Street culture is a rapidly evolving area of economic activity and includes urban arts and creative industries (e.g. pop culture), fashion, food, tourism and more, all of which offer opportunities for innovative, entrepreneurial start-ups. However, given its informal roots and sometimes negative connotations, it has not been “on the radar” for focused enterprise development. Street Culture for Regions (SCR) will change this by guiding and equipping entrepreneurship education providers to make the most of street culture opportunities for skills’ development and economic and social inclusion in our cities and regions.Street Culture for Regions (SCR) will make a compelling and very tangible contribution to SOCIAL INCLUSION. By using the relatability and attractiveness of street culture as a potential business area, we will bring those on the margins of society – NEETs, those from ethnic minorities or migrant backgrounds, and those from deprived neighbourhoods - into both entrepreneurship training and meaningful economic activity. SCR has been carefully designed to produce a series of results which deliver positive outcomes in terms of skills development for potential entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship educators, as well as boosting our capacity for innovation and inclusion within our wider vocational education system. The most tangible results emerging from the project will be the intellectual outputs (IOs), each of which has a specific target group(s) in mind and fulfil a specific objective in terms of attitudinal change, knowledge acquisition and/or skills development. •IO1: Opportunities in Street Culture Resource Pack. A set of documents, multimedia resources and interactive activities that enables entrepreneurship stakeholders, leaders and educators to understand how street culture can be harnessed as part of entrepreneurial skills’ development. •IO2: Street Culture Alliances & Action Plans. A guide to implementing ongoing collaboration between key organisations and stakeholders so that investment in street culture entrepreneurship training can create a sustainable impact on social inclusion and cultural-economic development.•IO3: Street Culture Open Education Resources. The hub of the new street entrepreneurship training model, resources include a first-ever dedicated curriculum, learning objectives and assessment ideas; trainers’ guide and suggested activities; and interactive multimedia content for teaching and learning.•IO4: Street Culture App. An accessible way to maximise engagement with entrepreneurial skills development directly for potential entrepreneurs, the app will provide direct self-led learning in bite-size chunks.The project involves the direct participation of entrepreneurship and indeed cultural studies educators and potential entrepreneur trainees, as well as VET organisations, and entrepreneurship, culture and economic development stakeholders. Many of the individuals we wish to reach as trainees are almost by definition “self-excluding” from mainstream VET. Hence, their participation is more essential than ever to help us understand their attitudes towards and interaction with the project’s resources, as well as to facilitate their co-design of some aspects. Each of our partners has direct access to a pool of potential entrepreneurs and is a member of, regional networks of entrepreneurship development organisations and wider stakeholders in their city and region. In the preparation phase of the project, each partner will generate a list of potential participants – both individuals and organisations - for different stages of the project.Over time and as the outputs continue to be introduced and implemented in participating countries and further afield, the project will create lasting effects:a) Hundreds of individuals, especially from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds, will take part in entrepreneurship skills development, receiving training that is responsive to their needs and opportunities. A large number will go on to conceive, develop and launch micro street culture businesses. b) Hundreds of VET educators and enterprise development organisations, including our partner organisations, will improve their capacity to provide training in contemporary and even disruptive business fields, teach credible and target group appropriate business skills and do so in a way that is inclusive of all types of learners. In the long term, this will contribute to a more inclusive and flexible vocational education system, an essential characteristic given the changing demographics of our cities. c) Dozens of stakeholders involved in city/region-wide skills training, economic development and urban revitalisation will continue to collaborate, recognising that social and economic inclusion requires multi-sectoral cooperation and is achieved over time.

