ACT AS YOUTH LEADER (AYL) aims to promote the active participation of the young people from the Philippines in the political life by testing new and more direct forms of engagement. Thought its development the project consortium stimulate the Filipino young people to take part in the democratic life of their local, regional and national communities. The project also facilitates the structural dialogue with the public authorities in order to promote and/or to improve the communication, information and consultation of the young people by the institutions. The main idea of the project is to analyse, to identify and to test models, methodologies and tools for a lasting and formalized active participation of the young generations in the decisional processes.The main work packages foreseen in the proposal are:1) an analysis about the youth organisations (and the youth services) active in the identified territories and their form of participation in the political life (the result of which is an Observatory with a Geographical Information System Technology);2) the training of members of youth organisations and responsible of youth policies from the Philippines about innovative forms of youth participation in the political life;3) the realization of job shadowings of the youth leaders and public administrators from the Philippines in active youth organisations and public institutions in Italy;4) the realization and test of pilot projects of youth participation in the political local life to be realized in different regions of the Philippines;5) the realization of a final conference in Brussels for the presentation of the projects realized and the other project outcomes.The project last 18 months and it directly involves more than 500 youth leaders and representatives of youth policies coming from the Philippines (with a specific attention at the Muslim youth groups living in the southern regions of the country).

"Inclusive learning societies should be one where people are given opportunities to develop and to cooperate as equal individuals. By harnessing ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), barriers to participation for older people and migrants could be removed by using mobile phones as a learning tool. In 2019 the number of mobile phone users reaches 4.68 billion, therefore mobile phones are an opportunity to introduce ICT and can be used to reach large numbers of people who are technologically challenged. Our overall aim is to develop and curate a database of recipes, cuisines and traditions (storytelling/singing/dancing) associated with European cuisines using mobile technology as a learning tool. This innovative approach uses food culture as the vehicle for mobile learning and social integration. Mobile technology can be a tool for lifelong learning and facilitate intergenerational communication. Many people who do not have access to traditional technology (IPads/PC etc) own a mobile phone and the advanced technology in phones differ from other devices, such as computers, as it is personal technology. Studies show that people will invest time learning the features of their mobile phones which can extend beyond boundaries by showing creative ways to share and as an educational tool can maximise cost. Our project will illustrate and provide an accessible model which builds on harnessing inclusive technology learning for citizens at risk of being ""e- excluded"" in the traditional sense and ensure that their culinary customs and traditions (storytelling, music, dancing) are recorded and curated in an accessible way for all. Six organisations representing Spain, Ireland, Belgium, France, Cyprus and Bulgaria, working in 3 different but interconnected sectors: ICTs, Intangible Cultural Heritage and social inclusion will collaborate on the project. Our partnership includes Universities and organisations working with older people, and migrants who will support our target groups to build their capacity to participate in this project and we will support and learn from each other by harnessing this expertise. Individual identities are defined by location, work, ethnicity, language and religion. These attributes may be supplemented by the notion of citizenship and the nation-state. As contacts with other people and countries expand through commerce, travel and cultural exchanges, individual identities evolve and become more complex and the intensification of globalization through a more rapid expansion of trade, foreign investment, flows of capital and technology and information, travel and migration, identities are further shaped and eroded by new influences. Food and traditions (storytelling/singing/dancing) preserves our cultural identities and should be conserved and safeguarded for future generations. This combination can support design methodologies to develop these capacities and improve social cohesion.The activities of the project will be centred on three main intellectual outputs:1) Authoring training for the creation of digital content: 30 participants (older people/migrants) will be trained to become authors of digital content in which they share their knowledge, skills and experiences. 2) Innovative, interactive learning platform (videos). A repository of digital, multimedia enriched learning content and an open-source database will curate recipes, stories and traditions from the different partner countries. 3) Testing/Implementation: 110 older adults will be directly involved in project activities through testing and evaluating the developed materials. In addition, more than 180 practitioners and stakeholders from senior organizations and educational institutions will be reached through multiplier events. This project contributes to innovation and internationalization in adult education, strengthens cooperation between older people and migrants, helps to raise the level of key competences and skills, stresses active participation in European society, increases opportunities for further development of older adults and migrants, and provides an opportunity to participate in innovative educational activities. There is a strong emphasis on EU 2020 goals (improving the quality and efficiency of education and training, enhancing creativity and innovation at all levels of education and training, making lifelong learning a reality). The set of project objectives serves the aims above in addition to:- Improve and expand (digital) learning opportunities for older adults with Internet skills by enriching the learning offers with new contents and topics- Enable older people to create their own multimedia enriched learning offers.To guarantee a high quality of learning materials, older people and migrants will be trained in an online course.- Facilitate access to learning opportunities through internet-based offerings- Promotion of interregional and European networking and cooperation."

