"CONTEXT AND BACKGROUNDThe ""Explore Europe"" project aims to develop a ""Europe Zone"" aimed at young people thanks to the combined use of:a) new generation interactive tools,b) educational and training activities conducted by youth workers.The so-called ""Europe Zone"" will indeed be a place to be discovered and where young people will be able to experience a ""competitive adventure"" characterized by:- respect for human rights,- promoting coexistence and inclusion,- support for integration and solidarity,- citizenship rights,- promotion of European values.The ""Europe Zone"" will be:a) a kind of virtual educational museum of all that the European Union represents and has represented in history since its birth;b) a multifunctional, informal and interactive space where to develop debates and comparisons, where to play and learn at the same time;c) an ""educational path"" between the actions and activities characterizing the supranational community;d) a ""meeting place and exchange of views on Europe"";e) a training and awareness event where young people (especially those in the 11-18 age group) will be able to learn and express themselves by playing;f) a tool available to all stakeholders operating in the European sector to teach Europe in a new way and with greater effectiveness and secure involvement.OBJECTIVE, DIRECT AND INDIRECT BENEFICIARIESThe objective of the project is to promote the positive action of Europe, as it was born in the first years of development and birth, and then perceived by all European peoples as the driving force of a ""12-star"" future, favoring greater participation active in the social and political context and returning to excite people on the dream of a united people, allowing greater participation of citizens in the institutions and reviving in them the confidence in the action of the future ""state of the states"".The direct beneficiaries are, on the one hand, young people (especially between 13 and 18 years) and, on the other hand, youth workers.The involvement of 900 direct beneficiaries and 20,000 indirect beneficiaries (stakeholders, trainers, teachers, etc.) is foreseen.DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGIESThe ""Explore Europe"" project involves the development of a tool kit composed of 3 intellectual outputs: which allow the creation of an innovative modern, comprehensive, simple, effective, productive and pro-active training program for non-formal education on European citizenship, aimed at young people and youth workers.The Kit will consist of an interactive animation on the European Union, a team game and a virtual simulation of the European Parliament.The whole kit (in 4 languages, including English) will be based on operational methods that will encourage learning through play.IMPACT AND LONG-TERM BENEFITSThe expected impact is definitely very important and lasting at all levels (local, regional, national and European).Many dissemination products will be made (4 newsletters, brochures, Facebook page, web portal, posters, an App, etc.).Furthermore, 3 multiplier events are planned (one in each of the project partner countries).In the long term the project will allow us to change the way to teach Europe, enhancing social cohesion and inclusion, integration, civic participation, intergenerational dialogue, transnational citizenship."

"<< Background >>MORE THAN RELIABLE EDUCATION (MORE) is an Erasmus+ KA2 project aimed to support youth centres & youth workers by responding to the issues they have encountered during the COVID-19 & provide them with tools enhancing their ability to effectively work with youth & in the communities. The last year were challenging due to global pandemic & COVID-19. Youth centres and its staff were forced to stop actively organizing activities & collaborating with other professionals. ""We are more than welcoming new innovations during these times, would participate in every activity that would be directly addressed to us"", said one director of the youth center. So, who said that a lockdown has to be a shutdown? MORE project, that unites four NGOs, youth centres & enterprises collaborated: Association Active Youth (Lithuania),Europejskie Centrum Mlodziezy (Poland), Predict CSD Consulting (Romania) & Brodoto (Croatia) strives to provide as many sources as possible that the youth workers could be able to continue working in their specialization, enhance key competencies & educate youth for the future.<< Objectives >>MORE aims to provide youth centers and youth workers with tools, enhancing their ability to effectively work with youth & in the communities (under any circumstances).To reach the goal, the following objectives have been set:-Develop an educational program for YWs, which would allow them to build up relevant competencies/skills required for the changing status quo (i.e. in education, training, digital skills, etc);-Develop a more professional & innovative method of practical learning that is linked to active participation at youth work;-Promote the mindset of global access to free education as well as opportunities & ways for youth workers (& youth) to develop (e.g. with the help of Erasmus+)-Establish a global online network among YWs that would enable learning from each other. Reaching these objectives should improve youth work by not only responding to any possible future lockdowns (or other emergencies), but also providing skills and support that would be relevant in both online and offline working contexts.