<< Background >>ContextCultural Tourism (CT) is an integral part of today’s economy, even if seriously hit after the pandemic. Although it accounted for more than 37% of the tourism sector until 2019, there was a massive blow of 80% with the COVID-19 (TexTOUR Project, 2021). As the European Commission is committed to safeguard cultural heritage focusing on sustainability and innovation, advanced technologies together with hybrid skills required in businesses’ digital transformation are providing endless possibilities in the field of CT (European Framework for Action on Cultural Heritage, 2018). In fact, technologies such as 360o photo, 3D printing, Augmented/Virtual Reality and serious games have been recently introduced in tourism for enriching tourists’ experiences through cultural heritage. An example is depicted in the Tourism 4.0 Heritage+ approach which aims at bridging the gap between the needs of local communities for promoting heritage values and sustainable development (Arctur d.o.o, 2019). Another example is EU UNESCO 4ALL TOUR, a project that has made art accessible to visually impaired people by combining tactile exploration with audio data (www.unesco4all-tour.eu). Those examples imply that cultural tourism is increasingly moving towards digitization, with accessible tourism being a game changer for destinations (UNWTO, 2020).Nonetheless, the pandemic was a huge shock for the tourism-related cultural sector, bringing into the forefront both the challenges endured by people working in the sector and the ways of how cultural life is weakened by the lockdown (Compendium of Cultural Policies & Trends, 2020). With almost 70 million fewer travelers, the pandemic jeopardizes the most important parts of cultural tourism (UNESCO, 2020). With more than 13% of museums being at risk of never re-opening, more than 80% of UNESCO World Heritage properties being locked, 75 million jobs in tourism being under immediate threat and most people working in the field of cultural tourism being currently unemployed, the need to turn into sustainable smart solutions becomes even more urgent. As digital jobs become more vital than ever, new skills are needed among the professional profiles of tourism. It is thus rational for digitally low-skilled adults pursuing job opportunities in the sector to be more equipped with digital competences so as to form a stronger workforce (UNWTO, 2020). Therefore, as there is an increasing need for digital designers with a deep understanding in usability, accessibility, interaction, narrativity and dramatic composition for exhibitions, digital jobs are constantly being developed with the view to make cultural tourism accessible (Compendium of Cultural Policies & Trends, 2020).Needs / ProblemWith the COVID-19 onslaught having forced cultural life to retreat implying a massive impact on the sector, the pandemic and economic crisis can be also regarded as a cultural one (A & Al-Said, 2020). In fact, the pandemic has revealed the true power of culture as an expression of humanity towards establishing sustainable development (Ottone, 2020). On the other hand, beyond its control, travel and tourism industry, as a vital resource for the cultural sector, has been significantly affected as well, with 75 million jobs in the industry being under immediate threat in 2020 (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2020). However, as there is an urgent need for digital designers with a deep understanding in usability, accessibility, interaction, narrativity and dramatic composition for exhibitions, digital jobs opportunities are constantly being developed under the prism of making heritage accessible (Compendium of Cultural Policies & Trends, 2020).<< Objectives >>The current project addresses innovative up-skilling practices based on experiential learning in order to equip low-skilled adult with the creativity and digital skills required in the cultural tourism sector within the context of a digital post-crisis world. The purpose is to enable them to create their own digital cultural tourist guide, while promoting local culture towards sustainable tourism.More specifically, the project aims at empowering low-skilled adults especially from rural areas to promote Cultural Tourism (CT) resources by developing their skills in Digital Design & Digital Thinking towards the digital transformation of CT. As the new era in cultural tourism integrates the concept of digital cultural tourist into cultural life, adult job seekers should be up-skilled with competences that allow them to become competitive among the close and yet vying industry of CT.Upon project completion, participants will have a deep understanding in digital design principles and be able not only to map out digital content that promotes local culture values but also to manage the tones of resources available in cultural life (museum exhibits, local products/food, places to visit, etc.) in an entreating manner.This will be facilitated by the creation of a practical interactive online course for adults already working, willing to work or left jobless in the field of CT due to the crisis. The course will be complemented by a cloud-based tool that will allow them to create their own digital cultural tourist guide, based on a pre-defined scientific methodology.Specific objectives:- To create a series of handbooks for adults' up-skilling including practical examples of how Digital Thinking & Digital Design is applied in Cultural Tourism- To develop a virtual assistant that will guide and support the participants in creating their own project, namely their ownl Digital Tourist Guide- To build an online European Network serving as a community of practice and giving the opportunity to the project network to work towards affecting European policies for cultural heritage tourism.Target groups:-Direct:o Low-skilled adults from rural areas that already have working experience in heritage tourism or are interested in promoting heritage tourismo Low-skilled adults that are interested in improving their digital competences-Indirect:oAdult