"Context/background of projectMove your Hands for Dementia (MYH4D) project aims to support adult and senior educators in the extending and developing competences on educating dementia health literacy to adults and seniors. A more health literate dementia community is the first step to improve a more inclusive and equal “dementia friendly community”. Health literacy about dementia provides chances for engaging adults and seniors to face health and environment with more responsibility and capacity to make favorable choices to health and to improve quality of life of persons living with dementia and their family members. MYH4D consortium is composed by four public and private expertise partners involved in dementia (IT, BE, BU, SI) and four technical EDA/ICT partners (GR, ES, CY, IT).MYH4D Objectives Adults and seniors education about dementia aims to equip them with knowledge, know-how, skills and/or competences. Health and family literacy about dementia has got an impact at individual level in terms of personal, emotional, sociality, health and wellbeing learning advantages and an impact at social level in terms of implementing a more inclusive community. There is a wide range of evidence showing that poor health literacy limits a range of lifestyle choices and creates inside the society differences and inequalities. Improving inclusion of persons with dementia and increasing equity to access to public and private services mean answering to their needs inside the community: social needs (as cafeteria and restaurant), cultural needs (like museums, libraries, book shops, adult education centers...), health and wellbeing (gyms, parks, health services), primary needs services (supermarkets, bakeries, groceries...). With the addition of knowledges and competences about dementia the community could become more skilled, offering concrete opportunities and facilities to persons with dementia inside the society. The challenge for adult and senior educators as facilitators is to improve adult non-formal learning training about dementia, that is becoming an increasing social priority, also using open and distance e-learning. The hard months of corona virus is mandatorily pushing adults and seniors to discover day by day the enormous potentiality of open and distance e-learning. They are much more accessible and helpful than we have ever thought, disclosing plenty of opportunities to receive, to give information and to interact.Number and profile of participants; Target direct:- 100 adult/senior teachers and educators - 80 persons with dementia- 160 family caregivers- 20 EDA leaders - 20 policy makersTarget indirect:- 10.000 adult and senior informed by communications- 500 adults and seniors involved in dementia training courses and activities- 10 researchers- communicators (journalists/scientific communicators): 120 communications are expected - 100 stakeholders Description of activities; Results (I.O.)1) ""Be connected"" M.O.O.C. aims is to give instruments to adult and senior teachers to improve their competences on dementia in adult non-formal learning training about dementia health literacy. 2) Community of Practice (CoP) for adult educators aims to share ongoing adults/seniors learning training to persons with dementia and to family caregiver. CoP for persons with dementia and family members is to share life daily needs and solutions about Assistive Technology Initiatives/devices, gamification, good practices, local facilities.3) Guidelines for EDA leaders and for policy makers aim to improve sustainable educational strategies and policies about dementia.Methodology to be used in carrying out the projectMYH4D management is structured on the five major project management process groups: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing. EFQM quality approach is provided to guarantee participate leadership, buy in and impact.Results and impact envisaged and finally the potential longer term benefits.Expected impact on direct target:1) To adult/senior teachers and educators- More skilled adult/senior teachers and educators about teaching about dementia and improving health literacy in adults and seniors and to to person with dementia and their family caregivers2) To persons with dementia and family caregivers - Improvement of e-health literacy of persons with dementia and quality of life3) To family caregivers- Improvement of e-health literacy and soft skills family caregivers4. EDA leaders and policy makers- Improvement of knowledge and strategic tools to develop dementia educational plans and integrated policyExpected impact on indirect target:5) To adults/seniors - A more health littered/inclusive society to persons living with dementia. 6) To researchers- Exploitations as articles/researches 7) journalists/communication agencies- Exploitations as popular communication to break stigma to dementia8) stakeholders- Reinforcing networking alliance"

<< Objectives >>In connection with the constant pursuit of digtalization of every sector caused by the dynamically changing reality we would like to equip adult educators with unique digital skills and boost digital literacy of seniors through tailor-made and needs-specific training materials and lesson plans aiming to incorporate digital storytelling and participatory videos into regular practice of facilitators conducting activities with older people, mainly in a transgenerational context.<< Implementation >>Main activities:- Promotion- Project Management- 5 Transnational Project Meetings; at least 8 complimentary virtual meetings- E-training for adult educators/ facilitators working with seniors- Development of project outputs: Booklet with intergenerational activities including methodology/ MOOC with teaching materials and lesson plans- Piloting of teaching materials/ lesson plans - Dissemination and Exploitation of project results, incl. multiplier events- Overall evaluation<< Results >>- PR1 – Booklet with intergenerational activities including best practices; methodology with pedagogical guidelines, case studies, examples of creative indoor/outdoor activities in a transgenerational context, a list of digital tools to be used in work with seniors and youth- PR2&3 – MOOC for educators working with seniors (PR2), along with training materials/ lesson plans (PR3) to be used in an intergenerational context with the use of digital storytelling, participatory videos and storyboards

<< Objectives >>-Digital upskilling for seniors on basic everyday online bureaucratic transactions, - Competences for seniors to avoid paying external service providers, - Information on the risks of both conventional and online payment, - Promoting a better and safer consumer attitude, - Competencies for IT educators for teaching seniors,- Improvement of seniors’ well-being and mental health,- Improvement of everyday life for senior citizens,- Inclusion for seniors.<< Implementation >>-Mapping of both learning needs per country on common transactions in a digitalised world and factors hindering seniors from learning how to cope with them,- Development of e-learning and blended learning materials, introducing gamification and engaging activites in teaching senior citizens,- Testing learning materials and methodologies,- Development and testing of capacity building material for IT educators enabling them to deal with seniors,-Dissemination and exploitation activities.<< Results >>- Comprehensive e-learning material for seniors to cope with common online transactions,- Capacity building material and course for IT educators on how to teach seniors,- Upskilling of IT organizations with new methods, curriculum and material of blended learning, focused on senior trainees’ coping with digitalisation,- Videos, social media campaigns, webinars for policy makers and local events to attract more seniors, adult learning and institutions dealing with them in using project results

