<< Objectives >>The project aims to improve job placement opportunities for young people with social and/or educational deficits through a process of analysis and validation of the personal skills (soft skills) that appear on their CV but which lack the necessary credibility to be a differential factor. It intends to use this process as the basis of a methodology of guidance and competency improvement for young people through the development and training of the figure of a Competency Counselor.<< Implementation >>Activities aimed at planning and preparing the expected results will include: Competency validation methodology, Apps to support the validation process, Competency guidance methodology, tool-kit and Competency Counselor digital training resource. These activities will not only be focused on achieving the defined results but on doing it with quality and using an inclusive approach and in a collaborative way applicable to young people with fewer opportunities.<< Results >>A methodology for analysis and validation of the true skills of the young person will be developed, supported by a mobile App that facilitates this process (WP3); a methodology that supports youth professionals in defining the competency objectives of the young person, supported by a resource bank (WP3); and, finally, a digital training resource (e-learning) for the figure of Competency Counselor (WP4) supported by follow-up and dissemination processes.

"<< Background >>Young people have always suffered particularly from economic and value crises, especially when it comes to job opportunities. The current situation of the youth unemployment rate (39.9% of young people under 25 years of age in Spain, 16% in Ireland, 18% in France, 14% in Poland or 17.8% in the EU as a whole), of youth inactivity rate and other elements derived from prejudices about young people make it important to work from a different approach to the traditional one and adapted to new needs.Traditionally, the skills and competencies of people have been certified through official qualifications, whether derived from formal studies such as those derived from courses and non-formal training. This trend has changed in recent years, prioritizing other personal skills and abilities as well, since official qualifications do not always guarantee certain necessary skills in the workplace and / or training. Employers embrace that trend and even value hiring young people who have values.And this fact can not only be applied to employability, but also in other types of processes, be they training, education in leisure time, volunteering, etc.If this fact has a general effect on young people, what happens in the case of young people with fewer opportunities? The statistics show that it is considerably worse with young people who have some type of social, educational, economic, family or even race or origin difficulty.These situations and these young people are the profile with which the social organizations partner in the project act and they know this problem and the reality that it entails, since it is the work we do every day.So, how can employability, training opportunities or anything that involves a selection process of a young person in a situation of social risk be improved? How can the young person be assessed if they do not have specific experience and / or training? What happens when one of these young people presents his resume in a job interview?The proposal of this project is: ""recovering / taking advantage of / validating"" the personal competencies and values that it has. Also helping them to establish new competency objectives and to work on reinforcing their values and establishing new ones. Therefore, making a process of validation of those competencies and values so that they are not the opinion ""only"" of the young person himself, but something validated and reinforced by a third party based on a homogeneous methodology that allows the credibility of their level of competence and values. .Therefore, give importance to what you do have, your personal skills and your values; and give that importance by reinforcing the veracity and credibility of ""I am responsible"" ""I am creative"" ""I know how to work in a team"" ""I have a good attitude"" ""I am a proactive person"", among many others.Therefore, new agents emerge: educators, youth workers and entities that, through a METHODOLOGY, can validate these competences with a scientific base and contrasted by a Chair of Social Innovation (University); and new tools: offering young people an accessible and simple MOBILE APPLICATION for collection and analysis of skills.The organizations that make up the project know that a competence or a value is not something binary, but rather implies skills, attitudes, aptitudes or approaches that need a deeper reflection. That is why the importance of youth workers in this process: to guide them, motivate them, support them and, finally, validate them in the competence process.<< Objectives >>The project raises the paradox that, being these competencies increasingly necessary and valued, they are the least verifiable. For example, in a curriculum we can identify skills implicit in official degrees, skills and abilities implicit in courses, work experience or non-formal learning; But when it comes to defining the personal skills and values of the young person (I am good at teamwork, I am a creative person, I have a positive attitude or I am responsible, among many others) it is much more difficult for this to have value or credibility with the employer or educator since, traditionally, this is contrasted once the employment relationship or the training process, volunteering, ...We want to reiterate the importance that the values and personal competencies that the young person has are one of the most important aspects that determine their future work or training but that instead cannot be contrasted or valued because they are not validated by any method beyond of personal opinion.Therefore, the general objectives of the project are:- Promote latent or hidden skills of young people with fewer opportunities to improve their future possibilities.- Create tools that facilitate this process and make it simple and effective.