Persons with intellectual disabilities (PwID) & Persons with mental health conditions (PwMHC), like any other human being, have sexual desires, need affective relationships & freedom to express their sexuality. In this regard, the UN Convention on the Rights of People with disabilities (UNCRPD), ratified by the European Union, states that People with Disabilities have the same human rights as everyone in all areas of life. These rights include rights related to sexuality. However, commonly, people with intellectual disabilities & mental health conditions have lacked an integral sexual education & support to help them in their sexual lives. This context is slowly changing. Policy makers & key stakeholders are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of addressing the sexuality of PwID & PwMHC as an inherent right. However, in spite of the fact that lot of excellent educative material has been produced to raise awareness & train with regards to sexuality it seems to have had a low impact so far with regards to how PwID & PwMHC are actually able to practise sexual activities & express their sexuality in whatever way they choose. The SMARTS Project (Supporting Me About Rights to Sexuality) is devoted to filling this gap, between knowledge learnt & practical implementation. This will be done through 2 perspectives: 1) By promoting Active Supported decision making (SDM) in real life contexts in the field of sexuality & 2) by promoting the Implementation of specific policies & procedures from support service organisations to better address sexuality issues. SMARTS will have a duration of 36 months and be implemented by an international partnership of 5 organizations with complementary expertise from the following countries: Spain (Astres Foundation), Portugal (Associacao para a recuperacao de cidadaos inadaptados da lousa (A.R.C.I.L), Greece (Theotokos Foundation), Belgium (European Association of Service Providers for persons with Disabilities-EASPD) and the UK (Social Care Training ltd). The project will have 2 main target groups: 1. Care providers supporting PwID & PwMHC. 3 profiles: 1) Family members 2) Professionals & staff members 2) Support provider organizations 2. Adults with intellectual disabilities & mental health conditions who wish to exercise more control over decision affecting their daily sexual life. Specific objectives:1.To better identify support needs of PwID & PwMHC in the field of sexuality.2. Develop skills of PwID & PwMHC & care providers to make supported decisions in the field of sexuality3. Capacitate care providers to implement practical support in the field of sexuality. 4.To create user-friendly resources for PwID & PwMHC to better address their rights with regard to sexuality.5. Raise awareness on the need & available means to address SDM in the field of sexuality for PwID & PwMHC6. Advocate at EU & local level on the importance to address sexual support for PwID & PwMHCThe project will produce 6 complementarily outputs: 1.UNCRPD compliant guidelines on SDM on sexuality issues for people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities-Guidelines for professionals and staff members2.UNCRPD compliant guidelines on SDM on sexuality issues for people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities-Guidelines for family carers3.Policy & practice guidance on sexuality for service providers4.Awarenes Toolkit for PwID and PwMHC5.Training course for caregivers6.Policy recommendations3 rounds of LTT activities will be implemented to train users in the SMARTS materials. Project materials will be also tested and reviewed in subsequent pilots implemented at local level by service provider organizations members of the SMARTS partnership.Expected results are: PwID & PwMHC feel more empowered to make decisions with regard to their sexuality and supporters will feel better equipped & skilled to support decision making after using the SMARTS materials, service managers feel better equipped to assess & address procedural changes to better support the sexuality rights within their services.Expected long term impacts of the project are increased general openness & positive attitude to address the ( still often sensitive) topic of sexuality of PwID & PwMHC both by users & supporters, The SDM approach is increasingly accepted by professionals, support organizations & users themselves as the appropriate strategy to address & implement the rights of PwID & PwMHC with regards to their sexual needs, wishes & expression in accordance with the UNCRPD principles, Key organizational procedures proven positive to support sexuality of PwID & PwMHC within a variety of support services are progressively accepted & integrated by organization managers.

