"<< Background >>The COVID-19 pandemic has massively driven people, organizations, and governments to digitalization and digital platforms as we all try to cope with the disruptions the outbreak causes in our lives, societies, and businesses. While the human toll of the pandemic, a disaster for so many people, keeps increasing many already look at how COVID impacts digital transformation.In 2015, European Commission published the Final Report of the Horizon 2020 Expert Group on “Nature- Based Solution and Re-Naturing Cities”, where there were identified four main goals for nature-based solutions: enhancing sustainable urbanization, restoring degraded ecosystems, developing climate change adaptation and mitigation, improving risk management and resilience. Based on these 4 goals, 7 nature-based solutions for R&I actions are recommended to be taken forward by the European Commission and Member States, 2 with impact on ABUS project development: Urban regeneration through nature-based solutions − Nature-based solutions for improving well-being in urban areas.https://www.kowi.de/Portaldata/2/Resources/horizon2020/coop/ExpertenbericThe main aim of AgroBUS project is to develop a training material with the purpose of boosting entrepreneurial spirit in the field of Urban Agriculture amongst vulnerable adults (low-skilled and low-qualified adults, unemployed adults) through new knowledge and concepts.From a general point of view AgroBUS project is relevant in horizontal priority because it is a transversal project focus on developing new digital skills and competences in entrepreneurship to a category of disadvantage adults and through its implementation we would like to show that establishing and working in the urban agriculture is a way of social inclusion, dialog, sustainable life, collectives knowledge, community spirit and solidarity. Also, developing an online training material special dedicated to low-skilled and low-qualified adults, this project can be considered an open education and innovative practices in a digital era.<< Objectives >>The AgroBUS project aims to promote and enhance the entrepreneurial spirit developing a training program and bringing knowledge and concepts in the field of Agro-Business in Urban areaS.OBJECTIVES:• To contribute to Entrepreneurial education and training to support growth and business creation; (EU, Entrepreneurship Action plan 2020)• To develop training and learning resources for Adult Educators and any other specialist in the field of adult education.• To innovate curricula and learning methods in entrepreneurship.• To build capacities of disadvantages adults to create their own businesses.<< Implementation >>The activities of AgroBUS project include:1. Development of an In-service Training for Adult Educators – Start Up in Urban Agriculture (A Trainer Guide) - a transferable ""training program"", that can be used for the “blended” teaching valorization of urban agriculture.2. Development of a A Curriculum for Nascent Agriculture Entrepreneur - the training course will motivate disadvantages adults and will help them to develop their creativity, innovation and entrepreneur skills. It will help them to generate business ideas and develop and implement them.3. Development of a E-learning Portal, to be published at the website project.4. Preparation of Best Practices VIDEOS including interviews with useful advice from real entrepreneurs.5. Development of a EU Urban Farmer strategy toolkit for a new entrepreneur, the set of approaches and methodologies that can be used in Europe to support adults, who would liketo start a business in the Urbane Agriculture field7. Dissemination activities, including events with relevant stakeholders, local pilot national workshops for adults with low skills and low qualification and adult educators .8. Other activities related to Management, Quality Assurance, Evaluation, Exploitation and Sustainability of AgroBUS outcomes.The partnership of AgroBUS project involves 5 public and private organizations in 4 different countries, experienced in social action and inclusive, adult training, employment, social entrepreneurship, innovation and local development.<< Results >>AgroBUS outputs are mainly addressed to low skilled and low qualified adults and adult educators, but also other organizations will be reached by its results. The direct beneficiaries of this project are low skilled, low qualified, unemployed adults, who will boost their motivation, creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and transversal skills thanks to the AgroBUS training program.AgroBUS results include:a) tangible results:- Developed training materials (trainer guide + curriculum + e-learning platform + best practices videos + toolkit)- Over 150 motivated disadvantaged adults who have developed their creativity and motivation, entrepreneurial skills- Over 50 adult educators involved in AgroBUS piloting tests- Over 50 low skilled and low qualified adults trained through AgroBUS Curricula & E-learning Platform- 10 Best Practices Videos- Over 160 participants from the local dissemination workshop (low skilled and low qualified adults, specialists, representatives of different stakeholders).b) intangible results:- acquisition of new competencies for the target groups and gaining of individual experience for organizational staff: the ability to work in a European context on the field of urban agriculture.Relevant stakeholders (chambers of commerce, business associations, labor employment services, education policy-makers, career guidance services, other NGos and Adult Centers, business incubators, trade unions, etc.) will directly receive from AgroBUS tailored products of great interest for them, to help them accomplish their objectives. AgroBUS will increase quality in Adult Education by teaching updated skills, adapted to the labor market requirements.AgroBUS learning materials provide a unique combination of skills and motivation from a multidisciplinary perspective that will enable low skills and low qualified adults to become 100% ready to start an entrepreneur experience and fully integrate into the labor market and the society. They will not only gain experience in the process of business creation, but they will acquire skills they will use during their whole life and the international perspective of AgroBUS will contribute to increase the community sustainability."