trainers/educatorsoAdult training organizationsoTourism organizationsoOrganizations related to the creative/cultural industryoNGOs or other organizations/authorities taking initiatives towards sustainable developmentoDigital designers / Digital design / e-Learning companiesoPolicy makers<< Implementation >>In alignment with the aforementioned objectives, specific activities based on Agile methodology are going to be implemented:-A needs validation report serving as the basis of the white paper stating the current situation in partner countries regarding the post-COVID heritage tourism activities and the skills required to overcome tourism unemployment-The development of practical handbooks for low-skilled adults with useful guidelines and examples of Digital Design principles in Cultural Tourism Promotion-The configuration of a virtual tool that will foster the hybrid skills of participants towards empowering them to promote their own Digital Cultural Tourist Guide-The establishment of a strong network inside and outside the partnership towards the creation of CulTour Design synergies of practice through a digital community especially developed for the project enthusiasts-Project, Quality, Sharing & Promotion, Piloting and Exploitation plans supporting all the horizontal activities that will establish the impact of the project through top quality results-Development of an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) agreement to be signed among all partners ensuring the exploitation of the project and including succession schemes and revenue models<< Results >>The intangible results that will insure the project impact after its completion are:-Raising awareness about the current situation and actions taken in-response to COVID-19 as well as the impact on cultural tourism.-Implementation of novel ICT-enabled training methods for skills development helping rural citizens and tourism professionals to acquire digital skills while safeguarding the cultural sector.-Enhancement of smart solutions and e-learning strategies in E&T within the context of cultural and creative sectors turning to online solutions due to the crisis confinement.-Incorporation of open educational resources (OERs) and open software in the learning process complemented by motivating online learning activities-Development of a wide network of stakeholders providing the opportunity to open a dialogue among cultural tourism communities-Affecting policies related to cultural tourism initiatives across the EUThe main tangible project results to be available upon its completion are:1.A series of inclusive handbooks especially developed for adults seeking job opportunities in the cultural tourism sector. The handbooks aim at enhancing the digital skills of low-skilled adults with a focus on those from rural areas, focusing on the main aspects of Digital Design and Digital Thinking for efficient Cultural Tourism Promotion.2.A cloud-based assistant that provides pathways to users allowing them to put their newly acquired digital skills into practice while enhancing their hybrid skills (technical and non technical). Through this tool, low-skilled adults will be able to create their own cultural tours, utilizing digital thinking principles to design virtual products that promote their local culture and safeguard tourism sustainability.3.The CulTour Digital European Community that constitutes a dedicated online space serving as a single point of information and communication for the project practitioners and interested parties under the scope of increasing the project network and thus impact among European creative/cultural industries and policy making authorities.

"<< Background >>Background / ContextThe Internet and social media have changed the ways citizens access and engage with news. Many people turn to online media to get the information they want (European Commission, 2018). But one of the problems that online media come with is disinformation and fake news, as they may have severe consequences and can cause public harm, threaten democracy, and affect people in making decisions. The exposure of citizens to large-scale disinformation, and false information, is a major challenge for Europe [Source: http://bit.ly/3l0vdSP].Needs / ProblemAccording to a Flash Eurobarometer study (Fake News and Disinformation Online) 37% of the respondents believe that they come across fake news every day or almost every day. A large majority of respondents think that the existence of fake news is a problem in their country, at least to some extent (85%). Additionally, many Europeans (71%) are at least ‘somewhat confident’ that they are able to identify fake news or disinformation, only 15% say they are very confident. While fake news and disinformation is a problem for several years now, after the breakout of COVID-19, the amount of fake news has increased substantially, creating serious consequences to public health. Some examples can be found in the so-called cures that affected a lot of people and made them harm their elves, such as drinking bleach, eating garlic, wearing warm socks and spreading goose fat on one's chest [Source: http://bit.ly/3euDOfx]. Based on these facts, we can conclude that fake news and disinformation can create several behavioral patterns and affect someone's decisions. In fact, some studies have shown that exposure to fake news can subconsciously alter people’s behavior and affect their decision-making. (Greene & Murphy, 2020), (Bastick, 2021). Those who are more likely to be affected by fake news are adults over 55 years old, as they are less confident in their ability to identify fake news in comparison with younger adults (European Union, 2018).At the same time, European Commission has launched intervention programs such as the #SaferInternet4EU Campaign which are targeted at schools, while many studies show there is a need to target older people (Loos & Nijenhuis, 2020).