"The Europe 2020 strategy envisages reducing the early school leaver rate from 15% to fewer than 10% by 2020. Through the adoption of the Lisbon Strategy in 2000, the EU and its Member States equipped themselves with a framework to address poverty and deprivation. Specific attention was given to child poverty and child well-being, with some EU Member States setting explicit targets within set timeframes. More recently, the EU has proposed an ‘inclusive growth’ strand in the Europe 2020 Strategy. The accent on inclusion provides a further opportunity to adopt a comprehensive EU approach to achieving well-being for children, including the most marginalized such as the Roma.The link between Early School Leaving and lack of parental engagement is well established through numerous studies and research work (e.g. Tackling Early School leaving from Education and Training in Europe, Euroice, EACEA, 2014). Children from poor families are unlikely to get support from their parents/carers and are at a higher risk of becoming early leavers. In some cases, like Roma community, parents are intimidated by the school system because of their negative educational experiences or because they were educated outside of the local system.Within this scenario the project raises up from the need to improve the educational level and consequently life condition of the Roma: the project aims to help break down the barriers and attitudes that result in young Roma students dropping out of education and deny better career opportunities and it also enables parents to realise their own potential as advisors, educators and a resource for their children. It offers parents, schools and local authorities a range of possible methods for improving the outcomes for this group, in order to contribute to a stronger, more unified and better articulated inclusion of Roma students in EU education sector.Two of the powerful tangible results reached by the Consortium during the project’s lifetime will be the tailormade guide about “Roma students' inclusion: an effective interaction with Roma students and their parents"" and the photographic exhibition about Roma traditions (it will take place in all the consortium's countries). There will also be three Short-term joint staff training events, one in Bulgaria, one in Hungary, one in Portugal: ""Evidence of possible inclusion"", ""New Roma generations are growing: inequalities, resources"", ""Roma and school: a difficult relationship"".Running the project, in the end of it, we will be able to:1. Establish relationships among European Roma and non Roma populations;2. Improve the educational level and consequently life condition of the Roma;3. Promote the value of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue as a tool to fight against social exclusion and marginalisation;4. Transmit and raise the consciousness of the Roma families in relation to the importance of education as fundamental tool to achieve a better integration into societies;5. Approach regional governments and NGOs to Roma educational issue;6. Involve together Roma students and parents, regional and local authorities, stakeholders and NGOs."

"The proposal is related to the utilization of cultural heritage in education, by integrating the strategy of gamification in the modern school. As technology influences and is influenced by culture, and in this context, dialogue between them is more relevant and imperative than ever. The integration of this strategy is dictated by both pedagogical and socio-economic reasons, which stem from the influence of science and technology in the modern world. The digitization of cultural heritage and its integration into various subjects in school should go with an integrated approach to cultural heritage that, instead of isolating it from everyday life, encourages interaction between it and civil society.The term Gamification refers to the use or integration of mechanisms or features of electronic games in activities that are not exclusively related to the game. The technique that initially appeared in the business world gradually made its appearance in education as well. It is a process that uses techniques and methods that we encounter in games in order to increase the participation and commitment of learning subjects towards the learning process that is evolving.According to research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology entitled ""Moving learning games forward"" (Klopfer, Osterweil, & Salen, 2009) which examines the principles of gaming and how they can be applied in education, the dynamics of games in Education stems from their impact in three areas: cognitive, emotional and social. The elements that make up the concept of Gamification are the plot, the reward, the status, the community, and the challenge. Taking into account the need to create a balanced relationship between heritage and economic and technological development, and the need to implement awareness-raising, education and training activities of the school community, our project aims to contribute to the awareness of cultural heritage through modern strategies and tools that promote the digital skills of tomorrow's citizens. The project aims to bring together educators, members of organizations and young people in order to highlight a best practice that will be used in the field of education and to train participants in new methods and digital skills. It will take place transnationally, as partnerships can enable organizations to identify and collaborate with target groups, gain expertise and access to additional and complementary resources, and deliver high quality results.This proposal highlights the positive effects of heritage investment in many areas of development and public policy, including social cohesion and the information society (eg through the digitization of collections or gamification).The above will be achieved through the creation and dissemination of digital version and digital application for mobile phones and tablets with integrated cultural heritage sites (objects, sites, ancient theaters, virtual tours) and educational activities in the form of play. The application will be utilized through a pilot implementation in the school community in various subjects and in non-formal education.During the pilot implementation, there will be support for teachers and members of youth organizations in the methodology of utilization of cultural heritage in education through the gamification strategy. Participants will become familiar with the social content of learning and will act as multipliers in their schools and organizations.Project activities include: online cooperation, two short-term Learning Teaching Training Activities, and three multiplier events for the two intellectual products.The project will be the result of a partnership between NGOs, a University institution, Secondary schools and a private enterprise. In particular, the following will participate:• Department of Philology, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini Greece• NGO I.CO.N (Inclusion in COmmuNity), Rhodes Greece (applicant organization)• School, Geniko Lykeio Iasmou, Rodopi, Greece• SME V.E.M. SRLs, Pellaro Calabria, Italy• Istituto Istruzione Superiore ""P. Mazzone"" school, Roccela, Calabria, Italy• NGO Associació Meraki Projectes de València, Valencia, Spain• IES El Sobradillo School, Sobradillo, Tenerife, Spain• NGO Edrase Chalki, GreeceThe target group is: a) about 60 teachers of Secondary Education from the participating schools who with voluntary participation will be trained and will pilot the tool / digital application that will promote the integration of cultural heritage in the teaching process through various subjects and strategy of gamification b) 60 young people, members of organizations."

