Despite significant superiority over the younger generation in the form of greater life knowledge and experience, people aged 50+ often undergo a gradual marginalization. The reasons are multiple, but one of them definitely is digital exclusion which not only causes one’s economic but also personal losses – leading to withdrawal from life, less confidence and worse understanding of the fast-changing reality. On the other hand benefits people aged 50+ can get from sufficient digital skills, e.g. using the Internet, are numerous: i.a. better chance of finding a job, more friends, higher level of general trust, engagement in the life of local communities, higher self-esteem, more active participation in culture, in general – higher quality of life of particular people, but also whole societies.Learning, especially lifelong learning, is no longer associated with the traditional education system only, and teaching is no longer the sole province of schools. Widening the circle of institutions offering educational activities by adding NGOs, informal groups and cultural institutions can support innovations and new approach to learners. 6 partners from Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden that work with adults and are fully aware of the importance of continuous learning within this group, decided to join their efforts for the common aim - to increase knowledge and skills of their staff through exchange of experience and good practices in the area of culture and adult education, in order to develop the project product – an offer of activities supporting development of digital skills in adults aged 50+, by means of cultural activities.Profiles of the participating organisations range from a company focusing on knowledge and transfer of innovations in the field of lifelong learning, through folk universities with a variety of educational activities and culture centres offering cultural education, to an association dealing with visual arts and languages, and new forms of communication. This diversity guarantees a wide coverage of aspects related to the chosen subject and, at the same time, allows to avoid repeating old patterns while working on common solutions and the project product.The partners will meet six times during transnational meetings, once in each partner’s country, to allow their staff to learn from each other, exchange experience and develop activities targeted at people aged 50+ with low digital skills, some of which will then be tested by the partners during local workshops. Digital skills will be shaped by adequately chosen activities in the field of broadly defined culture and arts, waking participants’ creativity and using their inborn creative potential. The project also indirectly engages other local organisations and institutions – NGOs, third age universities and other institutions working in each partner’s environment that offer support to the partners in development of the project product. Such network will support the partner organisations also in future, after the project ends.

<< Background >>COVID 19 exposed how ageism endangers all of society by dividing generations at a time when unity is particularly important. For decades, psychologists’ research has shown that ageism undermines older adults’ mental and physical health by implying they are less capable and more burdensome. The pandemic has exacerbated the portrayal of older people as vulnerable and weak. Similarly, intergenerational tension is also felt among the younger population, as social distancing and other public health measures were primarily aimed to benefit older people, yet the economic and social costs of these measures have been imposed overwhelmingly on young people. At the same time, the failure of younger people to live up to these moral expectations is denounced as selfish and students are stereotyped as reckless. Therein, generational solidarity is at an all-time low. The project grew out of concern for the civic engagement responsibilities of HEIs during the pandemic and the need to do more to help students tackle intergenerational tension, while also meeting community needs. IDOL offers a solution to combat this and rejuvenate the civic service mission of HEIs through intergenerational digital service learning. Therefore, IDOL has been carefully designed to meet the needs of HEI educators and staff, and is aligned with partner needs, some of whom university staff themselves.Our Partners recognize that civic engagement and shared European values are more important than ever. We also know that we NEED to be doing more to tackle these issues, and not just because it meets our “third mission”. Civic engagement and service learning have enormous potential to tackle the multiple negatives impacts of the pandemic, and by engaging more people in service learning and civic activities we contribute conscientiously to the society on whose behalf we are working. Partner recognized that in order to fulfil this objective, we need; i) effective methods to upskill HEI lecturers in digital competences, ii) we need new approaches to pedagogy that enable older and younger students to collaborate together and iii) partners need persuasive resources to showcase service learning as an essential part of HEI education mission. Moreover, in a strategic sense, the project also responds to our need to align our training with wider European trends and policy (eg: European Skills Agenda; EU Renewed Agenda for Higher Education). IDOL’s focus on intergenerational digital service learning will allow us integrate transversal digital and civic competences which have come to the fore in the last year.For the wider HEI sector needs mirror our own partner needs, particularly so amongst ACADEMIC STAFF, while for HE MANAGERS, they are aware that business-focused third mission activities have outstripped civic engagement. They need scalable, practical ways to integrate European values into taught programmes so as to better prepare students for 21st century adult life, and need to provide academics with a broader set of incentives to do so.Finally, IDOL responds to the needs of both younger students (in undergraduate programmes) and older adults, (from our continuous education or lifelong learning programmes) to partake in civic engagement activities- particularly those that build intergenerational solidarity. All our resources need their needs but especially R3, the Hackathons, which will see both groups working purposefully to reflect, deconstruct and reconstruct beliefs and engage in meaningful exchange of knowledge and skills on new intergenerational projects.