The promotion of gender equality in and through education is a prerequisite to the achievement of equality between women and men in all spheres of life in society. The Council of Europe has promoted gender equality and non-stereotyped education at all levels. By shaping gender representations, attitudes and behaviours, early education is an essential factor to combat stereotypes and bring about social and cultural changes. Gender mainstreaming will play an active part in implementing awareness-raising and training on gender equality. Policymakers and educators worldwide should not underestimate the importance of early childhood education on the development of deeply engrained gender norms. It is important to consider the cognitive and affective formation of gender identity which develops in early childhood. The types of skills, personality attributes, and career aspirations learned through teacher-child interactions and childhood play can form stereotypical masculine and feminine attitudes toward gender roles, which develop before adolescence. By associating gender equality and STEAM focused on pre-school, primary and junior secondary education the project addresses the underrepresentation of girls in STE(A)M (Science, Technology, Arts, Engineering and Mathematics) who will be the future women in STE(A)M careers.Objective: This project is concerned with gender equality in pre-school, primary and lower secondary education and aims at contributing to increased capabilities to reduce stereotypes by developing a series of innovative and interactive materials, tested through a behavioural science lens for their potential to increase equality by amendment of practical everyday skills and social norms regarding attitudes and stereotypes, especially in STEAM and in what concerns teachers and youngsters.Learning Objectives:(using Bloom's Taxonomy action verbs)By concluding this project, participants will be able to:- Define unconscious biases and gender stereotypes in pre-school, primary and secondary STEAM education by raising awareness of target groups- Support pre-school, primary and lower-secondary school teachers by providing them training, materials to deal with diversity and gender-balance in their classrooms (e. g. helping them to design suitable education programmes, organise hands-on activity, promoting Equality in STEAM and mentoring) and then engage more girls in STEAM education- Create a friendly ECOSYSTEM in class where girls in early education will feel appreciated and motivated to participate in STEAM activities as equals both in number and in terms of responsibilitiesThe project will target 3 groups:I.Early education professionals.II.Head of teachers, school directors, representatives of regional/national and EU authorities, decison-makers, STEAM women,III.Children of 5+ - 12, the final beneficiary of project results. Five outputs will be produced: O1Training Programme on GE-STEAM (in all partners’ languages - English) for teachers (Behavioural levers) O2 Repository for teachers on ‘Assistant Platform’ O3 Introducing Art in STEM using Project Based Learning and Kit-hands-on self-teach activities O4 Peer Mentoring and Business Mentoring Schemes O5 Adaptation, Translation and Testing/Piloting the GE-STEAM Training Programme accompanied by Assistant Platform ( EBook in 4 languages)Coordinated by a public body Teaching Staff Training and Research Centre the project gathered a varied pool of organisations: Schools - FPSLD BG and ProF (a language and training school in the countryside) - Training Centres with a long experience and expertise in project's implementation (one located in the countryside FIP in Ireland and Postal 3 in Vigo, Spain. The majority of the outputs will be translated into all partner languages. The methodology used is that based on a behavioural sciences methodological framework. According to current reports, we can fully act on this age range to engage more girls in STEAM education. Behavioural Insight is a process that looks at Behaviours, Analysis, Strategies, Interventions, Change (BASIC). This approach will allow the project partners to get to the root of the problem(gender stereotyping and bias), gather evidence on what works, show support for innovation, and ultimately improve the situation. The testing will involve 75 teachers; Peer-mentoring 40 mentors and 40 mentees; 30 Business Mentors and 1124 children/pupils. The evaluation of the actual impact on teachers, decisionmakers and pupils should be done by discouraging a specific behaviour towards gender balance especially in STEAM subjects. Before-after self-assessment questionnaires, using the exact same target group can show us the amount of change in their behaviour.

