<< Background >>The key competences for lifelong learning and its development have been an important policy imperative for EU Member States. The European Reference Framework of key competences (2006) built on previous developments by the OECD, UNESCO and Member States themselves. More recently the 2018 Council of the European Union Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning (2018/C 189/01) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs from now on) of the 2030 Agenda have placed the focus on EU members to update and adapt their education provision.Now most Member States have incorporated key competences, or similarly broad learning outcomes, into their school curriculum frameworks. This is a necessary but insufficient step towards implementation. Learners need to develop their skills and competences throughout their lives, for their personal fulfilment, so that they can actively engage with the society in which they live and to ensure that they are prepared for a constantly changing world of work.A focus on key competences can lead to a broader and more engaged learning experience for students. While the development of key competences prepares young people for a rapidly changing world of work in the future, it also helps them to think critically and creatively, to work independently and as part of a team, to be innovative and to develop learning skills that are important for them in the frame of the current global sustainability challenges as they travel through their education journey and later along the road of work and lifelong learning. However, the variety of approaches taken in the different member states reflects the history of those states, the prevalent education philosophy and the educational structures already established (KeyCoNet, 2014). As a result, there is no single model followed in European member states for integrating the key competences and SDGs into national curricula.Moreover, according to the “Key Data on Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe – 2019 Edition” (EACEA 2019, ISBN 978-92-9492-974-7), “Early childhood education and care (ECEC), the phase before primary education, is increasingly acknowledged as providing the foundations for lifelong learning and development”. Also, the council of Europe publication MAKING THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION A REALITY IN TIMES OF COVID-19 -A Roadmap for Action on the Council of Europe education response to COVID-19 (2020) stated that “The aftermath of COVID-19 challenges the way in which we learn and teach. As European education systems, schools and institutions move from emergency education to a sustainable response, we will need to innovate in the way we learn and teach. (…). We will need to rethink the way in which we design, assess and recognise qualifications”.For these reasons, THINKIDS is proposing to design and test a practical “authentic learning approach” based on the EU key competences for lifelong learning and the UN Sustainable Development Goals to support educators and children (ages from 3 to 11) find coherence between what they think, what they want or feel, and what they do.<< Objectives >>The THINKIDS project has been designed using a logical framework approach to support objectives-oriented project planning and management. In this frame, our objectives are: 1.Implement a Transnational curriculum for Early childhood and primary education teachers in the partners’ countries to integrate key competences for lifelong learning and Sustainable Development Goals using an authentic learning approach in Early Childhood Education, complemented with a short review of the current provision for 3-11 teachers 2.Design and test innovative materials and open educational resources (OER) for 3-11 school education teachers and educators focusing on the 8 key competences for lifelong learning and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals; 3.Support 3-11 teachers integrating the key competences for lifelong learning and the Sustainable Development Goals in their daily work, from an authentic learning approach, with an aim to enhance their professional development and increasing the quality and range of initial and continuing training. This will involve proposing guidelines to teachers based on their national contexts to integrate key competences for lifelong learning and Sustainable Development Goals using an authentic learning approach in preschools and primary schools.4.Create an Innovative Knowledge Hub for informing, uploading, and downloading OER materials aimed at increasing their awareness to strengthen the educational foundations in a system of competences and sustainability supported by all relevant stakeholders.<< Implementation >>The objectives pursued by THINKIDS that have been already mentioned will be achieved by specific activities that are included below:To achieve OBJECTIVE 1: Implement a Transnational curriculum for Early childhood and primary education teachers in the partners’ countries to integrate key competences for lifelong learning and Sustainable Development Goals using an authentic learning approach in Early Childhood Education, complemented with a short review of the current provision for 3-11 teachersACTIVITIES RELATED TO O1: Drafting of methodology and template for collection of input; review of the current literature, implement desk (at least 5 sources per country) and field research: survey (20 each country, total: 100) + leading consultation interviews with 15 education experts; collection of country report from the participating countries and issue of final curriculum.To achieve OBJECTIVE 2: Design and test innovative materials and open educational resources (OER) for 3-11 school education teachers and educators focusing on the 8 key competences for lifelong learning and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO