The rationale of the project: After the global financial crisis burst out, numerous international and national studies proved that in the affected societies the financial literacy is poorly developed, which is caused by lack of basic financial knowledge and ignorance. Fighting rising levels of unemployment -particularly among young people -has become one of the most urgent-tasks for European governments. Too many young people leave school prematurely and run a high risk of being unemployed. Strong and well-performing education, financial training and youth systems can help deal with these challenges by providing citizens with the skills required by the labour market and a competitive economy. Another challenge relates to the development of social capital among young people, the empowerment of young people and their ability to participate actively in society. This issue can also be targeted through non-formal learning activities, which aim at enhancing the skills and competences of young people as well as their active citizenship. Goals and objectives: In accordance with the Erasmus+ Programme objectives, our international strategic partnership is aimed to develop, transfer and implement innovative practices at organisational, local, regional and European levels in order to increase the quality of education. The goal of the strategic partnership is to develop, adapt and translate the Foundation’s financial, economic and management skills curriculum. The curriculum needs to be adapted to Slovak and Romanian educational and financial environment; furthermore it will be enriched with two new modules about the EU finance system. The teaching material has to be translated to Slovak and Romanian and tested in all 3 countries. As a result we will have a world-class pedagogical tool and an innovative, tested teaching method, which links the formal and non-formal learning throughout the education and training fields. Aims of the project: - to foster the provision and the assessment of key-competences, including basic skills and transversal skills particularly entrepreneurship skills; - to enhance the quality and relevance of the learning offer in education by developing new and innovative approaches and supporting the dissemination of best practices; - to increase labour market relevance of learning provision and reinforcing links between education and training fields with the world of work; - to enhance the professional development of those working in the education field by innovation and increasing the quality and range of training, including new pedagogies; - to foster equity and inclusion in education and training, to enable quality learning for all as well as to prevent drop-out and promote participation of disadvantaged groups in society. Relevant priorities addressed by the project: - Improving the attainment of young people, particularly those at risk of early school leaving - Improving the attainment of young people with low basic skills Participants: The OTP Fáy András Foundation is the project coordiantor organisation. The following primary and secondary schools are the partner organisations: - Základná škola s vyučovacím jazykom maďarským-Alapiskola; Buzita, Slovakia - Základná škola s materskou školou; Almágy, Slovakia - Liceul Teoretic „Székely Mikó; Sepsiszentgyörgy, Romania - Colegiul Csiky Gergely; Arad, Romania Target group: Hungarian, Slovak and Romanian - Primary and secondary school students - Educational institutions, teachers and other professionals involved in education - parents, relatives - children/youth facing difficulties - professional organizations in the field of education, decision makers Activities: - project management - creation of intellectual outputs (development of new training modules, adaption and translation, training, primary research) - transnational project meetings - multiplier events Results and impacts: - improved levels of skills for employability and new business creation; - more active participation in society and increased sense of initiative; - more positive attitude towards the European project and the EU values; - education and training systems are better aligned to the needs of and opportunities offered by the labour market, and closer links to business and the community; - greater understanding of interconnections between formal and non-formal education and labour market respectively; - increased opportunities for professional development, motivation and satisfaction in their daily work (teachers, professionals); - improved provision and assessment of basic and transversal skills and key-competences, particularly entrepreneurship skills. Indicators: - 4 new training modules - 24 db adapted training modules - 2700 persons trained during 3 years - primary research results: 1 db questionnaire and 1 in-depth interview and 3 research studies - 3 multiplier events in 3 countries, with 100 participants each time - 4 transnational project meetings
Numerous studies have proved that in all societies financial literacy is poorly developed, which can be traced back to ignorance and lack of basic financial knowledge. The development of financial literacy is a common goal for all economic actors. This is why the appearance of financial knowledge in public education gains particular importance within the EU. The greatest opportunity lies in the trainings of young people, as they are open to learn new skills, and wish to actively participate in shaping their future, thus are willing to acquire basic financial, management and economic knowledges. This is why our realised project was essential. Within the framework of the international strategic partnership, the development of new, innovative practices and methods, and their implementation and transfer was achieved, in order to increase the quality of education. The goal of the strategic partnership was to further develop the educational-training curriculum of conscious financial, economic and management skills, developed by the OTP Fáy András Foundation. Furthermore, it wished to make this curriculum available abroad as well, by: expanding EU knowledges; developing new curriculums adjusted to the two partner countries; transferring said knowledges to students from primary and secondary schools, aged between 10-18, in Hungary, Romania and Slovakia; and by transferring the methodology to the teachers of the partner schools. Achieving such formulation of societal awareness was done by providing world class tools, content, and pedagogical and androgological methods. Project features: - introducing European way of thinking, bearing in mind national characteristics and social differences - forming a cross-country cooperative approach through education - reducing economic migration and encouragement of local vision - collecting experiences – awareness by considering national characteristics - knowledge transfer – forming future vision The project coordinator was the 25 year old OTP Fáy András Foundation, whose financial, economical and management curriculum were based on the actual needs of students, and which are available in the OK Educational Centres, where the trainings are held based on the Foundation's own inspirational pedagogical methodology. So far more than 100,000 students have participated in the training sessions, which main aims are to improve their social awareness. Partners include Slovakian and Romanian Hungarian speaking primary and secondary school: - ‘Základná škola s vyučovacím jazykom maďarským-Alapiskola’; Buzita, Slovakia - ‘Základná škola s materskou školou’; Almágy, Slovakia - ‘Székely Mikó Kollégium’; Sepsiszentgyörgy, Romania - ‘Csiky Gergely Főgimnázium’; Arad, Romania Project activities and results: 1. Project management activities during the implementation; 2. Production of intellectual outputs: 4 new training modules, each 4 hours long, expanding and processing EU knowledges in Hungarian: -The past, present and future of a family in the EU – basic EU knowledges for primary school students -Livelihood, living costs and everyday life in the EU without borders – EU economic skills for primary school students -What does the EU mean? - EU integration history, member countries, decision-making and future - EU basics for secondary school students -Higher education, entrepreneurship and living in the EU - EU economic skills for secondary school students E-learning curriculum was prepared in Hungarian, Slovakian and Romanian related to the new modules. The 4 new and the Foundation's existing 8 financial, economic and management training materials (5-12. grades) have been adapted (with the help of the teachers of the partner schools) to both Romanian and Slovakian economic and educational environment, and the Romanian and Slovakian versions of the 12-12 adapted modules have been completed. 3. 5158 Hungarian and Hungarian speaking Romanian and Slovakian primary and secondary school students have been educated, during the 3 year period of the project, in interactive financial, economic and management trainings. Furthermore, 100 teachers from the partner schools have received methodological trainings 4. Following primary research, 3 studies have been made. 5. The participants of the project met 4 times during international project meetings. 6. 3 multiplier events were organized. Impacts: - exemplary European educational model have been created - the project has contributed to the reduction of economic migration through the transfer of management and entrepreneurship skills. Improved quality of education through attitude formation, skill development, knowledge expansion - the key competences of 10-18 year olds have developed, their community awareness have improved - future generation’s perception was realised from self-sufficient individual to the responsible entrepreneur - the project’s educational material can be integrated into national education systems - equal opportunity to access