<< Background >>A lingering problem of brain drain and its main cause, high youth unemployment, has been well known in the South of Italy, Spain and Greece for a long time. In the rural areas and small towns such as Molfetta, far away from industrial and financial centers, a job market is slow, the offer is limited or it just doesn’t match young people’s needs, dreams and interests. Based on the Italian National Report EU Youth Dialogue, 77,6% of interviewed young people think they don’t have access to high quality jobs, that guarantee equal working conditions (Youth Goal#7).While in this case a perfect response would be some entrepreneurial activity/starting a business/self-employment, the available data ‘’often indicate that youth are very interested in becoming self-employed. Recent surveys show that almost half of youth would prefer to work as self-employed rather than working as an employee. However, very few youngsters work as self-employed.’’ (OECD)In order to find out what our and our partners' local youth think about entrepreneurship and to explore their needs when facing this issue, we did research in the form of a questionnaire, with open and closed-end questions. We gathered 217 responses from young people from Puglia (IT), Canary Islands and Extremadura (ES) and Dytiki Ellada (GR) aged 14 to 29. Based on public data and questionnaire answers (total 217) we identified 3 major needs that will be addressed by our project :- A need for knowledge, skills, competences – this was the most important need, expressed in the questionnaire. It will be addressed by providing a youth friendly learning experience created in collaboration with the young people themselves. The aim of it is to give them an opportunity to learn, in their own way and at their own pace, the crucial steps that make part of a journey such as starting a business. The ''interactive'' part means that the participants won’t be just passive viewers and users, but rather ENGAGED, by testing, providing feedback, answering questions, doing tasks, reflecting on material provided, putting in practice what they’ve learned…- A need for support, company, mentoring - this need will be approached from two sides: 1. The project foresees a training for youth workers in order to skill them up and enable them to provide much needed support and mentoring to young people, when it comes to developing ideas, searching for opportunities, facing challenges, and especially in case they fail. 2. Except YW, the project acknowledges also the importance of making connections and network between peers, participants themselves, who can support and complement each other. Therefore it will favor building CONNECTIONS between participants, youth workers, established local young entrepreneurs and other target groups.- A need for inspiration, motivation, emotion–an answer that appeared repeatedly in the questionnaire was a wish to be more self confident, brave, courageous, audacious which we translated in a screaming need for EMPOWERMENT. In order to meet this need the project will strive to convey this idea of creating a value-oriented business or activity, based on one’s own passion, interest, knowledge and means available, by establishing relationships and cooperation, instead of competition, and trying to fix some of the problems, large or small, in their community (or further). Other than that, it will involve making inspiring videos with young entrepreneurs who managed to overcome the challenges and take the plunge.<< Objectives >>The main aim of this project is to enhance the likelihood of youth in partner countries to start their own business (but also some other type of initiative, e.g. NGO, blog, free-lancing, self-employment, social enterprise, web portal...), as a sort of a ‘’passion project’’ or ‘’a business of love’’, through development of innovative personalized learning experience to support it, and by taking 360°view of the youth and applying both traditional (business model Canvas, business plan etc.) and modern (design thinking, effectuation theory, lean startup) entrepreneurial approaches. Objectives of the project are to:-develop an engaging and fun youth-tailored learning experience for boosting business management skills and entrepreneurial mindset, which includes: 1. an interactive e-course with a forum, 2. building networks and peer learning, 3. support from the youth workers, motivating and guiding participants in their learning process.-raise awareness on the benefits and importance of starting a business to fulfil a need for meaning and purpose (by developing one’s hobby, interest, passion, or solving problems in their community) through a series of inspiring videos of local entrepreneurs to whom they can relate and build connections. -equip YW and peer organizations with methodology, tools, skills and knowledge in the field of digital youth work and new approaches in entrepreneurship (such as ‘’effectuation theory’’).- work for and with young people in tackling challenges connected to youth entrepreneurship.