O2: Issue of preparatory guidelines and methodologies to design the 8 key competences for lifelong learning and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals in pre-school and primary education. Design of 24 resources (4 per partner) in EN and review and translation into DE, ES, RO, IT, and CRO.To achieve OBJECTIVE 3: Support 3-11 teachers integrating the key competences for lifelong learning and the Sustainable Development Goals in their daily work, proposing guidelines to teachers based on their national contexts to integrate key competences for lifelong learning and Sustainable Development Goals using an authentic learning approach in preschools and primary schools.ACTIVITIES RELATED TO O3: Design and implementation of pilot testing of the curriculum, training materials, and online learning environment with 5 specific reports per country (EN, DE, ES, RO, IT, and CRO). Delivery of one report with the suggestions for the final learning programme, curriculum and online learning environment. Final development of Guidelines document for the implementation of key competences for lifelong learning and Sustainable Development Goals using an authentic learning approach in their teaching based on their national approaches.To achieve OBJECTIVE 4: Create an Innovative Knowledge Hub for informing, uploading, and downloading OER materials aimed at increasing their awareness to strengthen the educational foundations in a system of competences and sustainability supported by all relevant stakeholdersACTIVITIES RELATED TO O4: Design of THINKIDS learning Hub in EN and translation into DE, ES, RO, IT, and CRO. Design and test of Technical specifications of the resource centre, the initial structure of the platform, the testing, and the final free presentation of all the results freely available Online upload of 24 resources and delivery of tutorial to use the knowledge hub<< Results >>The most important results of the project will undoubtedly be 3, as described in the corresponding RESULTS section of this proposal:R1 Curriculum THINKIDS for pre-school and primary School teachers to integrate key competences for lifelong learning and Sustainable Development Goals using an authentic learning approach in their teaching. R2 Handbook for pre-school and primary School teachers with clear explanations of authentic learning approaches, the 8 key competences for lifelong learning and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and incorporating 24 “authentic learning” practical resources to implement in the classroom.R3 Guidelines for the implementation of key competences for lifelong learning and Sustainable Development Goals using an authentic learning approach in their teaching based on their national approaches. R4 THINKIDS eHub in 6 languages (EN, DE, ES, RO, IT, and CRO) to support the learning and active testing of the materials and handbook. This result will include a set of Technical specifications of the resource centre, the initial structure of the platform, the testing, and the final free presentation of all the results freely available. These will be complemented by the following outcomes: Under Management:. 4 Steering Committee meetings – Madrid (ES - Month 2); Leipzig (DE- Month 10); Bologna (IT) - Month 19); and Zadar (CRO - Month 26). For each meeting there will be an agenda (4 in total) and minutes (4 in total). . 1 Management, Quality and Evaluation Plan including an action Plan and project schedule (by JOHANNITER, DE) with the support of ITC (ES), with the contribution of the other partners . 2 Financial and technical reports (month 12 and month 24). . Online repository including copies of all financial and legal documents requested (work contracts, progress reports and copies of invoices for other costs/timesheets).. 1 Communication and dissemination Plan will be developed by STEPS (IT) with the support of JOHANNITER (DE) and will describe the flow of information and the dissemination strategy needed in the consortium to successfully implement the project. This document will be developed during the 2nd month and will be presented and agreed by the consortium in the first Steering Committee meeting.. Project free online cloud with the structured contents of the project (as example, Google Drive) Regarding dissemination and exploitation-related results:. Project logo . Communication and Dissemination Strategy (including input from all partners). Project platform. Social media pages and groups . Project leaflet and presentation - in six (6) languages (EN, DE, ES, RO, IT, and CRO). Local dissemination track documents (articles, photos, participants’ lists) . Sustainability and exploitation strategy and implemented actions per partner. At least 150 3-11 teachers and stakeholders to participate directly in the project development;. More than 50.000 EU citizens will be informed about the project;. More than 500 organizations and institutions informed about the THINKIDS eHub and who have available with specific guidelines to integrate it in their educational settings.. 5 multiplier events in Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania and Croatia with a total of 150 participants (30 per country) and a report with the results. Quality, evaluation, and impact results:- 1 (Management,) Evaluation, quality and impact Plan (including tools for evaluating the multiplier events, implementing the peer review of the 3 Results and the piloting) the issued by month 2; - 4 mini evaluation reports issued after each Steering Committee meeting- 5 multiplier events evaluation reports- 2 Evaluation Reports elaborated by ITC (1 progress – month 12 and 1 final- month 24)- 1 Risk Analysis – designed by ITC with the contribution of the other partners during month 2 of the project and agreed by the consortium in the 1st Steering Committee meeting.

