<< Background >>Our project EDUCATE is designed to support adult education organisations in 6 countries (LT, LV, GR, IT, HU, TR) and across Europe in their efforts to deliver inclusive education, especially in the field of digital literacy, which is crucial for the employability of their target groups. This will be achieved both through providing with useful and accessible materials, which they can immediately introduce to their work (in the face of the EDUCATE Sustainability & Monitoring toolkit) and through the creation of a network of adult educators, which exchanges best practices (certified according to a specific set of criteria to be developed) and fosters cooperation (through the EDUCATE Interactive hub).Adult education is a key tool for boosting economic, as well as personal growth, and is an indispensable tool for improving the lives of disadvantaged people and reducing inequalities across the board. Yet, as a 2019 report by the European Association for the Education of Adults shows, countries across Europe are struggling with supporting adult educators in different manners. From low levels of participation (especially in Lithuania), stagnation in the incorporation of innovative practices, to lack of inclusivity and lack of consistency from government policies, adult education providers face numerous hurdles to their effective work. The field now more than ever has the chance and needs its actors to be connected and united in the push for its own transformation, evolution and blossoming.The best approach in transformation of traditional adult education methods is through digitalisation, as well as through efforts, which ensure sustaining and monitoring of constant high quality. Improving digital literacy means proactively using or addressing digital media and technology in education, which ensures inclusiveness for adult learners, what is more it contributes indirectly to the development of their digital competencies. Digital technology has implications for adult literacy; therefore, it is essential to adapt how and what adults learn.Alongside the opportunities that digital adult education offers, there is also a lack of confidence, competence, strategic planning and investment to enable the lifelong learning sector to fully embrace these developments. For that reason, EDUCATE aims to increase capacity of the adult education sector to engage with these two areas through recognition, connection, and useful practical materials. EDUCATE also creates opportunities to raise the profile of and showcase the value of digital adult education, aimed at adult learners with no general skills, low qualifications, or other disadvantaged groups.<< Objectives >>EDUCATE aims to promote quality adult education through supporting open and innovative practices in a digital era. The project objectives could be summarised as follows:– Share certification and guidance for high-quality adult education practice across Europe leading to improved practice and innovation within the European lifelong learning community;– Create effective opportunities for connection, collaboration and mutual learning between adult educators;– Build capacity of adult educators to respond to digitalisation through training that meets their needs, based on monitoring and sustainability approach;– Improve planning and development of digital literacy education of high-quality lifelong learning strategies through increasing awareness and digital methodological skills of adult educators and lifelong learning organisations staff for requirements and best practices for practical application;– Raise awareness of digital adult education within the lifelong learning sector and to policy makers and funders nationally and EU-wide.The target groups for the project are:- Adult educators - the main task of EDUCATE will be to benefit this target group. - Adult learners – the project will promote digital literacy of adult learners through educational methods using digital technologies.<< Implementation >>1. EDUCATE Interactive hub2. EDUCATE Certification of quality3. EDUCATE Sustainability & Monitoring toolkit4. Training adult educators<< Results >>The expected outcomes during the EDUCATE implementation and in the conclusive stage can be outlined in two main categories, highlighting both quantitative and qualitative aspects, as follows:Tangible results:1. EDUCATE Interactive hub that includes platform and a co-creation virtual space in 6 partner languages and in English (EN,LT,LV,GR,IT,HU,TR)2. EDUCATE Certification of quality in 6 partner languages and in English (EN,LT,LV,GR,IT,HU,TR)3. EDUCATE Sustainability & Monitoring toolkit in 7 language versions (EN,LT,LV,GR,IT,HU,TR)4. 12 adult educators from partner organisations trained to deliver digital adult education recognised as high-quality to adult learners with no general skills, low qualifications, or other disadvantaged groups (2 from each partner country)5. 120 stakeholders and policy-makers from partner countries will be involved in co-creation process and they will be informed of project results and invited to sustain the EDUCATE Interactive hub through 3 Multiplier events6. 4200 partner staff members, target groups and stakeholders on both national and European levels informed of project results through dissemination activities carried out during the whole project life cycle7. Project social media profiles - Facebook and Instagram accounts for adult learners and the wider public and LinkedIn professional group for adult educators and other relevant practitioners8. 