<< Objectives >>Project Idea / SolutionBreak the chain aims to help adults identify the impact that fake news and disinformation have on their behavior and find ways to alternate the situation. The project will provide a holistic approach, focusing on introducing all the relevant information about fake news and disinformation, their impact on our decisions and ways to detect them.Project Objectives- Raise awareness about intentional disinformation and fake news-Assist adults in detecting and coping with fake news and disinformation online-Enhance adults’ media literacy skills-Support adults educators in developing innovative training approachesProject Target Groups- Direct: Adults (those aged 55+), adult trainers- Indirect: Schools, Training centres, NGOS, policy makers, Research Institutions, journalists<< Implementation >>Project’s objectives-Raise awareness about intentional disinformation and fake news -Assist adults in detecting and coping with fake news and disinformation online -Enhance adults’ media literacy skills -Support adults educators in developing innovative training approachesProject’s results-Adult educators gain new tools for enriching the provision of their training courses-Adults being in place to spot fake news-Adults understand the scope of disinformation and its impact on their behaviour-Adult educators improve their competencies and knowledgeEnvisaged activities: -Identification of the knowledge and skill of adult trainers on the topics of fake news and disinformation and the documentation of their current educational practices on these topics-Identification of the situation of fake news and disinformation in their country and the level of media literacy across their population.-Design of the training methodology and the documentation of desirable learning outcomes will support the elaboration of training material directed to existing knowledge and skills gaps and envisaged training practice.-Development of Manual that will be divided into two parts. In the first part, all relevant information about fake news and disinformation will be presented for assisting trainers to achieve a comprehensive viewpoint on the topic. In the second part of the Manual digital tools and methods will be described for supporting trainers to foster their media competencies and incorporate technology resources into their training programs.-Development of web application containing a pool of activities in the topic of fake news and disinformation, which will send reminders to users for checking the new activities.-Development of a Dynamic Demonstrator presenting real-life scenarios in the topic of fake news and disinformation that will be used as a complementary tool to the learning process.- Set up the Break the Chain Community virtual space to support the project's adopters and practitioners.- Promotion of the Community and the project's outcomes through dedicated multiplier events.-Promotion of the project's activities in the envisaged target group through dedicated dissemination activities.-Implementation of exploitation activities aiming to reach interested parties after the completion of the project.-Development of a webinar for adult trainers.<< Results >>The tangible outcoumes of the project are the following: -A guide for adult trainers aiming to provide innovative approaches in the development of educational activities about fake news and disinformation.-A web application containing several activities about the impact and detection of fake news and disinformation online.-A dynamic demonstrator that will present real-life scenarios of fake news and disinformation, aiming to facilitate the understanding of these concepts and deliver an engaging educational experience.Another tangible result will be the ""Break the chain Community"", a dedicated virtual space that will include all of the project's results and infrastructure to support synchronous (live help, chat, live video assistance, skype, GoToMeeting/webinar) and asynchronous communication (email, online forms channeling tickets to the appropriate persons, forum, FAQ section). The Community will be used by those wanting to use the project's outcomes. The infrastructure will support the project's sustainability by allowing Break the chain learners to be informed about the project’s results after the end of its funded life.The project is also envisaged to have some intangible results, which are the following:-Adult educators gain new tools for enriching the provision of their training courses-Adults being in place to spot fake news-Adults understand the scope of disinformation and its impact on their behavior-Adult educators improve their competencies and knowledge Other outcomes that will be produced during the project are: Other results of the project are:1. Project Management Plan: The coordinator (EduCentrum) will develop a guide for the overall management of the project, including the essential steps for implementation of the project and the financial procedures. 2. Sharing and Promotion Plan: A specific strategy for promoting the project, along with the definition of channels methods and tools will be produced by the sharing and promotion partner (HESO) and will be updated every quarter. Additional dissemination results comprise: - Project’s website-Project’s social media-4 newsletters-4 infographics-2 articles-4 press releases- Project brochure-Project presentation-6 Multiplier events - Backlinks to the project site on the websites of partners3. Graphical identity of the project: the project logo and the design of the promotional material will be defined upon the starting of the project. 4. Webinar: One webinar will be organized for introducing adult trainers on the topic of fake news and disinformation online.5. Exploitation and Outreach Plan: An exploitation plan and relevant indicators will be produced by P3-KOMICHA6. Quality Assurance Plan: ICMEDIA will develop a quality assurance plan and define the quality procedures to be followed during the project implementation and the elaboration of its results7. Validation Plan: E-SENIORS will develop a validation plan for ensuring that the results are addressed to the target groups’ needs and are of high quality."

