Urban art including music, dance, and graffiti, attracts and engages young people, they relate to it as a cross cultural medium of expression and a platform to voice their hope and fears, views and concerns. Therefor this project was formed in order to utilise urban art as a means for promoting marginalised young people's integration and active participation in their communities and in Europe.The aim of the project was to promote inclusive avenues for young people's active citizenship and participation in Europe through Urban Arts as a means of engagement.The participants involved in the project activities were youth leaders who have, or intend to work with young marginalised people in their communities, and as such the project focus is to capacitate these youth leaders and furthermore their organisations by equipping them with new inspirations, methods and tools for their current or future work with marginalised young people.The project consisted of two activities:?Take the Lead' - Citizenship through urban art - a training course over 10 nights that took place will take place in Derby, United Kingdom and attended by 24 youth leaders from 6 different countries - United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Lithuania, Romania and Denmark. The theme of the training was the promotion of active citizenship and participation amongst marginalised young people in Europe through Urban Arts as a means of engagement. The training was based on non-formal learning methods and is designed to encourage reflection, and the sharing of experience. Activities of the training included simulations and interactive exercises, workshops, presentations, discussions and group work. The training is designed in a way that it provided cross-cultural learning for youth leaders, and promoted cross national cooperation.Step Up; - Music as a method for inclusion ? A training course over a period of 10 nights in Chisinau, Moldova, attended by 24 youth leaders from The United Kingdom, Denmark, Moldova, Georgia, Portugal and Armenia. The theme of the training was integration of Urban Music in efforts to promote the inclusion of marginalized youth in society. The methods used in the project were non formal, through workshops, observation and interactive discussions and activities, this way they could both learn new methods, but also actively participate, reflect, and share knowledge and experiences. All activities are designed so that participants will have active involvement, and be encouraged to reflect upon their learning.These activities enhanced youth leaders competences and skills in promoting and developing the inclusion of marginalised groups of young people in their communities. They gained new perspectives on inclusion, citizenship and participation with regards to marginalised youth. They acquired methods and tools to promote and develop these through urban art and music.The impact of this project is an increased quality and quantity of activities that target the social development and integration of young marginalised people through methods that they can directly relate to and connect to. As a result of this, the effect is a more inclusive and tolerant society based upon democratic values, whereby both minority and majority groups have a platform in which to have a voice.

<< Background >>Gaming is a fundamental learning method for the youngest generations, since we learn by playing different games in the first few years of our lives. Today different gaming methods in learning (gamification or game-based learning) are getting more and more popular, as they help young people to become more engaged therefore learn easier. In the digital era, there is even more possibilities to use games to facilitate and enhance the educational experience of young people.According to the Interactive Software Federation of Europe’s (ISFE) report, which examined the key European video game markets in 2018, 54% of the population aged 6-64 play video games, with 77% playing at least one hour a week. Nearly half of the players are female (46%) while the number of children and young people playing are the highest with 84% between the age of 11-14, 74% between the age of 15-24 and 67% between the age of 25-34. The latest is the strongest growing age group with an 8% growth in 2018. Esports are becoming so popular that in addition to players, 30% of the internet users now watch live streams of people playing video games, according to the research firm GlobalWebIndex.People enjoy playing video games not only because it is fun, but it is also challenging and there is a learning potential in it. Unfortunately, in most of the times the learning is not conscious, people do not realise and reflect upon the knowledge and skills they have learned while playing a video game. Youth workers with the appropriate tools, could help young people, who are already playing video games to learn useful skills (Hellblade deals with mental illness, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey teaches about ancient Egypt, Overcooked is all about teamwork, Warcraft teaches strategy, Minecraft is often used as an introduction to coding, English skills from most of the games etc) from video games.As everything in life, video games can be constructive or destructive, depending on how they are used. A study about the impact of video games on young people recommends, that youth workers should increase their understanding of the video game world to utilize its potentials and get to know its risks. Ensuring that youth workers are familiar with the video game world, and therefore able to connect with young people (even with the hard to reach ones) who play, youth workers can also discuss young people’s gaming habits in an open and honest way and can address occurring negative behaviours in due time.Based on the above-mentioned figures we can say that more and more people, even females are playing video games, but there is an unused learning potential in it. The purpose of the proposed project is to take on board young people's already existing interest in playing video games and transform it to planned learning, rather than trying to encourage more people to engage in playing, since this is already happening.