<< Implementation >>All the activities in this project are intertwined and there is a clear flow of the activities and project outputs that lead to the completion of the project objectives and the final goal. The order of activities is well established, so that each work-package and result of it, will provide an input for the next one. - Development of IO1: research of Key entrepreneurial competences crucial for starting a business and entrepreneurial approaches and practices used by YW, training centers, etc..., and their effectiveness. This will give us (and the sector) a sound foundation and insight which will be used to actually create a learning experience that is based on real needs, facts and information. - The training course, C1, will be created taking into consideration research results. It will skill up YW of partner organizations with entrepreneurial skills and tools (modern and traditional, digital and non-digital) and build competences that they will apply in their future work, but also to carry out following activities within the project and successfully deliver IO2, IO3 and IO4, and the YE and Local activities. - IO2- a clear innovative methodology and guidelines for YW for organizing entrepreneurial activities, programmes and training for young people, which will encompass non-formal learning methods and practices (taking into consideration IO1 and YW's feedback from TC). It will provide the YW a well-elaborated and systemized knowledge to use in the following phases and after the lifecycle of the project. - During the period of IO2 development, C2-Job shadowing is planned to take place. It will lead to exchange of good practices and incorporation of new ones between InCo and Radio Ecca, organizations with a similar overall mission, but very different experiences.- IO3 - e-learning course is the crucial tangible result of the project, as it will be created based on all previous project results and sound knowledge, and real needs of young people expressed via questionnaires. It will lead to the enrichment of partners' training offer and work in the field of youth entrepreneurship, and provide young people a high quality learning platform to foster their sense of initiative and entrepreneurial ideas.- Local labs/workshops which will serve us as an occasion to, again, directly involve youth in the decision-making, apply IO2 and get the valuable feedback in order to finetune it. It will be organized in each partner country, involving 120 youngsters in total, after which partners will make a reunion to exchange feedback obtained through questionnaires and evaluation and reflection sessions. - C3 - Youth exchange will involve young people and YW from all partner countries. The participants will have an opportunity to test all previous project results, and especially IO3 - e-course, and propose final improvements, before we start with the dissemination. They will also engage in plenty of non-formal activities and develop their ideas in international setting, collaborating with their peers from other countries, get inspired by young entrepreneurs from Italy, Spain and Greece.- IO4 - A series if inspiring videos of local young entrepreneurs will be inserted in the IO3 and will be used as a audio-visual material when carrying out these types of training in the future. It will lead to the empowerment of young people, motivation to look for role-models in their environment and raising awareness about importance of supporting small businesses and young entrepreneurs in our area. - TM and online meetings will ensure a successful collaboration and strong bonds between partners, project monitoring, completing project objectives in time and providing high quality results. - ME and dissemination activities will allow target groups outside of our partnership to become familiar with the results, adopt some of them and propose ideas regarding the future development and exploitation.<< Results >>PROJECT OUTPUTS - Direct results of the project are following:-IO1 Research – the first output is research of key entrepreneurial competences and existing practices in teaching, promoting and facilitating youth entrepreneurship and best practices. -IO2 Methodology for YW and trainers – based on the results of above mentioned research we will create a set of methods and guidelines, proposing digital and non digital tools, to be used when creating entrepreneurship training or programmes for youth. -IO3 e- learning course – entrepreneurial online course developed based on thorough research of needs, existing and innovative practices, created with and for young people.-IO4 series of videos- it will be made with local young entrepreneurs who will answer the most common questions and doubts youngsters have. The main aim is to inspire young people by stories and testimonials of people they can relate to, instead of usual examples of worldly famous brilliant and rich entrepreneurs. It is also an opportunity to promote local small businesses and sustainable practices. PROJECT OUTCOMES- Expected effects of project outputs:Directly:- 144 young people from 3 countries enhanced their entrepreneurial and other skills through direct participation in project activities.- 10 Youth Workers/Trainers from partner organizations are equipped with skills, knowledge, methodology and digital tools to support young people's entrepreneurial aspirations.- 5 partner organizations built their capacities to collaborate with organizations from different sectors, transnationally, to implement digital content and ICT into their work with target groups, to support better entrepreneurial programming and schemes in their area.