"The project intends to impact on the problems related to lack of literacy, of early school leaving and dropout, which are interlinked to schooling problems that obstacle a full and effective integration of teenagers into the educational and training systems, using Traditional Arts and Crafts as a powerful tool. The revival story of each traditional craft, material or tool, began with the passion of dedicated individuals and communities. In order to pass on this craft's heritage, it’s important to preserve the quality materials and tools that are so essential to its survival, as well as support the next generation of craftspeople. Paying efforts to revive craft traditions and rediscovering each product as a symbol of the area from which it originated offers great potential for reaching the Erasmus+ transversal key competences as set out by the Reference Framework: learning to learn, social and civic competences, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship and cultural awareness and expression. The consortium aimed at involving the target-groups of the project in the main activities of the project in order to address their needs more properly. Thus, a survey will be carried out in all partners‘ countries with the collaboration educators and early school leavers. A collection of learning techniques considered as good practices will be promoted. The findings of both activities will contribute to defining the contents of the Guide ""Rediscovering the Lost Crafts: didactic and inclusive practice to fight school failure, early school leaving and dropping out”. Themed workshops are going to be one of the major activities to be completed in the 2nd year of the project. As such, the most important outcomes produced so far are the Guide containing the conclusions about the current needs of the target groups and several techniques to promote creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit; a short documentary on Traditional Arts and Crafts. After the realization of the workshops and the development of the final version of the Guide and of the documentary, an Event to present all the consortium's outcomes implemented in all partner‘s countries will be promoted to present the project‘s results, to experience some of the techniques used at the workshops and also to distribute the final products of the project. Through the project, we are proposing: * to improve school success and motivation * to fight against school failure and absenteeism * to decrease anti-social behavior * to increase motivation of the students * to create growth in extracurricular activities * to help young people to better understand their history and their environment * to promote innovation of trades and crafts * to create a learning community based on training between three European realities * to have result in fewer learning and behavior problems * to inform parents and community on the importance of education."

