"<< Background >>According to Population Europe (The Mental Toll of Being Connected, 2018):- Young people need to be educated about how to use social media in a healthy manner, as well as those in contact with them. By teaching them, adolescents may be able to better handle all of the information they see and know where to turn if they need help;- There are very few conclusive European findings that draw a direct link or correlation between the mental health of young people and social media usage, despite other countries, like the USA and UK, where researchers have found a relation between social media usage and mental health of young people;- More information should be provided to adolescents, both online and in the classroom, about mental health and how to seek help if needed. By reaching out to students early the long-term impact of dealing with depression at a young age may not be as strong or negative.1. Young people (14-25) as most affected by the problem, are the final recipients of the project results. We selected this target group based on context described in the previous section, as well as:*A study of WHO (2018) found that depression and anxiety disorders are some of the most common mental illnesses among young people, and almost half of all mental health disorders begin before or during adolescence.*Social networking is a crucial element in protecting our mental health. Both the quantity and quality of social relationships affect mental health, health behaviour, physical health, and mortality risk (Martinsen EW, 2008). Young people need a social platform that will substitute their time spent on social media.*91% of youth use the internet for social networking.To put it simply, this project will address following the needs of young people:•Understand the negative impact social media can have on them•Understanding about self-image and social comparison•Learn how to deal with the negative self-image•Skills acquisition on how to deal with peer pressure•Quality time spend on phones•Mechanism for coping with mental challenges•Online community created for and by young people where they share their knowledge and personal experiences2. Youth educators as the target group of the project and implementors of project results have the following needs:-To have a theoretical background to base their interventions on-To have a methodology and a set of tools on how to combat the negative impact of social media usage on young people.BACKSLASH, as a grassroots organization with research experience, sees the huge lack of theoretical background in this field, which makes it very difficult to implement activities to tackle this problem. That means being further away from standardization in interventional practices and from a policy reform that regulates the unhealthy use of social media. Due to this need, Backslash will benefit from the creation of the theoretical background of the project, as well as from the training materials developed, that can be directly implemented in the local community.CONNECT International (CI), as an organization working on digital rights and digital access, sees a huge need for the development of training curricula for young people on the use of social media. There should be a healthy limit that shouldn't be crossed in its use, and both youth educators and young people should be trained on it.For AMPERSAND, as an organization dedicated to bringing better quality to young people’s lives, they see the need of having safe spaces designed for and by young people, an online youth community focused on supporting peers to use social media in a healthier manner. Moreover, the org. will benefit from the partnership, as it will raise their capacities and bring valuable experience.<< Objectives >>The consortium envisions changing the negative self-image of young people caused by social media, and CONFIDENT serves as the very necessary first step in the long-term process of working towards improving young people's mental health. Young people today are spending a lot of time on social media and online, according to the Child Mind Institute, 45% of teens admit using the internet ""almost constantly."" Unfortunately, all this time spent on their cell phones can negatively affect their mental health.Teen girls in particular suffer from anxiety and low self-esteem caused by social media as they struggle to make the perfect 'selfie' (picture of themselves). Almost half of the teenage girls admit that social media makes them feel bad about themselves due to unrealistic beauty standards.The reason social media is popular is that it is social. Teenagers are at a point in their lives where they want to expand their social circles and grow their friendships. And social media provides an easy way to do this. They can chat and share things with their friends, as well as maintain an online 'profile'. Many teens find that having a strong social media presence is essential to their social status and to 'fit in' - especially when they perceive that everyone else is on social media too.There are many studies (University of Houston, 2015) that have established a correlation between social media use and poor mental health. A study (Booker, Kelly & Sacker, 2018) found that increased social media usage was associated with a decrease in happiness among adolescents. Research (RSPH 2018) has shown that young people themselves state that actually four of the five most used social media platforms make their feelings of anxiety worse. The same study asked 14-24-year-olds how social media platforms impacted their health and wellbeing. The survey results found that Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all led to increased feelings of depression, anxiety, poor body image and loneliness. Many young people in Europe are struggling with mental health issues due to the negative self-image they have influenced by social media. The reasons lying behind this problem are:•Peer pressure on social media•Exposure to the fake “fun” reality of other•Comparison of their behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel•Comparison with others posed or photoshopped body images•Low quality of interaction•Too much time spend on social mediaAll of this brings the following consequences:•Depression - Social media use is linked with increased rates of anxiety, depression, and poor sleep (RSHP, 2017)•Fear of missing something (or FOMO): the fear of not being aware of what is happening on social media because you were not online (Harvard University, 2017)•Pressure to like others: feeling that you need to post positive or attractive things about yourself to get likes/likes and comments from friends (Harvard U., 2017)• Anxiety (Becker, Alzahabi, and Hopwood; Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2013)•The