The Aflateen – Social and Financial Education for Engagement, Entrepreneurship and Employment project would like to offer a solution for the lack of financial and entrepreneurship education in Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia, which is identified as one of the roots of high rates of unemployment among young people in the region.As a first step we intend to create and adapt a curriculum for developing the social and financial competences (as the latter cannot be developed without the former) of young people aged 15-18, to be used by youth workers and teachers in their everyday work, and a training material for trainers to train youth workers and teachers to use this curriculum, as the correct approach is essential in this field of competence development and cannot be acquired by downloading the curriculum and start using it. We have very positive experience with similar projects implemented with the same partners for professionals working with younger age groups (kindergarten teachers and primary school teachers), and we believe that it is essential that the professionals (youth workers and teachers) working with the 15-18 age group should also have materials specially designed for the needs of the youngsters, as very similar knowledge have to be presented very differently for the different age groups of young people.Following the development of the materials we will take a step further and start using them by training 5 trainers per country who will be the ambassadors of the new approach, as well as the trainers in the following international training of youth workers and teachers. We will involve 20 youth workers and teachers from 10 NGOs/schools in each country in the pilot training and delivery of the program.We believe that if we would like to have a lasting impact, we need to involve professionals both form the former and non-formal education fields, as concentrating on only one would limit the impact of the program. Moreover we think that the communication and cooperation between the youth field and the former education field is rather poor in all involved countries, and could be developed by creating personal connections between the representatives of the different fields by involving them in pursuing one common cause.After the training the youth workers/teachers will go back to their local communities and start using the curriculum with young people and their parents who are also a target group of the project. They will reach out to more than 600 young people in the three countries. During this phase of the project they will receive on-line mentoring and support.After the pilot training and field testing, we plan to spread the experiences of the program to the wider audience of stakeholders on the national level through the round table discussions organized in each country and on the international level on the final conference where participants from all countries will have the opportunity to present the results of the project.

The overall aim of the project is to introduce and enhance an innovative model of learning based on exchanges between Program (Netherlands and Belgium) and Partner Countries (Serbia and Albania), learning mobility and cooperation between youth CSOs and non-formal education providers. This has been achieved through piloting a new Aflateen+ Program for Girls in Serbia and Albania, developed by the Dutch partner and sharing the Belgian experience in mobilising and empowering youth to become peer educators, thus strengthening non formal education in Partner Countries. Piloting the new program for social and financial education of girls in the Balkans has given the Dutch partner data to finalise its program to be used globally. Belgian partner has gained experience in working in the Balkans and this has led to adaptation of the training program in order to include the specific environment in the region.The most important distinctive feature of GIRLACT project has been the synergy of social and entrepreneurial competencies, applying innovative and active pedagogic approaches, including peer training and horizontal learning models. In its implementation, the action has been promoting civic, inter-cultural, social and relational competences, mutual understanding and respect, and ownership of democratic values and fundamental rights, enhancing critical thinking, financial and cyber literacy. Addressing the increasing diversity of learners and access to good quality inclusive mainstream education and training for all, including girls, while tackling discrimination, bullying, violence and stereotypes was the basis for promotion of active citizenship in learning. Introducing and strengthening financial literacy, entrepreneurial skills, planning, saving, investing and budgeting enabled both young people and youth workers to make much more feasible and realistic plans for their actions. This made the action unique in its effort to promote/implement integrative peer learning model for supporting individual entrepreneurial initiatives with increased awareness of their social impact on the community and society. The specific objectives to: 1. Design relevant innovative and flexible models of learning aimed at acquiring/improving employability skills of young people, especially girls; 2. Raise capacities of youth CSOs and provide them with tools necessary for delivery of a new form of training based on non-formal flexible learning methods, learning mobility, virtual cooperation and OER; 3. Launch, test and implement new practical training schemes based on learning mobility aimed at improving participants' level of competences and fostering their active participation in society; and 4. Strengthen the influence of youth CSOs in advocating for validation and recognition of competences acquired through non-formal learning, have all been met. The main activities held were:1. Development of the analysis of the gaps in social and financial education of young people in Albania and Serbia2. Development of the toolkit for social and financial education of young people, especially girls in Albania and Serbia3. Development of the curriculum for peer training in Albania and Serbia4. Development of the online training material 5. 6-day information sharing training sessions on the material developed in Albania and Serbia6. Local 3-day training sessions in Albania and Serbia7. Advocacy round-tables in Albania and Serbia 8. Development of the recommendations for the policies and practices in youth education 9. Development of the evaluation of the impact of the training programmes and learning models for Albania and Serbia10. Youth Workers' study visits to the Netherlands and Belgium11. Youth exchange visits to Serbia and Albania12. Final Conference