"Jobs increasingly involve analyzing and communicating information. Challenges in VET include strengthening efforts to promote creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, and ensuring professional development opportunities for VET teachers and trainers. ICT skills become more critical in terms of getting and keeping a job. “Qualifications should include foreign languages, and international cooperation between institutions should encourage new approaches to teaching and learning."" (Bruges Communiqué).Social economy is an important pillar of the European economy. More than 4.5% of the active EU population is employed there. The SET2CLIL project results have the potential to contribute to the development of entrepreneurial, language and digital skills in VET, to the enhancement of digital integration in VET and to the promotion of easily accessible continuing VET. 3 intellectual outputs (curriculum, eRepository and trainer’s guide) have been created by partner institutions from 5 EU countries: Infocenter (an accredited VET Center from Bulgaria), Professional Foundation (a non-profit foundation from Romania providing certified continuing education), Vocational and Technical Secondary School for girls in TK, Mary Immaculate Collage from Ireland providing undergraduate degree programmes, postgraduate programmes to doctoral level in Education and in the Liberal Arts, and a Spanish private company dedicated to rural development. The partnership achieved the results by involving in the project activities over 750 would-be and acting social entrepreneurs, VET learners, trainers, teacher training institutes, NGOs and decision-makers, authorities and policy-makers, content and language teachers, bilingual teachers, ICT teachers, teachers in economics, etc. Such activities included: researches and surveys, selection of real-life stories and creation of case studies, resource development and evaluation, dissemination and valorization, multiplier events, etc. The SET2CLIL project has actually merged the expertise of language teachers, social entrepreneurs and ICT trainers to create an innovative and open-access VET solution. It has opened the conversation of social enterprise and developed awareness by providing an accessible curriculum with the additional elements of language and digital skills. The project partners have created a curriculum focused on developing skills in Social Entrepreneurship (SE), English Language and Digital skills by applying the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) method. The curriculum provides the opportunity for both trainers and learners to develop key competency skills that are transversal and can be applied in a variety of different contexts with learners from different backgrounds in the SE sector. The curriculum will allow the learners to develop key skills in SE by studying content through different perspectives using every day English oral language, reading and writing skills and more subject-specific target language terminology through a variety of different digital means and resources. Learners are supported in undertaking the curriculum by eRepository of more than 150 training activities, videos and other resources. Trainers are further supported in delivering the Curriculum by a Trainer’s Guide advising them on how to successfully incorporate the resources in their teaching.The project capacity to use and build on the project results after the end of the funding period is considerable. The outputs have been widely disseminated among the relevant targets and policy-makers and have been created in a way to allow for easy transferability and adaptability to different contexts and targets.Impact evaluation shows that although the outputs have initially been thought for VET they are an invaluable resource for the secondary school classroom too.All project materials are free and accessible at: http://set2clil.tryavna.eu"

The URBANUS-19 project aims to support vulnerable young people (VYP) while facing social challenges increased by Covid crisis and to empower them with the skills to portrait and overcome vulnerability experiences through the arts. We will create a “cubist self-portrait of today’s society” through multiple artistic expressions. Implemented by 5 partner organisations in 4 EU countries. The project will also contribute to the development of artistic, civic and social potential in their communities and especially in urban areas.OBJECTIVES-Implementing “Artistic Resistances” - through Art Installations, Community Theatre and Documentaries Reportage - bringing together young people in 4 partner countries by telling their stories related to the pandemic and neighbourhood;-Creation of exhibition spaces in partner countries to display participants’ creations, hold performances and collect feedback by the audience and wider public;-Staff training on participatory methodologies and creativity in youth work;-Showcase the situation of the neighbourhood environments during the pandemic by triggering artistic creation processes, also addressing topics such as social inclusion, European citizenship and cultural awareness of citizens and in particular young people;-Promoting contemporary artistic creation as a tool for analysis on social issues, leading to participatory and intercultural dialogue and connecting educational institutions, organisations from social and cultural sectors and young people;-Enhancing participants’ and staff’s socialisation skills and resilience in reaction to Covid-19 crisis through the arts, while gaining tools and competencies necessary to find creative and innovative solutions to face unprecedented social challenges.In particular, the URBANUS-19 will develop:-1 Handbook on Participation Methodologies in youth work;-1 Toolkit on Creativity in youth work;-1 P&C Online Platform for trainers and young people;-1 Blended Hackathon