unrealistic expectations set by social media may leave young people with feelings of self-consciousness, low self-esteem, and the pursuit of perfectionism which can manifest as anxiety disorders (Primack, B. A., & Escobar-Viera, C. G., 2017).Based on this context, the main aim of the CONFIDENT project is to provide a system supporting young people through youth work to work on changing their self-image.In order to work towards achieving this aim, the CONFIDENT project will follow these objectives:-Raise awareness about the negative impact of social media on young people’s mental health-To define the correlation between social media and youth mental health- To train youth educators for combating the negative impact of social media - To promote a healthier approach to communicate online- To create a digital space where young people can learn about the negative influence of social media and share experiences and knowledge<< Implementation >>Under the objectives set, CONFIDENT Project will implement the following activities: 1.- Development of the Project Result 1 (PR1) – the CONFIDENT Map and review of scientific literature, in order to provide a structured review on the correlation between social media and youth mental health. It will be divided into tasks divided among the partners according to their expertise. The development will be lead by BACKSLASH, with strong expertise in research.2.- Development of the PR2 - the CONFIDENT Training Program and Methodology. This methodology, including a theoretic and a practical part, will help youth educators to combat the negative impact of social media on youth, according to the needs of both youth educators and young people. The development will be lead by CONNECT International, with strong expertise in the development of methodological content and implementation of training activities.3.- Implementation of an LTTA - the CONFIDENT Training for Trainers. In this activity, we will see the methodology created into practice. 21 youth educators will be trained in the methodology, to be able to implement it with the groups of young people they work with. Also, this will help the consortium to improve the methodology developed, to create the final version.4.- Implementation of 5 local workshops with youth. At this point of the project, the participants of the LTTA, with the support of the project partners, will implement the methodology in their groups of young people.5.- The CONFIDENT National Seminars. Three multiplier events will take place in the partners' countries, in order to promote the PR1 and PR2 among young people, youth workers and other relevant stakeholders. This activity will be a great boost in terms of dissemination of the results, as well as a place to encourage stakeholders to promote the methodology of the project by teaching the basics to them.6.- Development of the PR3 - the CONFIDENT Peer-to-peer e-learning platform, that will allow young people to express themselves among their equals outside of social media, and they will be able to support and learn from each other. The platform will include some gamification components by the use of badges and other interaction mechanisms, in order to increase their engagement. The development will be lead by AMPERSAND, with strong expertise in ICT Tools and communication strategies.7.- The final conference. It will take place in Valencia, Spain, and it will take the structure of a multiplier event. At this final conference, all the project will be summarised and explained to the audience (youth educators, young people and other relevant stakeholders) and they will be able to understand the benefits of implementing the results of the CONFIDENT project with their groups of young people, once all the results are created and finalised. Throughout all the project, there will be six Transnational Project Meetings; three face-to-face and three virtual, in order to coordinate all the activities described above.<< Results >>The CONFIDENT project will produce the following outcomes, divided into the short and long term:- SHORT TERM - 1. A study at the European level that can be used for further development in the area of youth mental health - structured review of existing and relevant literature in the field, determining the link between social media and mental health in young people; (PR1 CONFIDENT Map and review of scientific literature)2. Methods and tools for educating young people on how to understand and deal with the negative impact that social media can have on their mental health; (PR2 CONFIDENT Training Program and Methodology)3. Guide on how to use the previously mentioned methods and tools (PR2 CONFIDENT Training Program and Methodology)4. CONFIDENT peer-to-peer e-learning platform (PR3) - the consortium will develop the platform and will be responsible for its sustainability during the project lifetime and at least 2 years afterwards. The content will be created, with the support of our experts, by the young people for the young people, as final recipients of the project results. Like this, we will encourage youth not only to create but to promote and be engaged in the created platform. This platform will be shared with various youth centres in all partner countries, to support the development of an online youth community.5. 20 youth educators equipped and trained with a methodology for combating the negative impact of social media, by the CONFIDENT Training of Trainers implemented.6. Three National seminars implemented with a total of 60 people involved, where they will gain knowledge on how to use PR1 and PR2 and will be informed about the relevance of PR3 and how to be engaged in its development process. During each seminar, 2 workshops will be conducted by the trained youth educators from the CONFIDENT ToT with interested parties. 7. One Final Conference implemented in Spain, as a blended activity with the participation of 50 local stakeholders and 40 virtual (mostly international) participants.8. A total of 75 local workshops with youth implemented on a national level by the youth educators trained in the CONFIDENT ToT. A total of 500 young people will have taken part in the local workshops and gained information and knowledge about the negative impact social media can have on their self-image and mental health.9. Feedback and evaluation Report – a document will be produces containing feedback on all Project Results from youth educators, youth and experts.By involving associated partners with different profiles, it will be achieved true cross-sector cooperation, which will contribute in a very positive manner to the results of the project, as well as to its scalability and adaptability to other communities. Also, as the project includes among its associated partners' public authorities with legal competencies in youth, CONFIDENT will be one step ahead in terms of influencing the policy-making processes and gather institutional support.- LONG TERM -1. increase in the critical thinking of young people2. developed ability to assess information 3. increased young people’s resilience to disinformation4. raised awareness on the importance of a healthy use of social media5. youth educators more prepared to counteract the negative effects of social media in their groups6. non-formal educational methods promoted in the formal educational system7. young people feeling more supported by their peers and less pressured on social media8. youth with a more realistic perception of their bodies9. awareness raised among policy-makers on the problem"