"ContextHEIs in Europe have been strategically transformed in recent years. First, their provided students with university courses and degrees. Second, They undertook research activities and more recently, there are many universities that carry out actions and programs linked to the social responsibility (SR). Despite this change in the mission of universities, USR is a concept that has no common definition and is not generally recognised by public institutions. Besides, there are no implementation methodologies, good practices or evaluation tools that have been identified.ObjectivesThe USR-Net project focused on meeting two specific needs of USR by designing two guides with theoretical and practical content:- To establish a common understanding of USR, by taking into account the different points of view inside and outside Europe and to identify the best practices carried out in each dimension of USR. The project provided a theoretical framework for the development of a strategic plan for USR and a follow-up and monitoring mechanism- To elaborate a manual of theoretical and practical intervention for universities, aimed at increasing the stakeholders' awareness of USR. The commitment of students, professors, researchers, staff, civil society organizations, companies and other groups is crucial to achieve relevant results in terms of the impact of SR actionsAt the same time, the USR-Net project has carried out actions to improve the USR of the HEAI’s involved in the project (Partners and participants).Number and profile of the participating organisationsThe USR-Net consortium consists of 9 organizations: four European universities from Belgium, Italy, Spain and Finland, with experience in USR, have brought to the table their vision, experience and skills; and others who added scientific experiences on SR, quality processes, communication, dissemination and advocacy skills. Regarding the participants, the USR-Net targeted HEI’s and their networks engaged in USR. (XX European Universities and XX Latin American Universities). Among the latter, a large number is part of the Social Responsibility Regional Centre for Latin America and the Caribbean, belonging to UNESCO. In addition, policy makers, teachers, researchers and students from the above-mentioned universities, civil society organisations and other stakeholders from European universities participated in the USR-Net activities.Main activitiesThe USR-Net project has had 4 chronological phases of implementation:1. Definition of USR (IO I). The main objective is to prepare a guide that defines the concept of USR. To this end, a literature review, a statistical analysis and interviews with experts from across Europe were carried out. Finally, the guide collected visions and experiences on USR and proposed a broader definition.2. Awareness-raising actions (IO II). Following the same methodology of the IO I, raising- awareness actions dedicated to European university stakeholders were analised and the guide collected good practices by categories good practices and recommendations for the implementation of USR through the collaboration with the HEI stakeholders.3. USR actions. In the four universities partners, actions were developed to promote USR. Among them, workshops were held with students, professors, researchers and technical staff to raise their awareness, promote collaborative actions among the stakeholders and improve the impact of social responsibility in each university.4. EUSRDays: sustainability and dissemination. The project organised a two-days event ""the European University Social Responsibility Days"" (EUSRDays), in which more than 100 representatives of universities participated. The first one was an event in the European Parliament to study how EU can support USR through its funding instruments. On the second day, workshops were organised to get to know university best practices and to design project proposals in collaboration with interested universities.Results and impactThe main results achieved are:- Consensus on the definition of USR with 3 dimensions: academic, research and territorial- Publication of a catalogue of international recommendations and good practices in USR (strategies, programmes, projects and actions)- Creation and/or dynamization of networks of universities committed to SR- Presentation of projects on SR through international calls for proposals- Advocacy actions to make USR a priority of the policies and funding instruments of EULong-term benefitsThe USR-Net project contributed to the development of SR in HEIs and reached some goals:- Universities committed to SR and willing to collaborate with each other in the future identified and connected- Available model of USR to advance in the following challenges: strategic implementation and evaluation. - Public recognition of the university need of institutional support to improve their capacities with the territory increased"

