Inclusion and Diversity:

• Project name – Interstice: Encounters between artists, children and educators (INTERSTICE. Encounters between artists, children and educators)

პროექტის იდენთიფიკატორი: 2020-1-ES01-KA203-082989 

Participating countries: Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Norway

Budget – €295.565,00 

Full information:

https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2020-1-ES01-KA203-082989 

Project overview and objectives

The INTERSTICE project was created to bring high-quality arts into schools with equal and inclusive access. Although at first glance art is accessible to everyone, many people find it difficult to get professional experience in this field. Studies have shown that children from middle- and high-income families have more access to this field of culture than children from low-income families. Given this challenge, it is important to make the arts more accessible in schools so that all children have the opportunity to develop creative and critical thinking skills. For this, art should be part of the initial training of teachers.

Objectives:

The goals of the project are:

• Bringing modern art into schools and training teachers in new approaches to art education.
• Developing cooperation between cultural and educational communities so that teachers and university students perceive art as an integral part of their future careers.
• Development and application of new methods of pedagogy in the modern cultural context.
• Strengthening intercultural awareness through mobility and cooperation between partner countries.

Activities carried out:

• Training and Equivalent Learning: All partner institutions have provided training in their own specializations, including visual and performing arts at various learning stages. Professional artists, academic staff of schools and universities participated in the trainings.
• Training in universities: University teachers and artists jointly held sessions to train students who would later become school teachers using peer-to-peer teaching methodologies.
• Creation of educational materials: The partners jointly developed educational materials that will contribute to the improvement of the university's initial education and continuing professional development of teachers.

Results as good practice:

Within the framework of the project, 6 intelligent products were created, which are available in digital format:

1. Methodological guide.
2. Equal teaching methodology.
3. Research on equal teaching methodology.
4. Open pedagogical materials.
5. Study course for students of partner universities.
6. Museum of Virtual Art.

Digital transformation:

• Project name: Managing Digital Transformation

პროექტის იდენთიფიკატორი: 2020-1-NL01-KA203-064643 

Project involved: Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Spain and Portugal. 

Budget: €444.441,00 

Full information: 

https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2020-1-NL01-KA203-064643 

Project overview and objectives

project Management of Digital Transformation (MDT) Created in response to the growing demand for skilled digital transformation professionals in Europe. Employees of many organizations have not developed the necessary digital skills and enough knowledge to keep up with the ever-changing trends in this field. Accordingly, the project aimed to provide students and professionals with a comprehensive digital transformation program that would offer practical strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities.

The MDT project focused on the need for professionals who:

• are involved in the creation and implementation of digital transformation strategies;
• possess both the technical and soft skills to lead organizations through these changes;
• Combine business experience, technical knowledge and leadership skills.
• Qualified in multiple disciplines and able to work at the intersection of these disciplines.
• Act as a "Digital Change Agent" to manage digital change.

Results of the project as a good practice:

Project outcomes included:

• Specialization programs (total 30 ECTS):
  • 7 different 5 ECTS specializations have been created, each including 3-4 MOOCs courses and 1 Capstone project combining interactive materials, professional videos, quizzes and assignments.
  • Development of a certification framework for three levels: EQF6 Master, EQF7 Leader, EQF8 Digital Change Agent.
• Additional results:
  • A digital academy was created to deliver content on the OpenEdX platform.
  • A quality assurance model based on the LEQUID framework was developed.
  • A business model was developed that ensures the sustainability of the project.
  • Two summer schools were held in Samos and Münster, with 59 participants.
  • Two multiplier events were carried out, in which more than 220 people, including 61 teachers of higher education, participated.
  • The project website was developed (https://mdt-ac.eu) and online learning platform (https://mdt-open.monitorboard.nl).

These results demonstrate an innovative and scalable approach to digital education and professional development in the field of digital transformation.

Protecting the environment and combating climate change:

• Project Name: Reduce Your Carbon Footprint - Help the Planet (ReduceYourCO2_HelpPlanet) (Sector - Youth)

პროექტის იდენტიფიკატორი: 2022-1-IS01-KA210-YOU-000082583

Countries involved: Slovakia

Budget: €60.000,00

Full information: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2022-1-IS01-KA210-YOU-000082583

Project overview and objectives

Carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activities. To avoid a 2°C increase in global temperature, the average global carbon footprint must be reduced to less than 2050 tons per person per year by 2 (www.nature.org). Obviously, reducing our carbon footprint from 16 to 2 tons won't happen overnight, but making small changes in our daily actions can make real gains.

For the ReduceYourCO2_HelpPlanet project, a board game and a mobile app were created that help us measure our daily CO2 footprint and suggest different ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Using the game and the app, we learn about the carbon footprint, interesting facts and personalized advice for alternative behavior.