Understanding the transformative power of multilingualism is vital. Over half of mankind daily speaks more than one language, and multilingualism brings advantages for community relations, business, and global understanding. Yet the linguistic landscape is changing fast, with English increasingly the lingua franca. In the UK, many schools are highly multilingual, despite falling numbers learning languages, and almost 1 in 5 primary school pupils have a first language other than English. Equally integral to a multilingual UK are the regional (minoritized) languages (e.g. Irish, Scottish Gaelic). The decline in pupils taking language GCSEs/A-levels and the number of children with English as an additional language are often portrayed negatively, and the value of community and minoritized languages is underestimated. The aim of this interdisciplinary project is to reflect critically on multilingualism and to transform attitudes through greater understanding. Our approach is holistic, exploring individuals, communities and nations. We analyse the situations giving rise to multilingualism, its social implications and creative possibilities, and relationships between languages, cultures, identities and standards. We explore why individuals/societies choose (consciously or not) to be multilingual, the potential of multilingualism as 'mental gymnastics', ways to optimize language learning, and the benefits of multilingualism for community and international relations. Our research questions: 1. What is the relationship between the multilingual individual and the multilingual society? What does it mean to be multilingual in a monolingual/multilingual society? Or monolingual in a multilingual society? 2. What are the opportunities and challenges presented by multilingualism? How might multilingualism benefit individuals, enhance communities, enrich cultures and foster social cohesion? To what extent might multilingualism disadvantage individuals, divide communities, dilute culture or fragment societies? 3. What is the relationship between multilingualism, diversity and identity? How does this play out at the individual, local, regional, national and international level? 4. What is the relationship between multilingualism and language learning? Who can/should learn additional languages, and in what contexts? How do age and other factors affect motivation, achievement and well-being? 5. How can we influence attitudes towards multilingualism? How can we change the attitudes of individuals and societies, and inform language policy? 6. How can we re-energise Modern Languages research? Can we reinvigorate the discipline by broadening its scope and developing new interdisciplinary methodologies? Intersecting research strands (S1-6) offer powerful case studies for understanding multilingualism: literature, film and culture in a globalized context; the role of standard languages; linguistic identity, diversity and social cohesion; the influence of multilingual identity on foreign language learning; language learning across the lifespan; the cognitive benefits of multilingualism. The project spans major languages traditionally or newly studied in the UK (French, German, Mandarin, Spanish), minoritized languages in Europe (Catalan, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Ukrainian), and community languages (e.g. Cantonese, Polish, Punjabi). We seek to break down barriers between high/low status and home/learnt languages. The project will have transformative outcomes for individuals, for education, health and social policy and practice, and for international relations. Our partners (community groups, educational, cultural and policy bodies, drama and creative writing groups, business) will help shape the research and disseminate outcomes. Placing language-led research at its heart, literary-cultural studies are integrated into an exciting new interdisciplinary programme to show how Modern Languages can respond to key issues of our time.

The Troubles describes the social-historical phenomenon occurring between 1969 and 1994 when the sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland was at its most extreme. Those 25 years have had a profound impact on the social, political, economic, cultural and spatial structures of Northern Ireland ever since. The consequent reaction by government, security and statutory authorities bore witness to a profound material impact upon inner-city communities resulting in architectural and spatial disconnection and disengagement with the economic and social structures that manage, govern and regulate the built environment. This review focuses on a specific aspect of material impact, the built structures installed within the inner-city to divide streets, disconnect spatial continuity, mitigate against vehicular flow and limit pedestrian movement. These vary in implementation and include walls, bollards, landscaping and the locating of housing across the path of existing streets. This material impact is extensive across inner-city Belfast. Whilst the sociological and economic impact of The Troubles has received much research attention the impact of these built interventions has yet to be systematically assessed. This review recognises the inner-city exemplar of Ballymacarrett, East Belfast as a community of disconnected people and disconnected spaces. The considered implementation of these divisive built structures has served to fundamentally fragment and spatially disconnect this community. This review conceives of a community as an intrinsic ecosystem of people and the built environment and addresses the challenging issue of engaging a disenfranchised and disconnected community with a broad range of stakeholders and academic research. The review process is a catalyst for inclusive discussion that involves a team of project partner stakeholders, directly linking the review process with the agencies with the remit and funding to implement urban regeneration and social housing policy review and change. The aims of this review are to utilise knowledge gained from academic and practice-based research methods to inform and stimulate discussion amongst key stakeholders with active inclusion from policy makers and the community. Such discussion has the stated aim of developing a policy discussion mechanism that will continue to progress the issues highlighted by the review beyond the review period. These aims meet address the objective of engaging research with non-academic stakeholders; empowering the related community; developing a methodological framework that is transferable to other contexts. The creation of buildings and spaces is a complex scenario involving stakeholders across the social, political and economic spectrum. As a consequence built artefacts contain much embedded information pertaining to a wide variety of perspectives that concern, and have potential to engage, the community within which they are installed. The research team of an architect and a fine art photographer presents a cross disciplinary approach to analysing this context. The disciplines have been aligned to provide a historical record that is accessible to a diverse audience of community, policy, politics and academia. Architectural and spatial analysis will identify Case Studies of built structures that will be documented and illustrated through conceptual photographic representation. Built structures will be utilised as mechanisms to extract data of historical and contemporary importance, eliciting new knowledge. Disconnections will be highlighted and former connections illuminated. The key relationships that are revealed will be essential tools towards addressing the very real architectural and spatial issues within inner-city Belfast communities. Such analysis will present a new perspective to the social, political, economic, cultural and spatial factors that shaped physical change in this community in a distinct and extreme period in cultural history.