<< Implementation >>The following activities are planned to be implemented: -Research to identify needs/wants of youth workers & youth centers for enhancing their hard/soft skills for working in online & offline environment,-Training course in Croatia to train staff for the preparation of online courses,-Pilot online course to set the base for the finalization of online courses,-Set of 9 online courses “MORE Specialized Education” to boost youth workers' organizational &/or individual skills to perform better when working with youth,-Training course in Romania to draft a program for practical seminars to be carried out in each partner country,-Practical seminars for more experienced youth workers to share their expertise & good practises,- “MORE Knowledge to Practise” handbook for practical learning for youth workers to adapt learning methods & tools in their daily practice,-Recorded webinar series “MORE from Youth Workers”,-Publication of 2 online magazines “MORE insights” with information articles, success stories of the target group, recommendations of learning opportunities,-8 multiplier events in Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Croatia to promote project results & Erasmus+, as well as connect youth workers and other stakeholders, -Mentorship programme “MORE Guidance” to enable youth workers to connect with professionals in specific fields and receive individual guidance,-Development of ""MORE Diverse"" online platform with all the mentioned educational resources.By implementing planned activities, MORE project will directly involve :- at least 40 youth centres from all partner countries;- at least 200 youth workers/staff;- at least 30 specialists in specific fields.<< Results >>The following results and outcomes are planned: - MORE Specialized Education – online courses targeted directly at youth workers based on their needs to enhance the development of skills and competences;- MORE Knowledge to Practise – a practical & non-formal learning handbook- MORE Diverse – an online platform for versatile learning- MORE Insights – informational/inspiring online magazines- MORE from Youth Workers – webinars for sharing expertise & good practices- MORE Guidance - an online platform enabling mentoring-based communication between YWs & professionals in the fields.All of this should improve the capacity of youth workers to work in combined - online & offline contexts."

"<< Background >>The entrepreneurship of young people with fewer opportunities is one of the greatest challenges facing the EU today. The lack of job opportunities for young people, inequality, and the socio-economic impact generated by COVID-19 are some of the factors that negatively affect the promotion of new business ideas or social projects by these groups. Unemployment in Europe is a reality that especially affects young population. While the unemployment rate in countries such as Spain, Italy, Greece and Romania is 16%, 9%, 16.2% and 5.2%; the youth unemployment rate is 39.9%, 29.7%, 34% and 18%; respectively. The situation of young people with fewer opportunities is especially complex in the EU: this target group often presents socio-economic, cultural, linguistic or geographical barriers that hinder their employability and affect their process of inclusion in their community. The EU has developed different policies to promote the employability of these beneficiary groups, through employment guidance and accompaniment, which plays a fundamental role in social and employment areas (García-Hernández, 2017). Through these accompaniment processes, young people can learn about professional fields, develop their competences, skills and knowledge of different disciplines. A crucial element to favour access to employment is youth entrepreneurship. It has been shown that entrepreneurship is a key factor in finding solutions to youth unemployment, and has a positive correlation with other forms of participation in the community (de León, Zlobina & Pascual; 2021). Favouring entrepreneurship strengthens initiative, commitment, leadership, creativity, self-confidence and future projection (Cruz, Idárraga & Monsalve; 2021); fundamental elements for young people in situations of special vulnerability. Likewise, the training of youth workers who daily support these young people becomes an important element during the process of creating business ideas or social projects. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and methods based on gamification, offer a range of possibilities to ensure the training of young people with fewer opportunities, as well as youth workers dealing with this group. The use of innovative technological gamification techniques has proven to be a useful tool to promote entrepreneurship in young people (Vidal, Lama, & Fernández; 2020), compared to other conventional resources. On the other hand, the sustainability of new business models currently plays a fundamental role, in accordance with the main lines of action of the European Green Deal (European Commission, 2019). In this sence, EVEHO Foundation, along with PREDICT, ARSIS and LIBERAMENTE, have developed the e-VENTURE project, to promote the entrepreneurship of young people with fewer opportunities in the European Union, through gamification methodologies and Information and Communication Technologies.<< Objectives >>Through the e-VENTURE project, it aims to achieve the following general objective: ""To promote entrepreneurship of young people with fewer opportunities in the EU, through gamification methodologies and Information and Communication Technologies"". Specific Objectives: O.E.1.: To develop educational tools and digital innovative methodologies, promoting social entrepreneurship of young people with fewer opportunities. O.E.2.: To favour the acquisition of knowledge, skills and competences of youth workers, in order to support young people with fewer opportunities, during their process of the creation of business ideas or social projects. O.E.3.: To develop the competences, skills and knowledge of young people with fewer opportunities in the field of social entrepreneurship. O.E.4.: To promote the autonomy of young people with fewer opportunities, facilitating the support and follow-up during the development of their own initiatives and/or social enterprises. O.E.5.: To favour the employability of the project beneficiaries as employees. O.E.6.: To favour the exchange of good practices and initiatives developed in the European Union in the field of social entrepreneurship, among the different agents participating in the project.