<< Objectives >>The overall objective of IDOL is clear: to design and develop a new teaching approach which empowers HEI staff and lecturers to implement intergenerational digital service learning through; innovative modes of collaboration, improved digital skills and better understanding of the role of service learning not just a “third mission” activity but as an essential part of HE educational mission.In doing so, we contribute to three important European Priorities. The first is addressing common values, civic engagement and participation. Running through the IDOL project is the message that digital service learning is an essential third mission activity, our resources, especially the Practical Guide to Intergenerational digital service learning (R1) and Digital Service-learning Toolkit (R2) will enable hundreds of HEI educators and stakeholders to better understand this and acquire the knowledge and skills to integrate learning that boosts cultural awareness, value-based learning and active citizenship into exiting educational programmes. We will make an important contribution to the way in which the HEI sector and wider education, approach Digital Transformation and the need for Innovative learning and teaching practices. Service Learning is a proven teaching and learning strategy that is growing in Europe, however, in the context of the pandemic, new norms of social distancing and increasing digitalization requires new forms of practice. IDOL responds by adding two more innovative elements to service-learning practice, making it even more fit-for-purpose in HEIs: 1) The intergenerational focus and 2) The digital aspect of our service learning. These innovative aspects are supported by the Practical Guide (R1) Toolkit (R2), but especially by the IDOL Hackathon Guide. A Hackathon is a contemporary methodology, by encouraging HEIs to use this approach the project is congruent with innovation in both methodology and outcomes.The project aims to have a significant impact on the skills and professional capacities of one of our main target groups: HEI academic staff, tutors and lecturers. As an immediate impact of the project, university educators will have (for the first time) resources and skills to teach intergenerational learning through digital service learning. By engaging fully with the results, the project will enable them to acquire a new mode of collaboration through “tandem teaching” that will equip HEI staff to facilitate intergenerational learning through DSL activities. Ultimately, the project impacts on the professional development of university educators, and this is in turn contributes to the development of digitally proficient organizations who are more responsive to the learning needs of students.In addition, the project will have an immediate impact on students and older learners who participate in IDOL activities, firstly by strengthening key competences relating to service learning/community engagement i.e. creativity, empathy, problem solving etc. Secondly, students/ learners will develop stronger digital skills and consolidate the learning objectives of their HEI study through experiential learning. Moreover, participating in the IDOL hackathon will rebuild intergenerational solidarity fraught by the pandemic through knowledge exchange. Over time, participating students will be more engaged, connected and empowered digital champions and active citizens. Not only will they improve their personal and professional development, they will make a greater positive contribution to society around them.Finally, we expect that the project will spur stakeholders in the HEI sector to understand the need for intergenerational digital service learning and to reflect on how education must continually update to meet labour market and society needs. They will be conscious of IDOL as a valuable part of third mission objectives and not a niche field and reflect on a policy change.<< Implementation >>The project involves three key educational resources (results), as well as the horizontal activities required for successful project execution: management, impact evaluation, promotion and sustainability.RESULTS DEVELOPMENT Our results will be developed in sequential order; the results of the previous one informs the next. Although the IOs can be used independently, they are designed to be cumulative, based loosely on Bloom’s taxonomy moving from information, to comprehension, to application.RESULT 1: Practical guide introduces Intergenerational digital-service-learning. It comes first to enable partners to quickly engage in knowledge sharing about challenges and opportunities for intergenerational digital service-learning education in respective countries, consolidating working relationships and laying the groundwork for the following outputs.RESULT 2: Digital Service-learning Toolkit is our second major activity. This involves developing a new guide on the use of relevant digital