Emotional intelligence is our ability to recognize emotions in ourselves and others, to understand their effect, and to use that knowledge to guide our thoughts and behaviors. Because emotional intelligent people tend to get along better with others and be more empathetic and compassionate, they are likely to be more successful compared to their counterparts. Thus it is more than vital to start to talk about emotional intelligence since primary education, not only for training children but also to train teachers and parents that are fundamental figures in the children emotional development. It is essentially a different way to be smart because it is “the capacity to be aware of, control- express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically”. People with higher emotional intelligence are also more adaptable to change and more capable of dealing with requests from the contexts. Most recent approaches stress the importance of socio-emotional learning (SEL) and education for a positive youth development.p.s. SMILE will aim to balance between subject knowledge and education. All around Europe education is more focused on the knowledge transfer rather than to help children to develop skills that are necessary for a better integration in society and to be successful in any future field in life. The project conforms with the aim of the EU to form a unified European front against the problems that face societies, achieving the European goal to promote peace, its values and mostly the well-being of its citizens, including the crucial but often forgotten emotional well-being. The project aims to contribute in building emotionally stable, inclusive and healthy communities in primary education institutions where significant adults, namely parents and teachers, reach a better understanding of what is education, take care of their own socio-emotional functioning and support its development in children. That is a fluorishing community result from a joint capacity building process of parents, teachers and children in both educational and daily life contexts.OBJECTIVES-Throughout the delivery of the intellectual outputs, empowering significantly adults in their living community (namely teachers and parents)with effective tools to more successfully guide socio-emotional development of their children.-Improving throughout training primary schools’ teachers’ capability to successfully teach and develop children's social and emotional competences.-Thanks to the activities covering the different components of SEL, verify the efficacy of the program to develop in children essential socio-emotional skills to better understand themselves and their classmates and orient their behavior.-Creating guidelines for teachers on SEL in order to provide them with necessary knowledge and skills to refer to SEL during their teaching activities.-Creating materials for SEL teaching that will be available on the online platform and disseminated across participating countries.-Raise awareness in the local community and also in the European community about the importance of social and emotional education for children since an early stage (primary school).ACTIVITIES p.s. SMILE will produce 4 Intellectual Outputs:IO1:Methodological material for SEL competences development. Partnership will create a the state of the art report for the countries involved in the partnership. These will be used for setting the guidelines to produce the methodological material regarding SEL. This will provide the information about SEL competences, their importance, their development possibilities, education of SEL for kids. The material will result in an e-book that will be available online with open access. As well we'll provide guidelines on how to integrate SEL activities in formal and non-formal education. Non-formal education program for SEL competences development will be provided by each partner country.IO2:Creation of 1 training method for teachers that then will train the children on SEL dimensions. The training will be then administered by the partners to the teachers in each partner country. There will be then a piloting activity developed among a whole academic year in which the teachers will use the developed training method with their classes to help pupils developing SEL dimensions.IO3:Developing of an App for adults (parents, teachers) guiding them through SEL components and competences and setting daily activities for them to better develop their emotional potential and improve themselves.IO4:The training method created in IO2 will be evaluated and modified according to that, then will be adapted for becoming an e-learning platform.All project activities, results and outcomes are all aimed to make teachers, parents, pupils and European community more aware of the importance of SEL and how to properly develop and use it.

<< Background >>Ploes E.Psy.Me., Gewerksttat and ARCIL provide therapeutic services and support to people with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities, many of whom are diagnosed with autism. Thus, the provided services are intended for the development of social, emotional, cognitive as well as daily living skills of autistic individuals, aiming for social inclusion in all parts of daily life. This educational program is closely connected to the services already provided in the VET organisations participating in the consortium, taking things one step further, by completing the vocational training with pre-vocational and interpersonal skills required for autistic beneficiaries to have access to meaningful employment and by making it interactive and attractive to users by adding VR to the equation. Unfortunately, even though the services provided cover a wide range of skills and educational programs are designed on a yearly basis to fit the needs of