- 12 Local young entrepreneurs un partner countries achieved increased visibility of their businesses and initiatives.Indirectly:-Youth in rural and remote areas are provided a means to obtain competences, ideas, support – Thanks to the interactive e-course, support from youth workers and opportunity to interact and connect with their peers, young people, and especially those from rural and remote areas, will develop: 1. Entrepreneurial competences (seeking opportunities, transforming ideas into actions, networking, setting objectives, information seeking… ); 2. Ideas (based on their passion, hobby, interest, problems in community, available means and knowledge …); 3. Support (provided by trained youth workers). Although these are necessary for an aspiring entrepreneur, such competences, ideas and support are useful for any profession and personal development;- Young people are equipped with digital and non digital tools for starting and running a business- besides theoretical knowledge, participants will have examples of useful tools to put in practice what they have learned, for example apps, exercises, software etc. for social media management, email marketing, making videos,…- Young people will have access to useful information on opportunities, programmes, calls, financial resources, local, national, European- course will provide a section dedicated to promoting and informing young people about opportunities available for those with entrepreneurial ideas, so that they can continue to develop them even if they don’t have resources;- Established relationships and network between participants, local young entrepreneurs, youth workers – the project emphasizes importance of networking and collaboration instead of competition;- Youth workers and sector in general is provided with concrete systemized knowledge obtained through research, methodology and digital content to better support aspiring entrepreneurs-to-be and foster entrepreneurial culture in their areas.

<< Background >>According to OECD research, by 2018, in the EU, around 7% of the population (over 60) have dementia. Studies foresee that this percentage will rise to over 8% by 2040 due to population ageing; the higher the number of elderly people in a country, the bigger the proportion of people with dementia.During the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone has been negatively affected by the crisis, but the more vulnerable have been disproportionately impacted. Many people with dementia have been experiencing a worsening of symptoms due to lack of access to care and social isolation.Moreover, adults and caregivers looking after people with dementia have experienced an intensification in stress and burden for both the lack of knowledge on the behavioural and attitudinal changes that characterise dementia and the anti-COVID restrictive measures that have forced everyone at home. Amongst the stressors, physical, emotional, and economic pressures are the ones that are affecting the most informal carers. For this reason, greater support for them is needed, including education on how to assist better in caring, a higher understanding of dementia itself, and the acquisition of educational methodologies to enable the engagement of people with dementia in cognitive activities.With this project, we aim to provide support to all those adults who look after people with dementia on a daily basis, with a specific focus on relatives, legal guardians, and informal carers, by developing useful training materials to decrease the physical, emotional, and economic burden to the families with suffering patients.The direct target groups of this project will be adults and relatives who are informal carers of people suffering from dementia.Beneficiaries will be people with dementia, including its associated diseases, NGOs working with senior citizens or dementia or Alzheimer's disease, nursing home facilities, residential care facilities, social workers and nurses, and volunteers providing assistance to people with dementia.<< Objectives >>Specific objectives of InfoCARE will be:- To provide families, adults and legal guardians of people suffering from dementia with useful tools, tips, and activities based on non-formal education (R1);- To raise awareness on dementia and its symptoms amongst their families and caregivers, and in the society;- To develop ad-hoc training contents based on a strong working methodology and NFE (R1);- To improve the social interaction between people suffering from dementia and their informal carers and families. specific innovative devices, such as Amazon Echo Show or Spot and Google Nest Hub (R2),- To increase digital skills and literacy amongst target groups;- To enhance caring and assistance conditions for caregivers;- To create a network between informal carers of people with dementia through support groups (R3);-To diminish the stigma surrounding people with dementia through the creation of innovative activities and the extensive use of new technologies and NFE.