<< Objectives >>Promote youth sense of initiative on gender equality integrating ART/PSYCHOLOGY/ACTIVISM practices.SPECIFIC OBJ.1.Design and test paths where Art Therapy is explored for vulnerable women empowerment2.Facilitate youth workers/EU organizations competences to work on Art Therapy/Artivism from a gender perspective3.Design and test paths where Artivism is explored for youth active participation on gender equality 4.Promote youth engagement for gender sensitive communication and positive messages<< Implementation >>Act. 2.1: Peer-to-peer training on Art Therapy and GenderAct.2.2: Definition of ModulesAct. 2.3: Testing phase – Art Therapy workshopsAct.2.4: Final validation of the modules and translationsAct. 3.1: Peer-to-peer training on Artivism/Communication/GenderAct.3.2: Definition of the ModulesAct. 3.3: Testing phase – Artivistic residenciesAct.3.4: Final validation of modules and translationsAct. 4.1: The Take pART! Digital MapAct. 4.2: Online and offline campaignAct. 4.3: Multiplier events<< Results >>BOOKLET: GENDER AND ART THERAPY -Youth workers/organizations acquired methodologies/tools to work on Art Therapy for vulnerable women inclusion -Vulnerable women empowered on gender equalityBOOKLET:HOW TO DEVELOP A PERFORMANCE-Youth worker/organizations acquired methodologies/tools to work on Artivism and gender equality for the participation of youth-Youth empowered on gender equality and communicationDIGITAL MAP/CAMPAIGNYouth engaged in transformative social actions for gender equality

Mental health is a public health problem that the majority of European countries have recognized as a priority area in recent years. - Around two-thirds of people with a mental disorder have one or more comorbid health conditions (Jones, Macias, Barreira et al. 2004; Dickerson, Brown, Daumit et al. 2006 cited by Knol, Pritchett & Dunkin, 2010). Mental disorders are responsible and simultaneously affected by various chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, raising the probability of disability and premature mortality. In this context, literature mentions that people suffering from depression are more vulnerable to develop myocardial infarction and diabetes, and in the other hand, myocardial infarction and diabetes increases the chance of depression. Therefore this project proposes a concept of physical activities and healthy diet for people with mental health disorders. This concept will be applicable throughout the EU. On one side it will educate professionals working with the target group and on the other side it motivates the target group to participate in sports activities. This initiative also addresses the EU gender equality strategy and 7 of the 8 declared priority areas of the EU Disability Strategy.

There is compelling evidence that people with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems are at risk of social exclusion. This is due to causes like the fact that intellectually disabled people (IDP) often experience difficulties and psychological barriers in accessing public places and that communities demonstrates low levels of attention to the idea of inclusiveness when referred to IDP (while there has been more focus on accessibility referred to physical disability). This is especially true in the current context generated by the global COVID pandemic, which increased social exclusion for IDP. At the same time there is an increasing need for their educators, therapists and social workers to integrate ICT-based supports in their daily work and to increase their competences in this field. Starting form this, MIND INCLUSION 2.0 leveraged from an idea of a local Italian project named “Dovevado.eu” started in 2015, and created new ways to foster social inclusion through the use of ICT.The main objective of MIND INCLUSION 2.0 was to foster competencies of educators of IDP across Europe to promote the participative co-creation and use of an innovative Smartphone APP supported by the definition of a solid facilitation methodology which can contribute to the sustainable and inclusive involvement of disabled people in the society (available here: https://www.mindinclusion.eu/). Based on EU’s Europe 2020 goal to create smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, the Article 26 of EU Charter, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Erasmus plus KA2 objectives in the field of adult education the project aimed at:- Enhancing cooperation and sharing experience among organizations working with IDP in EU;- Improving digital competences of IDP and their educators fostering the use of the web platform and an independent and inclusive life style;- Developing and sharing successful methodologies and practices (including co-design approach with IDP) to define and build inclusive communities across Europe.The project involved 22 educators and 61 people with disabilities across 4 countries (Italy, Spain, Lithuania and France), touching approximately 300 stakeholder. The main activities included:- The realization of two intensive trainings for social workers: one in Spain about co-design of accessible web-tools and, and another online about the promotion of community inclusiveness through the use of the Mind Inclusion Methodology.- The co-design and development, at European level, of an Android based APP fully accessible by people with intellectual disabilities, which allows gathering information about public places that are keen and sensible to IDP and their caregivers. Such information is gathered with a user-generated content approach, where the target group and their caregivers can directly feed the APP contents with personal experience and reviews.- The development of a facilitation methodology (composed by a Theoretical and an Operational Manual/guidelines, plus related tools) to support the usage of the APP for IDP as well as their inclusion process at community level, and the promotion of inclusive communities.