"The project ""Connected by heARTs"" is a Strategic Partnership for Innovation, with a duration of 16 months , implemented by a consortium with 4 partners coming from 3 countries: N. Macedonia, Spain and Greece.The main aim of the project is to develop a virtual training methodology for youth workers on how to join together and involve young people with and without disabilities in the creation of attractive, creative, and cultural activities, in order to help them on their integration path and overcoming prejudices and discriminatory attitudes of community members.Nowadays, with improving technology and digitalization of life, also due to the current global state caused by pandemic Covid 19, it is clear that people can be present in the community without being actually physically socially included. Through internet services and social media, people are easily engaging in conversations and debates and various virtual activities. As it is know being socially included people are happier, fulfilled, and optimistic about happenings in their life. With positive emotions and a positive mental state, they are by default healthier, because their immune system is functioning better. In fact, social inclusion is an important ""determinant of health""- without inclusion, people are more likely to experience negative feelings, such as the feeling of abandonment, loneliness, isolation, and low self-esteem, where in many cases can lead to depression. Unfortunately, for many people with disabilities life is lonely, filled with unnecessarily negative emotions that are infused by society and their surroundings. They may not have a “sense of presence” in the community and may not have access to activities they prefer or desire to explore. People lack opportunities to work, play, create, learn, and develop social relationships with others (particularly with people who do not have a disability). People with disabilities are often not acknowledged in the community, or if they are, it may be in a negative way.These are just a few of the reasons why we want to unite experts, youth workers, cultural organizations, and institutions that work, support, and take care of young people with disabilities, with young people with and without disabilities, in an innovative project that will give them an opportunity to work in an engaging environment, grow and create together, were beside youth workers and organizations, we will include half youngsters with disabilities and a half without. We aim to contribute to personal growth and to resolve/ improve the situation of young people with fewer opportunities, through the development of the guide, whereby using artistic activities young people with and without disabilities will be empowered, by cultivating artistic and social skills, non-discrimination and tolerance. This project is based on the active participation of each person involved, both experts, youth workers, cultural organizations and institutions as well youth with and without disabilities, and this will be ensured through constant monitoring and observation, giving specific tasks to everyone, encourage each person to express verbal or emotional. The possibility for proper engagement in the foreseen activities of the youth with special needs will be supported by the involvement of an accompanying psycho-pedagogic specialist/youth worker experienced in the work with young people with special needs on each learning/teaching/training activity which will also play the role of the translator by facilitation communication between the youth.The project's intellectual Output is going to be a virtual training methodology guide, coming from extensive and detailed research and analysis of the target audience, and will be tailor-made specifically to its needs. The digital guide will be descriptive, explanatory, engaging, and interactive- through which young people with and without disabilities will be able to improve personally and professionally, by the mean of the youth workers support, elevate their knowledge and understanding of them-self and each other, beneficial to improve mutual collaboration and mutually progress towards more stable and empowered future. The guide will be different from traditional approaches to this topic, due to its powerful and symbolic state- of- the- art concept.The digital guide for virtual training, which will be created, will be an open educational resource, both available in a video training course available as a proposal from the promoting organizations, as well as it will be available as a design publication containing relevant information for using it and for replication and adaptation by other organizations, trainers, mentors or youth workers involved in such context and experienced, interested to train their members, volunteers and to better prepare their personnel in working with the young people with disabilities"

<< Objectives >>SEED will empower young people with the mindset to become social entrepreneurs by equipping youth workers with practical, flexible digital tools.Objectives: To Create: -Raised awareness of SE opportunities-Activated entrepreneurial mindset -Practical, flexible, digital SE toolsTo Implement: - 8 youthworkers in 4 countries with innovative methodology- 16 local workshops for 40 youth- Online Local-Transnational SE Hackathon to mentor 80 young people launching social enterprises<< Implementation >>Presential trainings for youthworkers, local workshops for youth, and online events to bring them together. 1. Planting SE: Working Session - Finland2. Experiencing SE: Working Session - Macedonia3. Gaming SE: Working Session -Turkey4. Communicating SE: Working Session - Spain5. Creation of an Online Course6. Public Awareness Campaign: Ebook, Podcasts and Social Media7. Local Workshops: Transfer Best Practices to Communities8: Hackathon: Local-Transnational Digital Event<< Results >>Results Through these products: - SE awareness campaign- Showcase of SE best practices- Digital course in SE training- Gaming and Strategy toolkit- Real SE experience event We will create this societal change: - Youth workers are equipped to assist youth in SE- Young people are empowered to become social entrepreneurs- Youth take advantage of SE opportunities- More youth led socially beneficial enterprises are launched- Local areas benefit from social services

