"The quality of our nutrition affects our well-being throughout our lives, but it has an even greater impact on children whose bodies and minds are still growing. As studies presents nutritional deficiencies can seriously damage a child’s neural development, possibly leading to lower IQ and even learning disabilities. The essential role nutrition plays for developmental, cognitive and behavioral outcomes in life’s early stages, unfortunately, is often not well understood and appropriately acted upon by schools and parents, as nutrition education program as well is not coherent and integrated into school curricula. If from a young age child health-friendly nutrition is taught, it is likely that these knowledge, understanding, habits will last a lifetime. This could contribute to obesity and other problems and diseases reduction across Europe. EU Strategy 2030, conferences responses, Framework for Action Education 2030 highlights the importance and educational improvement needs in early childhood development as ""education is one of the most potent ways of improving individuals’ health – and of making sure the benefits are passed on to future generations"" in this way reaching the topic of well-being and health to which the project with its aims and results corresponds. Therefore within the project “Innovative teaching methodology of health friendly nutrition development and practice in pre-primary and primary education (HealthEDU)“ we sought to create a comprehensive, unified educational program for children involving a unified education for teachers, school staff and parents (educational institutions community), too. To provide them with health-friendly education knowledge correlated with schools achievements, eating habits, positive attitudes, we developed and promoted understanding and health lifestyle principles and body awareness, suggesting health-friendly menus and dishes for children as well as a correct food culture. Methodical material contained trans-nationally formed educational activities for children, educational trips. The materials were systematized on the basis of international good practices, the knowledge gained during the professional international training courses, experience, EU countries’ working practice, the content of health-friendly nutrition information including the pedagogical point of view and the importance for child education and schools improvement, which is necessary for maintaining human beings’ good health. All this was prepared by thematic area specialists and in compliance with EU health policy, the World Health Organization recommendations, and international researches. An E-learning course created and evaluated by experts and also an approved training program plus its methodical material were developed. By creating a portal as Open Education Resources to public auditorium, teachers were able to learn, provide lessons and use it as material and full e-course. We also recommended the course and the teachers training (qualification development). At the end of the project, in Lithuania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain and Greece a final conference as strong dissemination event was organized in order to invite all target groups - educational communities, public bodies and local, regional, national authorities, experts for all the results, good practice, feedback from beneficiaries’ presentation, and also workshops and round table discussion. The conference was led by health-friendly food chefs through practical shows. The project sustainability raised awareness of such program usability in Europe. The project ensured the spread of information for the public and private sector educational organizations, networks, regional, local, national authorities and mass media. The creation and development of non-formal education program based on the best European practice and achievements were proposed and used as facultative or as integrated lessons to the already existing school curricula - this improved the school curricula, the children knowledge as well as the quality of education. To conclude, we can say that inclusive education, encompassing child+family+educators, led to qualitative education and corrected the way to understand each other, the willingness to learn together, the fostering of motivation and effective learning."