"The URB_ART project is a response to the COVID19 crisis that has inhibited intercultural exchange and severely affected the cultural and educational sectors. This project aims to support low-skilled adults in marginalized communities through activities and concepts of Urban Arts Education. Possible on-going pandemic constraints and changes will be considered in the project by implementing innovative formats of (digital) education, communication, participation, dissemination, etc. To achieve these goals, the consortium will carry out activities to manifest Urban Arts Education as a tool for social inclusion.URB_ART will stimulate social inclusion and empowerment processes through its project activities and results. By providing scientific studies, technical literature, further trainings, and audio-visual toolkits on the potentials of Urban Arts Education, a sustainable awareness of the different target groups shall be created.The definition of Urban Arts Education is based on the conceptual triangle of arts education, urban adult education and urban arts. Thus, it encompasses the creative and personal development of the individual as well as the understanding of regional and international arts and culture in large, densely populated urban areas with a diverse population. Dealing with arts in the community of low-qualified adults from marginalized groups overcomes socio-cultural barriers and provides access to new social groups. Here, transdisciplinary art disciplines function as communication instruments for intercultural dialogue and social integration. URB_ART will incorporate linguistic concepts such as metro- and multilingualism to classify and implement an intercultural dialogue.URB_ART makes use of the correlation of these three concepts by realizing five project activities that build on each other:IO1: The ""Baseline Survey on Transdisciplinary and Multilingual Urban Arts Education"" will formulate national and transnational needs and challenges regarding marginalization in the fields of culture and education as well as success indicators with regard to Urban Arts Education, taking into account concepts of transdisciplinarity, metro- and multilingualism.IO2: The ""Compendium of Storytelling Resources Through Urban Arts Education"" aims to list success stories for transdisciplinary and multilingual Urban Arts Education based on the Baseline Survey. In this way, the Compendium will create specific knowledge about the resources of storytelling through urban arts and empower cultural and educational actors.IO3: The ""In-Service Training Package on Urban Arts Education"" offers opportunities for further education for adult education providers and community actors. The results generated from IO1 and IO2 are conveyed in a practice-oriented manner in training courses in all five partner countries, whereby the results and recommendations can be directly integrated into the thinking and actions of those involved in practice.IO4: The ""Toolkit of Video Case Studies on Community Urban Arts"" aims to present media-based successful transnational practices for the inclusion of marginalized communities in urban arts programmes and initiatives.IO5: The ""Policy Paper on Promoting Urban Arts Education"" deals with the potentials of Urban Arts Education regarding social inclusion. The aim is to develop operational and policy recommendations for decision-makers and policymakers in the fields of culture, education, and social affairs.In addition to these outputs, the partner consortium will regularly organize transnational meetings, a transnational staff-member training, national multiplier events to disseminate the project results and a European Symposium, to which policy-makers and stakeholders will be invited. In the project activities, artists will be directly involved to actively build a bridge between the educational and the creative sectors.The partner consortium consists of five non-governmental organizations from the United Kingdom, Iceland, Slovenia, Portugal, and Austria. In addition to the project partners, other stakeholders are directly and indirectly addressed by this project:1) associated adult and community educators, social workers, professionals from the cultural sector2) low-skilled adults in marginalized communities3) independent arts educators and artists of different art disciplines4) policymakers and decision-makersWith this transnational and transdisciplinary approach, URB_ART breaks down social barriers in times of COVID19 and promotes social inclusion through the concept of Urban Arts Education. URB_ART offers further training possibilities for associated adult and community educators, social workers, professionals from the artistic and cultural sector as well as for independent arts educators and artists of different art disciplines to establish access to culture and education and to achieve empowerment for low-skilled adults in marginalized urban communities."