“Mentor Up” is a project initiative of the Municipality of Quart de Poblet under the KA205 action of the Erasmus+ Programme whose aim is to raise the efficiency of the mentorship service and contribute to the improvement of basic core competencies of mentors offering such support in the context of ESC project type among the partner organizations involved. The consortium established would like in this way to engage in the process of preparing, creating and distributing certain online and offline tools, resources and training materials that will be helpful in standardizing and professionalizing the work of mentors within ESC projects and which will facilitate the support process offered to the ESC volunteers involved. The project will be developed for two years and its objectives will be the following:- to raise awareness regarding the necessity of settling up a more general understanding of mentorship service in the context of ESC projects, the role, and responsibilities of mentors.- to develop 3 types of core competencies of youth workers/young people working as mentors with the ESC volunteers - to create a context for sharing the experiences, access resources and contacts of youth workers and young people active in the field of mentorship - to foster cooperation at European level and among the partners involved in the project and create space for further initiatives.The planned objectives will be achieved by implementing the following activities: - to create a manual containing at least 10 methods/instruments and resources used in the field of mentorship service within ESC projects by the assigned mentors based on each of the major pillars of support that the mentor is offering to the ESC volunteer: personal support, integration in the local community and the personal development plan/learning experience process.- to develop 1 mobility that will train youth workers active in the field of mentorship service with ESC volunteers from each partner at the other participating organizations in order to share experiences, identify working methods and styles and build a common background for the manual with methods/instruments and resources for future mentors.- to create a training design for people interested to become mentors and create an online general training course with free access to anyone containing 5 general modules.- to develop initial full online training courses based on the design created for a total of 100 young people, in each of the countries involved (20 people/country) - to build and sustain a web platform and a database containing at least 100 young people from all countries involved available for becoming mentors and involving them in testing the created online general training course.- setting a general small set of procedures for evaluating the needed competencies of the future young people involved as mentors in ESC project, a general profile and a basic quality standard, ethic and professional code of mentors. The role of the partners involved in the project will be to take part in the preparation meetings, to host the youth workers during the mobilities abroad and support them in the process of exchanging experiences and work together for building the planned training courses design, organize the training courses for future young people who would like to get involved as mentors in ESC projects in each country, offer support in creating and administrating the web platform and the database of contacts from every country as well as come up with proposals in setting up a general core competencies standard, the profile of mentor and minimum quality standard in the mentorship activity.Based on the intellectual outputs planned to be created, the project aims to have an impact on different target groups such as representatives of youth organizations, youth workers, mentors or young people interested to act as mentors in the future, EVS/ESC accredited organizations at local and national levels of each participating country, project managers etc. These beneficiaries will be able to access the content on the manual in both online and offline format, to follow and prepare themselves for delivering a proper mentorship activity by accessing online training, to invest in training their members connected with the meaning of mentorship activity as well as to share some methods useful to be applied in the development process designed for the EVS volunteers hosted by the youth organizations engaged in these types of projects. The project will be implemented between 1st of October 2020 and 30th of September 2022 and will engage a total no. of 5 organizations from 4 different programme countries active in the field of ESC and with expertise in the context of mentorship and reinforced mentorship support offered to the EVS/ESC volunteers (including youngsters with fewer opportunities) involved.

<< Objectives >>The members of the consortium are aware of the needs of target group,such as young migrants aged 20-30 with critical backgrounds.The partners acknowledged the lack of competences for the educators to transfer knowledge about the way to respond to the labor market needs.Aim of the project is to provide the target groups with the necessary skills and competences to fill their respective gaps,improving the educators’ skills in transferring particular competences through NFE methodologies.<< Implementation >>The partners will put in place two main activities in order to achieve the objectives.After a comparative research has been conducted,the members of the Main Target Group will be invited to participate to the Joint Staff Training Event with the aim of acquiring skills.Then,each partner of the consortium will hold local activities,during which the members of the Second Target Group will participate in order to acquire skills and competences useful to finance their social entrepreneurial ideas.<< Results >>We expect the following results:a digitalized portfolio;a new digitalized training format;an innovative digitized board game; an e-learning platform. The partners expect that young educators will be involved to upskill capabilities in transferring knowledge,mainly concerning crowd-funding methods.Finally, involved young migrants will acquire the competences to transform their social entrepreneurial ideas into reality, using crowd-funding as a tool to achieve their objectives.