the beneficiaries, there is a vast need for an integrated project that is going to concern vocational training adjusted to the needs and challenges of autistic individuals. Young people who are affected by autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) do actually not have equal access to VET and work. Even if they have the capacity and intellectual property, they face barriers on the way to VET and the labour market.The aim of inclusion in Europe needs to support this group. This is why this consortium wants to address this project to develop ways to the needs of autistic people to get full access to VET and the labour market.As mentioned above, the specific project aims to create an educational program that entails vocational training adjusted to the needs of autistic individuals through the integration of in vivo training seminars and Virtual Reality technology.The training created is going to entail:•Training for mental health professionals in the methodology that is going to combine Virtual Reality and a complete interpersonal, pre-vocational and vocational skills program.•Training for autistic beneficiaries interested in finding employment•Assessment and certification according to EU standardsThe project aspires to fill the gap between school education and employment for autistic individuals that do not have access to tertiary education.<< Objectives >>VIRTUS project is addressing the preparation and readiness of ASD individuals on occupational ability, adaptation to professional environments and professional training with Virtual Reality (VR) technology.In the frame of the project, we suggest a paradigm through which we can identify the strengths and shortcomings of the target group. As such we presuppose:-Assessment through methodological tools (workings skills and wellbeing are going to be measured) and procedures will be actualized-Development of VR scenarios-Use of Virtual Reality technology-Hybrid (in vivo & through VR) methodology format-Training of trainers (specialised professionals, specifically: barista, kitchen assistant, office clerk)-Training on interpersonal and pre-vocational skills -Application of the acquired skills-Skills evaluation and certification according to EU standardsIn general, VIRTUS Project aims to:●Raise awareness campaign targeted to relevant stakeholders such as employers, parents and caregivers of autistic individuals, VET organisations, organisations active in the field of autism from the network of contacts of all participating organisations●Enhance the vocational skills of autistic individuals to raise possibilities to secure and maintain meaningful employment and increase their sense of wellbeing●Make the training programs more attractive and interesting for autistic individuals by combining innovative VR technology with in-vivo seminars●Provide high-quality vocational education and training in a range of professions in which autistics could thrive and certify the acquired skills according to EU standardsWe want to create training programmes based on new curricula which help autistic people to get the competencies, social skills and knowledge they need to enter the labour market.Avoidance and prevention of social exclusion and marginalisation is at the core of this attempt<< Implementation >>In the frame of the project, we suggest a paradigm through which we can identify the strengths and shortcomings of the target group. As such we presuppose:-Assessment through methodological tools (workings skills and wellbeing are going to be measured) and procedures will be actualized-Literature research and needs analysis on autism and employment-Training material creation that is going to combine the expertise of mental health professionals with expertise on autism and specialised professionals in the fields selected (barista, kitchen assistant, office clerk)-Development of VR scenarios -Hybrid (in vivo & through VR) methodology format for the pre-vocational and vocational skills part of the training-Training of trainers for mental health professionals and specialised professionals, -Training on interpersonal, pre-vocational and vocational skills addressed to autistic participants -Skills evaluation and certification according to EU standards-VIRTUS Tutor’s guide development-Dissemination plan targeted to relevant stakeholders in the field of employment, autism and vocational education and training providers<< Results >>During the VIRTUS Project’s duration, the following deliverables will be developed:-Literature research and needs analysis on the needs of autistic individuals in search of employment. This report is going to be submitted for publication in academic journals. -VIRTUS Training kit, that is going to include 3 pillars: interpersonal, pre-vocational and vocational skills (on three specific professions: Barista, Kitchen assistant, office clerk)-12-month implementing activities in all participating countries-VIRTUS Tutor’s Guide (translated in all languages of the countries involved and available for free access after the completion of the Project)-Certification Scheme according to European standards intended for training material, trainers, as well as autistic participants.The VIRTUS Project is expected to have a great impact on the mental health professionals and autistic individuals involved as it will provide an attractive and innovative training program, targeted to their specific needs and challenges. The contribution of specialised professionals and autism experts will provide added value to the project, by connecting it with the labour market in an autism-friendly methodology. The utmost purpose of the project is to battle unemployment for underrepresented populations, such as autistic individuals, by providing high quality certified skills and by preparing them for the labour market.