<< Background >>Youth workers play a significant role in the personal, socioeducational and professional development of youth. In fact, the EC’s common framework for the further development of youth work has identified that youth work can result in a range of positive effects for youth which enable them to enhance competences, reinforce their network and social capital and develop positive relationships. Yet, working with youth is not an easy task. It requires youth workers who continuously develop their competences, embrace and practice a life-long learning, strive to get qualified and better address the needs of the youth while also managing to keep their own personal-professional balance. All these underline the need to focus on the personal and professional development of the youth workers as a means to achieve better and sustainable impact on youth in general.The Youth unemployment rate in January 2021 in all partner countries was quite high, especially in Italy and Cyprus: IT: 29,7%, CY: 20,1%, LT:18,2%, PT:14,3%, PL:14,3% (EUROSTAT) - there is a noticeable increase during the pandemic period in comparison to last year.“Youth unemployment and the integration of young people into the labour market” report issued by the Contact Committee of European Union Supreme Audit Institutions on April 2018 indicates many problematic fields like:- education sector produces graduates who can't find employment and there is insufficient correlation with the needs of the labour market,- the range of courses remained limited due to qualification standards and educational tools inconsistencies or incompatibilities,In fact, the authors of the Youth Work Report conclude stating “There is an identifiable need for clear learning opportunities for youth workers as an essential part of professionalizing the delivery of youth work. Incomplete learning paths and a lack of identifiable routes of study and training compounds the problems of unstable working/volunteer conditions within the sector.”This project is designed to support the development of quality youth work in the participating countries. As known in many of EU countries the youth sector is in the initial stage of development. Youth policies are under development and no national strategies for Youth work exists. However, in all countries in the cooperation between NGOs, educational institutions and government authorities (ministries and agencies) are made steps in the sphere of development of the youth sector. In this context, projects like this are important for building high quality standards and the development of youth work. This is particularly important as the digital skills are more required in the labour market in changing in post-pandemic Europe and youth unemployment levels have risen again.<< Objectives >>Opp4YOUth is a response to the demands of the labour market and youth workers. Increasing the competence of teachers working with a youth will directly affect the professional development of youth worker. In addition, the project will develop innovative tools to support teachers and the learning processes. On the other hand, increasing the skills of youth workers and the use of positive psychology will strengthen their position on the labour market and meet their professional ambitions. Staying on the labour market and cooperation with other young people will contribute to reducing unemployment in the European Union.OBJECTIVESThe objectives of the project are:1. To reduce the gap between the personal and professional needs of the youth workers, towards more fulfilling careers in the youth field.2. To develop innovative approaches (methodologies, digital tools and practices) for personal and professional development of the youth workers for better serving the youth in general and disadvantaged youth in particular.3. To use innovative approaches (positive psychology, education and eco-centric development) in professionalization of youth workers and to adapt this approaches for better services of disadvantaged youth.4. To increase the on-going support and lifelong learning for the personal and professional development of the youth workers)TARGET GROUPS- Teachers (mentors, tutors, managers in companies) of youth workers- Youth workers from partner countries trained by using the tools and materials elaborated within the project- Stakeholders: companies, social economy organizations, local/regional/national authorities.Opp4YOUth is a transnational cooperation project as its framework, needs, aims and target groups are shared by all involved partners and countries. Though the specific context of each partner country may vary the main features are shared. The proposed solution would be meaningless and ineffective if applied only by one partner/country.<< Implementation >>The general methodology that the project will follow includes the following activities:A1. Project Management and Coordination (M1-M24): planning of activities and resources for each result; distribution of tasks and responsibilities and coordination of work, covering:- development of Project Gantt chart and Risk Management Plan- management and coordination of financial, human, material resources within the project duration;- coordination and collaboration within the project and monitoring progress- hosting of project meetings and events- provision of progress/interim/final reportsA2. Dissemination and exploitation (M1-M24): ongoing distribution of information about project activities, progress, results, to ensure wider visibility of the project and involvement of stakeholders at each stage of the project life. It includes:- conduction of Multiplier Event – National conferences in Lithuania, Poland, Cyprus, Portugal and the final Valorisation Conference In Italy - development and ongoing update of D&E Strategy- development of templates for reporting of dissemination activities- preparation of texts for dissemination (press releases, articles for media publications, etc.)