<< Objectives >>Thus, the aim of this project is to increase the capacity of youth workers in supporting young people to develop basic competences, through utilising video games as a tool for learning.The following objectives has been identified in order to reach the aim:- To develop at least 20 non-formal methods using video games as a tool for learning- To fight against stereotypes regarding video games and help youth workers realise the potential in using them in their work with young people- To teach 155 youth workers the developed methods and how they can use video games as a tool for learningThe developed methods will be used by youth workers. During the lifetime of the project 155 youth worker will be reached; 25 during the Training of Multipliers and 130 during the Multiplier Events. Indirectly the project is targeting young people, since by using the developed methods, youth workers will help young people to develop competences while playing video games. During the lifetime of the project 150 young people will be involved, 60 in the research phase and 90 in the testing phase.<< Implementation >>The project consists of 6 transnational project meetings, the development of the intellectual output (non-formal video game methods collection), a Training of Multipliers and Multiplier Events in the partner countries. The developed methods will be used by youth workers in their daily work with young people. During the lifetime of the project 155 youth worker will be reached; 25 during the Training of Multipliers and 130 during the Multiplier Events and dissemination. Indirectly the project is targeting young people, since by using the developed methods, youth workers will help young people to develop competences while playing video games. During the lifetime of the project 150 young people will be involved, 60 in the research phase and 90 in the testing phase.<< Results >>Compendium of methods:The main outcome of the project upon its completion will be the project result, which is a compendium of non-formal methods using video games for learning. The compendium will consist of at least 20 methods from which there will be at least 2 addressing each of the 8 YouthPass competences.The methods expected to consist of:- description of the game,- explanation about its connection to the selected competence(s),-description of the activity, meaning a mission or task in the game, which develop or strengthen a competence,- reflection upon the learning.The compendium will consist of a table, similar to the one in Compass Manual for Human Rights Education with Young People, which will give youth workers an overview upon which video game can be used to develop the different competences. The partners expect that the developed methods will create a bridge between non-formal education and video games utilizing learning through gaming. It will also help youth workers to connect with young people through an activity, which young people already do in their free time and like, as well as turn that into a planned learning. By using the compendium in their local activities, youth workers will be able to help young people develop basic skills and competences in accordance with the YouthPass competences.Raised awareness upon the learning potential of playing video games:Each stakeholder the partners will reach during and after the project, be that the members of the organisations, the reached young people, the trained youth workers or external stakeholders reached by the dissemination activities, will be aware of the positive effects and learning potential of playing video games. This means that stereotypes regarding videogames will be broken in these stakeholders. Additionally, the partners consider each youth workers who incorporates the video game method in its daily work with young people as a positive result of the project.The target group of the project is youth workers. Due to the project they will see the potential for learning in video games and broke stereotypes. They will gain new competences, knowledge about the gaming world, skills in forms of the methods and changed attitude toward video games. This will enable them to understand young people better, hence connect easier with them. It is expected that they will be able to reach hard to reach young people, which will increase the amount of young people they help.The indirect target group of the project is young people. They will take part in the project during the research and the testing phase, but when youth workers start to deliver the developed methods, will the project have the real impact on them. Young people will feel more connected to youth workers, therefore they will open up easier to them. It is foreseen that they will even turn to them if they have any issues in their lives, because they will know that the youth workers understand them. By learning from the video games, which they play anyway, they will gain new basic competences, which they can utilize in their studies or later on in their work.