Framework - “Hack on Arts”.TARGET GROUPSThe project targets Vulnerable Young People (VYP) particularly exposed to Covid crisis in terms of social exclusion and lack of labour, creativity and socialisation opportunities, especially in urban areas. Specific sub-groups to be addressed by each partner: VYP with a migration background, young people exposed to cyberbullying, young Roma people and NEETS, young women experiencing social/labour/education exclusion.NEEDS ANALYSISThe COVID-19 health emergency has severely limited the recreational and participatory opportunities of young people outside the home both at European and at the local level. These limitations are a common problem for all countries participants in URBANUS-19, accompanied by the suspension of all educational activities in the presence, thus preventing the regular development of the potential of young people deriving from the development of experiences outside the family context. URBANUS-19 intends to implement interventions, experimental and innovative, for the empowerment of young people, in compliance with indications provided by the various European governments on the safe reopening of participatory and recreational activities.PROJECT PARTNERSHIPProject leader, Orizzonti Social Cooperative (Italy), delivers social and cultural services for the inclusion of young people -some of them with a migration background. Our second Italian partner, Associazione Girotondo, is committed to providing digital and media education for young people, even in cooperation with schools. Our partners from Germany, the Euro-Med Youth Federation (EMYF), is composed of youth initiatives, NGOs, workers and activists in the field of youth empowerment and sustainable development, committed to fostering cooperation in Euro-Mediterranean countries. Moreover, a Romanian partner, Fundatia Professional, equally committed to fostering social inclusion of youth, women with special needs and Young Roma people. Lastly, the partnership includes one organisation from Slovenia, DRPDNM that carries out activities for the inclusion of Roma youth and NEETS as well as for stimulating civil dialogue.TRANSNATIONAL DIMENSIONThis joint work will involve partners from the 4 above-mentioned countries (Italy, Slovenia, Romania, Germany), some with a stronger background in P&C methodologies in youth work as well as in EU-funded projects and others younger in terms of experience. This transnational work will be supported by the European network organisation in the field of youth, our partner EMYF - based in Germany but also working as “network of networks” at Euro-Mediterranean level throughout its network in 40 countries. Our partner DRPDNM will also contribute to this in light of its role as the “Regional NGO Center”, targeting 1.500 NGOs and 21 Municipalities in Slovenia as well as at interregional level.

Countless educational institutions across Europe are enduring a period of rapid pedagogical transformation as teachers, trainers and other academic staff are increasingly having to rely on technology to deliver blended or online learning to their learning cohort. The same is also true of learners who have also had to make seismic shifts as a response to the Covid 19 pandemic, contact limitations and physical distancing measures. The crucial issues we now face are; are teachers appropriately equipped to deal with the shift in pedagogical or technical terms? And have education managers considered the end users' needs and perspectives? To switch effectively to online learning, three overarching requirements need to be fulfilled; access to the internet, the right technology, skills to use the technology. We have seen a rapid transition to online learning across the board, where professionals who might have been previously 'resistant' to using technology to support their teaching and learning, or lacked confidence to make the transition, have now been forced at pace to gain experience and expertise with a wide array of digital tools. To ensure that learning was disrupted as little as possible, educators had to quickly install, adopt and become experts with digital tools — Online learning management systems, video conferencing tools and messaging platforms etc — just to make sure students could access course materials and communicate with teachers. In many ways the pandemic and necessary safety measures have, and still are, forcing educators to 'flatten the learning curve' to the point where staff and learners should be more comfortable engaging with learning tools and online technologies. By managing the learning curve effectively we could see a shift in educational culture, and the ability or willingness for educators to collaborate, becoming agile agents of the technological change. But is this the case across the sector?The use of digital content in all levels of education was relatively uncommon before the Covid crisis. Only 20% of countries had digital learning resources in teaching, and only in some schools. Worldwide, a mere 10% of countries had robust digital learning capabilities offering some of the educational materials available outside of school. According to the World Bank, no country had a universal digital curriculum for teaching and learning. These numbers paint a picture of the efforts that governments and schools had to take to rapidly move to distance learning to ensure continuity of learning. (europeandataportal.eu/)Pre-pandemic, in 2019, only 8% of people aged 16 to 74 in the EU reported that they did an online course in the 3 months prior to the survey, a minor increase compared with 7% in 2017. Compared with 2010, the share of people doing an online course doubled from 4%. Young people, aged 16 to 24, were generally doing online courses more frequently than the average adult population. In 2019, 13% of young people reported doing an online course in the last 3 