The overall aim is to introduce and enhance an innovative model of learning based on exchanges between Program (Slovakia and Serbia) and Partner Countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania), learning mobility and cooperation between youth CSOs and non-formal education providers. This will be achieved through piloting new toolkit for Media literacy and Critical thinking, piloting and up scaling the toolkit for social and financial education of teenagers and through sharing the experience in mobilising and empowering youth to become peer educators, thus strengthening non formal education in Roma community of the project countries. The action is based on non-formal learning delivered by CSOs offering young people, especially Roma, educational content supporting their active engagement, equal opportunities in both labour market and society. The most important distinctive feature of this program is the synergy of social and entrepreneurial competencies, applying innovative and active pedagogies, including open and digital learning tools. In its implementation, the action will promote civic, inter-cultural, social and relational competences, mutual understanding and respect, critical thinking and ownership of democratic values and fundamental rights, enhancing media, financial and Media literacy. Addressing the increasing diversity of learners and lower access to good quality inclusive mainstream education and training for all, especially Roma, while tackling discrimination, bullying, violence and stereotypes will be the basis for promotion of active citizenship in learning. This makes the proposed action unique in its effort to promote/implement integrative peer learning model for supporting individual entrepreneurial initiatives with increased awareness of their social impact on the community and society. The specific objectives are:O1. To design relevant innovative and flexible models of learning aimed at acquiring/improving employability skills of young people, especially Roma O2. To raise capacities of youth CSOs and provide them with tools necessary for delivery of a new form of training based on non-formal flexible learning methods, learning mobility, virtual cooperation and OER O3. To launch, test and implement new practical training schemes based on learning mobility aimed at improving participants' level of competences and fostering their active participation in societyO4. To strengthen the influence of youth CSOs in advocating for validation and recognition of competences acquired through non-formal learning These objectives will be reached combining capacity building, learning mobility and advocacy actions, stimulating networking and exchange among its main target groups: youth CSOs, education providers and local/national policy-makers.

<< Background >>Early childhood is the most critical time for positive intervention. Development of children during this stage is strongly affected by their environments which continue to exert strong influence on the rest of their lives. It is crucial that education and life skills programs begin at early age, continue throughout preschool education and further, targeting not only children but also their parents. This approach provides robust actions and creates holistic approach to child development and quality parent involvement.This project supports partnership initiative aimed at promoting innovation in social and financial education of children, their parents and teachers/professionals and exchange of experiences between participating partners. We want to bring a change to education in the field our schools very rarely work in, or they work only very informally and marginally, without any specific objectives. The project will improve competencies of teachers working with target groups. Parents will be strongly involved in direct work with children, because they are the main characters in children's lives and they can influence their attitudes and positive approach to the world.The project is focused on developing competences of primary and secondary school children, especially social and civic competences by implementing an innovative program of integrated social and financial education Aflatoun in 3 participating countries (Slovakia, Serbia, Netherlands). Social and financial education curriculum of this program – which should be a crucial part of education in the aftermath of COVID-19 – is built on principle that a person´s personal, social and economic lives are interconnected and should be taught in a holistic manner to enable children to pursue their goals and reach their full potential. Aflatoun motivates children to be active, self-motivated learners eager to understand the world they live in. Preschool and primary education can contribute greatly to combating educational disadvantages, if certain conditions are met. The most effective intervention programs involve intensive, early starting, child focused, centre-based education with strong parent involvement, parent education, educational home activities and measures of family support. Our project meets all these conditions.This project empowers children and their parents through civil and social competences development to become agents of change for them and their communities. This is especially important in times of and after COVID-19 