tools/apps. It is the most overtly “train the trainers” aspect of our work since we recognize that educators will not teach digital service learning effectively until they are digitally confident themselves.RESULT 3: IDOL Hackathon Guide for IDOL involves creating an opportunity to translate theory into practice, guiding organizations on how to bring together educators, young students and older learners in a 1 or 2 day event that generates creative solutions to existing community problems (potential service learning topics) All resources will be open, published online and free to download and use, and where possible editable formats will be used to enable materials to be adapted and transferred for further use.ROUTE TO IMPACTBuilt around the resources are the transversal and project management activities which enable us to ensure their introduction, effectiveness and longevity as resources for use in European education projects.Impact Evaluation is a key component to ensure results are translated into impact. In the first partner we will carry out an impact+ workshop session to strengthen our understanding of the theory of change implicit in the project.Testing and implementation with the target groups is also essential. 96 HEI educators and 48 HEI students/learners will use the resources. Their experience will contribute to improvements before the final materials and promotion, as well as playing an important role in our multiplier events, wider promotion and sustainability strategy as “ambassadors” to the project’s impact.In terms of promotion, our plan is robust and will be supported by seven events scheduled for month 23/24. They will ensure that our resources are promoted, and that stakeholders actively understand their value and are motivated to introduce them in their own organisations.<< Results >>The most visible result of the project will be the introduction of a new topic of learning – intergenerational digital service learning –which will contribute to modernizing HE policy and practice, empower learners to engage in civic projects and equip HEI’s with an innovative mode of co-cooperation through “tandem teaching”. This will be made possible by providing HE managers and academic staff with a set of flexible tools that enable them to introduce teaching and opportunities to engage in IDOL:TANGIBLE RESULTSRESULT 1: PRACTICAL GUIDE TO INTERGENERATIONAL DIGITAL-SERVICE LEARNING introduces HEI lecturers to the topic with rigorously researched, up-to-date knowledge on the impact of the pandemic on the practice of service learning, education and intergenerational relationships. The guide will provide best practices to shift service learning to digital service learning and will introduce the innovative method of “tandem teaching”. It addresses the Erasmus+ priority for Innovative learning and teaching practices in HEI, as well as civic values/engagement. RESULT 2: DIGITAL SERVICE-LEARNING TOOLKIT will provide practical guidance and tools for HEI educators and lecturers, wishing to incorporate digital service-learning activities into their curricula/teaching strategies, with a focus on increasing their confidence in using digital tools. These tools will practically support HEI staff, students and the older learners to practically implement the service-learning project either partially or fully online. This will address the E+ priority for supporting Digital Capabilities of HE sectors. RESULT 3: IDOL HACKATHON GUIDE will design, develop and implement a transferable and replicable model of HEI led intergenerational e-service learning which has the power and potential to positively build bridges among generations and help students & older learners in HEIs to collaborate beneficially. This will address the E+ priority for Innovative learning and teaching practices. During the project, the following outcomes will be achieved: - 36 HEI Educator will use/test R1: Practical Guide and once launched it will be downloaded more than 240 times during the project lifespan. They will acquire new knowledge and be motivated to implement both digital service learning and the “Tandem teaching” approach.- 36 academic staff will use/test R2: Digital service-learning toolkit and once launched it will be downloaded more than 240 times during the project lifespan. They will significantly increase their confidence in using digital tools.- 24 HEI staff (6/HEI partner) will use/test R3: IDOL Hackathon Guide with a minimum of 48 students & older people. Educators will grow in confidence in this new teaching approach and participants will develop new competences to develop and implement innovative intergenerational social good projects.- At least 190 academics, HE managers & stakeholders will participate in multiplier events. They will gain knowledge of emerging models of intergenerational digital service learning and be more equipped to integrate these across all faculties.As a result of the above:As a result of the above, the project will make a significant contribution to updating the provision of service learning within HEIs, particularly with regard to digital and intergenerational approaches:- Partners and HE Institutions will have more relevant, high quality training products that are free to use.- Lecturers and teaching staff will develop skills needed for 21st education, helping them thrive in the post-pandemic context and navigate the challenges of increased digitalization. - Students and Older people will benefit from improved approaches to service learning, with effective pedagogies and a learning culture that enables inclusion, civic engagement and intergenerational solidarity.Additionally, partners will use the project to facilitate the professional development of their own teaching staff and to better fulfil 3rd mission.