<< Implementation >>The project aims to achieve the objectives of the project through different activities following a structured methodological process, involving the creation of two main Results. Firstly, specific training on social entrepreneurship will be provided to youth workers. Through the creation of the ""e-VENTURE Training Course"" (Result 1), these professionals will be trained to provide individualised support young people with fewer opportunities during the process of business or social project creation. These professionals will acquire knowledge, competences and skills in this field, becoming important agents, with a key role during all the phases of the project. The final result will be a virtual Training Course consisting of four Modules differentiated by themes: (1) Introduction to social entrepreneurship, (2) Entrepreneurship methods, (3) Gamification tools for entrepreneurship and (4) Coaching for entrepreneurship. To validate and improve this Training Course, an international training event will be held in Italy: e-VENTURE Training Course (AAEF). Subsequently, youth workers trained during this activity will transfer the acquired knowledge to other professionals in a piloting phase at local level. Afterwards, the consortium will develop the e-VENTURE Gamification Experience to promote social entrepreneurship of young people with fewer opportunities in the EU. This educational resource will consist of a virtual Escape-Room, which will be created by and for young people, and will contain different innovative scenarios to ensure their training in entrepreneurship, in an interactive way. The young people themselves will participate in the creation and development of the Gamification Experience, ensuring that the Result is attractive, adapted to their needs and ergonomic. The previously trained youth workers will lead the product testing and piloting actions, guaranteeing individualised support, thanks to the knowledge acquired in the previous phase. During these piloting phases, young people will not only receive training on entrepreneurship, but will have a space to create their business ideas with the support of youth professionals. The final Result will be a Gamification Experience with four different scenarios (Rooms): (1) Knowledge Room, (2) Skills and Competences Room, (3) Sustainability Room, (4) Action Room. To validate and improve the Gamification Experience, an international training event will be held in Romania: e-VENTURE Gamification Experience. International Training Event (AAEF). The youth workers trained during this activity will lead the local piloting phase with young people with fewer opportunities.Finally, the project will conclude in an entrepreneurship ""Bootcamp"" programme in Spain (AAEF): an international event in which both the young people and the professionals involved in the previous activities will participate. The aim of this programme will be to facilitate the immersion of young people through seminars and practical exercises led by experts, as well as to give voice to their business ideas and social projects. These business ideas will be presented and assessed by a panel of experts, to ensure that the innovative proposals are viable in economic, impact and sustainable terms. Finally, the business ideas presented by the young beneficiaries will receive the support of the partner organisations, guaranteeing their implementation, once the project is completed.<< Results >>Together with the Infodays, seminars, training actions and the Multiplier Events, the Results (R) of the Project will contribute to the achievement of the different specific objectives defined. e-VENTURE Training Course (R1). This Training Course will include different contents oriented to youth workers. Through this course, it is expected that these professionals will acquire the necessary knowledge, competences and skills to support young people with fewer opportunities during the process of entrepreneurship and business ideas creation. This course will be developed through a Moodle platform, and will include four different modules. The e-VENTURE course will be a key pillar to guarantee the participation of these professionals in subsequent phases of the project. e-VENTURE"" Gamification Experience (R2). This gamification experience will be developed following a virtual ""Escape Room"" format, which will be available on computer and smartphones. It will be a digital tool to promote entrepreneurship among young people with fewer opportunities, in a simple and interactive way. The R2 will contain four rooms or scenarios to promote social entrepreneurship. The different R of the project will be available on the project website, which will facilitate the transferability of knowledge. 