The statistics indicate that the field of entrepreneurship of migrants is growing and expanding, even in opposition to the negative trend recorded by Italian companies during the economic crisis. An analysis at European level shows that the situation is similar in all countries. It is a field that must be protected, nourished and encouraged, not only because it generates income and employment growth, but mainly because it has been and is an effective tool of social and economic integration.The project proposes to give an effective and coherent response to the issues highlighted by migrant entrepreneurs and that emerged from investigations conducted in Italy and Europe. The economic difficulties, which have resulted in lack of access to traditional bank financing channels often being towards migrant subjects without guarantee and hence not bankable, plus the lack of adequate preparation or the failure of business and management. Another critical point was seen in the retrieval of specific information as the means of access to microcredit and entrepreneurial documentation necessary to support the request and the procedure for preparing a business plan. Furthermore, the excessive fragmentation of information and therefore the need to address multiple agencies and offices is, according to the findings, a long and dispersive process and often a real disincentive.The main project’s goals have been to create a new professional able to work with migrants and with competencies of microcredit and intercultural communication; and to elaborate an educational path for migrant entrepreneurs, that it takes account of the problems, which they incur. The idea was to create a partnership consisting of organizations, working with migrants, with different but complementary competencies. The partnership was composed of: the Ente Nazionale per il Microcredito (lead organization), Ce.S.F.Or. vocational training institution (IT), Accion contra el hambre (SP) international NGO organizing entrepreneurial course for migrants, Nantik Lum (SP) microfinance organization , Wisamar (DE) NGO specialized in intercultural communication and Mediter (BE) NGOs network specialized in islamic finance and intercultural communication.The path outlined by the project was articulated through several crucial and equally competing phases to achieve the project objective. Each partner was experienced on the project theme, and the starting point was the analysis of good practices, in order to identify valid and replicable ideas. The good practices that emerged were collected in a report available on the project website. The good practice exchange has been the first project activity, and in the light of what emerged, we then proceeded to the experimentation of a new training methodology for the improvement of the professionals who work in this sector. This innovative training course was experimented during the week of training course held in Rome which represented the second activity of the project. Twenty operators from our partner organizations, took part in it and, starting from a re-elaboration of the trainings’ contents, we finalized the OUTPUT1, which is an e-learning course for operators working with migrants at different level. The course, in English, is available and free on the ENM platform. The project also developed a free training course for migrant entrepreneurs to acquire or consolidate business and management skills. This course was realized by the operators previously trained during the workshop, and thanks to their experiences and acquired skills, they developed a structured path taking into account the specific needs of the migrants. The course is available and free on the project website in English, Italian, French, German and Spanish.The innovative methodology of the project allowed us to develop a training course that compensates the lack of similar courses, and which allows interested operators to acquire transversal knowledge that makes them more competent in their field. The creation of this professional figure have positive repercussions on the single operators, on the organizations they work for, at local and national level and last but not least, on migrants interested in starting an activity because they can count on the support of qualified professionals.

An ageing population; a migrant integration crisis; and a growing anti-Europe sentiment are unfortunately the reality in the majority of EU Member States. PAST-TIMES is a project that is consciously European in its focus and it will strive to enhance the awareness of the role played by European unity in the course of its training and oral history actions. The PAST-TIMES project has been developed against the backdrop of these 3 specific issues; that are pertinent and relevant in Europe today: 1. Europe is getting old and the EU population will peak around 2035 and then begin to slowly decline. According to Eurostat, in current EU member countries the population cohort between the ages of 15 and 64 is expected to decline from 67 percent of the total population to 56 percent by 2060. Longevity is one of the biggest achievements of modern societies. In the last 20 years and Europeans are living longer than ever before and this pattern is expected to continue. By 2020, a quarter of Europeans will be over 60 years of age. In 2015 approximately 10.5 million EU citizens suffer from dementia. That number is expected to rise to 13.4 million by 2030 and to 18.7 by 2050. The average cost for care per dementia patient is €18,000 per annum. Research on ageing clearly highlights the benefits for older persons to be derived from ongoing engagement and interaction as active members of society especially in counteracting the threat of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimer's. 2. The annual report of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance observed both a rise in anti-Semitism and continued discrimination against black persons, Roma, Travelers, historical ethnic minorities and LGBTI people. As a result of the ongoing migration crisis a growing anti-immigrant sentiment and islamophobia have taken hold in Europe. In some countries the refugee crisis sparked an outpouring of solidarity while in other countries restrictive border policies combined with a toxic rhetoric have created an openly hostile environment for refugees and migrants. Seizing on Euroscepticism and anti-immigration sentiment populist Right-wing parties have attracted voters from across the political spectrum in many countries. The EU idea that trade and economic integration would result in peace and prosperity, is a success story that has lasted for over six decades. This idea provided the fundament for a Europe built on democracy, freedom, trade and openness; a union that has managed to create a great deal of value and prosperity for its citizens. It can be argued that much of this is now forgotten or taken for granted 3. Throughout 2017, EU Member States continue to see a significant influx of migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, hoping to build a new life. Within the growing migrant population there is a significant cohort of disaffected young migrants, both male and female, who are being targeted by anti-establishment groups seeking to mobilize sub-sets of the migrant communities. While many of these young migrants lack the skills and competences necessary for their economic integration into their new host country there is also a significant ignorance of Europe; its culture and traditions; its values and beliefs; its peoples and their history. As such, there is a real need for innovation where fostering the integration of host and migrant communities is concerned in all EU Member States and the PAST-TIMES project responds to the challenge of creating a fair and equitable society which is at the core of the EU 2020 strategy. This strategy places a significant emphasis on social cohesion and the deployment of innovative ICT tools for learning. Initiatives like PAST-TIMES represent an important attempt to develop innovative interventions to support social cohesion at national and European Level. The project will build on existing migrant integration measures and look at how harnessing the latest technologies to promote webquest learning can accelerate the migrant integration process. The proposed model is being developed and piloted in 8 very different EU Member States and this will help to ensure that the processes and outputs are robust and have considerable potential transferability to other countries.