The refugee and migrants' crisis is the largest since the middle of the last century and is perhaps the EU's greatest challenge today with large proportions of people entering Europe, many fleeing persecution or simply seeking a better way of life. Acquiring effective language communication skills is one of the most effective and quick routes to integration and social cohesion. Good communication skills can support mutual cultural understanding and an easy resolution to issues before they become unmanageable. The objective of WELCOME was to develop informal language clubs, led by volunteers and supported by professional teachers and coaches. The clubs would cater for up to 12 learners and would be delivered in a community-based setting, being a community centre, a local children’s centre, local school, library or a church hall. The community host organisation would be responsible for the engagement of 'hard to reach’, most at risk and disadvantaged groups of learners. The recruitment of these target groups was achieved. WELCOME specifically targeted learners who have only basic or no language skills in their host countries but needed effective communication skills to enable them to acquire and gain access to information and services, employment options, to develop digital skills and to integrate into the wider community. The summary of the completed project is that a community-based host organisation provided venues for WELCOME Clubs and to develop effective outreach strategies to engage learners. For example, the EDUCA partners recruited learners from local street. The project established language clubs in five European countries for learners to meet each week to practice their host language. The project also successfully developed training programmes for volunteer club facilitators. A WELCOME Toolkit with teaching and learning materials was also developed. The project network and website that has linked the clubs into networks across the EU is firmly in place. In summary, the project successfully met the agreed project proposal. The online resources centre, IO2 has been developed by GIDE. The Toolkit, framework and guide to setting up language clubs, namely IO3, IO4 and IO6 have been completed with a joint collboration from the City of London and Folkuniversitetet. The joint staff training videos, as part of IO5 EDUCA have been created. Intellectual outputs IO6, IO7 and IO8 have been completed. The dissemination event took place in Brussels in the presence of MEPs, key speakers, project partners and local delivery partners. A well-planned sustainability strategy was discussed and agreed with partners. The main project delivery was concluded in November 2018. All partners are committed to continue to use the developed material and they will work through their networks to continue to promote the WELCOME methodology for informal language teaching and learning. For example, partners will upload case study success stories to national and EU network and databases. The Online Education Resource that has been created by the project is available in all partner languages and will remain available for a minimum of 3 years beyond the lifetime of the project.

"<< Background >>CREATIVE AGORA promotes the European dimension in non-formal, participatory arts education for adults for Europe's disadvantaged and diverse communities. Focused upon the unique, intrinsic ability of community and participatory arts and creative expression to engage adults in learning who are alienated or excluded by traditional adult education offers, AGORA addresses the Erasmus+ priority focusing on educators, by developing 'artists as educators' as being critical to fostering educational and social inclusion for all. Both formal and non-formal adult education in Europe benefits from artists who use their practice - in music, dance, drama, visual arts, creative media - to re-engage in education with adults who are alienated by, or excluded from, traditional educational offers, or who have been out of any form of education for many years. Based on the European tradition of community and participatory arts (Matorasso, 2007), whilst using both western and non-western art forms, this approach has been widely recognised by the European Council as innovative and effective in engaging disconnected adults to become learners (again), Culture playing a crucial role for the European identity with an important social and economic impact (Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council, May 2021). However, this group of 'artists as educators' face many challenges. First, as current, practising artists first, whilst this means their practice is up to date, relevant and contemporary as tutors, they are typically part-time, freelance, sessional or seasonal as educators in precarious employment. Second, in many instances, countries and systems, particularly non-formal education, their professional profile is not recognised or validated. These factors mean they miss out on contemporary C-VET and professional development as tutors. They are also often isolated professionally, lacking the support systems available to professional and permanent teachers and tutors.These challenges of isolation, loss of work in the arts and creative industries and being able to reach and work interpersonally and interactively with their learners through culture and arts, have been exacerbated by the Covid pandemic (Rebuilding Europe, The cultural and creative economy before and after the COVID-19 crisis, EY Jan 21). The precarious work ecosystem and economy sustaining independent artists as tutors