- Promote the participation of people close to young people who guarantee continued and close support.- Improve the possibilities of employability, training or volunteering for young people with little work or training experience.- Promote the valuation of personal skills and values among employers.From these general objectives, specific objectives are derived:- Enhance the strengths of young people without work or training experience who are facing a selection process.- Facilitate tools, exchange of experiences and good practices between entities for the work of improving the opportunities of the young people with whom they work.- Create a methodology (O1) based on facilitating homogenization in the validation process by youth workers of personal competencies and youth values.- Create an easily accessible tool (O2) for young people so that they can add the competences proposal, their assessment and the competency objectives.- Facilitate the selection processes for employers and other entities.- Generate a verifiable validation of the personal competencies and values of the young participants.- Disseminate these tools and methodologies to other entities and interest groups.<< Implementation >>The activities described in the project (especially in the Activities section) are based on processes that promote the creation of validation processes of personal competencies and values among young people with the support of referents (youth workers, educators or tutors).It is intended to generate a joint work with two profiles of partners; on the one hand social entities with access and active projects with young people with fewer opportunities with a diverse profile and, on the other hand, the reinforcement of a university that can validate the methodological processes. There are also a large number of non-formal partners, recipients of this work and potential implementers of the results.Specifically, the activities are based on joint reflection between the partners of the personal competencies and necessary values and their selection (A1). This will be based both on the experience of the organizations themselves and on contrast with different groups of young people. Subsequently, work will begin on creating a methodological basis (A2) that allows the referents of these young people (educators, youth workers or tutors) to have a process to validate these competencies. This process will not be binary, but will involve the continuous acquisition of sub-competencies that generate the acquisition of specific competencies. This methodology will not only contain validation but also processes to support and motivate the young person to set new goals to acquire new skills. This part will end with the creation of said methodology (O2).The following activity involves testing the process (A3) with different groups of young people from different organizations (and also non-formal partners) to test the effectiveness of the process.Once this phase is finished, the testing and validation process will begin with the different groups of young people and youth workers (A5).The activities will continue with the final preparation of these materials and other elements (A6) that can facilitate their dissemination, dissemination and distribution among interest groups (among others, non-formal partners).One of the most important elements in this phase are the Multiplier Events (E) since, given their degree of specialization in the target audience and their broad territorial scope, they will be a vital element of dissemination.The activities inherent to the purpose of the project will end with the dissemination and dissemination of the results (A7) beyond that generated in the Multiplier Events.Obviously the project has other activities more related to the project's own management (A1 Management and A8 Evaluation) but which are widely described in the development of this application.<< Results >>The group of partners promoting this proposal is convinced of the value and results of this project beyond the creation of the Project Results (O1 and O2).We believe that the fact that the consortium has detected common needs in different European countries and is grouped to seek solutions and generate processes that improve the situation of the young people with whom it operates, has an important value and can be considered an implicit positive result .In the same way, we consider that the participation of the young people themselves in the test groups generates an important value for them, since it enhances their participation, motivation and resilience. They will be co-creators of these tools and will have the possibility to get involved at the level they want in the process of creating the tools. The same happens with the involvement and participation of youth workers, educators and tutors who will be direct participants and co-creators of the methodologies.On the other hand, the benefit generated by this project at the level of connections and cooperation between different types of organizations, be they social, youth organizations, occupationally oriented, companies and the rest of non-formal partners also generates added value to the proposal.However, the tangible results that are intended to generate are two:- A methodology (O1) that supports the referents of young people (youth workers, educators or tutors) to carry out the validation process of the personal skills and values of young people. Therefore, a document prepared with a pedagogical basis that allows them to apply the methods to be able to assess the acquisition of a specific competence or value through the fulfillment of certain conditions and that, all this, can be recorded so that there is an effective validation. This result will be a joint process of all project partners, where the University of Lleida, through its Chair of Social Innovation, will be the guarantor of the pedagogical and social base of the tool.- An Application (probably mobile application) accessible and simple to facilitate that young people can dump the data of acquired skills, skills to be acquired and objectives, so that this information can be contrasted and validated by the referents of said young people. The purpose of this is that young people can contrast these skills beyond their own opinion or perception."

