"<< Objectives >>As the EU crisis is also affecting nutritional security, especially adults with fewer opportunities, the main aim of the project is to build the first foundations for fostering the development of a new job profile called ""Motivator for self-sufficiency"". New job will be performed by adults who work as volunteers in different sectors and have interest to motivate other adults to start with self-sufficiency in food (unemployed, passive, from urban/rural areas who lack knowledge from this field).<< Implementation >>Though work-based learning at local farms 20 adult volunteers will be trained for the new role ""Motivator for self-sufficiency«. Within the project we will gather best EU practises.We will design new webpage ""Grow your own tree«, as Open Education Resource (OER), for beginners on the field of food self-sufficiency (eco farming). The last activity of project GROW will be preparation of recommendations for development of new job profile with proposals for its placement at the system level.<< Results >>With the project GROW we will make the first step for improvement of the situation in the field of nutritional security among the most vulnerable groups of adults, long-term unemployed. With work-based learning and active inclusion we will train them for new profession ""Motivator for self-sufficiency"" . This will increase flexibility of opportunities in vocation education and training, as new profession can be reached based on the recognition of nonformal gained knowledge and experience."

The European Union has the challenge to advance towards more responsible and impacting science, looking for innovative links between science and people. Making science more attractive for young people, enrolling citizens in research or promoting formal and informal scientific education are, for instance, some of the objectives under the Horizon 2020 programme. Likewise, the European reference framework points out the need of developing key competences for lifelong learning of the adult population including the knowledge of fundamental and scientific concepts, principles and methods. The European reference framework suggests that these knowledge and competences may make adult learners more critical and able to make complex assessments of situations in everyday life, for instance taking into account ethical issues when assessing the impact of technological progress in their families and communities.Based on the necessity to develop adult learners’ scientific knowledge, the ScienceLit project has developed a methodology for the transference of scientific knowledge to adults with low skills and in disadvantaged situations who participate in non-formal educational programmes. There are no current projects that provide scientific literacy to adult learners, especially to those who are low-educated or are at risk of social exclusion. For this reason, the specific objectives of the project are: - To facilitate the access to scientific knowledge to adult people, especially to those in an at-risk situation, providing them with the tools that they need for their scientific literacy; tools that enable them to understand, interpret and analyze the scientific knowledge independently and autonomously. - To develop the ScienceLit Interactive Guide to transfer scientific knowledge to adult people.- To connect European Science institutions with the Adult people at risk in order to contribute to set science closer to society. And to develop key competences (literacy, numeracy) by participating in Successful Educational Actions like Scientific Gatherings.The project is directed to four target groups. The main target group is adult learners with low skills and in disadvantaged situations, more concretely, adults above the age of 55 and young adults at risk of age 18 to 34. The project uses the dialogic communicative methodology that incorporates participants as part of the project team. This means that adult learners traditionally excluded from the areas of education and science have been key speakers and participants in the project. The other three target groups are: adult education educators, professionals and volunteers; adult education providers and schools; and public administration and decision makers.The key innovation of the project is that it applies a Successful Educational Action (SEA), an educational action that has been scientifically tested to always have effective results, to the field of science. The SEA used is the “dialogic gathering”. The first main output of the project, the ScienceLit Interactive Guide, explains how to implement “Scientific Dialogic Gatherings” so that they can be implemented in adult schools across Europe. It is available on the project website, which contains audiovisual materials on how to organize and participate in a scientific dialogic gathering. The third output is a training course for educators and volunteers on scientific dialogic gatherings.The ScienceLit project has been led by Agora (Spain), a community-based NGO with 30 years of experience in the implementation of SEAs. The team is also composed by two community-based organizations with a long tradition of work with vulnerable groups (Slovenia and Greece), a federation of centres of adult education with access to multiple centres, organizations, and public institutions at the European level (Spain), and a big research institution on adult education (Germany). The main results are the acquisition of basic competences by adult learners and the promotion of the independence and autonomy of vulnerable collectives of adults. This project opens a new line of work in adult education, in the field of Science Literacy.