The situation currently experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the lockdown of the most of the EU population, who have spent more time at home and therefore more time online. Misinformation, fake news and cyber-security are increasingly dominant topics in an environment of disquiet and uncertainty where information proliferates that can cause not only social but also public health damage (FCT, 2020). According to a study carried out in the EU and USA, people with low levels of formal education are much less likely to say that they rely on news organisations for news and information about coronavirus, and more likely to rely on social media and messaging applications (Nielsen et al., 2020). Researchers also found that marginalised communities in every country did not engage with news and with government advices and, in turn, often know less about the crisis (Nielsen et al., 2020).The media landscape has undergone through profound changes in recent decades that irreversibly affected education, culture and the economy, having a great impact on citizens' daily lives. Just as literacy is the ability to read and write, media literacy involves not only the ability to analyse and evaluate media messages, but also the ability to create them. The fast technological development and spread of digital media, especially the Internet, has resulted in multiple access points to information that does not reach us directly from its source - it is mediated for easy consumption. Since media literacy is a matter of inclusion and citizenship in the contemporary information society, the MEDIA4LL project aims to promote the development of digital and media literacy skills in an embedded learning perspective, while supporting adult and community educators, and professionals from the arts and culture sectors in the development of media literacy skills of low-skilled adults and marginalised communities through media-based methodologies in a participatory community approach. Target-groups are:1. Adult and community educators, and professionals from the arts and culture sectors;2. Low-skilled adults.They key actions to achieve the aims of the project are:- The development of an engaging Toolkit of Embedded Digital & Media Literacy Resources (IO1) that will support low-skilled adults to develop basic digital and media literacy skills through storyboards, video storytelling and infographics. IO1 will cover the topics of (i) news literacy; (ii) information literacy; (iii)spotting disinformation; (iv) ethics of media use and creation; (v) dealing with social media stress; (vi) digital citizenship and cyberbullying.- The development of a tailor-made In-Service Training Programme that aims to train adult and community educators, and professionals from the arts and culture sectors in the development of basic skills of low-skilled adults through media-based methodologies, namely photo-voice, storyboard and video storytelling. IO2 is divided in three main axes: (1) Foundations of Adult Learning; (2) Media Literacy and Adult Education; (3) How to Embed Media-Based Methodologies in Adult Education Programmes,-The development of an innovative Handbook of Participatory Methodologies for Community Engagement in Media Literacy (IO3) which aims to explore the potential of media production for community empowerment and provide a set of recommendations for the implementation of media education activities with participatory methodologies. IO3 is divided in three main axes: (1) Community Education & Development; (2) Participatory Methodologies in Community Empowerment; (3) Participatory Methodologies for Community Engagement in Media Literacy.- The development of the MEDIA4ALL MOOC (IO4) which will enable full access of IO1, IO2 and IO3 in bite-sized units;- The development of a thought-provoking Policy Paper (IO5) that will provide a set of operational and policy recommendations based on the analysis of the results of the transnational project, for decision and policymakers in the and adult education, arts and culture sectors.By the end of the project:- 100 low-skilled adults will complete the Toolkit of Embedded Digital & Media Literacy Resources (IO1);- 50 adult and community educators, and professionals from the arts and culture sectors will complete the In-Service Training Programme (IO2);- A minimum of 300 target-group representatives will be enrolled in the MEDIA4ALL MOOC (IO4);- 10 adult and community educators, and professionals from the arts and culture sectors will attend the LTTA in Slovenia;- 20 adult and community educators, and professionals from the arts and culture sectors will be involved in the Local Working Groups;- 175 target-group representatives will attend the MEDIA4ALL Community Labs; - 45 target-group representatives, stakeholders and policy-makers will attend the Final Conference in France.