- To implement 2 piloting activities to directly involve the target groups, that will therefore provide useful feedback for the development of high-quality material;<< Implementation >>To reach the project’s goals, we aim to develop the following results:R1 - Training on Cognitive activities - Mind-Stimulating Activities for Dementia Patients;R2 - Remote caring - Mind-Stimulating Activities through new technologies;R3 - Development of support groups for relatives and legal guardians of people with dementia.Specific activities will be developed to reach goals and objectives:- Definition of an ad-hoc working methodology, resulting from the careful analysis led by the project consortium, in order to meet the needs of the target groups (R1);- Development of 4 modules which constitute the content of the Training (R1);- Adaptation of the activities of the R1 so that they can be performed through specific innovative devices, such as Amazon Echo Show or Spot and Google Nest Hub (R2);- Providing digital literacy support for the informal carers (R2);- 3 piloting activities involving at least 75 pax;- 10 case studies of successful support groups (R3).5 Transnational Project Meetings (TPMs) will be organised to assess strategic milestones of project outcomes, to validate working methodologies, perform interim quality and budget control, and reinforce the transnational partnership.<< Results >>The project results that will be implemented are the following:R1 - Training on Cognitive activities - Mind-Stimulating Activities for Dementia Patients; implemented with the extensive support of non-formal education. It will consist in the development of 4 Modules containing useful activities to stimulate the cognitive abilities in patients with dementia in case they deteriorate. A pilot activity will be implemented to test the materials and gather useful feedback from the target groups in order to deliver high-quality material.R2 - Remote caring - Mind-Stimulating Activities through new technologies; adapting the activities of R1 in a way that they can be performed remotely with the support of new technologies and devices such as, Amazon Echo Show or Spot and Google Nest Hub. In this way, we will provide a practical response to the COVID-19 restrictive measures of social distancing. A pilot activity will also be performed with the target groups.R3 - Development of support groups for relatives and legal guardians of people with dementia. A training to support informal caregivers to create support groups, in order to share experience, best practices, and to encourage them to overcome the stigma surrounding people with dementia. It will consist of 4 Modules and a pilot training at the end of which each partner will collect two best examples of support groups in their community, for a total of at least 10 case studies.All the deliverables and project outcomes will be produced in English and translated into project partners’ national languages to enhance their shareability and exploitation.To ensure a smooth and flawless implementation of PMI activities and project results, 5 TPMs will be organised at key project milestones, as further described in the dedicated section.The 5 Multiplier Events will make sure that all the beneficiaries, stakeholders, and potential future users of the project results will be reached, therefore producing a greater impact and ensuring longer-term sustainability, even after the project funding ends.Dissemination activities will be organised and implemented by all the project consortium according to specific roles in the project, which will be further described in the Sharing, Promotion and Use of the Project's Results section.

<< Objectives >>“Digi-skills SEN” Project Consortium will create a multi-faceted, interactive and authentic program that will cater effective high-level technological tools for assessment, teaching, evaluation and validation of digital competences for SEN Teachers. The tools that will be offered by this project will enable SEN teachers to evaluate their skills and upgrade their competences accordingly and align their teaching practices with the requirements of the 21st Century, post-Covid era for their pupils.<< Implementation >>Activities of the Digi-skills SEN project are:1. Effective collaboration and communication2. 5 Transnational partners' meetings 3. Regular monitoring and quality check4. Advisory board meetings in partner countries5. Production of work packagesWP2: Digital Resources and Learning Outcomes for SEN TeachersWP3: Digi-Skills Sen Online Learning PlatformWP4: Mobile Application for Educational and Technical Softwares6. Piloting activities7. Dissemination and reporting activities<< Results >>The expected project results are as follows:- A comprehensive curriculum tailored for the ICT needs of SEN teachers- A whiteboard animation video on curriculum and the project- Exercises, flashcards and visual tips for facilitation of learning- An online learning platform for SEN teachers strategic ICT use - 6 technical webinars with experts- A mobile application with a self-assessment tool- Infographic and paper brochures of the WPs- Final conference report- Seminar and NAB reports