<< Background >>Primary education (PE) is the first stage of formal education, coming after early childhood education and care (ECEC). The International Standard Classification of Education considers PE as a single-phase where programmes are designed to provide fundamental skills in reading, writing and math, and to establish a solid foundation for learning.Since learning is a cumulative process, this enables progress to more complicated concepts and tasks – but for this the following conditions must be met: child maturity, quality of formal education and a (non)formal support system that takes into account the unequal development and opportunities of children. If these conditions are ignored, the school easily becomes another place to strengthen social inequality. A well-established phenomenon, the Matthew Effect, states that small differences in reading ability in the early years of school lead to large differences in achievement by the end of school and beyond. Numerous studies show that students who fall behind rarely catch up with the effects following them as they enter the job market. Hannover research (2016) clearly shows how the early academic skills related to literacy and math are the most significant predictors of future academic achievement, which is especially true for children from risk groups. This is why the transition from ECEC to primary school is considered as one of the most critical periods of childhood (Besi et.al., 2019) since adaptation to this may have long-term effects, and that is why the critical conditions mentioned earlier are targeted trough early intervention.International research has generally found that the key early (pre/non-academic) skills identified for school readiness and easier transition are gross and fine motor skills, social and emotional maturity, independence, language and communication skills, understanding of elementary concepts, and the ability to follow the rules, focus and similar.These skills are practiced trough ECEC – if a child attends one, and many children don’t. Still, for all children, these skills can and should be strengthened in a natural, everyday way and in a family environment. This means that a series of daily activities can facilitate the transition of a child from ECEC to school, strengthen its skills important for early academic success and increase the opportunities for positive outcomes in life, especially for disadvantaged children and families.This idea was supported the results from the EPPE study which show that the active engagement of parents in activities with children at home promotes their intellectual and social development. A 2009. Eurydice report concluded that “the most effective intervention programmes involve intensive, early starting, child-focused, centre-based education together with strong parent involvement, parent education programmes, educational home activities and measures of family support”.Heckman’s studies (1999) show that the same level of investment at each age level produces much higher returns when it is spent on the young. Several studies confirm that investment in early education and interventions can save on spending at an older age. Meanwhile, research conducted by the PA SBS (2021) shows that parents often do not have the time or capacities to find relevant resources. This is especially dominant in the current conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many parents and educators under great additional stress.For this reason, through the CARE2LEARN project we aim to develop an early intervention tool to tackle learning disadvantage by strengthening early key skills of children to lay quality foundations for their education and chances of positive life outcomes, but also relieve parents, ECEC and school system from additional pressure.<< Objectives >>The goals of the CARE2LEARN project, and all of its activities and project results are, as follows:1. Increased key early competencies and thus the likelihood of early academic success and positive life outcomes for children at EU level.2. Increased capacity of parents of preschool children to provide support to children for the development of early key skills and early academic achievement.3. ECEC and PS (primary school) teachers relieved from pressure through greater involvement of parents in their children's education.<< Implementation >>The implementation of the project is planned through related activities, based on regular online and F2F communication between partners and cooperation with key stakeholders in the field of education.The results of the project will be achieved through a review of scientific literature, interviews with target groups and the work of an expert working group in the field of education. The central activity of the project is the development of a digital tool - CARE2LEARN mobile application through which parents will be able to assess, monitor and through joint activities develop key competencies for school readiness in their children, increasing the likelihood of early academic success and ultimately positive life outcomes. The app will be thoroughly tested and evaluated by all target groups.Through dissemination activities, we will strive to make this free tool visible and accessible at EU level so that every child in Europe has the opportunity to strengthen the likelihood of early academic success.<< Results >>The central result of this project is the CARE2LEARN mobile app for assessing, monitoring and developing school readiness through digitalization of activities for the development of key competencies. The tool will be designed with 3 main features in mind:1. Assessment and monitoring of skill development. Through this, each parent will have an insight into the progress of its child, and idea where to invest more time and effort.2. Skill development through digitalization of C2L DEVELOPMENT TOOL CURRICULUM, another project result. The development tool will be designed in such a way that each day during the preparation-for-school period, the application offers parents several activities for quality time with the child who at the same time develops early key competencies. One of the proposed activities will be in digital form, and the other two offline with the aim of limiting screen time for children of preschool age. 3. Parental support through learning material aimed at them, and based on positive parenting philosophy. Regularly, the parent will be able to read a selected article related to the activities, the child's development, the ways of providing support to ECEC and PS transition, and similar.The app will be made with the idea of sustainability and transferability in mind, so it can be used by all parents and children, and further developed for at risk population.