"All project partners work with the digital generation (Generation Y (those born after 1980, also known as Millennials, Generation Me and Echo Boomers) refers to a person reaching young adulthood around the year 2000; generation Z (born after 1995, also known as Post-Millennials, Centennials, the iGeneration, Founders, Plurals, or Digital Natives) and recognize that teachers often lack the knowledge and skills to choose effective methods and approaches to work with this target group. The digital age is transforming our work and our routines. It is transforming the way our students access information, communicate with each other and learn. This age has not transformed most teaching and learning process in classrooms. A recent OECD study shows that the average age of educators is between 40 and 60. The issue is topical also in all partner schools because the representatives of X-generation prevailing in our partner organizations find it increasingly complicated to work with the Millennials and Post-Millennials. Through this project we want to listen to students on how they want to learn and to inquire experts about the psychological recommendations on the preferred principles for working with this generation. We are aware of the many-fold feature of the problem and we think that namely new pedagogical approaches and techniques in the work with the Millennials and Post-Millennials can provide help to the teacher generation in coping with the challenges. The title of our project ""Millennials and Post-Millennials: Challenges and Opportunities for Teachers and Employers"" (project acronym: ""OMICHO"" (Our Millennials: Challenges and Opportunities) raises the question of how the school management can react and adapt to the needs generated by the digital generation. The aim of the project is to develop, test and implement the teaching and learning methods, educational tools to improve dialogue among Millennials and Post-Millennials, teachers and employers. The objectives of the project are: - research on the millennium and post-millennium generations; - create and adapt the teaching methods, education instruments and approbate them in practical lessons. The actors directly involved in the project will be: - the project team (in Bulgaria, Slovenia and Latvia - five teachers and one project coordinator, in Finland - four teachers and one coordinator); - about 100 students aged 15-20 years from each partner organization with which will be tested new teaching methods, educational tools developed in the project; - for conducting research: 100-150 respondents from students, 30-50 respondents from teachers, 15-20 respondents from employers of each country; - four sector experts (3 from Latvia, 1 from Finland) for educational activities and training during the project training sessions in Riga and Porvoo. The main project activities will be as follows: - two short-term joint staff training events; - creation and maintenance of the project website; - two online questionnaires on the Millennials and Post-Millennials; - two transnational project meetings; - video conference (evaluation of the first project work year); - implementation of innovative teaching methods (approbation, discussions, analysis, compilation, development of recommendations); - organization of workshops and seminars; - organization and development of collaborations with local entities; - organization of national conferences. The project envisages three main intellectual outcomes: - research on results of questionnaires, report; - approaches and recommendations for working with the Millennials and Post-Millennials; - project website. Through the cooperation of the four partners the innovation in the teaching-learning process can contribute to reaching the stated aims and finding new solutions to common problems. The new teaching and learning methods will facilitate cooperation, prepare students for diversity and cross-cultural interaction, cultivate knowledge creation, and promote engagement inside and outside the classroom. New approaches and education tools that are favored by the Millennials and Post-Millennials, recommendations for more effective work with these generations will strengthen the capacity of teachers and employers to understand the specific features of this generation and adapt the teaching and learning processes."

<< Background >>The increasing accessibility and complexity of financial services is accentuating individual responsibility on many crucial financial decisions. Starting from this consideration, the EU and other international organizations, like the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and UNESCO, engaged in a strong effort to promote the teaching of Financial Literacy across all educational levels. Nonetheless, cross-country reports are still showing inadequate financial competencies. For instance the 2020 OECD/INFE survey on adult Financial Literacy still reported low results in Financial Knowledge, behavior and attitude. On average, individuals across the entire sample scored just under 61% of the maximum Financial Literacy score (OECD, 2020), which translates in insufficient knowledge about basic financial concepts (e.g., simple and compound interest), lack of rational financial behavior (e.g., saving money, long-term planning, control of finances) and a wrong attitude towards financial decisions (e.g., preference for short-term gains instead of long-term benefits). Within this context, COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated pre-existing issues, causing more harm to the wide portion of the population which is not financially resilient. According to the European Banking Federation, the negative effects of COVID-19 can only be curbed through better Financial Literacy and education programmes, starting from a young age (EBF, 2020).Although it is widely recognized that Financial Literacy should be taught from early education levels, as individuals who studied it since primary school