<< Background >>The recent COVID-19 crisis, increased the numbers, with over a half of YP across the globe showing signs of depression and anxiety (Youth & Covid-19 survey in 112 countries). Fear, worry and stress are emotions that YP are likely have felt in the recent 2 years, undoubtedly affecting their mental health. Furthermore, based on the survey, many YP have seen their futures impacted by the pandemic, as many national economies were collapsed. This led to constant fear and worry about their future career prospects which could have long-term, negative results if not addressed.However, the mental health crisis on YP has been building for a long time before the pandemic. A study of WHO, revealed a decline in YP’s mental well-being from 2014 -2018. It is estimated that 4% of 15-24 years old, recognize that they might suffer from chronic depression, while 14% of the European youth between 18-24 feel anxiety. Importantly, half of all MHP in adulthood turn out during or before adolescence period (WHO Europe). Indeed, the transition to adulthood even though it is an interesting period of our life, is also critical and transformative time since it is full of challenges, which can trigger of anxiety and worries.In addition, while YP are experiencing MHP in a higher level than other age groups, they are often reluctant into seeking professional help either because they may not recognise what is happening, or they feel ashamed. It is estimated that only 10–15% of YP with mental health problems receive help from existing mental health services (WHO 2005). While organizations are developing programmes for promoting YP’s mental health, these programmes tend to be deficit-oriented, emphasizing on YP’s problems, leading them to focus on what is wrong rather than what is right. From a professional’s view, this can increase stigmatization and reduce YP’s motivation to take care of their selves. Therefore, youth programmes should focus on helping YP to concentrate on how they can solve their problems and what they can do in order to prevent from having any. Moreover, although it’s evident that well informed YW on the mental health can deliver distinctive outcomes for YP, many YW find it difficult to open discussions with YP on mental health issues, maybe because they do not have the skills/knowledge to initiate these kind of conversations. If YW can encourage YP to talk about their emotions, they can reduce the existing social stigma around mental health which makes it harder for them to recover. Based on the above, and the fact that the Mental Wellbeing and end stigmatisation of MHP, for achieving social inclusion of all YP, is one of the most important priorities of the EU YOUTH STRATEGY, the project aims to promote positive mental health in YP by improving their knowledge around mental health and equipping them with skills to take care and maintain their mental wellbeing.<< Objectives >>The project aims to:•Normalize MHP by encouraging YW and YP to talk about them, share experiences, and being there for others when help is needed •Equip YW with the needed knowledge, skills and attitudes to address the needs of YP regarding mental health issues.•Help YP to better understand their emotions, talk more about mental health issues, and develop resilience.•Reduce social stigma and normalise conversation around MHP;•Promote healthier attitudes and behaviours in the long-term as YP will be equipped with skills and competences during adolescence enabling the avoidance of mental health issues in their adult life;<< Implementation >>1.Organization of 2 group discussions with YP for collection and analysis of data-PR1: It is planned that 30 YP (20 for CY) per country, will participate (Total: 200 YP). Participants will be selected from the existing networks of the partner organisations. Main aim of both activities is to assess YP’s Mental Health Literacy level, skills for coping with stressful situations, attitudes towards people with MHP (social stigma) and record the main MHP they might face. 2.KNOWLEDGE PACK: Based on the identification of the Associate Partners each partner will select 2 Advisory Experts (Mental Health Professionals with experience in working with YP) who will participate in an ONLINE PEER REVIEW Activity for evaluating and providing feedback on the produced PACK (Total: 12 experts – 2 per country). 3.C1-Train the TRAINERS: 2 YW per country will participate in the training activity for 7 days (2 traveling) and be prepared for the utilization of the developed Project Results and setting up the YouthMINDS CHALLENGE, organised in SP.4.YP and YW will participate in the scheduled execution of the GUIDEBOOK in PR5 for the PILOT TESTING of PR1, PR2, PR3, PR4. Following the C1 activity, 20 YP selected by each partner organization will attended the YouthMINDS CHALLENGE which will be run for months in each country (each partner will decide the exact dates based on availability of YP and YW) by the trained YW and the support of the host organization. The CHALLENGE will include: a)A 30 hours training workshops for YP utlizing the developed project results combined with outdoor activities (in the park, beach, on the mountains) for helping YP to realise their intellectual and emotional potential and be prepare to deal with mental health issues, promote mental health and wellbeing, healthy lifestyle, reduction of social stigma etc. b)During the course, YP will need to register in the PLATFORM, join the e-LEARNING and e-COMMUNITY and complete some quizzes in their free time. c)Download the InnerYOU APP, proceed to self assesment and create their own PERSONALISED ACTION PLAN to be performed. d)Selection of 5 YP and 2 YW to accompany them, for the C2 Blended Mobility of learners in PL.e)Three weeks following the pilot testing, a focus group will be organized for inviting YP to evaluate the Smartphone APP and provide their suggestions for improvement etc. 5.NATIONAL CONFERENCES (E1-E6): 30 YW and YP will attend the local conference in each partner country. (Total. 