- The promotion of activities, results and outcomes at international level through dissemination activities.The innovation relied on the use of a participatory approach and the adoption of agile methodologies for a truly user-centred co-design process that involved all the potential stakeholders in the design, development and testing/pilot stages of the APP and the methodology. This was possible thanks to the construction of a network of active stakeholders (or local action groups) that supported the participatory design through a set of small scale sessions. Moreover, they participated in promoting the APP and the methodology implementation.The project had strong impacts on participants’ educators in terms of increased competences related to ICT skills and the ability to foster social inclusion. At the same time involved IDP had the possibility to increase their ICT skills, as well as their relational competencies. Moreover, the project promoted their empowerment increasing their quality of life. Involved organizations had a great possibility to develop and disseminate new innovative approaches for addressing people with intellectual disability and favour training of their educators, reinforcing at the same time cooperation and management skills.Finally, even if the COVID pandemic limited our pilot activities, we observed an increase in the inclusion levels of IDP in their communities, thanks to the involvement of owners of public places (Bars, restaurants, etc.), educators, and volunteers. While at the national and international level the project is now trying to influence public authorities, increasing their awareness on the issue of disability and promoting the rights of IDP and the adoption of new innovative policies.

<< Background >>Environmental and social challenges are deeply connected and to tackle these we need an equally interconnected approach. The Social PEAS project is derived from the identified need to tackle social exclusion, climate and environmental challenges through the use of permaculture to create resilient and sustainable communities. The project was designed to support adult educators and hence vulnerable adults that are: suffering from mental health issue (both those diagnosed with chronic conditions and those that have been affected through the COVID19 pandemic); homeless people and people with housing deprivations; former drug or alcohol users; people with physical and intellectual disabilities; and elderly people that make up 20% of the Europe population.The pandemic has accentuated these issues of social isolation and exclusion and has also affected the mental health of a proportion of the population that was previously unaffected. Moving forward presents an opportunity and a need to build strong social networks where no one is left behind. Building back a better Europe, a Europe of solidarity and care will require better integration and support of previously neglected groups in society. The future also holds challenges linked to climate change, environmental sustainability and food security as outlined in the European Green Deal, Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the Farm to Fork Strategy. These challenges need to be met not only with advances in technology but also with people-centred and people-driven solutions. One holistic approach to regenerating ecosystems and communities is that of permaculture and social permaculture. The concept of permaculture embodies sustainability through working with nature and building resilient communities and its principles can be simplified to three main aspects: people care, planet care and fair share. Working in a group, planning together how to create a garden, seeing plants and food grow, tending to plants, being outdoors as a community – these are all exercises that have an abundant benefit on the participants mental well-being, as well as provide life-skills in the aspects of planning, co-designing, executing a communal plan, and bringing together people from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, these gardens are a gateway for nature learning and nature care, create food resilience and security, provide green havens for pollinators and other species and are alternatives to the linear extractive economies and mindsets that most people are exposed to. Despite all these benefits, social workers/educators/trainers and people who work with disadvantaged adults may not have the skills to execute such activities and build self-sustaining permaculture gardens and ecotherapy spaces with vulnerable adults. Adult educators have reached out to partners in the consortium to support this need, and hence the conception of the Social PEAS project.<< Objectives >>This project aims to cater for this knowledge gap and build on the work of existing projects to create permaculture training for people working with vulnerable adults, as well as for vulnerable adults to increase their knowledge and competencies to be able to use tools from social permaculture and nature therapy for improvement of well-being and social resilience while taking care of the environment. The objectives of the project are to:- Support adult educators to increase their knowledge and gain expertise in regenerative social permaculture, nature permaculture and how to use permaculture gardens for different marginalised adults for wellbeing and to build resilient communities. This will be done through a training curriculum developed specifically for adult educators working with minority groups. - Provide adult educators with the necessary tools through the means of a manual and programme guide to create permaculture gardens and work programmes with marginalised adults. - Create opportunities for adult educators to continue with their professional development and gain certification for their learnings in nature and social permaculture. - Increase awareness amongst adult educators on the interconnectedness of environmental and social issues and how their work can be a vehicle of transformation in both respects. - Develop key competencies amongst vulnerable adults around self-care, self-reliance, active social participation, community work, social skills, co-design, food autonomy and green entrepreneurship to have the ability to participate in modern society. - Improve wellbeing and social inclusion for adults through contact with nature, using non-formal education for engagement, through pilot projects that will be spaces for vulnerable adults and other community members to work on together. This will also support fighting stigma that marginalised adults currently experience.