months, compared to 9% among adults aged 25 to 64. Among older people (aged 65 to 74), only 1% did an online course. Even larger differences between the age groups are observed in one further aspect of online learning activities: communication with instructors or students via educational websites or portals. In 2019, 28% of young people aged 16 to 24 reported to have communicated with instructors and students online in the last 3 months, while only 7% of those aged 25 to 64 were doing this. (ec.europa.eu/eurostat)Widespread and affordable broadband access is certainly one of the means of promoting a knowledge-based and informed society, in 2019, the share of EU households with efficient internet access had risen to 90% from 50% a decade before, while 73% of the most commonly connected mobile devices were smart phones, laptops and tablet computers. However, across all of the Learning Curve partner countries there is still a digital divide, although it varies significantly country to country. Given the existing digital divide, new shifts in education approaches and expectations might even risk widening inequality even further. In preparatory research, all partner countries reported less than satisfactory access to the internet with devices 'dedicated solely for learning'. The quality of online education doesn't simply depend on access to internet, it also requires the right technology, and the requisite skills to use and deploy them for learning. The digital divide could deepen if the effectiveness of education is directly linked to access to the latest technologies, and without special attention to the pedagogical theories and demands that underpin their use in the classroom. Learning Curve proposes a 'one stop shop' for educators to match theory with the new found technical demands and expectations, and take their next steps into delivering effective online learning and assessment that is critical in this uncertain time.

One of the most important roles of education, and especially vocational education, is the promotion of entrepreneurial behaviours and attitudes, since the development of employees’ entrepreneurial thinking can contribute to the positive development of different economic indexes. With our project we tried to:encourage and boost the entrepreneurial spirit of young people and of secondary education students, introduce the notion of ‘teacherpreneur’ and to define his/her role in the educational system, provide opportunities for thought and research regarding the idea of innovation and the ways in which it can be used so as to improve and boost middle businesses,introduce students and teachers into the world of newly-found enterprises, andcreate the basis for the development of a culture which can lead students to become entrepreneurs as a basic outlet for employability.Taking into consideration that entrepreneurship is a person’s ability to convert ideas into actions, and that it is a fundamental skill which every human must possess, education and training can help young people to become more creative and it can boost their self-confidence in everything they undertake.Partners in this project were educational institutions from six European countries. The project’s coordinator was the 1st EPA.L. of Karditsa. It is a technical vocational school, the director and teachers of which are in a constant search of ways that lead to the globalization and modernization of the school. The participating countries were: the Public Education Vocational Institute of Beccaria, Italy (in Sardenia), the Martin-Behaim Technical Vocational School from Darmstadt, Germany, the Teachers’ Training Center from the municipalities of Albufeira and Lagoa Silves, Portugal, the Junior High School of Prosz\owice, Poland, and a Vocational Center from Tigru Mures, Romania.The activities which were materialized throughout the project were:recording of the current state of affairs regarding the ways in which entrepreneurship is introduced, embodied and promoted in schools, dissemination of the research results to all the institutions involved, so that they can take initiatives. The dissemination activities included publications in the press and on the Internet, seminars, visits to institutions relevant with educational and employability policies (like the Secondary Education Directorates, Chambers of Commerce, Municipalities, Development Companies, Employer and Employee Unions),presentations of the project’s activities and goals to international meetings,informatory visits from mentors of entrepreneurship, from the private sector and from labour market organizations,visits to medium businesses for the information of students and teachers regarding the way in which they work,co-operations and participation of schools in activities organized by the Youth Entrepreneurship Union,creation / production of support material for students and teachers, where techniques are developed and tools are suggested so as to support the incorporation of entrepreneurship to the school environment,creation of student and teacher groups who actually used the educational material in an effort to turn ideas into actions,briefing of parents to help them realize that entrepreneurship is a basic choice for employability.The partner group enabled all organizations to exchange good practices followed in their countries, to adjust techniques to their own standards, to develop activities which promote the notions of teacherpreneur and creative thinking, to set structured frameworks and procedures in the search for entrepreneurial opportunities and their materialization.The participation of teachers, students and the genuine interest shown by the formal educational institutions and the labour market is evident in their interest to make changes, not only as regards the curriculum, but also the way in which the school is linked to the labour market and interacts with it.