"<< Objectives >>There were 5.2 million fewer persons employed in the second quarter of 2020 than at the end of 2019, a fall of 3.2%. However, the impacts of the pandemic are not distributed proportionately among the different segments in society. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) the pandemic is having a ""devastating and disproportionate"" impact on youth employment, while the most recent figures show that young people face major obstacles in continuing training and education, moving between jobs and entering the labour market. Therefore, the partners in this project have recognised the need to tackle youth unemployment in the context of a global crisis and to find smart and sustainable ways for activating young people and helping them create work opportunities. Encouraging entrepreneurship among young people can address this issue, as instead of relying solely on the government or on other providers for employment, individuals can create their own jobs based on their innovative ideas. However, the partners also find it crucial that an entrepreneurial mindset is paired with the values of sustainability and environmental awareness in order to meet the present-day demands of national and global markets. New ventures must be in line with current sustainable policies and strategies, such as the European Green Deal that sets the expectation that businesses will employ sustainable practices in order to produce climate neutral and circular products and services, while still taking into account the human dimension and paying attention to the regions, industries and workers that will be affected. To navigate these new conditions and to find aspiration to become green entrepreneurs, young people need support and guidance. Hence, this project aims to equip youth workers with tools and methods to help solidify the entrepreneurial spirit in young people as well as support them in reflecting on sustainable and circular business models.The objectives of the project are the following: - To provide youth workers with tools and methods to inspire and motivate young people towards becoming sustainable entrepreneurs;- To enhance the knowledge of youth workers regarding the current demands of the market and the new strategies for sustainable growth;- To introduce youth workers to new innovative approaches and methods in non-formal education;- To enhance international cooperation;The project entails an 8-day training course attended by 28 participants. The training course will take place in Slettestrand, Denmark between 4rd - 11th March 2022 (excluding travel days).The project aims to contribute to the Erasmus+ objectives by:-promoting mobility of youth workers who originate from diverse backgrounds and organisations and providing them with an opportunity for learning and cooperating thereby, fostering quality, creativity, and innovation -promoting non-formal education as a means for engaging and empowering young people and encouraging their active participation, which is also in line with the EU Youth Strategy (Engage, Connect, Empower) And contributes to the action’s specific objectives by: -supporting the professional development of youth workers from the partner organisations and thereby improving the quality of youth work at the local, regional, national, and European -providing youth workers with non-formal methods on promoting entrepreneurship and sustainable and circular business, thus contributing to the enrichment of their individual practice as well as to the evolution of the partner organisations -fostering the creation of strong relationships between youth workers and organisation from different countries that can collaborate on future initiatives and strengthen the quality of youth work on a local and international level<< Implementation >>The project consists of one activity – a training course, which will be organised by FORA Copenhagen in Slettestrand, Denmark. The TC will be attended by 29 participants from Denmark, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Lithuania, Croatia and Turkey. The programme of the training course will be comprised of a variety of non-formal methods and learning techniques such as group work, discussions, simulations, games, presentations, brainstorming, creativity exercises, ice breakers, energizers, etc. The TC will include newly developed methods focusing on sustainable development education and STREAM entrepreneurship. The partners will send three/four youth workers to the activity, depending on the size of their organisation and number of beneficiaries they reach. Fora Copenhagen will send two trainers and InterCollege will send an activity assistant, who will be in charge of the activity programme. The participants will consist of youth workers, who are actively involved in the sending organisations’ work, or are strongly motivated to start doing so. These youth workers are lacking best practices or would like to enrich their current practices in terms of entrepreneurship and sustainable development. The participants will bring with them knowledge, experiences, and tools they have gained through their previous work and put forth this to the other participants in order to produce together ideas and proposals for solidifying the entrepreneurial spirit of young people and encouraging their sustainable mindset.