and educators in this field has been hugely disrupted by the pandemic: they face new challenges including the need to adopt practical applications from digital tools to create alternative and innovative cultural experiences for their learners. Specifically, AGORA focuses on how andragogical methodologies in non-formal, participatory and community-based arts education break down barriers to learning for adults in disadvantaged and migrant communities, contributing to Erasmus+ Horizontal priorities of social inclusion and empowerment, social and civic engagement for adults disconnected from learning - enhancing civic inclusion, cultural awareness, participation and equity and tackling isolation as Europe recovers from Covid.The transnational cooperation and innovation takes place through the interplay between adult education institutions Folkuniversitetet (SE) and Dimitra (EL) and participatory community arts and education organisations Urbani Separe (HK), Uni’Sons (FR), Rinova Malaga (ES) (all new to Erasmus+), joined also by ARTeria (PL), Pro Progressione (HU). Partners are actively engaged with community-based adult education and inclusion contexts addressing specific needs – migrants and refugees in Sweden and Greece; populations adapting to disruptive economic consequences from digital technologies upon traditional industries in and around Silesia; Arab resident and migrant neighbourhoods in urban suburbs of Montpellier; diverse and changing adult populations in post-industrial port cities of Rijeka and Malaga.<< Objectives >>The overall aim of AGORA is to design and develop contemporary and innovative practice in European adult education aimed at adults who are alienated by or excluded from traditional educational offers, through developing the educators who engage with adults in disadvantaged communities through participatory and community arts-based non-formal learning.Its specific objectives include (a) the creation of innovative, new learning materials to enable educators, particularly sessional and freelance tutors working as 'artists as educators' in formal and non formal adult education settings, to (b) developing a European learning 'community of practice' that fosters transfer and exchange of best practice between artist educators at a transnational level (c) design and transfer learning and practice between fields of community education, the arts and technology.Concrete results, aligned with the European Reference Framework for Lifelong Learning and European Digital Competence Framework include a technical framework containing (PR1):A. Scoping definitions and methodology;B. Statement of principle and values;C. Community Learning Strategy, links and social media network;D. Competence Framework for Artist Educators.Three course modules in the areas of:1) Internationalisation and Intercultural Awareness,2) Health and Wellbeing in the wake of COVID-19, and 3) Effective Practice for achieving Social Impact.AGORA brings the practice of four specialist participatory arts education partners in France, Croatia, Poland and Hungary into the frame of national adult education providers in Greece and Sweden to introduce new methods of participatory adult learning in the arts. AGORA will introduce methodologies (eg: learning by doing, problem-based learning, design thinking, Social Action projects, Action learning sets, co-creation, co-production) used in the context of creative participatory arts practice as powerful innovative tools for advancing the goals of the EU Agenda for Adult Learning to reverse declining participation in adult learning, particularly amongst low-skilled, under-qualified learners and those who formal education institutions find hard to reach, not only in effectively engaging with a range of marginalised and disadvantaged learners that more formal and pedagogical adult education institutions and methodologies find hard to reach, but also in empowering communities, and improving social cohesion and active citizenship. Through its membership and extensive participation in adult education and cultural networks at the European level, the AGORA partnership has the dissemination networks to spread knowledge of how this practice can be effectively applied more widely within the delivery of adult education and the benefits that flow from it.In ancient Greece the Agora (""gathering place"" or ""assembly) was the centre of artistic, spiritual and political life. Creative AGORA updates this democratic and participative concept at the root of European culture for a digital age and re-affirms positive values of civic participation and social gathering as a restorative action post-pandemic. Contemporary andragogical, learner-centred adult learning methodologies (M and H Knowles) such as experiential, creative ""learning by doing"" have been extensively developed by participatory artists and provide a proven transferable model and powerful means of fostering social cohesion by breaking down barriers to cultural participation – between countries; social groups; young and old; faiths and cultures; artists and audiences. By locating participatory arts practice in adult education, AGORA addresses how these effective, successful practices of andragogical non-formal and informal adult learning methodologies that are deployed by creative arts educators in community settings outside formal education may be updated and mainstreamed within and across the adult education sector.