European mobility programs have played an important role in the transformation of young people who have participated in them. Over time, these programs have become more flexible, with newly implemented measures to allow young people with fewer opportunities to participate and also take advantage of the experience. However, these young people need more preparation to overcome difficulties and frustrations, as well as a more step-by-step process of participating in these programs. The GAIN project aims to offer this gradual engagement through a training process that gives youth the opportunity to learn about the different program possibilities while they are empowered with a basic set of skills to be able to participate successfully. In turn, it aims to offer these young people international experiences that allow them to transform themselves and to overcome the difficulties of their social situation. Finally, it aims to offer the possibility of devising, planning and implementing a group entrepreneurship initiative as well as identifying and collecting all the learning of this process.The planned activities are related to this preparation of young people with fewer opportunities, including a training period (A5), an international training experience in a group (C1), an international or national individual experience (A6 and A8) and the possibility of carrying out a group entrepreneurship project through the CES program (A7 and A11). These young people, together with the tangible results of the project, will be the main element of dissemination of the process so that other entities and young people can replicate them and take advantage of the experience.This project not only aims to act with the young participants, but also to empower the partner organizations (and non-formal partners) by facilitating access to resources and tools, to strengthen the GAIN network that aims to connect motivated entities for the development of projects with young people with less opportunities and, above all, to detect the good practices of the project, ensuring strong results and disseminating them for their exploitation.The activities will always be carried out based on non-formal education methodologies so that the impact on young people is greater and more adequate. The involvement of young people in the different phases of the project as an element of learning and entrepreneurship will also be strengthened. In this sense, the youth themselves will be of great importance during the design of the training process, as well as in the training activity and, of course, in the choice of the individual mobilities and the idea of ​​the solidary project.The GAIN project is a joint initiative with entities from Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Portugal, Poland and Spain with a wide spectrum of areas of activity, but with experiences in mobility projects, work with young people with fewer opportunities and experience in inclusion. That is why entities from different territorial areas have been chosen who can provide a different view of the realities of these young people at European level.Some of the promoting entities have previously participated in another Strategic Partnerships project that has promoted the training of entities, the creation of tools to offer a preparation of adequate mobility projects to young people with fewer opportunities as well as the creation of a network (GAIN Network) that aims to facilitate the identification of entities with motivation to participate or promote inclusion projects within Erasmus + and CES. The current project aims to use these tools created to strengthen them, disseminate them and initiate direct action with young people.The project will consist, not only with the existing partners, but of other non-formal partners who will share and participate indirectly but actively in the project. These entities will be part of a dissemination plan that aims not only to transfer the results to other organizations, to motivate new ones, to empower entities that work with the inclusion of young people, but also to raise awareness among National Agencies and decision-makers of European programs on the needs of young people with fewer opportunities. It is for them that we believe that the GAIN project has a significant potential impact, either by the young people themselves and entities that will participate directly or by the expected results that can help multiply the impact at the local, regional and European level.