<< Results >>As a result of their participation in the project, participants will acquire skills, knowledge, and competences in four thematic fields:Entrepreneurship - The participating youth workers will acquire approaches for motivating and inspiring young people to become entrepreneurs, increase their skills in assessing and managing risks related to starting a business, and become familiar with creating a Business Plan. In addition, addition, participants will learn how to create an entrepreneur’s pitch and how to utilise online tools and platforms for promotion.STREAM - Participants learn how to integrate STREAM in their youth work activities and obtain different types of learning didactics and techniques that can be employed when introducing scientific knowledge and concepts. This will enable them to support young people in thinking critically, analysing, synthesizing, and solving problems, especially those present in their local communities.Sustainability - The youth workers will better understand the concepts of sustainable development, sustainable entrepreneurship, circular economy, and sustainable innovation. They will deepen their knowledge on the SDGs and gain non-formal methods on how to engage young people in reflecting on the importance of the SDGs. They will gain a better understanding on the European Green Deal and its implications for businesses and entrepreneurs. Soft Skills - Through the daily sessions, participants will strengthen their skills to provide effective support and guidance, improve their English language skills, teamwork skills and enhance their intercultural competences. Impact on Youth workersThe project intends to benefit youth workers by increasing their capacity to provide professional, experienced and efficient support and assistance to young people in their surroundings. At the same time, participating youth workers will familiarize themselves with current and innovative business concepts and models with a sustainable lens. This will allow for a boost in the confidence levels of youth workers as they will be able to enhance youth’s understanding of what it takes to start a business and encourage them to pursue their innovative entrepreneurial ideas. In addition, they will be able to support youth in identifying local issues and market gaps and address them with a sustainable mindset and with regard for the environment and society. Impact on organizationsThrough their newly empowered youth workers and new methods and strategies, the participating organisations will strengthen their capacity to promote entrepreneurship and sustainability. That will positively be translated into a greater trust into the organization, as they have experienced and professional youth workers who are able to provide reliable and skilful support. In addition, the partners will increase their network of competent partners on an international level and will start new partnerships and cooperation projects to address emerging issues in their communities. Local level On a local level, the partner organizations expect to produce a positive impact by strengthening the motivation and inspiration levels of their youth workers. This will be translated into an enriched local community that has competent and enthusiastic people who are actors of change: by putting their different entrepreneurial ideas into practice, local young people will contribute by providing new employment opportunities as well as resourceful innovations.Regional/National levelThe project is foreseen to have an impact on a regional and national level by strengthening the participants’ communities with a young generation that is enthusiastic, empowered and engaged. It is anticipated that these young people will create new sustainable businesses, that will contribute to the improvement of their lives but also will benefit their local communities. Furthermore, the partner organisations will disseminate the project results to their networks, especially to other youth organisations and local and national stakeholders. Thus, these local and national actors will be inspired to reflect on and develop fit-for-purpose plans that can evolve as the national and global economic environments change. European level The participating organizations anticipate that the project will have an impact on a European level by the realization and acknowledgment of the fundamental necessity of international cooperation and partnerships of young generations of entrepreneurs. In the long run, the project hopes to also stimulate the emergence of new small and medium-sized sustainable enterprises, which are considered the lifeblood of the European economy, and thus to promote the recovery of the European economy, while at the same time contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal for sustainable growth, more efficient use of resource, and improved opportunities and quality of life for citizens."

