<< Objectives >>Through the implementation of forest pedagogy programs, we want to improve academic achievements and the health and well-being of immigrant children and children with learning and behavioral challenges. Partner schools will include those programs in their curricula and train teachers to implement forest pedagogy programs adapted to children. By publishing these programs through Erasmus+ platforms, we will encourage the introduction of forest pedagogy programs in other EU countries as well.<< Implementation >>Based on the review of the situation with the partners, forest pedagogy programs will be designed, intended for working with children who face immigration/migrant challenges and learning and behavioral challenges. The programs will be implemented on a trial basis and included in school curricula. Teachers will participate in additional training on the topic of forest pedagogy. We will create a forest pedagogy manual with worksheets in 3 languages and spread it through Erasmus+ platforms.<< Results >>5 designed and piloted forest pedagogy programs with digital and green content adapted to vulnerable target groups of children; a teacher training program to implement these programs; 10 additional qualified teachers, 4 equipped classrooms in nature, 2 mobility programs, online manual with worksheets in 3 languages, include programs in curricula, international final event, publication of results on Erasmus+ platforms, 10 publications in the media.

*Project BackgroundThe EFMO project has been designed to the meet the needs & demands of European Forest Machine Operators-EFMO. Recent UK & European statistics highlight an unacceptable workplace fatality rate associated with skilled operations undertaken in the agriculture & forestry industries priority sectors for UK & EU health & safety authorities. The EFMO project will particularly focus on the use of forwarders, harvesters and tractors in mechanical harvesting operations & compare western European & eastern European skills & techniques employed. In Ireland over 58% of all agricultural related injuries have been associated with tractor operations, an unacceptably high accident rate. Additionally, twenty-one fatalities to skilled forest machinery operators in Slovenian forest during 2015 for example, is likewise, an unacceptably high fatality rate. Overall, during the last few decades there has been more accidents & fatalities during harvesting, crush injuries due to machine overturns/unexpected movement etc. The EFMO project aims to seriously address these issues.Partners aim to build upon the successful work of previous projects which developed for example the European Chainsaw Certificate (ECC) with the objective in providing similar high quality safety certification for European Forest Machine Operators. In order to enhance training delivery, the EFMO project aims to facilitate best practice & high quality instruction standards & techniques amongst VET providers & skills trainers of courses in machinery operations across Europe & beyond, exchanging knowledge, training innovations & expertise in the process leading to safer trainers & trainees.*Key NeedsThe ultimate project goals & key needs are as follows:1. Develop high quality innovative & standardised EFMO qualifications 2. Develop high quality innovative training guidance for the benefit of EFMO trainers & trainees3. Reduce workplace fatality & incident rates & associated economic and personal costs within the EFMO sectors of agriculture & forestry*Key ObjectivesAchieving the key needs requires the following objectives to be met:1. Develop innovative European occupational safety standards in EFMO 2. Improve transparency & recognition of EFMO skills via innovative European qualifications accredited by ABA International3. Enhance EFMO trainer/operators mobility & employability throughout Europe 4. Encourage & promote life-long learning & continuous professional development within the EFMO sector*Project ParticipantsThe project team are a highly experienced and motivated partnership between industry & training specialists with a desire to improve training standards for the benefit of skilled machine operator safety in agriculture & forestry activities.*Project ActivitiesThe project life-cycle includes a number of tasks required to achieve the needs & objectives. These include for example:• Industry consultations• Seminar & workshop presentations• Training the trainer events• Pilot testing activities• Development of innovative new European qualification guidance• Continuous project dissemination • International certification events• Development of innovative new European training guidance *Project MethodologyThe project will be undertaken in the 3 phases:Phase 1: EFMO Occupational Guidance•Project management meetings: task lists, dissemination plans etc•Train the trainer meetings: upskilling, sharing best practice etc•Develop training standards•Undertake project promotional activitiesPhase 2: EFMO Qualification Guidance•Follow-up project management meetings•Train the trainer meetings: skills consolidation, practice new techniques, pilot test new qualifications etc•Develop new VET training materialsPhase 3: EFMO Pilot Testing•Finalise new VET trainer & trainee training materials •Continued analysis, dissemination & enhancement of project products & goals•Live test new European certifications *Project Impact, Results & Longer Term BenefitsThe project will achieve its objectives including having a positive impact on training innovations of VET machine operator skills safety at the European level. The key results will include:•Promote the integration of the new EFMO qualifications within apprenticeships, further education & higher education programmes•Support the recognition & transnational mobility of forest machine operators & their EFMO qualifications•Support life-long learning & continuous professional development of forest machine operators & EFMO trainers•Support a reduction in accidents & fatalities in the EFMO sector via the successful achievement of the EFMO project & post project as part of the long-term sustainability plans supported by the accreditation body ABA International