ContextIn its commitment to the digitalization of the economy, the EU states that “data-driven business models are the engine of Europe’s growth, industrial transformation and job creation.” Yet, micro and SMEs, which make up 99% of businesses, still lag behind in digital technologies. If the economy is to flourish, micro and SMEs, must develop data skills or risk being uncompetitive. This challenge has been brought into sharp focus during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many businesses rapidly transforming their business models and in many cases migrating service delivery to on-line platforms, generating and using data to engage with new markets.This enforced acceleration of data-based processes has placed significant strain on business owners and employees, who have had to learn rapidly and embrace new ways of working. This, in turn, has increased demand for education to learn new data skills which today’s entrepreneurship teachers and trainers are ill prepared for as the majority entered the workforce before big data existed and there has been limited training to help them boost their own skills.To remedy this, the Data SET project has created resources to improve the quality and relevance of entrepreneurship education by improving the ability of VET and HEI policy makers and practitioners to understand, teach and develop smart data, thus providing business owners, entrepreneurs and students with smart data skills training which they can use to help grow their businesses. ObjectivesThe Data Set project objectives were to:- develop and publish a Guide to Data Skills Development (IO1) to educate entrepreneurship trainers on the current state of data skills and skills building strategies - create a smart data skills training model, comprising OERs (IO2) such as curriculum, trainers guide, lesson plans and suggested content and learning exercises - train the first generation of Data SET Trainers (learning activity) and widely disseminate the OERs to encourage rapid integration of the training into current entrepreneurship and business support provision - develop and promote an online Data SET course (IO3) to maximise access to new training and reinforce classroom delivery.Number and Profile of Relevant ParticipantsIn delivering the project, 142 entrepreneurship educators participated in testing the outputs created and it had been planned to organise a Train the Trainers Learning Activity for 14 educators, who would then return to their organizations ready to train SMEs, entrepreneurs and students in smart data skills. Multiplier events engaged 174 representatives of VET organizations providing entrepreneurship education and other relevant stakeholders across the partner countries. The COVID-19 pandemic and the withdrawal of one of the project partners during the project has resulted in changes to some of these targets, which were agreed with the National Agency.Description of activities There were 6 project partners, 2 from Northern Ireland and 1 from each of Denmark, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands. The partnership met monthly via virtual platforms and in person at transnational partner meetings and created three intellectual outputs, developed through research, content creation and tested by samples of the target end beneficiaries. The resources developed for the intellectual outputs are freely available to the public via a dedicated web portal established by the Data Set partnership. Access to the resources was encouraged via a programme of dissemination activities, which included on-line multiplier events. Due to a change in the project following the departure of one of the partners, the train the trainer activities were not completed.Results and impact attainedThe project successfully created IO1: “The VET Guide to Data Skills Development”, IO2: “Data Set Open Educational Resources”, incorporating a curriculum and teacher’s guide and an interactive suite of learning materials and IO3: “Data Set Online Course”. The partnership has also achieved 878 downloads of IO1, 667 downloads of IO2, an estimated 8640 uses of IO3 and the website has received over 161,900 visits.The project partners also established a strong bond and have benefitted from acquiring greater knowledge about the use of data skills for their own staff, now empowered and better able to assist SME’s, entrepreneurs and students to access and use data as an integral part of their business growth strategies.Longer Term BenefitsIt isn’t possible to report long term benefits as these have yet to manifest, but the project has achieved what it set out to achieve within the 2 years, apart from the train the trainer activity and hence we expect the project will result in improved business growth and higher levels of digital competencies within SME owner/managers, entrepreneurs and business students. The resources created through the project will continue to be available via the dedicated project website at https://data-set.eu/

