Description of the Project
Regarding an international study about Adult competencies managed by Androulla Vassiliou, European commissioner and General Secretary of OCDE, the results of a Survey conducted in 33 countries as part of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) showed that 1 of 5 adults in Europe has low competences in reading, writing and calculating.
Furthermore as stated in the Strategic Framework – Education and Training 2020, the main objectives for the upcoming years will be to promote equity, social cohesion, and active citizenship and to improve the quality and efficiency of education and training, especially in terms of basic competencies.
In regard of these findings our project aims to develop basic and civic competencies by an intergenerational exchange between adult trainer (expert on autobiographical method) and young women in NEET and/or with migration background. We consider that each group of women has certain competencies which can be shared with other women. On the one hand, young unemployed women are not fully aware of their fundamental rights and their non-formal competencies and there is oftentimes a lack of autonomy among these women. However these women have grown up with information technologies and therefore have an easy access and related skills to ICT services. On the other hand, our female trainers have not the necessary competencies with the everyday use of ICT but they can share their life experiences as active citizens and transfer some of their non-formal though effective pedagogic tools.
In order to close this gap, we want to cooperate on a European level with these trainers in adult education and their learners to exchange good practices from each other. This intergenerational learning setting will help young unemployed women to valorize their competences, develop basic skills and knowledge about active citizenship and rights with the support of adult women and the autobiographical methods that they will apply. In return the young women will help adult women to get better access to modern technologies.
Our main objectives will be:
– Valorise civic competences of young migrant women in a NEET situation
– Increase awareness of fundamental rights, social prevention means and active citizenship among young women
– Exchange of best practices between trainers in non-formal education for adults (autobiographical method, valorisation of basic competencies)
– Reduce the intergenerational gap in ICT competencies
– Increase awareness of the importance of digital inclusion
The objectives of our project are:
– gather data, references and information on policy and institutional environment, projects, programs and research on needs of the target group and previous activities and projects prepared in the field,
– identify needs and barriers to set up successful mentoring programs that will support and lead our target groups,
– focus on the need to provide training and support for the target group who are disadvantaged young and adult women,
– implement a friendly environment for women to become involved in educational activities and work life,
– create a holistic approach that consist of training, support through mentoring and networking,
– provide supportive network, give them means to reach out to others by social networking and a dedicated Facebook group,
– create steering groups to focus on the problems of the target groups and involve stakeholders in providing solutions.
Our primary target groups of this project are:
– European young and adult unemployed women (NEETs and migrants);
– European adult trainers in non-formal education;
– Women involved in local NGOs.
As seen in the above mentioned international studies, the problem of low basic and civic competencies among adults is not just a national but certainly European problem. For us it is an evidence to treat this problem therefore even so on a European level. The idea is to exchange the best practices in non-formal education and to use the best and improved methods on a national level in each involved partner country.
Project Summary
Rise and Rise Strong Female -development, inclusion and improvment the quality of life of women is a strategic partnership of 6 organizations all active in the field of non-formal learning, adult education and lifelong learning coming from UK, Italy, Turkey, Russian Federation, Cyprus and Romania.
The project aims to develop basic and civic competencies by an intergenerational exchange between female senior volunteer adult trainer and young women in NEET and/or with migration background. We consider that each group of women has certain competencies, which can be shared with other women. On the one hand, young unemployed women are not fully aware of their fundamental rights and their non-formal competencies and there is oftentimes a lack of autonomy among these women. However these women have grown up with information technologies and therefore have an easy access and related skills to ICT services. On the other hand, our female volunteer trainers have not the necessary competencies with the everyday use of ICT but they can share their life experiences as active citizens and transfer some of their non-formal pedagogic tools.
In order to close this gap, we want to cooperate on a European level with these trainers in adult education, senior volunteers and their learners to exchange good practices from each other. This intergenerational learning setting will help young unemployed women to valorize their competences, develop basic skills and knowledge about active citizenship and rights with the support of senior women and the autobiographical methods that they will apply. The young women will help senior women to get better access to modern technologies.
The idea for the project is based on the results of a successfully completed Grundtvig project. Within this project “Ambassadors of active citizenship”, the so-called “Giovanna’s” have been formed on the autobiographical method. These senior women, all actively engaged in civil society and local NGO’s have discovered and learned to use the different tools of the autobiographical method in order to help other women to valorize their informal competencies. After the end of this project all participants felt a strong need to continue using this method and even use it in a larger sense by working on a follow-up project now including young female women.
Our main objectives will be to:
– Valorize civic competences of young NEET and migration women
– Increase awareness of the fundamental rights, means of social prevention and active citizenship among young women
– Exchange of best practices between trainers in non-formal education for adults (autobiographical method, valorization of basic competencies)
– Reduce the intergenerational and gender gaps in ICT competencies
– Increase awareness of the importance of digital inclusion
Our target group of this project will be:
– European young unemployed adult women (NEETs and Migrants)
– European Adult Trainers in non-formal education; senior women involved in local NGO
The problem of low basic and civic competencies among adults is not just a national but certainly European problem. For us it is an evidence to treat this problem therefore even so on a European level. The idea is to exchange the best practices in non-formal education and to use the best and improved methods on a national level in each involved partner country.
Three transnational meetings between project coordinators and trainers of the different organizations will be organized during the 2 years project in order to identify and share good practices on intergenerational learning and non-formal methods, especially including ICT. After each meeting, training courses on a national level will be organized in order to stimulate the intergenerational learning between women and to test and develop the shared learning tools.
At the end of the project the 30 adult learners, trainers and volunteers will have the chance to meet and exchange during a training course. Working sessions about “Women in today’s European societies” will be organized which enable the women to exchange and debate about differences and similarities within their countries and to meet with local NGOs engaged in female rights.
The adult learner will improve their basic competences and develop a greater awareness of their skills and opportunities they have in society and that it is up to them to make a change. The project is about the valorization of each woman no matter of her age or social or cultural background. Trainers and volunteers will gain expert knowledge in non-formal learning and improved ability to apply these in their daily work through the exchange of best practices. With this strategic partnership, we want to enable non-formal trainers to work together, to exchange their learning approaches, enable women to meet and learn beyond national borders by working together on a European level.
Rise and Rise Strong Female -development, inclusion and improvement the quality of life of women 