<< Objectives >>The main goal of the project is to attract young people to libraries, because there is a large dropout of young users in both school and city libraries. With the project, we want to innovatively upgrade library activity and bring it closer to young people through various activities. Therefore, the goal of the project is to encourage creative writing and to produce an innovative creative program that also includes digitization and international cooperation and preservation of the mother language.<< Implementation >>With the project, we want to innovatively upgrade library activity and bring it closer to young people through:- new innovative programs of creative writing, art, literary workshops, reading club, gamification in the library, - the use of digitization in the presentation and use of books (book trailers),- appropriate equipment of a space close to young people (reading corner),- international networking for encouraging young people- involving immigrants in library activities<< Results >>The result of the project will be a publication on the implemented content in the form of recommendations for other libraries. Activities and content that will be tested during the project and will be recognized as good will be included in the annual work plan of the libraries and will be implemented even after the end of the project.An increase in visits to libraries by young people is also expected, who will stay in libraries for longer and borrow more materials.

The ESTER project has been designed to meet the needs of European skills trainers and VET organisations. Recent European statistics highlight an unacceptable workplace fatality rate associated with skilled operations undertaken in the agriculture and forestry sectors of industry. The ESTER project will focus on key high-risk activities within those sectors. For example, falls from a height and machinery crush injuries are well-known risks which can be better prevented through quality training provision. Partners aim to build upon the successful work of previous projects which developed, for example the European Chainsaw Certificate (ECC), with an aim to provide a recognised European skills trainer qualification. In order to enhance training delivery, the ESTER project aims to facilitate best practice & high-quality instruction standards & techniques amongst VET providers and skills trainers of courses across Europe and beyond, exchanging knowledge, training innovations and expertise in the process leading to safer trainers and trainees.The ultimate project goal and key needs are as follows:1. Develop an innovative formal standardised European skills trainer qualification, registration and CPD process2. Develop innovative training materials for the benefit of trainers and trainees3. Reduce workplace fatality, incident rates and associated economic and personal costs within specific sectors of agriculture and forestry Achieving the key needs requires the following objectives to be met:1. Develop innovative European occupational standards for skills trainers in train the trainer (TTT)2. Improve transparency and recognition of trainer skills via innovative European qualifications accredited by ABA International3. Enhance trainer mobility and employability throughout Europe 4. Encourage and promote life-long learning and continuous professional development of registered European trainersProject Participants:The project team is a highly experienced and motivated partnership of industry and training specialists with a desire to improve training standards for the benefit of skilled operator safety in the sectors outlined.Project Activities:The project life-cycle includes a number of tasks required to achieve the needs and objectives. These include for example:• Industry consultations• Seminar presentations• Training the trainer events• Trainer upskilling and best practice events• Development of a European Trainer Skills Register-ESTER• Continuous project dissemination • International certification events• Production of new European training guidance materials The project will be undertaken in the following 3 stages:Stage 1: (Start-Up)Project management meetings: task lists, dissemination plans etc.Train the trainer meetings: upskilling, sharing best practice etc.Develop training standardsUndertake project promotional activitiesStage 2: (Implementation)Follow-up project management meetings:Train the trainer meetings: skills consolidation, practice new techniques, pilot test new qualifications etc.Develop new VET training materialsStage 3: (Certification)Live test new European certifications in partner countriesFinalise new VET trainer and trainee training materials Continued analysis, dissemination and enhancement of project products and goalsProject Impact and Long Term Benefits:The project will achieve its objectives including new training innovations in the sectors identified in VET skills safety at the European level. The key results will include:1. Establishment of new European skills register and trainer qualifications 2. Development of innovative training materials and resources3. Facilitating EU trainer continuing professional development and mobility4. High quality training provision supporting a reduction of EU accidents and fatalities in agricultural and forestry activities with the support of ABA International