<< Objectives >>The CHARLIE project aims at challenging the bias in big data used for AI and machine learning by bringing a greater level of awareness regarding the negative impacts of the lack of a critical and ethical approach to techEd. CHARLIE main objectives are to linked with the increase capacity of HE institutions, its teachers and its students to provide learning opportunities that meet society needs and creating synergies between HE institutions, AE organisations and Youth organisations.<< Implementation >>- Development activities (Competency Matrices, OERs, toolkits, policy recommendation)- Implementation activities (pilots, external stakeholders consultations, webinars)- Quality and Evaluation (peer-reviews, quality checks)- Communication and promotion (webinars, national and international conferences)<< Results >>-Competency Matrices for the learning programmes - EQF6 (HE), EQF4 (AE), EQF2 (Youth)-Algorithmic Bias course (HE)-Algorithmic Bias toolkit for synchronous sessions (HE)-Guideline for boosting the capacity of university administrators/management (HE)-Webinars to foster peer-learning and discuss the role of HE institutions in techEd-Ethical AI microcredential for Adult learners-Digital Serious game for Youth-Policy recommendation for recognition of microcrential in HE

"The world is gradually becoming witness to the disenfranchisement of youth. The world is gradually becoming witness to the disenfranchisement of youth. This is due, in part, to the recent economic recession, which has placed young people in a disadvantaged socio-economic position with higher youth unemployment, and has generated political distrust and loss of values in society. As a result, feelings of exclusion or inequality further diminish the will of youth to participate. Thus, young people are characterized to a large extent as ""passive recipients"" and the role of youth in development and decision making is marginalized or underestimated.It is verified, therefore, that it is necessary to build trust in young people, transfer skills and give them responsibility and encourage their right to participate in civic and cultural life, while at the same time generating a positive impact on the social ecosystem.Participation can be strengthened by including young people in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of tools, policies and projects, and by establishing the civic commitment of young people as a priority.This project has been implemented in 3 countries with a dual partnership structure including, for each country, a support entity and a local-based entity: Spain (ITC and FASL), Greece (KMOP and ADDMA) and Cyprus (CARDET and AA ). The objective of the project is to involve and recruit young people with fewer opportunities to act as ""promoters of change"" (Community Angels) in their local communities to conceive and carry out socio-economic development strategies, using disused spaces (urban recycling).The objectives include addressing social exclusion through active participation and motivation of young people in disadvantaged environments; Involve local stakeholders, private entities, trainers and NGOs in joint planning to promote growth and socio-economic stability and promote multilevel collaborative approaches to promote youth social entrepreneurship.The implementation of the project has been developed in two phases: the training phase and the implementation phase. The training phase has included:• carrying out basic research on the training needs of young people, including the analysis of 63 responses: 27 responses from Spain, 17 responses from Greece and 21 responses from Cyprus.• Based on the results of the analysis, the preparation of the training curriculum in 4 training modules in 3 languages (EN, GR and ES): soft skills; fundraising skills; skills for the recruitment and training of paid staff including general administrative tasks and local action planning skills and information in the framework of local development strategies.• The recruitment of the participants and the training itself, of 40 hours in an average of 10 sessions per country, with the completion of the training by 45 participants (15 per country).The implementation phase has included:• The development of a common methodology for the 3 countries involved;• The presentation of local action plans prepared by young people as part of the ""practicum"" of the training, and the selection in each country, through committees created specifically for that purpose;• The development of each local action plan and the mobilization of resources in Spain, Greece and Cyprus:In Spain: (Almería): ""Workshops for the empowerment of young people in Los Almendros""In Greece: (Athens): ""Educational theater workshops to raise awareness about human trafficking""In Cyprus (Agios Athanasios): ""Human Scale Park"";• The implementation of activities included in the community action plan by the youth with continuous orientation;• The preparation of a guide for the implementation of local action plans that facilitate the dissemination and transferability of the model tested in the framework of the project.• Follow-up and report of final evaluation of activities.The results and impact have reached and even exceeded expectations, including the design of 4 complete training modules in 3 languages (EN; ES; GR), completion of the training of 45 young trainees (out of 60 recruited), the selection and successful implementation of 3 local action plans selected through multidisciplinary selection committees, the participation of 136 interested in the day of diffusion held in Almeria in May 2018 as well as the participation of 42 interested in Athens and 40 in Cyprus in the context of multiplication events. The dissemination activities have consisted of a battery of actions including website and Facebook, press releases, newlstters and dissemination events that have exceeded the scope of 5,000 people initially planned with the publication in local press (in Spanish and Greek) of the different activities of the project."

