The main problem the project addressed was low level of innovativeness of the 3rd sector adult education organisations. This lowers the effectiveness and efficiency of adult education, being a barrier for effective outreach to the adult learners. One of the reasons for this is low level of international, partnership cooperation and networking of the adult education organisations. European cooperation brings innovations in the methods of work to better fit the needs and expectations of the adult learners, including low-skilled and low-qualified ones. It also brings development of professional skills of the organisations staff – adult non-vocational, liberal education professionals. Low level of cooperation in international environment results in low level of trust, low level of intercultural competences and often even consent to discrimination. Lack of cooperation on the European level may be the basis for questioning the united Europe existence. AIMThe overall aim was to support increasing innovativeness of the adult education organisations, in terms of education methodology, outreach to adult learners and managing adult education organisations, through supporting them at undertaking new ways and areas of activities.PARTICIPANTS The two primary, specific direct target groups were: 1. Staff members/volunteers/experts of the adult education 3rd sector organisations who would like to undertake initiating and realizing international, partnership cooperation for the benefit of their organisations – as the first-time international project managers; 2. The managers and management bodies members (the boards, auditing commissions, councils etc.) in the 3rd sector adult education organisations that would like to initiate and run international cooperation – with the first step to be to appoint a person responsible for international cooperation management.The indirect target group included wide range of education – related organisations, institutions and decision makers.Direct project participants were 1620 persons. The dissemination activities reached, in total, over 80.000 recipients.PARTNERSHIP CYCLEProject partners were six 3rd sector, civil society organisations, working in the field of lifelong learning adult education from Poland, Italy, Hungary (2 Partners; partner change), Denmark and Austria. Even though all the organisations involved were 3rd sector and working in the field of lifelong learning, they had various profiles and experience – which made the Partnership composition somehow representative for the adult liberal education sector in Europe.METHODOLOGY & ACTIVITIESThe design of the work programme was chronological, divided into 3 main phases. Project activities were divided into 17 Work Packages, including transversal activities of management, evaluation and dissemination. The project delivered: 6 Intellectual Outputs, 5 Transnational Project Meetings, 10 Multiplier Events and 2 Training Events. The Intellectual Outputs include: IO1. Multilateral Survey Report on good practices & success stories at supporting international projects managers in the adult education civil society organisations. IO2. Multilateral Research Report on key competences of international project managers in the adult education civil society IO3. ‘SUPPORT PORTAL’ for the first time international projects realisers, www.first-network.eu IO4. Mentoring and e-mentoring system for the first-time international project realisers. IO5. Training course curricula and open educational resources for the first time international projects realisers. IO6. Established and working International Support Network: FIRST Network.RESULTS & IMPACTThe results of the project are tangible and intangible (material and immaterial). The direct tangible results were reached during the work packages, while the intangible were illustrated in the field of increase of knowledge, skills and awareness, change of attitudes etc. The indirect, third level results are those long-term ones, clearly connected with the varied project impact.The direct intangible results were seen both on individual and organizational levels, referring to change of attitudes and values related to international cooperation realizing, introducing innovations, professionalization of the adult education staff and developing long-term development strategies of the 3rd sector adult learning organisations.SUSTAINABILITYProject results are be sustainable, among others, through:- Delivered and sustaining SUPPORT PORTAL gathering all the basic information essential for 1st time international project managers and the 3rd sector adult learning organisations planning to include international cooperation into their mid- and long-term development strategies. The SUPPORT PORTAL promotes the European cooperation idea underlining European common values and solidarity. - Founding International Support Network assisting first-time international projects realisers.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES The overall aim has been to improve the competences of the voluntary associations and their volunteers to provide enlivening arts and culture opportunities in the sparsely populated communities, with an added value for civic and democratic participation, community bonding and local identity.The objectives have centred around: 1) To develop innovative ways of outreach to citizens engaged in arts and culture to become resourceful culture volunteers e.g culture guides, arts volunteers, mentors, champions for the arts .2) To develop high quality courses tailored to these groups on how to organise cultural activities with an added community value e.g. recognition of prior learning, volunteer management, media literacy skills, event management, levering-in resources, improving the local cultural offer 3) To develop the competences and skills of the voluntary associations to support volunteering and cooperation with stakeholders - building connections, co-production activities, encouraging groups to not work in silos but share information/skills/expertise/kit/equipment/venues 4) To develop appropriate methods to assess the involved knowledge, skills and attitudes to fulfil such demanding voluntary work e.g. field studies, evidence of prior need, desk research, case studies. OUTLINE OF ACTIVITIES The innovative dimension of this project is its integrated adult education approach, where we will: 1) Complete local field surveys of the current competence profiles of cultural volunteering to get a baseline as well as state of the art examples for the succeeding development work 2) Develop an integrated curricula frame for cultural volunteers, as well as culture managers, to provide enlivening cross-culture activities with added community values. 3) To design and test a series of national pilot courses for culture volunteers and managers in the varied contexts of the partner countries. 4) To design and test new Erasmus+ pilot courses for culture volunteers, as well as culture managers, with the aim to offer sustainable Erasmus+ training events and also, high quality national courses after the end of the project.5) To provide a Communication Portal with desk research and other supporting information about the issues of the project as well as presentations of the project’s pilot work and outputs to the virtual audiences. The Partnership Circle includes • two national umbrella organisations for voluntary culture: Voluntary Arts Network in United Kingdom and Cultural Councils in Denmark; • one national association for liberal adult education: The Hungarian Folk High School Society; • two organisations from the liberal adult education and NGO work, with expertise in field research and curricula planning: Foundation of Alternative Educational Initiatives in Poland, and Interfolk, institute for Civil Society from Denmark; • one public body, the Municipality of Lousada, Portugal. • ActKnowledge from New York will be involved in the pilot work as the initial evaluators (theory of change process) and the final evaluation will be produced by beatitude.ad.vitam - a health/arts Community Interest Company in Liverpool - who specialise in a formative and summative approach. This multilateral partnership circle, with a huge dissemination potential, represent a transnational European totality of varied expertise and experiences in the field, which we cannot find in just one of the countries. Learning curricular and programmes will be disseminated widely at the end of the project to ensure further take-up of opportunities and to build a wider network of contacts, partners and associates. Legacy courses are in place to ensure that learning continues after the initial phase of project activity has been completed e.g. Liverpool/Vol Arts; Denmark/Interfolk.