30 info items related to project goals and results, published on the online platform and social media profiles within project lifetime9. Project management documents - Implementation plan, Quality Assurance plan, Risk management strategy, Dissemination and exploitation plan, Interim progress reports, and Final report.10. Other documents - research synthesis reports, visual identity guidelines, events agenda templates, feedback forms, online statistic reports.Intangible results:1. Adult learners will improve their:- awareness of their qualifications and guidance, mentoring, and further opportunities for adult education;- engagement in the social life of their local communities;- recognition of adult education means to increase the engagement of other adult learners from disadvantaged groups and facilitate their participation;- knowledge and skills of digital literacy through the EDUCATE Interactive hub and open-educational materials.2. Adult educators and lifelong learning organisations staff will improve their:- knowledge and skills in delivering digital adult education as innovate practice through the use of digital technology and media to actually engage adult learners from differentcommunities with the aim of personal and professional development;- skills in using digital adult education tools;- skills in planning, designing, and evaluating digital adult education;- motivation and skills to engage in international collaboration work with other adult educators in;- different skills in the field of community-building and maintaining a diverse and inclusive network or adult education initiative.3. Other partners’ staff will improve their:- awareness on planning, designing, and implementing adult education with recognised certification for high quality;- motivation to use the EDUCATE Interactive hub and engage in the project activities.4. Other stakeholders (adult education providers, lifelong learning platforms, mentoring communities) will improve their:- awareness as to the methodological aspects of engagement of adult learners from different communities;- understanding of the benefits of high-quality education for enhancing and facilitating the environment for sustainable lifelong learning organisations across Europe;- cooperation prospects with peer organisations from different countries and sectors.5. National and EU policymakers will improve their:- evidence base to promote, multiply and mainstream high-quality adult education;- understanding of the needs for strategic investment in adult education

For the E-UNITE project, a competent consortium was established consisting of a University, three NGOs and two Research Institutes that combined efforts to deliver the E-UNITE network – an international youth network, that promotes community-led initiatives in the fields of tolerance, inclusivity, and diversity. The consortium addressed challenges effectively through concise project management approaches, appropriate risk mitigation techniques, and an excellent team spirit. For the successful completion of the projects, partners formed a Steering Committee based on the following rule: every partner (except the coordinating partner) appointed a representative, and UNIC (in its capacity as the coordinating partner) contributed two representative, namely, the project manager and the financial officer.The Steering Committee was responsible for examining any project-related issue and facilitating collective decision-making. The main enabling factors entailed mutual understanding, collaborative efforts, and frequent communication using a variety of channels with an emphasis on electronic means.The main output of this project is the E-UNITE Hub that allows the convergence of young minds, exchange of ideas, and a showcase of various initiatives. This output has been tested, and the results are comparable to the high specifications initially sought. This platform, the E-UNITE Hub, was pilot-tested in two phases. Initially, tests were performed by the project partners with the support of selected youth; the outcome of such tests consisted of suggested changes and improvements. The second phase took place during the E1 activity, i.e., the youth workers workshop held on the 16th of May 2019 in Sofia Bulgaria, with the participation of 34 youth workers.The E-UNITE Manual is an electronic book targeted at youth workers promoting tolerance and diversity in community-led actions. The E-UNITE Manual is designed to encompass practical advice and guidelines, highlighting good practices and business models aiming to develop networks of stakeholders and facilitate the implementation of grassroots initiatives.Finally, the E-UNITE Sustainability Roadmap has been developed. This output supports the E-UNITE HUB sustainability through the development of an online community and a series of activities for its members that will yield the necessary resources (financial and others) for its future growth, visibility, and acceptance. All Intellectual Outputs were developed according to high-quality specifications; the Intellectual Outputs of E-UNITE were translated in partner languages as it was outlined in the application form and the Amendment; Intellectual outputs O1 and O2 were translated in all partner languages while the O3 was developed in English. A short term Learning/Teaching/Training Activity – the Joint Staff Training was held between the18th and the 20th of June 2019 in Athens, Greece. Participants came from the targeted groups described in the application form and were extensively involved in the project activities. At the same time, transnational partner meetings and all other events were implemented as in the approved Amendment.The project carried out extensive dissemination using the primary means youth frequently undertakes: the internet and social media.