BackgroundSince the EU and all member states have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the European educational systems have to become inclusive. All children and young people should be able to rely on professional staff to enable their learning and participation in school. For children and young people with disabilities, non-teaching staff (learning support assistants, teaching assistants,..) play a vital role in enabling them to successfully engage in every aspect of compulsory and post compulsory education.ObjectivesThe project “Improving Assistance in Inclusive Educational Settings” (IMAS) focused on the education of children and young people with disabilities in Europe, with the aim of establishing a common framework for scrutinising how assistance is organised in schools. The main objectives of the project were to understand the contribution of assistance services to inclusive education for children and young people with disabilities, to develop recommendations for the further development of these services and (if necessary) to enhance them through the project activities.PartnershipCHANCE B (Austria, Coordinator) is a social service provider operating in the Eastern part of Styria, offering support to every person who needs it to live well in the region.CSIE-Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (UK) is a national charity that works to promote equality and eliminate discrimination in education.TENENET o.z. (Slovakia) was established as a social and psychological advisory centre helping disabled clients, children in social need and youth with behavior problems.ARCIL (Portugal) provides a wide range of services in the rehabilitation field for children, young people and adults with disability or other special needs.VISION-Agency for social development (Bulgaria) is specialised as a service provider in the area of culture and social development.EASPD-European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities is a non-profit European umbrella organization and currently representing over 12000 social and health services for persons with disabilities.ActivitiesAt the beginning of the project the partners systematically surveyed the current state of assistance services in their countries (Status Quo Report). These surveys yielded an overview of the different systems. They also enabled partners to formulate recommendations for the role of learning and support assistants in inclusive education on a European level.Another main activity was a five-day training event involving assistants, teachers, education experts, parents and former pupils from the countries of all project organisations. The participants of this training discussed the recommendations, shared experiences and worked on scrutinising processes of inclusive education in their national context and developing a set of improvement suggestions as relevant.Subsequently all partners developed a set of recommendations specific to their country, based on the general recommendations already developed at European level.At the end of the project all partners organised and held stakeholder meetings to disseminate the national recommendations among decision makers in the education system and at all levels of policy and administration.All project activities were based on a participative, practical approach and involved as many assistants, pupils and stakeholders as possible.Results-Description of the current status of assistance services in each partner country-Summary in a Status-Quo Report covering all partner countries-Recommendations for the role of learning and support assistants in inclusive education, at European level-Recommendations for the role of learning and support assistants in inclusive education at national level for each participating country-Training Activity Workshop Design-23 participants at the training activity-157 participants at the stakeholder meetings-Dissemination of the project results through different channelsLonger-term benefitsThis project has set an important first step to draw attention to assistance services at European and National level, on the understanding that these play an important role in developing a more inclusive education system consistent with the requirements of the UNCRPD. The project has clearly demonstrated that there are no clear and consistent frameworks for availability, quality and responsibilities of learning and support assistants in schools and other educational settings. The project has also shown that in some regions of Europe the possibility of making assistance services routinely available to children with disabilities does not exist. It is anticipated that the recommendations developed during this project will provide orientation for decision makers and assist them in further developing assistance services in their countries, in ways which are consistent with the requirements of the UNCRPD

"<< Background >>People with intellectual Disabilities (PwID) experience social exclusion due to limited employment and community engagement opportunities. Vocational Training is of paramount importance for their social inclusion. They are often unable to complete official Vocational Education and Training (VET) programmes. Barriers hindering their participation include: Lack of skills, limited awareness and a dearth of appropriate support and methodologies in the education providers; Attitudes such as prejudice, stigma and low expectations.Additionally, VET providers face challenges in meeting the needs of people with disabilities. Upskilling and building competencies of professionals training them as well as having access to materials in formats that PwID are able to comprehend enable their participation in Vocational Training. Additionally, vocational training focused on environmental education in the context of Special Education is limited and the training materials incomplete. However, Environmental Education and Special Needs Education can be linked, as both sectors seek to promote trainees’ participation. Based on modern pedagogical views, the diversity of intellectual disability does not deprive them of their right and ability to engage in social and environmental issues as active citizens. Environmental