become more financially responsible adults (OECD, 2018; Godsted & McCormick, 2006), many European countries do not teach Financial Literacy before secondary education (EBF, 2020). Moreover, even if many EU countries have already put in place national strategies to address the teaching of Financial Literacy, these strategies often give considerable discretion as to whether and how to incorporate it into lessons, hindering their own effectiveness, while also creating a wide gap between EU countries. Unfortunately, it appears that also teachers' competencies are hampering the effectiveness of Financial Literacy education, as different studies show their low level of financial competencies and suggest the adoption of further training to enhance their financial knowledge (Harrison et al, 2019; De Moor and Verschetze, 2017).Finally, different researches clearly demonstrated the important role that parents play in determining not just the Financial Literacy of their children, but also their interests, behaviours and attitudes towards money. A 2018 PISA survey shows a higher level of financial literacy among 15 years old students that have been taught or given financial responsibilities by their parents. In accordance with this, it is important to accelerate and develop the Financial Literacy of parents in order to increase pupil’s Financial Literacy levels. Thus, taking in consideration the scenario outlined above, the project “Promotion of FINancial literacy in primary and secondary EDUcation through gamification and DIGItal storytelling” (DigiFinEDU) addresses the needs of the following target groups:1- Primary and early secondary education pupils (9-12 y.o), who are in need of more coherent and accurate Financial Literacy programmes to develop adequate financial competencies;2- Primary and early secondary education teachers, who needs training to effectively teach Financial Literacy to their pupils;3- Parents, who, by improving their Financial Literacy, would be able to improve also the Financial Literacy of their children and play an active role in their educational development;4- Local, Regional, National and EU Institutions, who are in need of more data on Financial Literacy policies, to develop more coherent and adequate strategies to reinforce the Financial Literacy of their young and adult citizens.<< Objectives >>The project “Promotion of FINancial literacy in primary and secondary EDUcation through gamification and DIGItal storytelling” (DigiFinEDU) mainly aims to increase primary and lower secondary education pupils’ (9-12 y.o) Financial Literacy in order to help them become financially resilient adults. To reach this general objective, DigiFinEDU will also aim to the attainment of the following 5 specific goals:- To promote the implementation of financial education in primary and lower secondary education:DigiFinEDU aims to disseminate the adoption of an innovative teaching methodology and ready-made didactical material about Financial Literacy among European primary and lower secondary schools, in order to spread the teaching of financial education and literacy in Europe. - To develop the understanding and predisposition of children (9-12 y.o.) towards money and basic financial concepts:The project aims to improve young children's financial knowledge, behaviour and attitude by providing them new didactical material and an engaging learning experience through the integration of gamification.- To improve the readiness and effectiveness of parents and teachers when explaining financial concepts to young children:Through this objective, the partnership seeks to improve parents and teachers financial competencies. All project results will include instructions, exercises, training material and content targeted to attain this goal, explaining to them how to transfer it to their pupils, as well.- To increase the inclusion of parents in children’s education process and encourage the mutually beneficial learning environment:The partnership will aim to provide parents an opportunity to play a more active role in the educational development of their children, by presenting them several exercises, teaching practices and involving them directly in project activities. Parents engaging within project activities will also increase their involvement in scholastic activities.- To improve the understanding of financial education policies and strategies on a national and international scale and promote policy harmonization at EU level:Through DigiFinEDU project, partners will also aim to raise awareness among all target groups about national and EU strategies promoting the adoption of Financial Literacy in formal and non-formal settings. Moreover, the study carried out during the project to analyze national and EU policies related to Financial Education will also aim to showcase similarities and differences among EU countries to present good practices and promote policy harmonization by aligning common goals and topics to be addressed.<< Implementation >>The activities planned to reach the objectives may be divided into three steps:Step 1 - Analysis and methodology development: All partners will carry out primary and secondary research activities to:- Outline teachers and parents perceptions, expectations and challenges related to financial education and Financial Literacy;- Compare national and EU education strategies and policies to better outline the wider political context related to Financial Literacy and provide policy suggestions to local, regional, national and EU institutions;- Identify good practices for teaching Financial Literacy, both in school and community-settings;- Present the teaching methodology that will be adopted within DigiFinEDU project.This step will be mainly carried out through the integration of primary and secondary research activities. Primary research will consist in the administration of questionnaires, the conducting of semi-structured interviews and/or focus groups with schools’ staff, teachers and parents, to better understand their opinions, expectations, wishes and challenges in relation to Financial Literacy. Primary research will mainly aim at identifying target groups’ perceptions, as well as identify some suitable local teaching practices. On the other hand, secondary research will comprise a desk review aimed at collecting the necessary data for the topics outlined above.Step 2 - Didactical Material design and testingThe Didactical Material will help teachers and parents obtain knowledge on financial literacy and increase their confidence in explaining and conducting activities with children. There will be several activities for this step to implement:- Develop the Didactical Material with lesson plans according to partners’ knowledge and experience- Train teachers from partner and associated partners schools to obtain the knowledge and competences needed to successfully implement the didactical material developed in their schools and among families, promoting the adoption of financial education practices at EU level;- Test the didactical material in a 12 week piloting within partner and associated partner school;- Monitor the implementation of the testing, receiving constant feedback from teachers, pupils and parents;Activities for pupils will take place in classrooms and at home with their parents, promoting the adoption of community-based teaching practices that will benefit both schools and families. Step 3 - Visual NovelA story-telling based interactive game to teach Financial Literacy of this step, which will include the following activities: - Create scenarios for the game through international teamwork in short-term joint staff training events according to conditions, templates and solutions prepared and discussed by partners. Scenarios will correspond to the modules of Didactical Material;- Implement digital solutions for the game according to created scenarios and provide the game online as an open tool for promoting and improvement of financial education in primary and secondary schools;- Testing activities will be conducted in several phases during the project creation period; - Improve the game according to the feedback received from teachers and pupils.The game will be used in combination with the Didactical Material and will be an engaging up-to-date educational tool for alpha generation children.<< Results >>DigiFinEDU foresees the realization of three main results:1. DigiFinEDU Methodological Material will be based on 3 main reports made by partners. For a deeper understanding of the real situation regarding the integration of financial literacy in schools and among families of pupils aged between 9 to 12 years old. The next two important partners’ reports will be made as desk research of national policies and strategies about Finance Literacy and also synthesis of national reports (transnational analysis). The combination of these three reports will give a broad overview on what activities according to particular policies and strategies should work in practice, but also what is the current situation in the schools and families regarding financial knowledge. This Methodological Material will be delivered to a vast audience as an e-book on the project website.Main deliverables:- National reports on teachers and parents’ perception of Financial Literacy- National and Transnational Analyses reports- Methodological Material (e-book)2. DigiFinEDU Didactical Material will be dedicated to the creation of practical tools, methods, descriptions and instructions for teachers and parents to reform and upgrade their knowledge and competences to teach Finance Literacy. The descriptions of the activities will be included in a comprehensive lesson plan accompanied with test and assessment tools to effectively assess the knowledge and skills obtained by the pupils. This result will also cover the testing phase of the material created engaging pupils and their parents in learning financial literacy. At the end of the testing phase, a report will be developed documenting its effectiveness in fostering financial literacy and skills. Main deliverables:- Didactical Material and lesson plans- Instructions for teachers and parents- Testing evaluation reportsDigiFinEDU Visual Novel will be implemented as a storytelling based online educational game with financial topics scenarios. Teachers and parents will have an innovative and engaging digital tool suitable for children, that will provide them substantial help in understanding basic and more complex financial topics and their implications. Also the Visual Novel will be tested in partner and associated partners schools, to verify its efficacy, which will be documented in a final report comprising the results of this piloting activity. Main deliverables:- Visual Novel- Internal and External evaluation reportsSuccessful implementation of project activities is expected to have a positive impact on schools and associated partners directly involved, in the respective local, regional and national education systems of partners and at the European level. Project’s outcomes can be divided into short-term and long-term outcomes. Short-term outcomes include:- Increased knowledge and awareness about financial literacy formal and non-formal teaching practices of teachers and parents;- Increased awareness of financial literacy national and EU policies by teachers and policy makers;- Enhanced financial competencies of pupils aged between 9 to 12 y.o.;- Adoption of a comprehensive teaching practice in partner and associated partner schools, involving formal learning, community-based teaching practices and blended learning.Long-term outcomes are:- Dissemination of financial literacy educational material at early educational stages at local, regional, national and EU level;- Support to the harmonization process of EU educational policies regarding financial literacy;- Promotion of blended digital practices in schools at local, regional and EU level.