The idea for applying for an Erasmus+ grant came up quickly as the opportune way to transfer knowledge and skills between countries when the Agricultural university of Iceland (AUI) and University of Copenhagen (UCPH) had met and talked about setting up climbing courses in Iceland. In the application process they decided to include a school in Slovenia, SGLS Postojna, in the project since they had very competent climbing teachers and they needed assistance in increasing safety in climbing and forestry in their country. The next partner to enter the cooperation was the Administration for occupational safety and health (AOSH) in Iceland. The last partner to come into the project was Naturbruksgymnasiet Osby from Sweden. They had very competent climbing teachers and were in need of study material for their courses. A year into the project time they left the cooperation after some administrative trouble at their school.The main objectives of the project were to create quality, accessible, digital study material for arborists as well as setting up guidelines for courses and distance education options. Safety issues and recommended work methods were tackled in the study material.The AUI was in charge of writing course descriptions and introducing and setting up distance education options for the the test courses completed during the project period. They have vast experience in this field being the only school focusing on agriculture and horticulture in Iceland and students often living far away from school. The UCPH brought to the project over 40 years of experience in teaching forestry and climbing as well as plain chainsaw work. The teachers from UCPH participating in the project have been involeved in teaching in this field all over Europe and the world, including Africa and Australia. SGLS Postojna is one of only two schools in Slovenia that teach forestry and climbing. The two teachers involved in the project are the only two teachers that have been certified on a European level (through the ABA) in Slovenia. Their aim has been to increase safety in forestry and climbing in their country for years and it was going slowly. Therefor we saw this project would be a good opportunity to host a conference on the subject in Slovenia and the teachers would gain study material and insight into how these things are run in the other participating countries. The AOSH in Iceland has not had a good way to focus their energy on the forestry sector in Iceland as well as monitoring those who use chainsaws in their work. Their involvement in this project was a good way to give them good insight into the work of arborist and create checklists and tools that the AOSH can use for inspections in the future. The main activities undertaken in the project were the production of the two outputs, e-book and course descriptions, then the three seminars held during the project time as well as two multiplier events. The e-book and course descriptions results are available for reading and downloading on the projects website. The first seminar held was about distance education held at AUI in Iceland. Teachers and staff from UCPH, SGLS Postojna and Osby came to learn about the experience of teachers and students at AUI as well as learning about different e-learning platforms such as Moodle. The second seminar was held at Osby in Sweden where students and teachers from Iceland, Denmark, Slovenia and Sweden learned the basics for tree climbing. They had previously been learning at home through Moodle to prepare for the seminar. The third and last seminar took place at SGLS Postojna, Slovenia. There the students and teachers from Iceland, Denmark and Slovenia learned more technical work related to climbing with a chainsaw and spurs. At that seminar some of the students got assessed and certified for chainsaw work and climbing within the ABA certification system. The first multiplier event was held in Slovenia, 2018, about climbing and safety, it was a two day event with a climbing competition on the second day. A small multiplier event was then held in Iceland, 2019, about drafts for courses for arborists intended to be setup at AUI for 2020. The conference ended with a climbing exhibition.The responses from attendees at the multiplier events have been very positive and people seem to be very interested in being able to access material like this online. In Iceland people are waiting for courses to be ready for teaching in 2020 and many have expressed interest in learning to become arborists. The event in Slovenia has sparked an interest amongst people to educate themselves better in climbing as well as attending regularly seminars and conferences for continuing education purposes. We see a good impact in Iceland and Slovenia after the completion of this project where safety and climbing has become more talked about. At UCPH the main impact is now having the tools to setup distance education in various forms at their school.