- To develop self-paced online tools as open educational resources where all the didactic materials will be available for free for a wide reach of adult educators.<< Implementation >>To deliver on these objectives an array of activities have been planned with the whole consortium. The project activities revolve around the innovative educational material that will be produced during the lifetime of the project. The project will develop a training course on social permaculture for adult educators and professionals working with marginalised adults. This developed curriculum will be co-created , trailed and facilitated with the support of the adult educators that are working every day with vulnerable groups. The multi-session programme will build social permaculture networks and nature-therapy multisensory permaculture gardens that are co-designed with the participants to be inclusive wellbeing spaces that bring the community together. These showcase gardens will be exposed through multiplier events in each country where a varied group of stakeholders will be invited to experience the benefits of eco-therapy gardens and appreciate the results of the project. Further activities involve the creation of an eLearning Platform with a repository of permaculture related material for people working with vulnerable adults to replicate such programmes and permaculture gardens within their community. Adult educators and participating vulnerable adults will get the opportunity to attain certification to show their competencies developed through the project. Finally, a larger stakeholder conference will take place to showcase all the project results and the experiences of participants throughout this positive journey.<< Results >>This project aims to develop high-quality project results on social permaculture and permaculture eco-therapy gardening as a tool for people working with vulnerable adults to be able to support such adults to be empowered, acquire skills, build social networks and develop within their community with equal access to nature.The following outcomes are expected to be achieved:० 72 professionals working with vulnerable adults will be trained and have tools to implement the concept of social permaculture and facilitate the creation of permaculture gardens with the adults that they care for. This will be done through the development of a training course for adult educators on regenerative social permaculture, nature permaculture and how to use permaculture gardens for different marginalised adults for wellbeing.० Increased competencies amongst vulnerable adults through exposure to permaculture gardens and through the participation in the piloting of the Permaculture Programme. A minimum of 75 vulnerable adults will have increased competencies by the end of the project.० At least four showcase permaculture garden spaces will be created. ० Increased opportunities for professionals to access high-quality learning material and learn on social-nature connections through the developed Online Learning Platform with self-paced online tools, an open educational resource where all the didactic materials will be available for free for a wide reach of adult-educators.० Availability of professional certification for adult-educators and vulnerable adults to be able to achieve validated qualifications for developed competencies in their non-formal education in permaculture.

"Volunteering for Youth Voice project idea came out during discussions in ""Youth Voice : One Step Closer to Sustainability in Youth Work "" training course in order to support establishment of Youth Voice Network where participants were agreed. Our representative's presentation about need for network is adopted by other partner organisaitons and agreed that partner organisations should support network strategy thorough out different projects includiong EVS projects.As member of network we are in charge of providing human resource and ICT service. We plan to fulfill our responsiblity through out volunteers we sent by increasing partner organisation human capacity. Volunteers will promote our relation with partner organisations in Albania, Spain and Armenia which will increase visibility of each partner organisations in the network platform. The project will be held between 1st of April 2016-30th of September 2016 in Spain, Armenia and Albania in different 4 organisations. In each organisation will receive 2 volunteers and we will have chance to send totaly 8 volunteers abroad for voluntary service. Volunteers will have chance to develop their personal and proefssional skills during their service.Long term impact for partner organisations will be developing common quality and value in youth work which will led them to serve better for young people. Furthermore, Network have mission to increase awareness and promote producing solutions about issues encountered by young people and NGOs. Volunteers are placed in the center of the projects will be a role model for other young people because of their service in different countries. One of the issue of young people is visa requirement for Turkish young people will be highlighted in the network platform.Link of ongoing work of the specisific issue can be found below.http://novisa.youthvoice.eu/Volunnteers who take part of the project will have chance to develop their personal, professional, educational skills which will help them to find better job in market. Therefore project is related with one of Erasmus + priority which is decreaseing youth unemployment."