Nowadays NGOs workers as well as people with which they cooperate, either employees, members or volunteers, encounter a wide range of difficulties related to the lack of basic knowledge in recent and highly relevant digital spheres. ATSIV - a project with the main purpose to increase the professional competences of NGOs workers, has resulted in the development of a Training Game that provides an open access online platform of training. The ATSIV Game is an innovative and rather interesting tool to enhance NGOs workers skills. It ensures professional development needed for the nonprofit sector by play and personal study. The content of Game reveals explicit issues of the NGOs workers professional activity, which is comprehensively outlined in the three topics such as: Digital Marketing, Crowd-funding and Networking. The ATSIV Game was made in a manner that keeps the attention of the player, so it is not difficult to concentrate on materials that Game is aimed to convey. ATSIV provides also a virtual learning environment which includes a course on Digital Marketing. It allows the participants to learn and acquire skills in Communication, Social Media and Online Advertising, all tailored to the needs of NGO workers. The course provides a robust set of learner-centric functionalities in a user-friendly way with an uncomplicated interface and easy functionality. As an virtual learning environment, ATSIV is accessible anytime, anywhere. It is also compatible with any browser and any access device, ensuring that all its page elements and functionalities are complete and arranged as the original page design.In general, during the project, the following main activities have been undertaken:IO1 – Training needs analysis of adult NGO workers’ skills (skills matrix) and benchmarking of best practices in adult learning/teaching were collected and recorded.IO2 - Co-creation of a game based curriculum for adult NGO workers IO3 - Development of a virtual learning environment (VLE) to enable continuous quadruple helix co-creation of the game based curriculum and best practices (also ensuring multi-stakeholder validation of the resources) 5 Multiplier events 3 short term joint staff training/mobility events (TCGP) for game-based curriculum co-creation tool placeFocus groups in 4 countries were conducted with different stakeholders, foundations and public officials but also journalists and representatives of private companies (via their CSR departments), providing their comments and feedback on the ATSIV game and VLE. 4 Transnational project meetings (Greece, Romania, Thessaloniki, Greece) took place during the project’s lifetime.Overall, the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) created has drawn significant attention to the respective communities with more than 935 single users. Within the VLE a great variety of additional resources have been included both educating and informing visitors on issues related to the NPO ecosystem, managing an NPO, etc as well as the more specific issues covered by the project: digital marketing, crowd-funding and networking. the online game, has already impacted the community of Non-profits across the four participating countries, with more results already tangible in Greece and Poland in which there are partners that act as hubs for NPOs. More than 1,562 people, representatives of NPOs, have utilized the game further disseminating the results of the project.In addition, the project has contributed to build up the collaboration between the partners and other stakeholders (policy makers, various (private) associations and universities) by bringing them together to the focus groups. Additionally, stakeholders participating in the focus groups were engaged in the project through significantly contributing to the creation of the training needs analysis, on which the curriculum and the gaming platform were based upon. During all three Transnational Co-Creation & Game Pilot (TCGP) organized in Greece, Bulgaria and Poland, participants representing a wide variety of roles within the wider NGO ecosystem consisted of Program Managers, Research Associates, Project Officers, Assistants Managers, Head of IT Departments, Senior lecturers and Legal Experts, through questionnaires and focus groups, evaluated the impact of the pilot game in general and more specifically the user experience of the game and the educational material included in the pilot game.In terms of impact within partners there was an overall enhancement of knowledge and cooperation initiatives between them. Since the initiation of the project there has been more collaboration, mainly in terms of common proposals in EU projects, among various partners. Furthermore, cooperation initiatives in terms of academic research has been recorded with two academic articles being co-authored by different partners (SNSPA and UoP, UoP with SNSPA and Umbrella) while some additional ones being currently under discussion.