Education is therefore a way of social inclusion, acceptance and active participation for all, including people with disabilities, by promoting their awareness of environmental issues. The Easy Gardening project acknowledges the need for education for sustainability and environmental issues which is a crucial competence required by all citizens, including PwID as it enables behavioral changes for individual preferences, consumption habits and lifestyles. Moreover, special education resources for environmental education are limited especially for PwID. Therefore, getting involved in environmental activities raises environmental awareness of both VET providers and PwID.The project is in line with the Disability Rights Strategy for 2021-30, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the European Charter of Fundamental Rights, theDigital Education Action Plan Agenda (2021-2027), the New Skills Agenda and the UN Agenda 2030.Last but not least it is also in line with the EU 2030 Climate & Energy Framework and the European Green Deal, which highlight the need for the EU to transition to a low-carbon economy. New competencies for “green” jobs, that are inclusive for all, are required for this transition, while one of the Green Deal’s principles is that it “leaves no one behind”.The main need of the project is to foster social inclusion of PwID through nature-based education and skills development of professionals training PwID. It will be achieved through interventions that embed nature-based education and environmental awareness in the curriculum of Intellectual Disability training and through innovative processes involving digital learning. The project’s consortium consists of 6 key partners from 5 countries (Greece, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, and Denmark) with extended experience in Intellectual Disability Vocational Training, Experiential Nature-Based Education, Organic Urban Farming Training, Agricultural Science and Digital Learning. Their experience provides a coherent response to the needs that professionals in the Intellectual Disability Training sector have by complementing and adding value to existing initiatives.<< Objectives >>The main objective is to upskill professionals in the Intellectual Disability Training field, across the EU, on nature-based training such as organic gardening by enhancing their knowledge and competences so that they can then foster PwID’s social inclusion. It will be achieved by the creation of an “easy-to-read” Organic Gardening Book for PwID (Result 1), a Capacity building course for organic gardening training for professionals working with PwID (Result 2), an E-Learning Platform (Result 3) and a Strategic Game: How to Grow Your Food with Easy Gardening (Result 4) that will enable exchange of good practices, enhance distance learning, digital inclusion and will establish an international network of partners. In addition, the project wants to achieve the following: • Increase training and career development opportunities at a local level, national level and EU level for professional trainers and PwID; • Enable and mobilize all community members, including PwID and their trainers, to take action against climate change and to contribute to a more sustainable future for all. • Strengthening the role of local communities in the personal and professional development of people with intellectual disabilities; • Increase of green spaces in local communities through the creation of organic urban gardens; • Development of a sense of respect and understanding, and combating discrimination towards intellectual disabilities through the active engagement in sustainable green education and community activities; • Enable and mobilize all citizens, including PwID and their trainers, to take action against climate change and to contribute to a more sustainable future for all; • Widened professional knowledge by adopting new approaches in their practices, thus being able to initiate more concrete plans on supporting more people in their career as trainers of PwID with a focus on nature-based education and lobby for the introduction of new policies; • Benefit from ready-to-use tools which can be successfully integrated in their mentoring program or extracurricular activities for providing the necessary support for PwID integration in society. • Promote acceptance and understanding of EU citizens regarding diversity and increase understanding of Intellectual disabilities; • Creation of a more inclusive EU, where all citizens can thrive;<< Implementation >>Monitoring and Evaluation activitiesThe consortium will organize project planning management, implementation, and evaluation functions and will increase knowledge generation by applying a logic model throughout the project. The Basic Logic Model that will be used in the project development will define the following key five areas: Resources/Inputs> Activities> Project’s results> Outcomes> Impact. These five key areas of the Logic Model will be applied to each project activity: 1. Activities: The planned project activity and tasks to be accomplished will be described in detail. 2. Results: The desired/expected results that will be produced as a result of the planned activity will be specified. 3. Resources/inputs: Necessary data and resources to support the achievement of the activity. These include human resources, level of expertise, feedback and input from stakeholders, etc. 4. Outcomes: Identification of the short- and long-term outcomes expected/desired for the activity. 