'Plan Be: Active Senior Volunteers' was a two year project between organizations (public and private) from Portugal, Italy, Slovenia and Finland, however the project was framed within a long-term perspective and planned with a view to achieve a multiplying effect and sustainable impact. The EU is made of its citizens and for its citizens! Encouraging and facilitating citizens' wider involvement in the European Union and what it stands for is of great importance. The main aim of this project was to create high quality learning opportunities, through the exchange of methodological approaches between the involved partners, creating a strategic and innovative program to engage senior citizens in lifelong learning. The focus was on the promotion of an active ageing program through active citizenship and involvement in volunteer work and community activities, addressing issues such as European citizenship, nature and environment, interculturality, social inclusion, among others.As 2015 was the European Year for Development, this project was a great opportunity to inspire more Europeans to get engaged and involved in development, stimulating a commitment to eradicate poverty, and demonstrating how senior volunteers can have a large contribute.The project “Plan Be: Active Senior Volunteers” aimed at fostering active ageing and lifelong learning, with the support of four clear components:1) fostering involvement in volunteer work and community activities as a key strategy for active ageing and european active citizenship; 2) developing and consolidating adult educators competences (knowledge, skills and attitude) in order to structure active ageing programme initiatives for senior citizens;3) contributing to a positive impact on local development in a sustainable way, considering senior citizens as key agents;4) contributing to the sense of belonging to Europe, as European Citizens, by creating a program with a transnational component.The following main activities were performed:- 5 transnational meetings (with elements from all the countries involved) which took place in the various countries involved, for project management and coordination;- Mapping and Survey phase (statistics, challenges, good practices);- Creation of the Plan Be Programme which included: Programme Design, Initial Staff Training (in Italy), Pilot Test with senior volunteers at local level (in all countries); Amendments and adjustments to the Programme; Blended Mobility of Senior Volunteers (In Slovenia);- 4 Multiplier Events (one in each of the countries involved) to disseminate the project and its results;- 1 Transnational Multiplier Event (Final Event) for dissemination of the project and its results (in Slovenia).The project had a good geographical balance, involving 4 countries from Southern, Northern and Central Europe, which contributed to ensure a real European outreach of the project.The project achieved sucessfully the objetives proposed, and recognizes the importance of promoting an open access to the project products. All materials are free downloadable in project website: http://planbeproject.com/

"Promote your Soft Skills with open Badges (SoftSkills4EU) is a 2 year international project funded by the EU within Erasmus plus KA2 , led by RIC Novo mesto (Slovenia) with cooperation of 4 partners from other EU countries.The main project result is developed platform for evaluating and upgrading of Soft Skills, which is accessible on https://academy-softskills4.eu/.The main objectives followed throughout the project were:• Identify the key soft skills needed in Europe.• Develop new e-tools for assessment and learning using the concept of 'digital badges'.• Develop an evaluation strategy that can also be used by employers, career consellors and other relevant stakeholders.It is a fact that soft skills are challenging to measure for several reasons, either because of the absence of appropriate tools and the unclear evaluation criteria used in the evaluation of 'hard skills'. Because of the different types of people, there are also different approaches and views, that is why knowledge, skills and competences are difficult to standardized. In addition, ""soft"" skills, competencies become visible only after a long period of working in practice.The main results of the project are mainly useful for the four target groups: jobseekers, employees, employers and adult educators, career counsellors. We gave special attention also to one of the target groups in the labour market - migrants.One of the main objectives of the project was to support the Europass European tool, namely to develop a European soft skills passport with integrated OPEN BADGES (in line with the standards of other Europass support tools).Our project had mainly focused on a systematic inventory of soft skills (research done during the project) and the development of innovative tools for the evaluation of soft skills. We have created the so called 'Soft skills Framework' for the five main areas of soft skills, namely: •Organisational skills, •Co-operative skills, •Creative thinking skills, •Social skills, •Personal skills (coping with stress).Due to the well-established term ""soft skills"" in the EU, we, in partnership, have kept the same denomination and in the naming of modules, despite the fact that our elaborate ""Soft Skills Framework"" includes not only skills but also knowledge and competences. The foundation for preparing the framework is the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and we considered the placing of the knowledge, skills and competence descriptors on three levels (A, B, C). With the levels of knowledge named this way, we wanted the move closer the evaluation system to the Europass tools. The platform provides e-learning materials (base on gathered best practices and creation of new material) from five thematic areas (five educational e-modules). In addition to testing, on the basis of which participants receive ""badges"", which represent validation of knowledge and skills, the project also produced a system of validation of acquired knowledges, skills, competence in practice through the acquisition of the ""Good employee"" badge. Within C1 activity we trained 15 career consultants (Soft Skills mentors) to use e-tools and award OPEN BADGES and to help to train other potential professionals to gain mentors badge. Project enables also gaining of SOFTSKILLS mentors badge also after the end of the project.The possibility of using the results of our project is wide:-For raising awareness among jobseekers and employees about the importance of soft skills and their impact on motivation, career development and personal growth.