<< Implementation >>In order to achieve its objectives, AGORA combines both traditional Erasmus+ project activities (transnational mobility and learning content development; the production of OERs; validation activities with the ultimate beneficiaries; the development of tutors and trainers; an extensive programme of dissemination, multiplier events and outreach) with two novel activity concepts throughout that will underpin the project method:First, AGORA facilitates a digitally-enabled, transnational 'Community of Practice' (CoP) throughout the project. This enables the transnational tutor target group of artist educators to work together, design their own solutions to address the challenges previously described to co-create, develop and validate new learning materials and methods to extend their competences in adult education. These materials are designed around the innovative potential of their creative and participatory/community arts-based teaching methodologies (eg: learning by doing, problem learning, design thinking, social action projects, Action learning sets, co-creation, co-production).Second, Peer Review and Development groups, implemented locally by each partner enable own-language and national context sessions, extend the participation and engagement in design and validation of the methodology. They will support, sustain and grow the participation of a base of committed learners who will act as advocates attracting others to join.Through these participatory mechanisms, the project activities offer a flexible process of engagement with multiple entry points at different levels from casual participation. Core principles of androgogic learning through participatory arts will be defined in the first stages of the project. The AGORA concept of a community of practice aims to provide newly digitally enabled tutors (including mentors, coaches and sessional teachers) to participate in the social media network and access the communications platform and Open Educational Resource, where participants sign up to the project's civic and inclusive, democratic objectives. This approach build in a continuous feedback loop through participation and reflection to ensure that it reflects and adapts to user needs. It will be supported by an online Open Educational Resource and ecosystem of digital communication tools. Transnational mobility in AGORA is designed as a foundation for building relationships between practitioners and learners, especially after a long period where transnational travel has been severely restricted. Mixed with blended learning solutions, it takes place not only at the level of exchange of learning but also through participative creative co-production and co-design activities. These will be facilitated in three ways: 1) transnational transfer and exchange of learning at staff training events, 2) at the transnational project meetings 3) through the transnational CoP 4) the national PRD groups of participants and 5) workshops at multiplier events, scheduled to coincide with community-based participatory festivals and cultural projects.The activities are carried out by a partnership that combines national adult education institutions with 'bottom up' artistic and cultural foundations experienced in non-formal learning through the creative industries. They are underwritten throughout with the European values of: --creating access to learning for everyone regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race, disability:- commitment to informal/non-formal learning through creative participation by, with and for the community as an agency for social and cultural change;- shared belief in the educational value of transnational cultural exchange;- a culture in which we test creative collaborations and learn from each other;- commitment to delivering sustainable long-term adult education programmes embedded in marginal and disadvantaged communities.<< Results >>The primary outcome from the project will be to capture the best practice of participatory arts informal and non-formal learning methodologies that are deployed by artist educators in engaging effectively with adult learners from marginalised and disadvantaged communities through the creation of learning materials and a learning community that fosters transfer and exchange of best practice between artist educators at a transnational level.A further significant outcome of the project will be in strengthening and supporting specifically identified professional competences of the target group of independent artist educators, who face barriers of isolation in accessing professional development, and in internationalising their practice which have been hugely exacerbated in the wake of the COVID-19 virus. Its legacy will be a digitally enabled platform, communication tools and learning materials supporting a self-sustaining Community of Practice for artist educators in the field of participatory practice. This will allow free, unrestricted access to all the learning resources, fora, learning groups, peer to peer mentoring, learning content and Open Educational Resource.PR1 will create a technical framework for the project with a foundation in principles of participatory arts, containingA. Scoping definitions and methodologyB. Statement of principle and valuesC. Community Learning Strategy, links and social media networkD. Competence Framework for Artist Educators.PR2 will create an online Open Educational Resource incorporating digital communication tools for the digital learning community, and as a platform making all the project outputs and results freely accessible and available transnationally.PR3 will create a Digital Learning Suite for Artist Educators comprising 3 blended learning modules:1: Internationalisation and intercultural