<< Background >>Technological advancements have made our daily lives easier, especially since technology offers a series of tools and services to organise, manage and automate most of our daily routines related to work or household (https://www.homeserve.com/uk/living/blog/what-is-a-smart-home/). Smart home automation is not a new trend since it exists for some years now and has helped thousands of people simplify processes in their households (https://www.statista.com/outlook/dmo/smart-home/europe). What we need to consider is seniors’ level of readiness to embrace such solutions, understand them and, why not, build them as well (https://www.diysmarthomesolutions.com/smart-homes-for-seniors-technology-for-independent-living/). Adding to this gap is the issue of finding meaning in life after retirement. Research has shown that seniors, close to or after retirement, have the tendency to feel isolated, excluded, and unfulfilled. It is never late to start a new hobby or learn new skills and in particular, those that provide stimuli, arouse interest, involve hands-on work and hone critical thinking and problem-solving abilities (https://www.newretirement.com/retirement/prepare-life-retirement-ways-find-meaning-purpose-stage-life/). In fact, learning by doing has proven to be beneficial, engaging and alleviated for the senior ages (https://observatory.tec.mx/edu-bits-2/experiential-learning-for-the-elderly).The link between senior citizens and smart home is evident and although there is a wide range of solutions and products, there is still some negativity to these technologies mainly due to the lack of knowledge and skills by the higher portion of the senior population. This is why the SmartHome4SENIORS project was conceptualised.Senior individuals have certain needs in regard to their households, such as daily routines, safety and security processes, comfortability and overall control of their house, garage and even their garden (https://www.safewise.com/smart-home-system-for-aging-parents/). In many cases, seniors face physical or mental disabilities which prevent them from managing their daily needs (https://diysmarthomeguide.com/complete-guide-smart-home-technology-elderly/). On the other hand, seniors want to find meaning in their lives after retirement and avoid isolation, depression and exclusion, especially those who are living alone without any close relatives (https://www.ft.com/content/2a8abfa8-a3c7-11e9-a282-2df48f366f7d). Therefore, it is considered important to offer seniors tailor-made solutions to cover their daily needs while at the same time guide them to acquire new skills, arouse their interest, give them a sense of ownership and help them participate in civic life (https://www.who.int/ageing/sdgs/en/).Understanding the functionalities and applications of such smart home solutions might be tricky for younger and older seniors alike. Although there is a wide range of services/products covering needs such as making sure all windows are closed, informing of intruders in the garden or house, turning on/off lights and switches automatically, reminding of daily routines, etc., there is not any complete, affordable and tailor-made to each individual's needs offer, and that's the gap we want to bridge with the project SmartHome4SENIORS. The project will support and guide seniors of 55+ years of age having basic ICT skills into the world of DIY smart home solutions and help them acquire the skills and knowledge that is needed for this endeavour, while at the same time younger adults/seniors/volunteers will be engaged to tutor their older colleagues/friends/relatives.<< Objectives >>The SmartHome4SENIORS project will develop educational content, a personalised training application and a do-it-yourself kit powered by a Raspberry Pi Pico to guide seniors into the world of DIY smart home automation solutions which will ease their everyday lives and increase their safety, while at the same time they will learn new skills or enhance existing ones in the fields of electronics, programming, problem-solving and critical thinking. Seniors will learn how to build and configure DIY electronic kits to create smart home solutions and implement them in a number of rooms in their household, while at the same time they will learn how to program and control inputs/outputs from smart sensors and how to adapt them to their specific needs.The SmartHome4SENIORS project has as primary objective to assist seniors (younger and older) in their everyday lives by providing guidance to the world of DIY smart home automation solutions. In terms of specific objectives, we can identify the following:- Providing seniors with a hands-on approach to make their lives easier, simplifying their daily routines, enhancing their safety and security, offering hands-free control, but also developing a sense of ownership and value in their creations and promoting civic engagement and collaboration.- Developing an effective educational package that integrates principles of engineering, electronics, DIY creations, digital competencies and soft skills, tailor-made to the needs of seniors.- Incorporating gamification and experiential concepts in the teaching procedure for older adults, keeping them engaged and motivated.- Creating evidence-based policy and research recommendations for the use of hands-on learning in the older ages.- Reinforcing the ability of educational institutions and adult training centres to provide high quality and inclusive digital education for all ages.- Creating a community of practice for our seniors and individuals in elder care as well as younger adults/volunteers, through a virtual academy, which promotes collaboration, exchange of good practices and ensures continuity and further development of project outcomes.