200). Partner organization will try to reach direct and indirect target groups though:-Newsletters (4) will be online distributed to YP, youth organisations-national youth councils, schools, teachers, trainers, NGOs, and other actors in order to be actively involved in the project work. (Total receivers of newsletters: 1400, 200/country email addresses)-Social media will be used to involve people in project's outcomes. (Total at least 350/ 50 per country). All the material developed will upload to Facebook page of the project in order to enhance their dissemination.-Other national events, e.g. MENTAL HEALTH DAY, ERASMUS+ DAYS, EU YOUTH WEEK, etc where the project will be presented (Total visitors 10.000)It should be noted that the above estimates do not include all categories of persons obtaining information on the project and its activities, whose number will not be feasible to be recorded, e.g persons visiting the PORTAL without being registered, persons indirectly obtaining information through the SALTO etc.<< Results >>The main Project results that are expected to be achieved during the implementation phase are: •InnerYOU SMARTPHONE APPLICATION addresed to YP, with personalized Action Plans including a set of physical and relaxation activities to be performed at a weekly basis, which will help the user to build emotional strength and to cope with stressful situations etc. The plans will be based on each person needs and characteristics with the aim to improve their mental health state. •an innovative KNOWLEDGE PACK combining text, audio, image and video dedicated on enhancing YP’s MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY. The PACK will include various creative resources and tools such as e-books, podcasts, educational videos, e-quizzes focused on increasing awareness of YP on mental health conditions, treatment, healthy lifestyle etc.•An ACTIVITY PACK for YW, aim to help YP to develop/improve/mantain their social and emotional skills, as social-emotional development is highly linked with positive mental health and can support individuals in coping with stress, dealing with different emotional states, improving personal relationships etc. •A CLOUD-BASED PLATFORM addresed to YP, YW and other educators/trainers/professionals working with YP with three main functionalities: e-Learning (with all learning material ), the e-COMMUNITY (where all participants will be linked, experts, volunteers, YP, YW etc.) and the HELP DESK. •A GUIDEBOOK addressed to YW and youth organizations with the essential methodology, roles and responsibilities of participants, requirements, SWOT analysis, procedures, guidelines and tools for setting up the YouthMINDS CHALLENGE for ensuring project’s exploitation and sustainability and the pilot testing of all the produces IOs.During the project and after its completion, the partners expect that both YW and YP, as well as partners’ organizations, will gain experience and knowledge from this collaboration:•YP will be more aware on Mental Health issues and wellbeing.•More prepared YW to address mental health issues and strengthen young people’s social and emotional development•by reducing social and self-stigma•More educated YP and YW on Mental illness resulting to the reduction of social stigma, which eventually will promote social inclusion of YP with Mental Health IsuuesThe project will include all the necessary results to be coherent and successfully implemented. In complementing the PRs the partners will also deliver the following results:- Project Management Plan that will include specific initiations and guidelines on project management, time and resources allocation, communication process and the quality plan.-Quality Assurance plan covering the overall course of the project to make sure all activities are undertaken in an effective way leading to desired results - 1 Dissemination, and 1 Exploitation and Sustainability Plan that will outline and set an action plan for all the dissemination activities of the project- Minutes following each partner project meetings (4 F2F and 6 Skypes)- Reports (e.g. activity, financial, dissemination) as requested by the partner agreement and the management plan based on which the progress and final reports will be based on to showcase the development of the project in comparison to the Gantt ChartOther results to be produced, during and at its completion are:- Project logo, website, FB- 6 Multiplier events in the framework of the dissemination and exploitation of activities in each country.- Creation and distribution of dissemination material (posters, informative videos etc.)- 4 Newsletters developed and disseminated after important project milestones to be translated in all partner languages, distribute to stakeholders- 156 users to access the YouthMINDS PLATFORM by the end of the project (2 youth workers, 20 young people from each partner country) and download the InnerYOU Smartphone App - 350 posts to be uploaded on social media within the project duration