We are currently living in unprecedented times where aspects and activities of our daily lives are, justifiably, being restricted for public health reasons. Millions of young people across Europe and the rest of world have spent weeks quarantining and self-isolating. The pandemic has had a range of serious consequences for young people such as: Loss of employment, uncertainty surrounding their education and financial uncertainty. These consequences are worsened by the daily challenges which many young people may be facing as a result of quarantine or self-isolating. Many young people will be suffering from loneliness, isolation and disconnection from their peers and the world around them. Although many of us may be feeling isolated and disconnected we are, now more than ever, all connected by one common obstacle. 'While We Wait' aims to reconnect young people and provide them with an opportunity and a platform to express their thoughts and feelings of the current pandemic and how it is impacting them. In collaboration with our Portuguese, Spanish and Italian partners, we will create a virtual platform where we will facilitate our participants to share their thoughts on views on a range of different social, political and economic issues which have become significant as a result of the pandemic. Our participants will have the opportunity to express their own challenges and feelings which have been caused by the pandemic. We hope to use all the different modes of virtual expression available to achieve this. We intend to record Zoom conversations of our participants discussing certain topics and encourage our participants to create art pieces to express themselves. These conversations and other forms of expression will be shared virtually among social media and the other forms of dissemination which the partners have available to them in order to allow other young people see that others are facing similar challenges. In 2021, once it is safe to travel again, we plan to host two separate blended youth mobility meetings. The first, which will be hosted by our Spanish partners, will give our participants the opportunity to witness the catalog or 'history book' which is subsequent of them sharing their opinions, expressions and creativity throughout our current crisis. During this meeting, we will decide the dissemination of the project. The young people will, rightfully, be in charge of this process and decide where in history does their creations belong and where it goes in the future. Our second blended youth mobility, which will be hosted by our Portuguese partners, will evaluate the project, from its current beginnings right until the end. We have agreed that each organisation will have 5 participants each, which in total is 20 participants. We are excited to be working with our partners for a number reasons. Firstly, we have worked with most of them before and had positive and insightful experiences. Additionally, we believe we will have interesting and diverse participants and opinions due to the participating countries. Spain and Italy have been the 2 worst hit countries from the pandemic within Europe and their citizens have been experiencing quarantining and isolation longer than we have in Ireland. Also, on the other hand, it is widely viewed that Portugal have reacted well to the current pandemic. This diversity will be interesting but also helpful on how young people can learn from each other. In addition, we are excited to be co-operating with our Portuguese partner again as we both share a common target group - young people from 'disadvantaged' socioeconomic backgrounds. We expect that our initial results on our participants will be less feelings of disconnection and isolation due to reconnecting with their peers. We also expect our participants, through sharing common challenges and thoughts, will be able to learn from their peers and be placed to overcome the challenges that they are facing as a result of the pandemic. We also believe that this process of peer-to-peer learning will have significant increase of empathy among our participants. Apart from our participants, we believe this project is capable of having a positive impact on others. We will publish and share our creations and results of bringing our participants together and we believe that others who may also have similar challenges and feelings as our participants can benefit from these publications. Additionally, we expect that, being responsible for the dissemination, our participants will develop their organisation skills, planning, teamwork etc. To conclude, we believe the potential long term benefits of this project to be significant as it will show that our organisations and youth work can continue to operate and be effective during a global crisis. This project will show that youth work can happen virtually and perhaps encourage others to do the same if a crisis like this occurs again.

<< Background >>We are applying for this project as the covid-19 lockdown has clarified the requirement to offer citizens with fewer opportunities other pedagogical training methods than those already established. In the period of online teaching, some students have shown great benefit from being able to participate in safe familiar surroundings instead of being present in a physical classroom. In addition, the project must accommodate for the part of the education-ready population that is not mobile in relation to search education outside their comfort zone. The aim of the project is to strengthen the ability of organizations to be able to offer high-quality teaching in Hybrid Classroom.<< Objectives >>In partnership and through meaningful collaboration we will:Create a clear, sustainable, flexible and robust Learning Path for demonstrating continuous improvement and implementing/managing change.Create a localised platform for managing the change towards Hybrid Classrooms.Provide Information to a range of stakeholders about the project.Develop a Local Learning path in relation to assessing for digital capacity, skills and competences.Ensure greater knowledge and training of Teachers regarding setting up and managing Hybrid Classrooms. Embed the DigCompEdu and DigComp 2.0 (common frameworks), that will make knowledge sharing and collaboration comparable even though learners are placed in different qualifications levels (EQF).Disseminate information about the project to the widest possible target groups across the globe.<< Implementation >>The main activities areChanging and embedded in organization culture and practiceAssessment digital capacity across each partner organization Teacher/trainers training - 75 teachers/trainersStudent training 300 students2 multiplier events Transnational collaboration Dissemination activities according to the dissemination plan.<< Results >>Continuous Improvement plans in place for developing and maintaining Hybrid classrooms.Plan for assessing student and teacher capacity regarding Hybrid Classroom readinessStrategy for implementing Hybrid Classrooms.Roadmaps for CPD for professionals with regard to Hybrid Classrooms.Best practice of Learning designs 300 Students engaged in Hybrid Classrooms75 Trained StaffGreater EU collaboration

<< Objectives >>Inclusion and diversity have to be based on the general process of being different but equal in psychologically safe environments. META-Skills are recognised as the future of employment and for the success of growth within the labour market. The MetaCoin project responds to the challenges of a changing world of work by promoting opportunities for new ways of continuous learning and training and by developing an online training path of the future meta-skills by using innovative modern methods.<< Implementation >>This new partnership of Finland, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Hungary and UK focuses on analysing the benefits of multiple working life environments during interviewing companies, collecting the good practices as well as challenges of encountering cultures. Based on this analysis of the skills needed for the future working life, 2025-2035 will be identified. The project team shall develop and pilot an online material and course of meta-skills both in VET and companies on the EQF level 3-6.<< Results >>The results are concise labour market surveys, identified challenges and skills gap, repository of the best practices, a new learning platform and online material for hybrid use, a user’s guide. The project promotes deeper cooperation between education and the labour market. Outcome will be larger transnational cooperation between the project member’s countries, shared knowledge of experiences and working methods, a repository and dynamic online material for larger modifying in different sectors

<< Objectives >>Overall Objective: to strengthen European cooperation for the recognition of competencesSpecific objective: To create a common strategy for the recognition and validation of transversal/soft skills through micro-credentialsResults:Promoted the cooperation between different institutions and local stakeholdersIdentified new professional figures able to guide, accompany and motivate people with fewer opportunitiesCreated a common strategy for the recognition of micro-credentials among partners<< Implementation >>Activities implemented during the project will be:Strategic Coordination and managementReporting to the Donor (administrative tasks)Contract and legal managementProject ManualTransnational project meetingsMapping of opportunitiesDefinition of common strategy for the recognition of micro-credentialsRound tablesMemorandum of understandingConsortium agreementTraining path for tutorsTraining of tutorsStudy visitsTest of the methodCommunication and disseminationMultiplier events<< Results >>Results of the project will be:Promoted the cooperation between different institutions and local stakeholdersIdentified new professional figures able to guide, accompany and motivate people with fewer opportunities in continuous training coursesCreated a common strategy for the recognition of micro-credentials among project partners