The extent and success of integration can be measured by the degree of parity or equality of outcomes with other members of the receiving or host community. The THRIVE project will directly address this 'parity gap' across the consortium by developing educational and innovative solutions to actively bring people and cultures closer, and help female migrants realise their true civic and social potential through education. Trust is also at the heart of the matter; social inclusion happens at the local level, there is significant value in working with local authorities and communities to cultivate a climate of mutual understanding, trust, and cooperation that THRIVE will build upon.During the second half of the twentieth century, all Western European states became countries of immigration and permanent settlement. Due to a number of circumstances; income inequalities between countries, processes of economic integration and labour market shortages in host countries - immigration will remain an important feature in these, and increasingly all, European countries until at least 2050 according to many current demographic projections.(appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu)The proposed model for female migrant integration in the THRIVE project is being developed and piloted in 6 very different EU Member States, 3 countries with a long history of immigration – France, Spain and Germany and 3 countries more associated with emigration for whom mass immigration is a relatively recent phenomenon – Ireland, Italy and Portugal. This will help to ensure that the processes and outputs are robust and have considerable potential transferability to other countries. The EC Action Plan (2016) on the integration of third country nationals recognises the need to harness the potential of technology, social media and the Internet at all stages of the integration process. THRIVE aims to harness the potential for learning within female migrant communities that comes with 'always on, always accessible' mobile technology platforms. However, partners are of the opinion that the project will only achieve its objectives if bespoke, online learning resources are provided. Interactive infographics are a new learning concept that provide access to learning content through QR codes that can be activated through the camera in any modern smartphone. They provide the perfect framework for developing innovative learning resources that will be appealing and accessible for migrants and third country nationals. To achieve these objectives, the THRIVE project entails three Intellectual Outputs:- Compendium of Interactive Infographic Integration Resources - to build key competences to support the Civic, Social and Economic integration of migrant women- In Service Training Programme - A comprehensive intervention to support the continuous professional development of adult education and migrant support staff- Infographic Learning MOOC - An online learning platform designed for a range of fixed and mobile devicesThe extent of integration can be measured by the degree of parity or equality of outcomes with other members of the receiving or host community. The THRIVE project will directly address this 'parity gap' across the consortium by developing educational and innovative solutions to actively bring people and cultures closer, and help female migrants realise their true civic and social potential via education.The target groups are; community staff and educators, trainers and mediators workers working in formal and informal community and adult education. Community organisations and agencies looking for new ways to integrate and engage incoming female migrants and third country nationals. female migrants and third country nationals themselves looking to integrate, assimilate, understand and claim a stake in the civic and social life of their new country. The impact of this project will be significant on a number of levels; cultural mediators, community educators and social workers will gain new tools to engage often marginalised and vulnerable female learners, organisations will be empowered to take the initiative in what is a very sensitive and politically charged area, end beneficiaries will have a better understanding of their host culture and all parties will be more have a better grasp of social and civic responsibility.

<< Background >>The Covid-19 pandemic is having repercussions in all areas of social, economic and educational activity, forcing the closure of educational institutions throughout Europe. According to the European Data Portal (2020) only 10% of EU countries had a more robust digital learning capabilities to offer educational materials outside the educational institutions. The sudden closures of educational institutions and the forced transition to distance learning have not allowed the time required to plan or reflect on the potential challenges and opportunities of e-learning. According to the World Economic Forum (2020), although it is too early to judge how reactions to COVID-19 will affect education systems around the world, there are signs suggesting that it could have a lasting impact on the trajectory of learning innovation and digitisation. Nevertheless, countless sectors are suffering to adapt and find new ways to overcome the educational and social crisis that COVID-19 pandemic has brought. NGOs, CSOs and education institutions education did not escape to this challenge, which show the unpreparedness of the entire educational community for a scenario in which technology can be an instrument that facilitates the learning process. Furthermore, it is important to note that the coronavirus pandemic and its wide-ranging implications have accelerated digital skills demand in many occupations, especially non-ICT ones. Effective use of digital skills has proven to be a driver of resilience, helping workers and entire organisations adapt to the new realities shaped by the pandemic. According to CEDEFOP (2021) Strengthening digital competences is a priority area for both EU Member States and candidate countries. While there are many activities focusing on initial vocational education and training (IVET) learners, more extensive progress needs to be made in continuing VET, addressing the digital skill gap of adult citizens. In addition, training teachers, trainers and professionals in the social inclusion and innovation field in in digital competences so that they can effectively support learners, is often an underdeveloped part of national skill systems. Technological innovation and digitalisation have the potential to transform learning fundamentally – not only by equipping the population with digital skills so they can work and engage in active citizenship, but also by improving