The need of developing the intercultural competences of individuals through adult education are twofold. Firstly, it is an essential element in safeguarding an inclusive, tolerant European society based on solidarity and cooperation. Secondly, it is a much needed component in ensuring the employability of people in an increasingly global environment.InterCollege (UK) meets this need by delivering Intercultural learning activities both by hosting and sending adult learners on mobilities and by conducting 'classroom' based intercultural learning programmes. It is a primary focus of InterCollege (UK) that the most effective non-formal learning methods are being used in these activities and that the pedagogical approach is appropriate to the learning objectives and the target group’s needs. As such, it is a prerequisite that InterCollege (UK) has in place an internationalisation strategy that directly contributes to the quality development of innovative adult learning activities based around an intercultural setting.InterCollege (UK) carried out this project in order to further develop its core activities through innovative and creative practices and to give experience and professional development to its team of volunteer staff with the aim of contributing to the overall aim of the organisation.The objectives of the project were to:- Foster the use of innovative methods for intercultural learning for adults- Create a learning culture that takes and shares knowledge from a grass roots level, and that promotes an interresponsibility for learning- Promote volunteerism and peer-to-peer learning in adult education- Promote the private sectors cooperation in adult education - Promote the recognition of the importance of continual learning and learning through mobility amongst the general public, public institutions, and the private sector- Promote the quality control of adult learning activities that ensure a suitable pedagogical approach and learning environment- Develop strong partnerships with organisations across Europe, in order to develop cross cultural learning activitiesActivity A1 consisted of a two month training assignment at Danish NGO 'Interstep' for one member of the applicant organisation. During the two month period, the participant was involved alongside the staff members of Interstep in all ongoing activities.Activity A2 involved 4 short term mobilities whereby the participants attended a 6 working day structured training course provided by Danish partner organisation InterCollege. Two courses were identified as being highly relevant to the development needs of the applicant.2 volunteer staff members partook in the training course Culture and Language Learning which was held in Denmark. The course consisted of a structured 6 working day programme of activities. The themes covered in the course included culture, identity, intercultural communication, intercultural learning, and critical incident as a learning tool.2 volunteer staff members partook in the training course 'Project Management in Practice' which was held in Denmark. The course consisted of a structured 6 working day programme of activities. The themes covered in the course included project management in general and from a donor perspective, The EU and Erasmus +, Project Design, Project Analysis and LFA Matrix.

<< Objectives >>Participation in the democratic process is of utmost importance for our society and the right to vote and to be elected are key elements of citizenship. Unfortunately, in recent decades, there has been a decline in levels of political engagement in most European Union countries. A report from International IDEA from December 2016 also shows that there has been a steady decline in European voter turnout since the end of the 1980s, which amounts to around 20 percent. It is a worldwide phenomenon, but the decline in Europe is greater than in other parts of the world. Youth are regarded as one of the most disengaged groups in politics, with the lowest levels of turnout compared to any other age group in elections. The 2017 Bulgarian Parliamentary Election is an exact example, with young people’s turnout being only 14.9% (Gallup International 2017). On the contrary, in the Scottish Independence Referendum in 2014 when 16 and 17-year-olds were given the right to vote, 89% of all citizens aged 16–17 in Scotland registered to vote, which indicates an exceptional case. Results from an EU funded MYPLACE survey in 14 European countries revealed that 42% of respondents aged 16–24 reported to have interest in politics (Tatalovic 2015). However, having interest in politics would not necessarily translates into votes.Even though youth political disengagement continues to be a major issue facing contemporary democracies, there are signs that youth participation is increasing. In the 2014 European Parliament elections, only 28% of voters aged 18-24 voted, compared to 51% of those aged over 55. In the 2019 European Parliament elections however, the jump in turnout was driven by young voters; the largest increases in participation came from the under 25 and 25-39 age groups. Nevertheless, despite recording the biggest uptick, young people still had the lowest turnout among all age groups in the 2019 EU elections.Low turnout at elections weakens legitimacy of the state actors and democracy and leaves younger citizens in a marginalised position, as the majority the Parliament (national or European) represents the older voters. Consequently, youth is not adequately represented in formal political institutions and processes such as Parliaments, political parties, elections, and public administrations at local, national, as well as European level.In order to strengthen democracy at national and European level, as well as to better represent the interest and needs of the young people and assure their well being, inclusion of youth in political and decision-making processes at all