<< Background >>In our times of increased multiculturalism and multilingualism though, there is a need for a way to build empathy, teach and understand, and communicate ideas through universal languages. While the number of migrants in the EU is rising (according to Eurostat, more than 5% of the population of the EU is non-EU citizens) and mobility within the EU has been on the rise (COVID-19 crisis), tensions are rising as well. These divides can be mended to a large extent through change of attitude, understanding and increase both of quality and quantity of communication between different groups. Inclusion and integration within the EU must be based not just on common interests, but also on shared values and insight into the differences, which make cultures richer. Not in the last place, diversity has many faces, through which we can see the need for flexibility and adaptability - accommodating people with various specific needs, like dyslexia (which is observed in between 9 and 12% of the population in the EU according to the European Dyslexia Association) or autism disorders (which affects around 1 in 100, according to Autism Europe) just to give an example. According to the European Council (2013) youth work plays an important role in preventing social exclusion and enhancing social inclusion. Social inclusion in its turn encompasses various aspects of one’s life, including mental health and control over levels of anxiety, ability to participate in discourse and decision-making, as well as ability to communicate effectively, share stories and express opinions. Comic books and graphic novels on the other hand, provide a method of work, which lowers barriers to entry for young people, and invites them in not only as consumers, but as creators of content, which may be crucial to integration into their communities. Studies of using comic creation as a tool, have shown a lot of promise in this idea. When used with Native American youth in 2012 shows that comic creation can lead to improved knowledge and behaviour, as well as healthier decision-making. The small-scale Comics Youth initiative in the UK has also shown promise in supporting young people express and discover themselves. It is also important to consider that consuming and creating comics promotes media literacy education, as well as learning and growth overall. Creating a bond between youth workers and young people; getting the interest of the recipient in order to intervene and provide support - those are some of the most important aspects of youth work. As a result, any approach that can be used to increase the connection between the youth worker and the young people has the potential to increase the impact of youth work and can be included in youth work. Regarding the target group of young people, CO-MIX intends to equip them with a tool that they can express themselves safely and freely. Nevertheless, the overall experience in comic book creating calls for a mix of various soft and hard skills. For instance, the creation of a comic book that focuses on a story, requires the “author” to organize thoughts, decide on what elements to use, perhaps communicate in the case of extra collaborators and as well lead them. For young people that face learning difficulties, the vibrant motifs, the ability to freely design their own visuals, will bridge gaps and eliminate constraints in communication. There is an ever-growing need for competencies and skills that are not necessarily taught in a formal educational environment. Just to be included in the process of creating a comic book (regardless of topic, length,) the author gains the experience and skills of communicating, organizing, delegating, creative thinking, sensitivity, and content creation. These skills are transferable to many industries and can lead to employment in fields such as digital design, directing, animating, graphic design, acting.<< Objectives >>CO-MIX aims to support cooperative learning in an inclusive and flexible way - by using comic creation in youth work. Through a specific focus on inclusion work and tackling difficult subjects in an approachable way, the project is going to address its overarching objectives: - to support young people and youth workers in integration, understanding, empathy-building and promotion of common EU values; - to build capacities in the field of youth by promoting the practice of creating comics as a methodology in youth work; - to expand the impact of youth workers even in limiting situations (such as the one of Covid-19) and in more situations that require versatility and flexibility; - through broad consultation and cooperation with many local actors, to create not only useful learning materials, but a means of useful connectivity and interaction in the field of youth; - through further local activities and international cooperation within and after this project, contributing to Sustainable Development Goals #3, #4 and #16.<< Implementation >>The CO-MIX methodology for implementation will unfold in 5 distinct activity groups (A), structured in a manner to complement each other with the purpose to achieve the set by the current proposal objectives. The execution of these Activities will be coordinated by efforts, grouped under A1 Management and Coordination, which will be executed through the whole project lifetime. Each activity group will aim at a number of results to be achieved, linked to respective qualitative and quantitative indicators. A2 is concentrated towards the development of PR1 - Creating the CO-MIX online platform, which will be led by TFN. The tasks envisaged under this work stream aim to design and create the online platform, put it through rigorous tests, involving stakeholders, and adding to it useful materials (including templates) and information. Part of the activities in A2 will also contribute to the development of the methodology to be worked on in A3, but mostly the work done in this Activity group will address the objectives of:-to support young people and youth workers in integration, understanding, empathy-building and promotion of common EU values; -to expand the impact of youth workers even in limiting