awareness;2: Health and Wellbeing;3: Social impact of participatory arts education.These results are validated, tested and disseminated through targeted outputs that include:- 42 experienced artist educator practitioners, working collaboratively (in English) throughout the project generating creative learning content in the online transnational Community of Practice (CoP);-140 artist educator practitioners participating at the national level (own language and cultural contexts) testing and validating contents through action learning and feedback in Peer Review and Development (PRD) groups;- 14 leading artist educators at a transnational 'train the trainer' event;- 230 stakeholder attendees at Multiplier Events;- 10,000 stakeholders reached and engaged through open events, festival workshops, social media channels and digital platforms.Ultimately, the project will contribute to raising awareness of the potential to transfer this innovation across the wider field of adult education. The combined results will contribute a package of flexible learning resources reflecting and spreading awareness of transferrable adult learning practices embedded in participatory arts education methodologies that effectively promote a wide range of social inclusion objectives: social and civic competences, increased motivation to learn, intercultural competences, intercultural dialogue, non-discrimination, cultural integration, critical thinking and media literacy. This will contribute to the EU Council's 'Conclusions to the importance of cultural and creative competences' which highlight how social and economic inclusion is fostered by culture. They also reinforce the EU Key Competences for Lifelong Learning (2018) concerned with Social and Civic competence and creative expression and cultural awareness.Impact and transferability of the project results will be significantly enhanced through all the partners’ extensive dissemination networks at local, national and transnational levels, and multiplier events during the project at community-based festivals and arts events in all partner countries."

Conspiracy theories and misinformation have a much stronger impact on public discourse than they did just a few years ago and are now present through a wide range of information channels to a large part of German as well as European populations (Butter 2018). Current empirical findings show an increasing number of people believing in at least one conspiracy theory - in Germany one in four adults- as well as a growing number of older adults (Butter 2018, Decker, Kiess and Brähler 2013, van Prooijen and Douglas 2017). These theories often challenge the foundation of the democratic order, fundamental human rights and European cooperation.Especially regarding the growing number of older adults believing in conspiracy theories, adult education institutions are coming to the fore. In Germany, there are so far mainly isolated, often unique educational offers of individual adult education centers (VHS Rostock, Chemnitz or Friedrichshafen, for example, offer courses). However, so far no overall handling of this phenomenon is known. In the context of the growing presence of conspiracy theories in pan-European space, it is therefore important to find out to what extent these phenomena also in adult education and to develop training opportunities that understand the fight against conspiracy theories and misinformation as a cross-sectional task of adult education in all areas, but especially in political and cultural education, in dealing with these theories. Therefore, in this project, on the one hand the needs of adult education institutions in dealing with conspiracy theories shall be examined and instruments for continuous monitoring should be provided, and on the other hand, a concept will be developed enabling the educators to deal with the theories that are relevant in their context. Particular emphasis is placed on European co-operation in the development in order to ensure an application of outputs in all EU countries.The immediate target group of the project are educators of adult education. Since conspiracy theories are becoming more and more relevant for a growing part of the European society and, as already mentioned above, have become more prevalent among older people in particular, a concept is to be developed that is suitable for all teachers in adult education institutions. Even if educators in the political or cultural field come into contact with them much more frequently than, for example, teachers in the informatics, these programs should not be tailored only to the former. It is important to establishing a resistance to conspiracy theories as a cross-cutting task of adult education institutions. Therefore, the educators should be trained both in the detection of conspiracy theories, and thus the critical questioning of their own fields of vision, as well as in the discursive dealing with them. The indirect target group are students in adult education courses. Here too the focus should only be placed on genuinely socio-scientific areas of adult education, but include learners from all fields. In order to be able to work out a concept as accurately as possible, however, it is first necessary to raise the experience and needs of adult education institutions and to create a tool for continuous examination by the institutions themselves. The immediate target group here is educators in a leading function who will be enabled to accurately identify the needs of their educators and then react to the them using the educational concepts developed in this project.