with many families losing income causing children and their parents falling into poverty which might have an extremely negative long term impact on children.The project strives to extend the educational curricula for target groups with the methods of Aflatoun. The project will offer a balanced curriculum of social and financial education with an emphasis on child-centered and experiential learning. Given the harsh effect of COVID-19 on wellbeing of children, the project aims to focus also on social-emotional wellbeing of children, as well as bringing relevant information for quality parent involvement and for developing family social and financial skills in the aftermath of COVID-19.Acquisition of social and civic competences, understanding and ownership of democratic values and fundamental rights are important parts of the program Aflatoun. Reaching this target will enable participating countries to improve primary and secondary education also on the systematic level, spread this program to all countries and work systematically on competences within the chosen target groups.Due to situation in our countries we believe that preventing radicalisation and upbringing in the field of democratic values, fundamental rights and active citizenship should start already in preschool and primary education where children can learn quickly and where they also start building their opinions and attitudes to society and to diversity they are facing.<< Objectives >>Across the world, about 1 billion children are multidimensionally poor - they lack necessities as basic as nutrition or clean water. Some 150 million additional children have been plunged into multidimensional poverty due to COVID-19. Children who grow up impoverished often lack the food, sanitation, shelter, health care and education they need to survive and thrive. These negative circumstances, the important knowledge they miss out on and life skills they do not acquire in childhood can have a devastating impact on their adult lives. The aim of this project is connected with SDGs and EU education policy, and strives to provide inclusive and equitable quality education – early childhood, primary, secondary, as well as quality and strong parental involvement.The project focuses on developing competencies of primary/secondary school children, especially social and civic competences by implementing the program of integrated social and financial education Aflatoun in participating countries (Slovakia, Serbia, Netherlands). The curriculum of this program is built on principle that every person´s personal, social and economic lives are interconnected and should be taught in a holistic manner to enable children to pursue their goals; it puts emphasis on child-centered and experiential learning.This project involves countries with a similar situation in preschool and primary education especially because of the diversity of children (such as migrant children and children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds or Roma children). The project will support the partnership initiative aimed at promoting innovation in the education of children, their parents and teachers from primary and secondary schools and the exchange of experiences between participating partners. The general objective of this project is to empower children and their parents through civil and social competences development to become agents of change for themselves and for their communities. This is especially important in times of and after COVID-19 with many families losing income causing children and their parents falling into poverty which might have an extremely negative long term impact on children. The specific objective is to extend the educational curricula for target groups with the methods of Aflatoun. Reaching this target will enable participating countries to improve the primary and secondary education also on the systematic level. We believe that it is important to create quality content for young parents who themselves have often not had any formal education regarding early childhood, its opportunities and challenges, build on the knowledge regarding social and financial education of preschool children and diligently work on the same topic with children of primary/secondary schools.Given our experience and in order to continue activities even in case of pandemic continuing, the project will also bring an innovation of in person, online and blended approach to social and financial education.The proposed project is a logical continuation of previous activities of this partnership in social and financial education (project partners have previously cooperated in Erasmus+ project: AFLATOT – The Baseline for Social Inclusion; the project was focusing on developing of competences of preschool children, especially social, civic and financial competences by implementing the program Aflatot in participating countries - Slovakia, Hungary and Serbia). It will build on the previous experience and best practices of project partners and further deepen and develop project activities.<< Implementation >>Activities of the project are connected and there is a specific order they need to happen in in order to successfully multiply the knowledge of the program Aflatoun. At first we need to train a group of trainers. Their task will then be to train other teachers/professionals. All these trained teachers/teaching professionals/youth workers will then carry out workshops in their schools/facilities with children, young people and parents involved. National trainings of trainers (3)Participants are 5 teachers/professionals working in nonformal education/trainers who are going to lead national trainings of school teachers and professionals from nonformal education working with chilren and parents, and will be further involved in the dissemination activities and continuation of trainings after the project realization. This training is important to be able to spread the methodology in countries participating in the project – professional trainers of the