levels is required.The partners acknowledge the consequences of youth absenteeism in the democratic processes at national and European level and understand the need of young people to step up, show leadership, take responsibility and become involved in inclusive,democratic governance in order to secure social cohesion, equal chances and, ultimately, democracy and their well-being.According to the Eurobarometer (Sept. 2018) young people are also concerned about the following topics regarding elections: -The personal data people leave on the Internet is used to target the political messages they see, undermining free and fair competition between all political parties-The role of online social networks, Internet platforms in elections (silence periods just before the elections, ensuring equal campaigning time for the different candidates or strict rules on funding for the campaign)Consequently, through this project the partners aim to provide pathways of engagement for young people in democratic life (including political and decision-making processes at all levels) by strengthening citizenship education among young people in Europe.The partners have formulated the following objectives to be achieved throughout the project:- to deepen participants understanding upon democratic processes at national and EU level- to give the participants tools to promote democratic participation and responsibility among young people in their local communities- to give participants specific understandings upon EU citizenship and the rights that come with it- to strengthen the partners cooperation through the Erasmus+ programme, in particular in the field of democratic participation of youth.<< Implementation >>In order to achieve the aim and objective of the project, the partners have identified the need to train youth workers who are working closely with young people and equip them with tools on how to encourage young people to take part in the democratic life of their countries and Europe. Therefore, the project includes an 8 working day training course with participation of 27 youth workers from Denmark, Romania, Turkey, Italy, Croatia, Estonia and Spain and 2 trainers from Denmark. Each partner organisation was asked how many youth workers they wish to send based on their size, need of their organisation and number of beneficiaries they reach. Most of them will send 4 participants, while Romania needed 3 youth workers to be trained. The Danish organisations will delegate 2-2 youth workers to ensure the country balance. Additionally, will be 2 more trainers from Denmark. The participants will consist of youth workers, who are at least 18-year-old and actively involved in promoting active citizenship and participation amongst youth, or are strongly motivated to start doing so, but who are lacking methods and tools or would like to enrich their current practices. The participants will bring with them knowledge, experiences, and tools they have gained through their previous work and experiences and put forth this to the other participants in order to produce together ideas and proposals for promoting active citizenship and participation among youth. In order to ensure a gender balance, the partners will be strongly recommended to send an equal number of male and female participants. However, Fora considers primarily the participant’s profile.<< Results >>First and foremost, the expected result of the project is 27 youth workers from European 7 countries equipped with competences in promoting active citizenship among young people. Secondly, a PDF documents containing the used and newly developed methods, which can be used by other organisations. In the long run the expected result of the project is that young people more likely take part in decision making processes on the local, national and European levels. Expected impact of the project on participants:The youth workers will gain through this project a better understanding of the procedure of the democratic processes. By accumulating knowledge about their EU citizenships and their rights will enable them to become more aware about the changes they can generate in society. The tools they will be equipped with, will enable them to draw attention to other young people in their communities and inform them about the importance of being an active citizen in elections at national and European level.The project team expects from the youth workers to act as multiplier and influence as many young people as possible in local communities in order to spread a sense of European citizenship among young people. Multiplying that kind of youth work focusing on democratic participation of young people, will further contribute to increase the global participation rate to the next local, regional, national and European elections, or at least to minimize its decreasing tendency. In this way, the youth workers will become promoters of positive changes at local, national as well as European level.Young people will be the main beneficiaries of the activities that will be conducted by the participants in their communities. The knowledge and tools gained by the youth workers upon democratic participation will be further passed on to the young people inthe local communities.By being better informed, young people will build up a democratic spirit that will motivate them to become more active within their societies. Thus, they will be more interested in the elections that will take place at local/national/European level. Young people will value the attention that is given to them by the youth workers, and they will trust them into making their opinions matter.Furthermore, they will recognize the importance of their participation in elections at local, national and European level to influence a change in society. Besides of this, their interest and needs will be better heard and represented in democratic forums atlocal national and European level.