5. Impact: Description of the long-term impact anticipated at local, national, European, and international level as a result of the project, and how each activity will support the generation of this impact. Implementation ActivitiesAt the beginning of the project, a Project Steering Committee (PSC) that will oversee the progress of the project will be formed consisting of one representative of each partner who will be appointed for this project. A Project Work Plan will be developed at the beginning of the project, which will be a guide for carrying out the work during the entire implementation period to ensure that the roles, responsibilities and rights, and obligations of the partners are clearly defined, as well as to ensure consensus and clarity within the consortium regarding reporting processes, technical and financial management, communication means, decision process, conflicts, and other issues. The tasks and responsibilities of each partner will also be formalized and endorsed in comprehensive Partnership Agreements to be signed between the lead applicant and each partner. Different project partners will be responsible for the management of different results. The results’ leaders have been selected according to their expertise, capacity, and relevant experience. The result’s leader will be responsible for the coordination of activities and allocation of resources, as well as quality assurance of the result, and will report to the Project Coordinator. Each partner will be responsible for the management of their working group/team and the implementation of their activities as described in the application form and project work plan. A series of specific tools will be developed and applied throughout the implementation period of the project, including a) a project contact list, b) a google docs or Dropbox project folder or another relevant platform. EU Tools for ImplementationThe project results will be uploaded as the project implementation progresses on the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform for wider dissemination. In addition, the project plans to utilise the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe (EPALE) as it is the most relevant platform for the purposes of the project. Although, the EPALE is about adult learning and it isopen to trainers and volunteers, as well as policy-makers, researchers, media and academics, information about the implementation of the project and its results (R1-R3) will be disseminated as the partnership believes that the project results could be easily extrapolated in the adult learning field. In this way the consortium will inform a wider audience enabling users to utilise the project results and bringing them into contact with other interested stakeholders with the partnership, sharing their experiences and engaging in discussions.Finally, the partners will forward all relevant information to Erasmus+ National Agencies of the participating countries and beyond.<< Results >>The Easy Gardening project will develop an innovative Training Course with methodology and tools for professionals working in the field of Intellectual Disability Training sector. In addition, it will create training materials, including an easy-to-read Gardening Book, a digital Strategic Game and a digital space for all relevant stakeholders to exchange good practices in this specific field and a strategic game. Expected results include: • Development of Vet providers’ and professionals’ competencies in inclusive environmental education for PwID; • Upgrading the training systems and the quality of the training itself; • Development of a gardening book by using the “easy-to-read” method; • Development of a capacity building training course for inclusive environmental education for professionals working with intellectual disabled populations; • Development of an ""Easy Gardening"" E-Learning Platform;• Enhancing digital learning by creating an e-learning platform and a strategic game; • Providing to PwID equal opportunities of access to environmental education; • Fostering social integration of people with Intellectual Disabilities; •Encouraging people with intellectual disabilities to involve themselves within environmental activities; • Provision of a safe space for PwID; • Raising awareness of PwID concerning the positive effects of environmental education; • Creating links between VET providers and people with intellectual disabilities; • Raising awareness of organic farming methods, their link to sustainable food sector and their role in tackling climate crisis; • Increasing transnational cooperation, exchange of existing practices, learning experiences and synergies in the field of Intellectual Disability Training; During the project and after its completion, the partners expect that VET teachers, trainers, mentors, as well as partners organizations, will gain experience and knowledge from this collaboration, resulting to improvements in several areas: •To upgrade the training systems and the quality of the training itself; •To transfer and enhance the implementation of innovative practices; • To improve the employability skills of professionals training PwID and competences of those planning to choose a career path in this field; In complementing the project results, the partners will also deliver the following results: • A concrete Overall Work Plan and Activity(s)-specific Work Plans which will describe all the necessary steps and procedures for the smooth implementation of the project (structure, tasks per partner and responsibilities, project milestones, communication arrangements and reporting); • Minutes following each partner meeting, drafted and delivered by the partners’ meeting host organization, in collaboration with the P1; • A Quality Assurance plan, covering the overall course of the project to make sure all activities are undertaken in an effective way, leading to the desired results based on the quality standards agreed upon among the partnership; • A Dissemination Strategy, with detailed description of the dissemination tools and activities necessary to reach the target groups and a final dissemination activities’ report at the end of the project;• Participants' lists from all the local national events; • Project logo; •Creation of informative printed material (leaflets, poster etc.); • 4 Newsletters developed and disseminated after important project milestones. All partners will translate the newsletters in their language and distribute them to the relevant stakeholders, as well as, upload them on the E-Learning Platform (IO3) and their social media accounts; • Feedback questionnaires from members of the target group who will be involved in the local events and training sessions; • 5 Multiplier Events – (ES,GR,HR, ,PT, DK) for the target group and project stakeholders in the framework of the dissemination and exploitation activities in each country."