BACKGROUNDDue to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in Europe opted to switch to online remote courses with a view to keeping their students and teaching staff safe during the pandemic emergency.The consequences have been tragic for students and kids with special needs.Indeed, educational institutions were not prepared for supporting them at distance.As a consequence, parents of children with special needs found themselves in a new burdensome situation, becoming responsible for continuing their children's education at home.PROJECT OBJECTIVESThe purpose of the DiLASD project is to provide social educators and social workers with competence in assisting students and kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families remotely.ASD encompasses a group of lifelong disabilities that affect people’s ability to communicate and understand social cues. An individual with ASD has difficulties in recognizing body language, making eye contact, and understanding other people’s emotions.The main objective of the project is the active learning of individuals with ASD, according to their personals abilities, through the use of digital technology. Remote teaching-learning and online assistance will decrease their marginalization; improving their self-independence and well-being in life.NEEDSThe DiLASD project is motivated by the analysis that partners conducted during the closure of educational institutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the main needs that emerged from their analysis has been the necessity to professionalize the interventions of social educators and social workers in designing and running educational activities for students and kids with ASD remotely.TARGET GROUPSThe primary target groups are:•Social educators and social workers (and social volunteers).•Students and kids with ASD.The other target groups are:•Families of students and kids with ASD. •Social Services.•Organizations/institutions engaged in Special Education NeedsPARTNERSThe DiLASD project involves five partners from five European countries (Poland, Italy, Greece, Latvia, Cyprus) that have a long experience in the ASD scope and experimented with ERT in their countries during the schools’ closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They decided to put together their theoretical and practical experience to realize a training package to support students and kids with ASD remotely. PROJECT ACTIVITIES The main project activities include:•An educational pack for social educators/social workers to train them to support remotely students and kids with ASD as well as their parents.•Laboratories in which students and kids with ASD will experiment with remote learning, the use of software applications, and programmable toy robots (PTRs).•A virtual community where social educators, social workers, and parents can find educational materials as well as collect and share their experiences.•An educational multimedia book on online social communication and autism.The training course will be held in a virtual classroom. Social educators and social workers will be provided with digital skills and competence to implement remote teaching-learning activities for students and kids with ASD as well as assist them at distance.LEARNING STRATEGYThe DiLASD project will adopt an advanced learning strategy:•The training course will be based on an online adaptable learning approach and the use of structured learning units to create personalized learning paths in an online environment.•Online parent-training to train parents of students and kids with ASD to support the remote teaching-learning of their children.•Online laboratories involving students and kids with ASD individually and in groups.POTENTIAL LONG TERM BENEFITSIn Europe, the incidence of diagnosed ASD in young people appears to be in a range of 6 to 20 per 1000. In recent decades the number of people diagnosed with ASD has increased significantly.The main potential benefits of the DiLASD project are:• promoting practices of remote teaching-learning and remote assistance for students and kids with ASD;• Improving the competence of social educators/social workers/social volunteers;• Integrating topical teaching-learning methodologies such as online participatory learning, web social learning, online peer learning, and web-based self-learning practices;• Encouraging educational institutions to use online technology in Special Education Needs.finally, the potential longer-term benefits are also successful professional, independent life of future adults with ASD; their relative safety on the labor market and involvement in work mainly in the service sector; the revival of forgotten jobs to the provision of which adults with ASD may strongly contribute.