- collection and reporting of D&E activities and the issuance of consortium D&E report - coordination of the work of external subcontractors for promotional materials and project visual identityA3. Quality management (M1-M24): ongoing monitoring and evaluation of all aforementioned ongoing activities; assignment of corrective and preventive measures with regard to reducing perils to the project implementation and boosting quality of both work and results, including:- elaboration of Quality Management Plan and templates for internal evaluation- provision of input for evaluation e.g. filling evaluation forms- conduction of internal evaluations- evaluation of activities and results and the issuing of internal evaluation reports- communication and coordination of work with external evaluatorDevelopment of project results (M2-M22): execution of planned activities with the resources allocated within defined timeframe.RES1: Research among youthworkers and teachers about areas for personal and professional development1) Selection of 24 (4 x partner) young people and 12 (2 x partner) teachers who will be involved in project activities2) Carrying out an interviews and researches3) Review and experts discussion on partners’ thematic reports4) Elaboration of research summary report about areas for personal and professional developmentRES2: Methodology for personal and professional development based on non-formal learning1) Development of Opp4YOUth methodology and manual2) Opp4YOUth methodology testing during workshops for teachers3) Refinement of Opp4YOUth methodology and manual4) Digitalization of Opp4YOUth methodology and manual using web-platformRES3: Tools for personal and professional development for youthworkers1) Elaboration of the first version of training programme2) Cross-check of the developed training material3) Evaluation during training workshops for youth4) The final version releaseLearning/teaching/training activities are planned to held in this project:- LTT1 - Training workshops for 12 teachers in Cyprus (M11-M12)- LTT2 - Training workshops for 24 youth workers in Portugal (M18 -M19)<< Results >>TANGIBLE RESULTSA1. Project management:• Partnership contracts, Risk Management Plan and Project Action Plan – will serve as a tools for monitoring and allocation of responsibilities as well as official statement of partners’ commitment towards achievement of the project goals.• Interim and the final report–will be issued in M12 and M24 by V-S based on the inputs from all partnersA2. Quality Management• QMPlan: to be developed by V-s (M1-M2). The document will define the evaluation and monitoring procedures, tools to be applied and indicators to ensure quality of the work • Internal and external evaluation reports will be based on the evaluation procedures for quality assurance.A3. Dissemination and exploitation• D&E Strategy reports: developed by EduPlus, defining dissemination channels, tools and ways to reach target groups• Project website with platform with access to all results developed by EdiTC with EduPlus and will be maintained active at least 5 years after the project’s closure• Project visual identity: done by external design company subcontracted by EduPlus. The aim is to create a distinguishing and memorable image of the project across Europe• Opp4YOUth promotional materials & exploitation Pack: long-term marketing materials for dissemination purposes will be produced and will be circulated around Europe• Multiplier events intended promote and disseminate the project results: 4 small conferences in every project country: in total 120 participants and Project Final Conference - in total 60 participantsRESULTS:• RES1 - Summary report of the research among youth workers and teachers about areas for personal and professional development (EDS-FNS)• RES2 - Methodology for personal and professional development based on non-formal learning (VEM)• Manual including the developed intellectual materials (VEM)• RES3 - Tools for personal and professional development for youthworkers- training programme and materials including online platform (EDITC)• Testing workshops for 12 teachers (EDITC) and 24 young people (EduPlus)INTANGIBLE RESULTS- Exchange of know-how and good practices: all partners come from different professional fields and backgrounds and will exchange ideas and experience that will be useful in their work- Improved staff qualification- Improved organizational capacity: by implementing project activities, partners will improve their organisational skills and gain valuable experience for organisation of future large-scale initiatives and events- Extended network: partners will collaborate with stakeholders on national and EU level, which will lead to the creation of new and sustainable partnerships.- Increased the on-going support and lifelong learning for the personal and professional development of the youth workers- Reduced gap between the personal and professional needs of the youth workers.Among the intangible results there are also:1)Training activity (LTT1)-the initial version of methodology and manual in the international environment of teachers involved in the project will be tested. All participants will share their expectations, express opinions on the practical use of methodology and manual, validation process, remarks.2)Training activity (LTT2)-the participants will develop their competences in various areas:- will gain knowledge, skills and attitudes related to positive psychology, positive education, values, principles and quality standards in youth work at European level.- will enhance their capacities in the topics of Eco-centric development in youth work, in pedagogical tools, innovation and evaluation of results.- will enrich their competences on the topics of implementation, testing and evaluation of educational plans, self-directed learning, self-motivation for development and innovation.3)After training activities (C1, C2) the participants will train other youth workers in their countries (20 per country) In each of the countries involved in the project.

<< Objectives >>Regarding the teachers, they will have been trained and will possess knowledge, which they will be able totransfer to other teaching fields, beyond the subject of cultural heritage, such as the lesson of history, language expression, geography, arts. At the school level, they will be able to adopt proposals and ideas that will make them carriers of culture and effectively in managing cross-cultural programs and students will gain knowledge.<< Implementation >>Τhe content will be cultural history and heritage tracing actions. They will concern customs, myths and legends, traditional tasting-cooking, folklore tradition (traditional professions and games, music-dance, etc.). All will be researched by students and mastered through a variety of activities. The methodology will be based on experiential learning and its collaborative mastery.<< Results >>It is expected for all participants, teachers, students, parents, etc. to have communication witholder generations and out-of-school agencies, familiarization with folklore spaces, improvement of abilities and skills: use of English and ICT, interaction and effective guidance and execution of instructions, exploration, verbal and non-verbal expression, connection of cultural heritage with modern everyday life and formation of intercultural consciousness with practical impact.