-For preparation of better CVs using our results and Europass tools.-For supporting career counselling (our newly developed tool is accessible to career counsellors in secondary schools’, adult education, to employment services, assessment centres and other organizations. That is why we want to offer them a tool that will make their work easier.)-This tool (thanks to the integrated e-learning material) can be used in both formal and non-formal programmes in adult education or for young people or with staff in education companies.-The tool can be used by employers in recruiting new staff or in preparation of development plan for staff, in monitoring it, for organizing employees to other workplace that are more appropriate to their competences.With implementation of project ""face to face"" activities we have reached so far more than 1.600 persons from the main target group and stakeholders from relevant and approx. 35.000 via internet-based activities. Partners:•RIC NOVO MESTO, Slovenia (lead partner)•MINISTERIE VAN ONDERWIJS, CULTUUR EN WETENSCHAP, Netherlands•A&A EMPHASYS INTERACTIVE SOLUTIONS Ltd, Cyprus•VISOKA POSLOVNA ŠKOLA PAR, Croatia•PROMIMPRESA SRL, ItalyProject platform and webpage with results: https://academy-softskills4.eu/, website: https://softskills4.eu/, https://softskills4.eu/Video guides: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh0E4B-O0QxfTbPeukZplJg"

<< Background >>According to with international assessments such as the latest OCDE´s PISA survey, the underachievement rate in Europe, students that fail in complete basic mathematics, science, and reading task was 22.5% in reading, 22.9% in mathematics, and 22,3% in science. The students from disadvantaged backgrounds are overrepresented among the underachievers. Education is failing in reducing inequalities associated with socio-economic status. But scientific research with social impact in Education is showing the possibility of reversing this trend. There are educational actions, with a solid scientific basis, that have been shown to improve achievement and basic skills in many different contexts for all learners, especially for disadvantaged learners. This is the case of Dialogic Gatherings, a Successful Educational Action identified by INCLUD-ED research (FP6, 2006-2011) that have proven excellent results when applied in Science, Maths, Literature, Art and Music subjects.<< Objectives >>The objectives of the Dive-In-Dialogue project are:1. Involve European disadvantaged students in Dialogic Gatherings, improving their key competences and fostering their inclusion in school and in society. 2. Train and empower teachers to use and disseminate this evidence-based practise, working transnationally and reaching disadvantaged students, their families and communities. 3. Create a transnational network, with didactic resources and a platform, to enable the scale-up, sustainability, and political impact of the practise.<< Implementation >>The project will achieve these objectives through:-The implementation and massive dissemination of the Dialogic Gatherings in Science, Maths, Literature, Art, and Music, with disadvantaged students.-The development of transnational Dialogic Gatherings where students from all over Europe read, watch, listen and discuss together the best works of science, knowledge, and culture that humanity has created.-The formation of a team of trainers, who will base their practice on scientific evidence and who will be willing to share their knowledge and experience with other national and international schools.- The holding of national and international events where this practice can be shared, and where national and international entities and politicians can be engaged for its expansion.<< Results >>The expected results are:1. Improvement in the basic competences of the target population, which is a prerequisite to thrive in life, to find fulfilling jobs, and to become engaged citizens. 2. Improvement in inclusion and social cohesion. Families and community engaged in the school and contributing to the success of the target population. 3. Capacity build in each country to replicate and scale this evidence-based practise. In addition, a critical mass of people in each country already trained and implementing the dialogic gatherings as part of their educational programmes. 4. Open resources available to all teachers in Europe to ensure the quality implementation of the practise, such as an eBook (R1), onboarding mini-tutorial videos (R2), and a resources bank (R3). 5. Scale and collaborative transnational implementation. Local, national, and International scale based on a collaborative and supportive ethos of peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. 6. Social and political impact. Evidence of good results engages politicians who will promote the practices.7. An online sustainable Community of Practise (R4) at European level connecting schools across borders to discuss together the best quality knowledge and culture celebrating diversity, enhancing inclusion, and boosting the acquisition of basic skills.