2. Knowledge, skills and competences of the beneficiary populations. Young people with fewer opportunities will be provided with resources that will promote: Knowledge and ability to promote a business idea or social project. Knowledge of the labour market and economic activities present in the EU. The development of competences and skills to lead innovative social initiatives and ideas. Self-knowledge about their professional profile, as well as their strengths and weaknesses in terms of social entrepreneurship. The process of social inclusion and labour insertion, through actions based on entrepreneurship. Contact with other young people and social entities aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and business ideas. The start-up of businesses or social projects, which will have the support of the consortium members. The Youth Workers will have at their disposal resources that will favour: The accompaniment of young people in their process of entrepreneurship or development of innovative social ideas. Knowledge of techniques, resources and methodologies of social entrepreneurship. Contact with other professionals and social entities working with young people with fewer opportunities. The capacity for mediation, monitoring, evaluation and follow-up in the process of social initiatives creation. Access to digital platforms for training in social entrepreneurship. Knowledge of innovative techniques to promote the employability of young people through entrepreneurship. 3. Management of the e-VENTURE Project. The management tools will favour the capacity of the partners to carry out their daily work with the beneficiary populations. Through the Evaluation & Quality Plan (PEC) and the Risk Plan (PC) of the project, the development of quality R with a high degree of transferability will be facilitated. 4. Social outcomes. The R of the e-VENTURE project will favour the processes of social inclusion and labour insertion of the young beneficiaries. The R expected from e-VENTURE are aligned with the main European policies. It is intended to: Promote the use of ICT to favour the social inclusion and labour insertion of the young beneficiary population. To favour the processes of inclusion and integration of young people with fewer opportunities in the EU. Promote equity, social cohesion and social participation of young people in the EU. To train professionals who daily work with young people in social entrepreneurship."

"<< Background >>Covid19 pandemic has caught our formal education sectors by surprise and shed light on the importance of digital education for the digital transformation that Europe needs. European Commission`s 2020 public consultation results found that:(a) almost 60% of the respondents had not used distance and online learning before the crisis (b) 95% consider that the COVID-19 crisis marks a point of no return for how technology is used in education and training (c) respondents say that online learning resources and content need to be more relevant, interactive and easy to use.This situation created the momentum for digital education and emphasised the increased need to harness the potential of digital technologies for teaching and learning and to develop digital skills of all. The increased disinformation and misinformation shared online during pandemic also stressed the importance of building digital and media literacy, which has become essential for enabling people to navigate a world full of algorithms.<< Objectives >>The project `Digital tools for better schools` (in line with the strategic priorities of the EU Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027) aims to contribute to digital transformation and readiness of schools and teachers in the partner countries. The project also focuses on building the digital and media literacy of teachers. Our effort to support the effective shift towards digital education will be achieved through meeting following objectives: O1: To develop quality and free digital educational content (e-learning) enhancing competence development of teachers to provide high quality, inclusive digital education through digital games and other digital tools ;O2: To develop understanding how best to incorporate digital tools, including digital games into subject-specific teaching ;O3: To build digital and media literacy of teachers and give them knowledge and tools that could, as multipliers employ at their work, thus increasing resilience of students to disinformation, fake news and propaganda<< Implementation >>The project will produce 3 project results , organize 4 multiplier events and 2 TPMs. We will also provide consultations and support to teachers with fewer opportunities and/or challenges to employ digital technologies in their work. These will be in the form of trainings and/or personal consultations with partner schools and teachers.<< Results >>The project will produce following results: PR1: Gamification and game based learning in schools - research study will develop understanding how best to incorporate digital tools, including digital games into subject-specific teachingPR2: E-learning `Digital tools for better schools` will develop quality and free digital educational content (e-learning) enhancing competence development of teachers as well as their digital and media literacy PR3: Open Education Platform - scale up will create a platform where project outputs and other topic-related activities of partners can be accessed by teachers ""under one roof""4 Multiplier Events will be organized (1 in each project country), which will result in dissemination of project results, extend the project impact and inform practice of relevant stakeholders.Last but not least, the project will strengthen the partnership of 4 project partners. Our partnership is innovative due to its cross-sectoral nature - civil society organizations working with private sector partners, all working together towards a common goal. The project will help the participating organizations to build their competence to and to build on knowledge and embed outputs produced within this project into their existing programs."

