VET Trainers' dealing with diverse learners in Germany, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Ireland and Netherlands. The partnership consisted of organisations working in VET education area and dealing with diverse learners: assist (coordinator), Danmar Computers, Diciannove, ITT, IBI, CKE and RUNI. Each member in the consortium organizes VET courses and in addition, Danmar has IT expertise sufficient for development of digital part of the intellectual outputs. The target group of the project were VET Trainers working with diverse learners from different cultural backgrounds, staff of VET providers which deal with diverse learners and public officials responsible for VET management and policy-making at the level of VET education. The project directly involved over 2000 participants. The main undertaken activities in the project included work on the main results, meaning that the activities included searching for tools, preparing database, work on content, digitalizing the materials and their extensive testing and improving. Important activities included quality assurance and dissemination of the outcomes in order to assure their exploitation also in other EU countries and other fields. The dissemination included Multiplier Events. The results of the project include tangible results which are two main intellectual outputs: 1) Open Online Catalogue of Intercultural Tools implemented as an on-line application available as OER consisting of three parts: - database of intercultural tools (collection of tools developed within previous various initiatives and projects as OERs and that relate to intercultural education), - training materials about culture in the form of e-learning, - guide on how to develop simulations for intercultural training.2) Guidelines for Practical Application of Intercultural Aspects in VET Context. Besides intellectual outputs, the project created dissemination materials (website, social channels, leaflets, newsletters, articles, presentations) and working materials including plans and very important intangible results. Those are: increased intercultural competence and through that, vocational skills of VET trainers, increased awareness of VET trainers but also other stakeholders about existence of various tools they didn’t know before, opportunity of being involved into European project which brought new knowledge and experiences for target groups, stakeholders, participating organisations and participants. Other intangible results are: stronger cooperation networks of those who worked on the results or participated in various activities of the project. In case of VET providers, they gained useful and innovative tools that they could include into own educational offer. The impact of the project exceeded the expectations. It can be seen in partners’ organizations, their staff and learners, VET trainers, operators in the field of VET education. The most important is that all who participated in activities or at least heard about its results, have better awareness about intercultural issues and available tools that can help in rising intercultural skills. Moreover the usage of the Catalogue itself helps in increasing ICT skills. In addition, the open character of the Catalogue (possibility of adding new tools) assures its self-expandability which might bring benefits to interested groups of users in the long-term.