"Nowadays, young people have a very difficult start in their professional life. Although they have almost unlimited development opportunities, paradoxically it is extremely hard for them to find right direction in their education and professional life. There are certain skills and competences that are so universal, that will be useful in every job: creativity, entrepreneurship, decision-making skills, flexibility, etc. There is also a certain skill that binds most of the above mentioned. It is ability to efficient self and time management, plan tasks properly and implement them successfully. The project promotes supporting young people in the process of acquiring and developing this fundamental skill needed in nearly each part of life – time and self management. Numerous research show that ability to efficient time and self management is nowadays crucial in many aspects of everyday personal and professional lives, this is also one of the primary ""soft skills"" valued in the workplace. That it is so important to start to learn this skill as early as possible. Through complex activities, project will contribute to development of set of tools which will real and practical help for young people in the process of acquiring such an important, universal competence as time and self management. Project activities will contribute to development of practical, effective instructions supporting young people in the process of learning how to effectively organize and manage their long-term learning. And on the other side, project activities will also contribute to promotion of responsible planning and organization of learning process among young people. During the 18 months period it is planned to develop and test set of materials, which will help young people to learn how the can effectively organize their time with usage of many effective planning tools and methods. What’s more, we also plan to develop set of materials dedicated to people from closest surroundings of the young students. Thanks to these materials, young students will receive effective support from their teachers, parents and other people working with them.All this will ensure complex support for young students in the process of gaining skills and competences needed to organize their learning process in most effective way, and in future to organize their professional life in much more effective way. The main of the project is to strengthen young people's competences in the area of managing themselves in time in the context of independent organization of own learning process, thanks to the use of tools developed within the project First of all, these will be the results of intellectual work that we plan to develop as part of the project:1.Online course for young people. The course will contain, on the one hand, a set of arguments about why it is worth learning to manage yourself in time and how such a skill helps in private and professional life, and above all in science. The main part of the course will be a set of methods and tools thanks to which young people will be able to learn to effectively manage themselves in time, especially in the context of organizing their own learning2.Information materials aimed at academic teachers working with youth. The materials will contain instructions on how to teach young people to be independent in organizing their learning, how to support the development of time management skills while conducting regular activities for young people.3.Information materials aimed at parents / guardians as well as people working with young people and supporting them in their daily activities. The materials will contain a range of information and valuable, practical tips on how to effectively support young people in the process of organizing self-study and acquiring self-management skills."

"The main goal of the ""Improve by move"" project is to develop an innovative support program for young people with the use of artistic influences and thus increase the level of psychosocial competences and self-acceptance of participants aged 13-18 from 3 culturally different countries through participation in dance and movement workshops and exchange of experiences with specialists from partner organizations.The target groups of the project are youth workers (educators, psychologists, teachers, etc.) and young people.The target group of young people are people from disadvantaged backgrounds from Poland, France and the United Kingdom (aged 13 to 18), experiencing difficulties in social contacts, mental difficulties and often excluded from their peer life. The project will also cover a group of specialists working with young people: educators, psychologists, educators, animators, youth workers from each country. We want to increase their professional competences by showing the value of working with the body, through the artistic expression of dance, in the development of social competences and self-acceptance in young people. In addition, we want specialists to also take part in the proposed workshops so that they can transfer the acquired knowledge more effectively in their country.Willing young participants, selected by partners, will take part in a pilot program of workshops based on the methods of choreotherapy. The series of workshops will consist of 9 meetings. Young people who will take part in the pilot will have the task of participating in six two-hour workshops (1 integration + 5 strictly mobile + 3 supplementary methods), which will be held in groups.The training for youth workers will take place after the completion of most substantive works related to the creation of the workshop scheme and methods in the support program prepared for young people, in order to test and check them by the teachers themselves. During the training and on the basis of the workshop program, a video guide will be created, introducing youth workers to the arcane of working with dance and movement in supporting young people.As part of project management and planning related to the implementation of local activities, development of intellectual results as well as promotion and dissemination, we are planning 2 international meetings, in which representatives of all partner organizations will participate. We will also organize 2 online conferences with the participation of the entire team working substantively on the implementation of the project.In working with young people and educators, we will use methods of self-expression, dance, movement, dance and movement psychotherapy and non-formal education methods, gained thanks to many years of experience of each organization in working with young people.The main result will be the workshop program and its pilot, along with a video guide showing how to use the methods developed within the project and how to implement them to work with new groups, as well as explaining the assumptions of using dance, movement and body work in work with young people and the solutions of benefits.The assessment of the project's success will be measured in relation to the degree of achievement of the assumed goals and results. In order to monitor the level of achieved results and satisfaction with the project, we will conduct a two-level evaluation in accordance with the PRINCE2 methodology:- at the level of participants involved in all project activities (youth and youth workers)- at the level of the organization"