<< Background >>The project “The first steps in STEM, Robotics and Programming” represents the initiative of ZURY Association from Romania whose main goal is to tackle the need for online free education in the fields of STEM, robotics and programming among youth people. The idea of the project has been brought up both out of the specific needs of the promoting organization and the challenges educational institutions face in terms of online teaching of the young generation.Parents are usually reluctant when it comes to the technology used by their kids and youth, as such our products will try to shed a different light on the importance of positive consumption of technology by the young generation, stimulating them in the process of acquiring skills needed in the 21st century and growing the path for their future potential carriers.The constant and rapid evolution of technology has grown a sense of pursuit of skills that can accommodate much easier and meet the requirements of a demanding labour force.Through STEM education, we believe youth and children can not only develop relevant skills and stand out but also improve their self-productivity, creativity, imagination and finally innovate their own communities.General predictions and needs analysis has been conducted by the promoters with the following results:- the demand for mass digitalization and achievement of digital skills, to comply with current and future marketplace;- the interest in up-scaling educational content and reach larger amounts of participants from the target group concerned; - the development of a better coping mechanism in terms of supporting educational systems while facing crises situations.Through this project we will have the possibility to offer an online training course to all interested youth for free, thus increasing their interest and motivation to develop competences in a field where the demand is increasing exponentially.We, as promoters, are also encouraged by the fact that a free access to information on these topics would inspire others to build similar initiatives, gradually increasing the levels of achievement and interest of youth in terms of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which equally stand behind an important horizontal priority of the Erasmus+ programme. Just to give an example, for the next steps of the project we had very good responses in terms of structures interested to become a member in a network interested to support the learning paths of young people in programming, robotics and STEM. More than 30 structures joined our idea which let us to see the trend and potential development possible through our proposed Club.The project will involve 5 partners from RO, IT, FI and LT. It will be carried out for 30 months between the 1st of January 2022 and 31st of July 2024. 4 transnational meetings will be organized, as well as 4 Multiplier Events, near the end.<< Objectives >>In response to the need identified and described above, the specific objectives of the project were set to the following:1. Developing basic competencies of 100 youngsters in the fields of programming and robotics in a period of 30 months;2. Developing basic competencies of 100 youngsters in the fields of STEM education in a period of 30 months;3. Exercising the competencies of 200 young people entering the world of programming through an online e-game in a period of 30 months;4. Increase the capacity of working with programming, robotics and STEM of at least 30 members of a club of practitioners, for the benefits of young people, throughout the project.<< Implementation >>We have planned the following working packs following the experience of the partners involved in similar activities:1. Detailed planning2. Project management3. Partnership coordination4. Financial administration 5. Platform management 6. Team management7. Visibility8. Regular evaluation9. Risk strategies10. Monitoring11. Dissemination12. Follow-up & SustainabilityWP 1 - Detailed planning – this area is explained in the previous version. WP 2 - Project managementWe include here all the general coordination activities which will be listed in a summaries form in Work breakdown structure, GANTT and planner of the project. The most complex ones are, also, explained below, taken in separate working packs.As for the costs, we will have covered here staff working on the general activities of the project, apart from the ones specified in IOs.A special category will be made from the very beginning for Unforeseen Costs. WP 3 - Partnership coordination We have here updates regarding the following elements build at the beginning of the project:- The management of Virtual room;- Codex of the project;- Monthly reports;- Knowledge Unit;- Case study Unit;- Dictionary Unit;- Do’s and don’ts Unit;- Lessons learnt Unit;- Project archiving Unit; - Backup systems. More details about partnership working pack can be read in the cooperation and communication with partners area.WP 4 - Financial administrationWe start with a general guide explained in the previous section, Financial Unit. We continue with periodically financial monitoring and updates. WP 5 - Platform managementWe plan to have a platform which has a few roles: presentation web-site, dissemination tool, host for our intellectual product, communication with participants etc.The costs for buying a domain, setting up the frame, general presentation preparation, hosting, regular updates and special spaces for e-learning will be covered from management budget. Responsible for this platform will be one of our technical partners, Predict CSD Consulting.WP 6 - Team