situations (such as the one of Covid-19) and in more situations that require versatility and flexibility; -through broad consultation and cooperation with many local actors, to create not only useful learning materials, but a means of useful connectivity and interaction in the field of youth. A3, the development of PR2 - Methodology on inclusive work through comics, will be led by HIGGS. As will be presented in further detail below, the methodology is aimed at youth workers,and will contribute to the same objectives as A2 but will build up on that by specifying approaches, examples and guidelines on implementation of comic creation in youth work, thus working to the objective of “to build capacities in the field of youth by promoting the practice of creating comics as a methodology in youth work”. It is extremely important for the project consortium that the created outputs are immediately useful and that value can be found in them throughout multiple uses.A4, which will work for the creation of PR3: Comic books for inclusive youth work, is led by MCC. This PR is aimed both at youth workers, and at young people, inviting them to explore the subject of comic creation through the lenses of the finished comics. This activity will lean on the practical expertise of MCC and will build on it with good practices, theory and engagement with interested stakeholders and of course, the cooperation of all partners. Through engagement of youth and youth workers and attention to connectivity, relationship-building, effective engagement and tools for capacity building, all activities of CO-MIX will contribute to the objective of the project to contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals #3, #4 and #16.Simultaneously with the implementation of the aforementioned activities, a wide dissemination campaign will be undertaken to ensure on time update of the project progress and promotion of project results. Led by OFCI, Activity 5 will involve face-to-face meetings, online and offline dissemination of information related to the project, as well as maintenance of social media. The MEs play essential role for the achievement of the project results and objectives, as they will be attracting and engaging target groups in the project outputs; raising awareness on the issues targeted by the project and give the floor for discussion; and extending the potential to reach out to national and EU policy- and decision-makers and focus their attention and understanding of the needs in the youth sector. The dissemination efforts will contribute to the achievement of all objectives of the CO-MIX project and partnership.<< Results >>The CO-MIX project aims to enhance the experience of youth workers and the service they provide to young people by equipping them with a methodology, an online platform, and a series of pre-made comics on sensitive issues. During the creation of all these results we will be engaging youth workers in informal meetings and involving them at every step, gaining feedback and adjusting the outcomes in order to tailor to the needs of both the youth workers and young people.In depth, the project aims to create an online platform (available in 5 languages: the 4 partner languages and English) that will host a proprietary comic book creating application. The aforementioned application will be designed in such a way that the target group demographic will feel comfortable to use. In addition, the application will be equipped with text, character models, environments and a large volume of customizability. The platform will be available and free to use by anyone. Furthemore, on the platform, the methodology on “Inclusive youth work through comics” will be uploaded and available for anyone who wishes to use it. It will be created by organizations that host youth workers and will be including them on all relevant steps of the project such as brainstorming, testing, and use with young people. The purpose is to complement youth workers with a methodology that is aimed to be more inclusive. Given that youth workers have already a large repertoire of activities to use, the methodology will keep that in consideration and strive to provide the final reader with all possible explanations, templates and guidance in order to make it easier for them to start the comic book activity and make the learning curve less steep. Moreover, continuing from the second project result , the methodology, the CO-MIX project will produce a series of comics (created using the abovementioned platform) that will cover a series of sensitive topics with the ultimate purpose of being used for inclusive youth work. It is generally expected that taboo topics as well as topics of sensitive nature are not always easy to portray or begin exploring with a group of youngsters, therefore these comics will be already curated by experts of the relative fields and available on the main website-platform.Additionally, the project during its course will include Joint Staff Trainings where in total 8 youth workers from the partner countries will join. In 4 multiplier events it is expected that around 150 participants will be acquainted with the finalized products of the project. Also, at least 6,000 partners, target audiences, national and European stakeholders will be updated about the results of the project via the dissemination channels and events.Upon choosing the proper graphical art for the project CO-MIX, social media accounts (Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram for the general public) will be created providing to the public, updated regarding the project as well as opportunities for them to add their inputs if requested. For the group of professionals, LinkedIn will be used. This mix of social networks will ensure that a wide group of individuals can be addressed.Lastly, just as comic books have influenced the imagination of many young people, the ability for those same young people to create comic books, expanding their imagination, feeling included regardless of the demographic they belong in, and creating art that can be shared to their social circle, will influence their perception on inclusive and social matters.