"Sustainable transition(s) (covering social, economic, political and educational dimensions) is a world-wide challenge. Since this transition concerns all dimension of our modern life, the answer to these challenges should be holistic and global. It’s crucial “to understand” before “acting”, that’s why we think that sustainable transition(s) is also a question of education. Education contribute to the development of a culture of change and sustainability, creating the background for effective sustainable transition actions. A human rights-based approach to adult learning and education (ALE) aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is one of our aims. Education for Sustainability and Education for Sustainable Development have been under discussion for some two decades. The UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development 2004–2014 has provided a most important focus for this issue, and for its facilitation. However, while the Decade raised awareness of the need for Education to Sustainable Development, particularly in Higher Education, discussion of how this education can be effectively delivered to trainees in adult education settings is still at an initial phase. Although sustainability has become a key focus in higher education, developing a better understanding of how sustainability competencies can be cultivated in college and university courses and programs in adult training settings is still needed. Adult trainers who are to become capable of affecting holistic sustainable change, transforming values and culture, healing the earth and human communities, and designing creative solutions, must have the opportunity to engage in learning processes that reflect and emphasise these learning outcomes/objectives. Sustainability is a main concern of the EU explicitly expressed in its communication to the European parlement, the European Council , the European economic and social committee and the Committee of 11.12.2019 - COM(2019)/640, the EU said: "" ...The European Green Deal is a response to these challenges. It is a new growth strategy that aims to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use"", The EU said also: ""It also aims to protect, conserve and enhance the EU's natural capital, and protect the health and well-being of citizens from environment-related risks and impacts. At the same time, this transition must be just and inclusive."" concluding that ""The EU has the collective ability to transform its economy and society to put it on a more sustainable path.""Adult educators and teachers can play a central role in providing learners with knowledge and practical information to help them understand the challenges and act as active citizens in their local communities, individually or collectively. We believe that Transformative learning theory and ecological design principles offer promising opportunities to create meaningful learning experiences that can develop the personal, intellectual, and socio-cultural skills necessary to create resilient and regenerative systems.SUSTAINABLE partners noticed that changing our ways of producing and consuming is notoriously difficult, but believing that education is a powerful tool in empowering individual and groups, boosting voluntary action and helping people and organisations through the transition so they understand and enhance sustainability in Everyday life.The following Intellectual Outputs will be developed:1. IO1 – LET’S UNDERSTAND: a guide on sustainable topics education including climate change, theoretical background and more (addressed to trainers/teachers/counsellors…)2. IO2 – LET’S PLAN IT: guide step by step to make training green addressed to trainers/teachers/counsellors to improve awareness about green topics by trainers starting from their personal life and going to their professional life. A quick and effective guide about good/bad habits/behaviors with effects on the environment in the training settings and in work areas, and how to design effective training contents to counter them.3. IO3 – LET’S BE PRACTICAL: Curricula, tools, methods and training materials on green topics to teach/train our target groups. The materials could be adapted to each national context according to the needs.4. IO4 – E-education Hub addressed mainly to the trainers/teachers including the above IOs’ contents and more, to raise awareness and develop knowledge on different elements related with Sustainability and SDGs."