<< Objectives >>The project aims at nurturing and supporting v.i. youths' sense of initiative and entrepreneurship by creating a safe and peer-learning oriented environment, which can facilitate the testing and validation of social entrepreneurial ideas.The project also aims at achieving the inclusion of young v.i. people by developing guidelines for organizing peer learning hiking, involving v.i. and sighted youth together, going on a target oriented trip and learning from each other on the way.<< Implementation >>Planning and preparing our social entrepreneurial and self-development and awareness workshops - an activity for the involved youth with v.i. (social entrepr. workshops) and the youth workers.Implementing the mixed peer-learning hike for sighted and visually impaired participants - testing the workshops and finalizing the guide for organizing peer learning mixed hikes.Testing the mixed peer-learning hike on a national level and sharing the results with wider communities and tourism sector.<< Results >>Development of workshops, hence social-entrepreneurial concepts.An updated and enriched version of a visual awareness training course.Development of guidelines and agenda for organizing mixed peer-learning hikes.Developed logistics of the hiking tour and a detailed agenda, together with safety rules, risk assessment and procedures in case of emergency.Implemented test hike in Bulgaria and agendas for all partners.Events for sharing the project results with newly developed networks.

Immigrants, especially in their first year of life in the host country, have language problems what makes it difficult to offer them any educational programs (with the exception of language learning) and learning possibilities. Due to this fact, the project has created intellectual product that could provide better educational opportunities. The aim of the project had been to create and to test innovative educational tools based on digital technology for immigrants to acquire basic knowledge and understanding about host country’s sociocultural life: e-Educational Tool migis.eu, which improved and extended the offer of learning opportunities for migrants. Target groups - immigrants (both for the third countries and EU), immigrants' educators.As a result the objective of the project has been primarily directed to the development of the intellectual product, which would improve and extend the offer of learning opportunities for migrants. In other words it is an innovative product like a survival kit for migrants who have just arrived into the host country. This innovative product has been based on digital technologies - created e-platform having an open access at the same time. This material in the e-platform has been based on textual and visual material that has been written in a very simple, easy to understand language, and short sentences. As a result it is easy-to-use and understand for all immigrants and their educators. The project helps immigrants (who are in the first year of life in the host country and usually do not know the language of the country or cultural and social peculiarities of the life) to integrate into the host society more successfully.The creation of the intellectual product consisted of 4 main activities: a study, on the basis of which innovative project product for immigrants was created (theoretical analysis, survey of immigrants (N-1127) and interviews of immigrants educators (N-85); creation and implementation of the e-platform, where the project product was located; the development of educational tools and its final testing, and improvements. Moreover, the training activities for immigrants’ educators were conducted. The final tool was tested and improved with 17 adult immigrants ‘educators and 584 immigrants. Project partners have been NGOs and higher educational institutions from 6 countries, which have had great experience in working with migrants, implementing EU program projects, conducting researches and also employing immigrants’ educators and providing number of courses for immigrants and educators. Since this intellectual product is open and free-accessed the results are useful and beneficial not only for all interested migrants, educators, but also for tourists, visitors and locals. As a result, this project has provided educational opportunity for immigrants involved in the project and non-participating in it in order to gain basic knowledge and understanding of their host country's socio-cultural life. Thus, basic knowledge and understanding of their host country's socio-cultural life helps to understand the country's culture, values and social life of the procedures and features, that is essential for maintaining good mutual relations, cooperation, understanding, tolerance, mutual respect throughout the European Community.