<< Implementation >>First of all, the partnership comprises two higher education institutes, three adult training organisations focusing on seniors education and training, a company offering bespoke software development services and game-based training and a technical consultancy designing and developing hands-on training tools and services.Through the cooperation of such a diverse and experienced consortium and in order to achieve the project objectives, the following activities will take place:- State-of-Play analysis (desk research) on the current situation on existing smart home solutions/application for seniors available in partner countries as well as in Europe in general.- Needs validation (field research) with representatives from the direct and indirect target groups in accordance with the findings in the previous analysis in order to identify the real needs of the final beneficiaries.- Design and development of a Kit powered by a Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller, complemented by sensors, electronics and other essential peripherals in order for users to build their own DIY smart home solutions;- Elaboration of a user manual explaining in detail the components of the Kit and potential applications;- Design and development of a Guide for using the resources and tools in order to learn about smart home and how certain solutions can be applied to cover seniors' needs;- Creation of informative tutorials in support of the Guide to build and use smart home solutions in a hands-on learning approach; - Test the guide and kit internally in each organisation of the partnership by involving mainly older colleagues as well as adult trainers and tutors;- Design and development of a web application that will assist seniors by introducing them to the world of smart home solutions and by suggesting personalised training paths depending on a set of pre-defined criteria and preferences;- Test, validate and finalise the project tools and resources with the direct target group through piloting activities organised in partners' countries.- Support the final outcomes through a dedicated virtual space (SmartHome4SENIORS Academy) providing access to all project results and infrastructure for supporting the growth of a community of adopters/practitioners/enthusiasts.Our approach of implementing these activities and delivering the project results is iterative and foresees the direct involvement of the target group, meaning the representatives who will participate from the start of the project in order to collect feedback and incorporate it in the next iteration of the results. Three iterations are envisaged with a testing cycle in between each iteration. The third iteration is the final project release, so the project will conclude with results of proven value ready to be used by the community of direct users but also other individuals and organisations.In addition, the project foresees the organisation of four transnational project meetings in partner countries, a learning/teaching/training activity as well as the organisation and execution of five multiplier events aiming at the promotion of the project outcomes and finally, another two multiplier events focused on the sustainability of the project and exploitation of project results.<< Results >>In terms of tangible results to be achieved during the project life we can identify the following:A. Physical Object - SmartHome4SENIORS Kit which will be a box comprising of electronic components, such as:- a Raspberry Pi Pico microcontroller, several sensors, electronic components, modules and peripherals- user manual with detailed visual instructions on the kit components.B. Didactic Resources - SmartHome4SENIORS Framework & Guide:- Comparative analysis between partner countries in regard to the state-of-play of smart home automation for seniors/elders, ICT skills and target group needs which will lead to a Framework that will act as a map, guiding learners in the aforementioned topics.- Educational content for using the Kit for creating custom DIY smart home solutions. The content will explain in detail how each component can be used through the interactions of electronic components and peripherals with Pico's GPIO.- Tutorials that describe the use of sensors and electronics to develop custom smart home solutions based on the users' needs.- Online environment which will host the educational resources taking advantage of motivational mechanisms (skills and achievements framework) and gamification workflows (completing activities). The online environment will also host the application.C. Software - SmartHome4SENIORS App- Web application which will be used to identify suitable smart home solutions based on predefined filters, such as location, preferences, level of skills, time, etc. and will guide the user on how to implement such solutions by using components from the Kit or by suggesting already developed market solutions. The App will also allow for the development of relevant to the project competencies, through the proposition of activities and challenges as well as for the creation of communities by exchanging ideas and feedback.D. Virtual Space - SmartHome4SENIORS Academy, serving as a single point of entry to all of the project's results, with infrastructure to support synchronous (live help, chat, live video assistance, skype, webinar) and asynchronous communication (email, online forms routing tickets to the appropriate persons, forum, FAQ section), with all those wanting to use the project's outcomes. The infrastructure will support the growth of a community of adopters and enthusiasts which will sustain the project past its funded life and as long as there is active involvement by users.