Implementation:

The following activities will be carried out during the project:

1. Project management and communication 01/09/2022-01/03/2024
2. სასწავლო ვიზიტი ისლანდიაში 14/11/2022-18/11/2022 & 22/11/2023-26/11/2023
The study visits, organized and supervised by the lead organization, aimed to enhance knowledge and gain knowledge and support the acquisition of experience for themselves and SEQ representatives.
3. Creating a CO2 footprint measurement game 23/10/2022-30/11/2023
(Board game and mobile app).
4. Training for youth workers and leaders 12/11/2023-15/11/2023. 
15 youth workers from Slovakia, Iceland, Poland, Hungary and Italy participated in the training in Slovakia.
5. National game testing – Iceland 23/11/2023 – and Slovakia – 1/12/2024 and 20/12/2024.
Several testing events were conducted, involving more participants than planned.
6. Final online conference and offline workshop and hybrid session to share project results on 8/2/2024, 12/2/2024 and 26/2/2024

The online event was hosted by 13 education experts. An offline workshop was held in Brodno Elementary School (and Reykjavik) in Slovakia, where 15 teachers participated.

Participation in democratic life, shared values ​​and civics: engagement

• Project name: Subtopia, about Spaces for Change and Resilience (sector - youth)

პროექტის იდენთიფიკატორი: 2020-1-BE05-KA227-YOU-003133

Participating countries: 

Budget: 

Full information:

Full information: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2020-1-BE05-KA227-YOU-003133

Project overview and objectives

In 2015-2016, Vitamin C coordinated the strategic partnership project – CREATIVE SPACES. The main question of CREATIVE SPACES was: "What kind of space do young people need to be more creative, develop their talents and become stronger?" During the project and after its completion, it became clear that creative spaces not only shape young people as individuals, but also help them personally. To grow and strengthen, these spaces:

1) have a major impact on their surrounding neighborhoods, community and local environment. These spaces are built on ideas like free-thinking, activism, and resilience. People working in these spaces try to transform society into a better place (utopia). This is where the name of the project - "SUBTOPIA" comes from.

2) The involvement of young people in these activities is an integral part of the existence of these spaces. 

Why young people? Young people are especially affected by the changes. They are concerned about the current processes in the world and inspired by the actions of other young people, they want to become change makers themselves. For example, Greta Thunberg, she is an international icon of strength and resilience for young people. Young people in many European countries are dreaming, fighting and building a new and better society: they are the inhabitants of subtopia. They dream of a new Europe.

Why cultural and creative spaces? Such spaces are havens for free ideas, open-mindedness and resilience. Cultural and creative spaces have the power to change society. Culture is important for social cohesion and sustainability, economic development and sustainability, dialogue and understanding, (see https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/culture-matters-report-v2.pdf ) as the European Cultural Foundation states: "Culture promotes social justice, as well as economic and environmental change, by shifting people's thinking and short-term behavior toward more sustainable solutions." In this context, it is important to say that Subtopia is about "arts, culture and creativity for society" and what these spaces can mean, through arts, culture and creativity, as a free haven and an incubator for young people to create change. 

Why change and persistence? The main focus of Subtopia is change and resilience. When people dream and fight for a subtopia, they create an underground current that changes the neighborhood and society around them. 

Often such spaces are vulnerable. Organizations and young people who strive to create a better society are bullied or even threatened by certain groups. These young people are marginalized or hidden behind the social and cultural arena. But they still continue to resist and fight.

It was Subtopia Aurora's visit to Budapest, Hungary that inspired the project SUBTOPIA. Aurora has faced many challenges (many attacks from the ruling municipality, far-right groups and state propaganda). 

Aurora as a space is an amazing example of change and resilience. International exchange of experiences is often crucial for solidarity and survival. 

In 2020, the COVID-19 crisis made all the needs and challenges these spaces faced even more urgent. The COVID-19 crisis was an extreme situation that hit the cultural and creative sectors and everyone involved in these processes particularly hard. 

goals

How cultural and creative spaces in Europe are becoming transformative for society and havens for resilience. 

Subtopia's goal was to empower both the staff of these spaces and the youth to be change makers.

Subtopia has helped young people and professionals acquire skills and competencies that support the potential of young people and promote their ability to make the environment around them more sustainable. The goal of the project was also to create new possibilities and perspectives for positive changes.

The project was implemented with several partners across Europe to highlight the importance of many cultural and creative spaces across Europe. because 

1) The work they do is crucial to changing society for the better,

2) Such spaces are crucial for youth development. Art, culture and creativity create a unique opportunity for this.

Implementation: 

The main activities that were carried out during the project: 

- Meeting of 4 transnational partners with 9 partners;

- Meeting of several local youth laboratories, organized by 5 partners.

– 1 participatory summary conference where both groups were united: 10 employees and 10 young people

– 3 additional special activities to disseminate the results of the project

– Online communication through social media

results

The results from the project were multifaceted.

First, subtopia has identified pathways that contribute to societal transformation and sustainability. The project aimed to explore how these spaces support young people and help them make social change and maintain resilience. 

In addition, a set of recommendations was created during the project, incorporating the messages and reflections of project participants on topics such as cultural and creative spaces as places of change and havens of resilience.