methodology must be prepared and educated in implementing Aflatoun methodology in formal and nonformal education, with children and parents, in person and online.National trainings of teachers, teaching professionals and paraprofessionals (3)To spread the methodology of the integrated social and financial education to a large number of schools and NGOs working with children and their parents on local level we must educate teachers, teaching professionals and paraprofessional how to use the integrated social and financial education program methodology and how to fully and successfully implement it. During the training they will learn about 5 core elements/pedagogical themes of Aflatoun program, focusing on the method, content and communication with children and parents, especially from the socially disadvantaged communities (minority groups and migrant communities), how to use these elements in social and financial education in formal and nonformal education; participants will try the methods and activities of Aflatoun program so they are able to implement them in their settings. Emphasis will be put also on post-COVID19 situation: wellbeing of children and parents, how to adjust to teach financial education in changing/changed financial situation.Workshops of social and financial education for children and their parents (150) in participating countries carried out by previously trained teachers, teaching professionals and paraprofessionals in their schools/facilies.National roundtables on social and financial education (3)Educational professionals (from formal and non-formal education), representatives from Slovakia, Serbia and Netherlands including people from the majority population as well as Roma and migrant communities and other stakeholders at national level working with primary and secondary school children and their parents will be invited to the roundtable. The main goal of this meeting will be to present project activities and all relevant achieved results. Final conference (1)The event will be the most important dissemination event of the project – we will use this opportunity to present the project findings from all participating coutries (Slovakia, Serbia, Netherlands) to professionals and important stakeholders. We will not only present best practices, but also create space for workshops and discussions of all attendees. They will learn about the created methodology of social and financial education, importance of parent involvement and how parents can join their children in learning to be more financially literate and they get a hands-on experience with the methodology and its activities in formal and nonformal education during special workshops.The conference will be used as a baseline for advocacy activities for quality financial education for children and young people in both formal and non-formal learning settings.<< Results >>Expected results:- improved education (primary and secondary schools; nonformal education of children in age of primary and secondary education) on systematic level,- implementation of the program in all involved countries and systematic work on competencies within the chosen target groups,- improved competencies of involved teachers in working with preschool children, especially those from the marginalized Roma communities,- parents involved in direct work with target groups in schools and nonformal education facilities,- children and parents empowered in their role of agents of change,- created network of professionals and their organisations using the Aflatoun program for social and financial education on the international level,- good practices and experiences disseminated among professionals, paraprofessionals and other relevant stakeholders.Total number of involved participants:1.) Direct participants:- 30 educational facilities (primary and secondary schools, nonformal education settings)- at least 45 workshops carried out in these facilities- 120 children attending these workshops (these are unique participants; we expect that these children will attend all 45 workshops thoughout the duration of the project – we don´t aim for big numbers, the goal of the project is to work systematically with the same group in order to get the best results and lasting change; 50% of children will be of Roma or migrant origin)- 30 parents attending these workshops (these are unique participants; we expect that these parents will attend all 45 workshops thoughout the duration of the project – we don´t aim for big numbers, the goal of the project is to work systematically with the same group in order to get the best results and lasting change; also it is very difficult to reach parents from vulnerable or marginalized communities such as Roma or migrants; 50% of parents will be of Roma or migrant origin)- 15 trainers of trainers- 60 teachers, pedagogues, teaching professionals and para-professionals implementing the developed methodology in Slovakia, Serbia and Netherlands;2.) Indirect participants:- 1000 municipality/local community members - inhabitants of involved localities- 100 teachers, representatives of teacher´s associations, policy makers, other relevant stakeholders from localities and from the national + international level.Activities total:- 3 National roundtables on social and financial education,- 3 National trainings of trainers,- 3 National trainings of teachers, teaching professionals and paraprofessionals,- 150 Social and financial workshops for children and parents,- 1 Final conference.Intelectual outputs:- 4 Training manuals for Social and Financial Education - Training of Trainers (English, Dutch, Slovak, Serbian),- 4 Training manuals for Social and Financial Education - Training of teachers, teaching professionals and paraprofessionals (English, Dutch, Slovak, Serbian) - linguistically, culturally and developmentally appropriate for children and parents (including with Roma and migrant background),- policy recommendations for international and national stakeholders (in 4 languages - English, Dutch, Slovak, Serbian).