The Europe 2020 goals for a more inclusive Europe with higher social integration and cohesion are more important then ever in light of increasing societal tension linked to the economic crisis, increasing multi-ethnicity and immigration, cuts in public services etc. Young people are particularly affected and the number of antisocial behaviour complaints reflecting incidents involving young people and relating to drugs/alcohol, harassment, property damage, noise etc. is on the increase. This conflict has a high cost: antisocial and conflictive behaviour impedes the development of the young people involved and affects the well being, education, social and economic progress of other young people and society as a whole. Today, municipal authorities are compelled to seek new ways of decreasing conflict and promoting social inclusion, especially among disadvantaged youth. Youth peer-to-peer community mediation is an effective strategy but is still in its infancy in Ireland, UK and Spain, and is virtually unknown in Romania, Slovenia. If its benefits are to be made available to young people, all those actors entrusted with youth services, must undergo a shift in skills training and vision.Young Community Mediators seeks to do just that: bring together youth workers, public authorities and wider stakeholders in an innovative, cross sector Regional Alliance to:a) Create, publish and promote the “Young Community Mediators Toolkit” to encourage the creation of Regional Alliances for peer-to-peer mediation across Europe;b) identify the skills, opportunities and best practices by which young people can be empowered as peer-to-peer mediators in their communities, devising individual and collective commitments to action in five regional action plans; c) Develop, test and optimize an innovative training curriculum and multimedia online course to train youth workers to impart mediation skills to young people in creative and dynamic ways. Young Community Mediators will be delivered by five organizations from the public, private and non-profit sector each with a strong track record in youth work, social inclusion and citizenship, and education. The project will be lead by ROSCOMMON LEADER PARTNERSHIP (RLP), a high profile hub organization working with dozens of regional and national partners. They are joined by Fundación Nuestra Señora Aparecida (Spain), East Belfast Enterprise (UK), Amicii Petru Poni College (Romania) and SPES Association for Cultural Relations (Slovenia.) YCM represents a new generation of youth education projects because of its ability to reach disadvantaged youth and encourage them to become proactively involved in community around them, combating disengagement and isolation on part of both mediators and those who benefit from the mediation. The project positions youth mediation as a new route to increased citizenship and has the advantage of empowering young people to take up a leadership positions among other young people, acquiring useful transversal skills in the process such as problem solving, value creation, negotiation and self esteem.As a result of our project: - hundreds of young people (16 – 30 yr olds), the majority from disadvantaged backgrounds, will acquire knowledge and skills to settle disputes peacefully in schools and neighbourhoods, widening their own confidence, responsibility and skills ultimately useful for employers, and contributing to the wellbeing of those around them. - youth workers and youth work organizations will adopt new strategies to incorporate new skills teaching, thus enhancing the relevance and quality of their work for problems facing youth in daily lives in today’s society- those responsible for youth public policy will find new ways of engaging with hard-to-reach young people, often from disadvantaged backgrounds. - Schools, neighbourhoods and communities will experience increase in wellbeing as more disputes are settled peacefully and less escalate into antisocial or violent acts; with resulting increase in cohesion and potential for future positive change as young people envisage greater role in society. - Stakeholders in the region will understand and actively support integrated approach to ensuring high quality youth work and informal skills training for more and more young people.