managementWe include here activities related to staff preparation: staff meetings, documents, regular monitoring, safety measures in place, time sheets preparation, space for team activities etc. WP 7 - VisibilityOur partnership will take care to properly respect the visibility rules establish by Erasmus+ programme. To cover a basic visibility of the project, we start with costs for flyer, poster, roll- up and the mascot (plush toy) and we continue with other elements specified below.WP 8 - Regular evaluationAs specified already, we will have monthly reports concerning the development of the project.WP 9 - Risk strategiesThis pack is explained in the Risk area.WP 10 - MonitoringThe partners responsible for monitoring will regularly check the progress of the planned activities and how the partnership is developed. There is a monitoring file in place, file which will be regularly updated.WP 11 - DisseminationA very large area which will be supervised in a special Unit in our Planner of the project. There we will have our indicators, activities and monthly we will go for necessary updates, adjusting actions, comparing what was planned with was is done or in progress.As cost categories, we will have cover at least the following: - Dissemination materials already mentioned on visibility;- Staff working on dissemination activities;- Facebook campaigns;- Other social media campaigns;- ROBO Caravan costs;- Renting spaces;- Facilitating our Practitioner’s Club;- Building a brand identity;- Special software used to edit images, videos, preparing animations etc; - Some printed materials;- Data storage etc.- Other costs to include people with fewer opportunities;WP 12 - Follow-up & SustainabilityWe explained the approach used for this pack in the dedicated section of the project.<< Results >>The actual results of the project will be: an online training course focused on basics in programming and robotics, an online training course focused on basics in STEM education and an online e-game focused on entering the world of programming. All these tangible products will be hosted with the support of an educational platform.The methodology that will be approached in the creation of the IOs envisions the use of interactive tasks, quizzes, slides, puzzles, mechanics, theory-practice connected activities and real-world simulations. Kolb’s experiential learning cycle approach will be integrated when possible in the learning content of the products, giving the participants access to progress logically with the content from concrete learning to reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and finally reaching active experimentation.The gamified approach towards all the IOs supports the constructivist theory of learning, which encircles the active involvement of participants in the entire learning process and knowledge construction, based on previous notions acquired, to the detriment of passive learning. In our sequence of learning content, the user will acquire knowledge and ability from trial and error, by making assumptions, exploration and progressive difficulty as levelling up. The constructivist teaching approach, contrary to the objectivism approach is centred on problem-solving. We believe that as future users will be able to solve problems and challenges offered through the online learning content, they will also discover the direct consequences of their actions, being at the same time capable to reflect on what they have done, on their immediate experiences and finally, build on their own understanding on things. Through failures and trials, the human being takes on an active process of learning that usually requires and forces him to think differently, approach things differently and see things from other perspectives.As such, the impact on the direct beneficiaries is expected to be a high one. They will be engaged in a multitude of practical activities, which will, in turn, increase both their physical abilities such as the capacity to pay attention, coordination, discipline, and their mental capabilities such as logical thinking, synthesis and analysis, problem-solving, ability to make connections etc.The expected impact will concern the participants/users that follow out online learning content. These will be:- young people, aged 13 to 30, including with fewer opportunities;- young adults, school or university staff/representatives: teachers, educators, lecturers etc.;- young adults educational centers’/NGOs’ representatives: mainly youth workers, volunteers, members, trainers etc.Other 1000 young people and young adults will take part in the dissemination activities, out of which 300 as part of the ROBO Caravan, and 700 as participants info sessions/presentations of the projects’ results. Among them, a minimum of 100 young people with fewer opportunities will be targeted, especially during the ROBO Caravan, in Romania.For visibility and dissemination purposes, the promoters will conceive, update and maintain a Facebook page for the project and another social media account, on a social media platform, which will constitute additional results to the project.Last but not least, a final notable result of the present project will constitute the Practitioners’ Club which will be formed out of at least 30 persons (teachers/educators/youth workers etc.) who will further on aim to develop their competences on the topics covered by the products created, either for their own benefit or as a mean to later on being able to transfer the knowledge and abilities developed under multiple forms while teaching and training their young people, pupils or students.