"<< Background >>90% of the brain’s capacity develops before the age of 5, yet the workforce who serves young children is too often undervalued, underpaid and inadequately prepared. Recognition of the importance of Early Childhood Development (ECD) services is increasing in many parts of the world. Still, little attention is placed on one of the most critical factors in influencing children’s learning development – the early years workforce. The Early Childhood Workforce Initiative strives to place more attention on these professionals and para-professionals.While teachers are a crucial part of ECD services, they make up just a fraction of the early years workforce. Decades of research have shown that home visitors can increase parental wellbeing and efficacy, decrease child maltreatment and improve child outcomes. Across sectors, too little is known about those working with families and very young children as well as those who mentor them. By providing a clear picture of the early years workforce, the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative aims to help policymakers in specific countries support the development of a quality workforce.Taking into account the diverse backgrounds and experiences of individuals delivering ECD services, training and professional development programs offer an opportunity to impart a core set of knowledge and skills to members of the early childhood workforce, which is particularly important as programs look to scale and reach a greater number of young children and families. In addition, there is evidence to suggest that supporting individuals with such opportunities can influence child development outcomes. For example, a recent metaanalysis of global studies of center-based early childhood education and care programs found that higher teacher qualifications are related to improvements in supporting children’s development, including those related to supervision and the scheduling of activities, organization and arrangement of the room, providing varied social experiences for children, and creating a warm and friendly environment for interactions. Beyond qualifications, other research has suggested that the quality of the education program – i.e. how well it prepares new teachers by, for example, grounding them in knowledge of child development and academic subject areas – may be a more critical factor in a teacher’s ability to influence children’s development and learning in a positive way. Although there is growing evidence that a well-trained and supported early childhood workforce is key to providing high-quality services to young children and families, there have been limited efforts to systematize the various approaches taken across the entire workforce.Supporting families of young children before birth and during the child’s first years is of great importance. It can result in life long benefits for children, communities, societies and nations. Home-visiting programs in particular have been found to increase parental wellbeing and parenting efficacy, as well as child outcomes. Home visitors can help deliver personalized care and assistance directly to families and communities in need. However, in many countries in Europe and Central Asia home visits that are provided through the health sector are often narrowly focused on physical health and medical content, do not reach the most vulnerable and are not tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of individual families.<< Objectives >>The main aim of the project is to support the partnership initiative aimed at promoting innovation in the education of children in an early age, their parents and teachers from kindergartens and the exchange of experiences between participating partners.The overall goal of the project is to strengthen a support the continuous professional development of the ECD Workforce working with young children from socially disadvantaged environments and their parents by providing them with the pilot training on a new teaching methodology that can be used in their everyday work in formal and non-formal educational settings accross Europe.Project will be targeting to increase access to multi-sectoral services for parents and children (including prenatal care) and to enhance and improve earlylearning and parent-child interaction.A subsidiary goal is the engagement of the local municipal and national authorities in each country in the implementation of the project, in order toguarantee the effectiveness of the delivery in the short term and the long-term sustainability.<< Implementation >>Learning/Teaching/Training Activities:C1 - C4 Trainings of Trainers in Slovakia, Serbia, Hungary and ItalyC5 - C8 Training of ECD Workforce in Slovakia, Serbia, Hungary and Italy. Main training topics:- Parenting with Confidence methodology- Home visiting methodology- Persona Doll methodology- Embracing diversity methodology.Multiplier events:Advocacy roundtables E1 - E4 in Slovakia, Serbia, Italy and Hungary.<< Results >>Expected results - Participants of project activities will be able to:- Strengthen the functioning of families within communities through the support of parents (mothers and fathers) in their efforts to raise their children in a safe and caring environment.- Provide parents with the opportunity to acquire the necessary information, develop their social skills and knowledge on early childhood care, importance of their parental role, diverse models and approaches to parental care, especially in terms of their communication with their children and their mutual understanding, their opportunities to support their children's learning and help them build a positive relationship to learning.- Explain to parents the importance and meaning of participation of their children in pre-primary education in kindergartens.- Strengthen the level of tolerance between non-Roma and Roma parents.- Reduce the level of undesirable and inappropriate parental attitudes and practices regarding the education of children from marginalized communities.- Fmpower participants to discuss with children ""sensitive topics"", such as poverty, disability, exclusion, rejection, fear, violence, etc.- Empower children to critically think and openly talk about their feelings and to resist biasis, stigmatization and discrimination.- Enhance the psychosocial life of young children and build community in the classroon.- Get theoretical overview and knowledge about most relevant concepts related to diversity, interculturalism, equity and social justice.- Build the critical consciousness trough naming reality, giving voice to those who are usually silenced and by building alliances.In order to achieve these results we will prepare innovative intellectual outputs:- Working with young children from socially disadvantaged environments and their parents.- Respecting Diversity.20 new trainers of trainers and 80 ECD professionals and para-professionals will be trained during Learning/Teaching and Training activities from at least 20 pilot formal or non-formal ECEC settings.We will advocate for the higher quality of Early Childhood Education and Care through newly developed advocacy tools:- Report on National ECD Policies in Partner Countries.- ECD Policy Recommendations for EU and National Stakeholders."