access to learning, as made evident by the pandemic<< Objectives >>Educational institutions, CSOs and NGOs throughout the EU should be able to rely on professional preparation programmes to ensure that they are prepared ed to use technology in meaningful ways. These professionals should have the access of preparation programmes with a solid understanding of how to use technology to support learning. In fact, they need to know how to use technology as a support tool for their professional development (Foulger et al., 2017). Since there is the need to have a coordinated response to help educational and social institutions to acquire digital skills, which are needed to keep pace with this fast-changing landscape, where is important to cultivate digital citizenship along with a broader set of digital skills that can facilitate participation and support students in maximizing opportunities and minimizing risks in the digital world (Jackman et al, 2021), the DIGI:GO project aims to support adult educators, VET providers, teachers and other professionals from the social and education field in the incorporation of online tools to enhance teaching and learning; how to use educational technologies to deliver training in hybrid environment, and how to use the best pedagogical approaches that will prepare them to effectively deliver a tailor-made training programmes with their target-groups.According to OECD (2020) expanding adult training provision through online environments would have significant advantages, by reaching a wide number of learners through a cost-effective solution of learning during the pandemic. However, OECD states that for online learning to represent a valuable alternative to face-to-face instruction, there would be the need to provide high-quality up-skilling opportunities for educational institutions to shift their training offer to online delivery. There is the need to include the technological element in educationalpolicies. Otherwise, all those who are excluded from digital and technology competence are condemned tomarginalisation. Digital exclusion - and consequently social inequalities are increasing. Preventing the learning crisis from becoming a long-term catastrophe needs to be a top priority of the entire EU educational community.<< Implementation >>The DIGI:GO proposes a wide range of activities that will be implemented throughout the 24-month projectlifecycle. The proposed PROJECT RESULTS are: Toolkit of Digital Skills Development (PR1), led by PROPORTIONAL MESSAGE with the support of all partners; In-Service Training Programme (PR2) led by SYNTHESIS with the support of all partners; E-Learning Platform (PR3), Led by SYNTHESIS with the support of all partners; Policy Paper (PR5), led by SYNTHESIS with the support of all partners. LEARNING, TEACHING, TRAINING ACTIVITIES: a short-term staff training event will be held in Cyprus to deliver PR2 to adult educators, VET providers, teachers and other professionals from the social and education field from each partner country. MULTIPLIER EVENTS: (i) The DIGI:GO Learning Lab aims to: a) Present and showcase the Project Results developed: PR1; PR2; PR3 ; b) To enable the engagement and interaction with the target-groups and stakeholders with the developed resources; c) To promote the creation of new community dynamics and synergies, seeking new spaces for the exchange of professional and educational practices. The DIG:GO Learning Labs will be held in M22 in all partner countries (ii)The Final Conference will be held in Germany aiming to present the operational and policy recommendations gathered by the project consortium to policy and decision-makers.PROJECT MANAGEMENT TASKS: Risk Assessment and Management will be led by iserundschmidt GmbH with the support of all partners; The Promotion Strategy will be led by CARDET with the support of all partners: The Quality Assurance Strategy and Management will be led by THE SQUARE DOT TEAM with support of all partners; The Impact Planning and Management will, led by PROPORTIONAL MESSAGE with support of all partners; The Exploitation Strategy, will be led by EXEO LAB with support of all partners.PROJECT MEETINGS: There are 4 transnational meetings scheduled in M1, M9, M18 and M24. The transnationalmeetings are scheduled to meet all the important project implementation phases. TPMs will be supported by ONLINE MEETINGs in M3, M6, M11, M14, M17, M20 and M23.<< Results >>The key actions to achieve the project results are: - The development of a Toolkit of Digital Skills Development (PR1) that aims to support the development on key digital skills that are aligned with the Digital Competence Framework for Citizens 2.0 (DigComp) as follows: 1: Information and data Literacy. 2: Communication and Collaboration. 3: Safety. 4: Digital Content Creation.- The development of an In-Service Training Programme (PR2) The DIGI:GO In-Service Training Programme aims to provide adult educators, VET providers, teachers and other professionals from the social and education field a tailored training experience on innovation on educational technologies and hybrid learning systems. PR2 has a clear modular structure as follows: Toolkit of Digital Skills Development (PR1) - Implementation and Assessment Strategies.2. Foundations of E-learning and Distance Education.3.Learning Management Systems. 4. Innovative Pedagogical Methods, Techniques and Resources in Hybrid Learning Environments. - The development of a E-learning Platform (PR3) which will enable full access of PR1, PR2 and PR3 in bite-sized units. - The development of a Policy Paper (PR4) which aims to provide operational and policy recommendations based on the analysis of the results of the transnational project, for decision and policymakers in the adult education and social innovation field. We believe that in education, as in other spheres, it is important to analyse the implications of either the combination of European and national priorities, guidelines and political institutions, and on the creation of a European education sector and policy.By the end of the project:90 adult educators, VET providers, teachers and other professionals from the social and education field will be involved in the piloting development of The Toolkit for Skills Development (PR1)12 adult educators, VET providers, teachers and other professionals from the social and education field will attend the LTTA that will be held in Cyprus.12 adult educators, VET providers, teachers and other professionals from the social and education field will be involved in the Local Working Groups.120 target-group representatives will attend the DIGI:GO Local Labs that will be held in each partner country.35 target-group representatives will attend the Final Conference in Germany.