More and more Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and alongside social enterprises, with different goals, motivations, structure and geographical coverage are aiming at filling state gaps and addressing various, at times pressing and imminent, societal challenges. The financial and the refugee crisis have urged CSOs to develop innovative ways in order to survive and to seek alternative sources of funding (e.g. Foundations, Companies, etc.) while they have forced them to improve their services in order to meet the increasing needs (provide humanitarian aid, psycho-social and legal support, etc.) of the vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. Therefore, non-profits had to adapt to the new challenges, improve their operations and at the same time turn their focus on issues such as their funding and sustainability. Recognizing these needs, some new actors have emerged and aimed at assisting CSOs to overcome their difficulties. These actors can be non-profit organizations, Foundations, Universities and other entities which offer services (such as capacity building, consulting, educational programs, surveys, premises etc.) to CSOs in order to help them strengthen their skills and increase their impact. These practices could have a positive impact on other non-profits from other countries by addressing common gaps. However, other non-profits do not have access to this knowledge and these practices, as there is no framework that would stimulate contacts and interactions between organizations involved in education and training of civil society. In effect, such actors work much in isolation with other relevant initiatives across Europe, leading to limited, if any, ideas and experience sharing. Without a doubt, sharing and implementing best practices have many benefits for relevant organizations. Among these benefits are better quality and increased quantity of services, improved use of resources as well as cost and time-saving. The urgency and importance of such development is reinforced by the fact that these types of initiatives can operate as impact multipliers when their operations are enhanced: through their operations more and more CSOs can be reached and supported thus creating significant added value by any exposure to best practices, not confined in the initial beneficiaries per se. This project aims at bringing together seven (7) organizations from 6 different program countries (Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Bulgaria, Estonia, Serbia) and 1 partner country (Israel) who support civil society and are experts in a particular field (e.g. fundraising, networking, advocacy, volunteer management, social entrepreneurship, etc.) in order to identify best practices and share their experience. Furthermore, an open learning environment for all stakeholders will be created where each partner will share best practices and strategies. By having access to this environment, organizations will be able to interact and understand how other actors have dealt with similar situations and challenges and will be able to make better and informed decisions more promptly. Therefore, they will be able to improve their efficiency and implement outstanding practices. Finally, all partners, as well as their beneficiaries (civil society organizations), will have the chance to elevate their work, advance their performance and enhance their social impact.The target group of the project will be non-profit organizations and entities operating in EU countries that empower civil society through capacity building, educational programs, and other services.The project will last 22 months and will be implemented via the following set of actions:- Mapping of best practices- 3 Transnational Project Meetings- 3 Learning/Teaching/Training Activities on the following thematic areas: Social Entrepreneurship, Impact Assessment, Nonprofit Fundraising Sources, Proposal writing, Project management, Building financial sustainability, Creating a Business Plan, Networking, Developing an advocacy strategy.The results expected are the following:• Mapping of good practices, successful strategies, and methods from 7 different countries• Exchange good practices, tools and programs tested from the organizations participating in the project• Enhance the skills of 21 people (working in the partnering organizations) who will participate in thethree Learning/Teaching/Training Activities• Bring together and reinforce the collaboration among the 7 partner organizations operating in different countries• Generate innovative ideas and create new tools that could be useful for the organizations• More than 4.000 members of civil society organizations supported by the partners will improve their skills and services• More than 9.500 newsletter subscribers will receive the final report of the project with good practices and methods• More than 33.100 followers on Social Media will have access to the final report