SILVIA - “Supporting intergenerational learning and volunteering as a mean for inclusion through autobiographical learning” is a strategic partnership of 6 organizations all active in the field of non-formal learning, adult education and lifelong learning coming from Sweden, France, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and Croatia. 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 SILVIA is based on the results of a successfully completed Grundtvig project coordinated by the French organization TERA-MDE16. 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 year 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.
The background and context of the project is based on 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. On the one hand, young unemployed women are not fully aware of their fundamental rights and their non-formal competencies and there is often times 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. Therefore our main objectives were: - 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 There were 6 participating organisations. The coordinating organisation was IFALL from Sweden which is an NGO working with social inclusion. IFALL works with integration in different levels. Our target group is young and adult with fewer opportunities such as refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, elderly people and refugee women. TERA is an active organisation within the programme Erasmus+ is working in order to raise awareness on EU citizenship, especially among young people between 15 and 30 years old and supporting all kind of organisation, federation, educative structure in setting up international projects. TERA has a proud feminist value at its core with members who are experts in women's rights and equality of all genders. CIAPE carries out training activities to develop and validate soft skills, as well as competences required in the future labour market.CIAPE offered train-the-trainer courses about Autobiographical methodologies in education and training within this project to help learners to transform their own experiences into learning opportunities, to see recognised their informal learning outcomes and to deepen their own passion towards specific fields of study. CAMARA MUNICIPAL DE LISBOA Lisbon City Council is a local authority. The development and training department, specifically aims to promote personal and professional development of human resources of the Municipality of Lisbon and citizens through access to relevant training for their roles and to the success of the organisation , aiming at improving the service provided. FAAL is an NGO in Turkey. The main purpose of the organization is to empower people who can take active role in the society. Active citizenship, social inclusion, integration of disadvantage groups are main activities. DESA is an NGO in Croatia DEŠA today is directed towards planning of educational programs and has become recognized as an educational center of great importance for the people of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. All educational activities are based on the restoration and protection of cultural and natural heritage of our region. Main Activities; 3 Transnational Meetings - each with a public event and promotion of Erasmus Plus. Local Autobiographical Method Trainings; - 6 River of Life workshop - 6 Time Bars Digital Courses - 6 Prezi Presentation creation informed by the Timebar research and the meetings with Local NGO's. to discuss fundamental rights. - 18 blogs written about feminism, autobiographical learning, intergenerational learning. 1 Training Course - 24 people in blended mobility. - 1 Manifesto 6 Dissemination Events- displaying the collage created in the Training. Impact on the learners: Able to identify and compare European and national values and improve their motivations for learning different language and improve their learning skills. Impact on the staff: Made learning more attractive and help adult learners to achieve success in their future life. Develop different teaching methods and teaching materials. Developed themselves by contact with teachers/trainers from other European countries. Improved the teaching competences regarding to the usage of new technologies Impact on the institutions: Increased quality and efficiency of the educational process and the example of good practice on teaching approaches and techniques will be shared. Widened the target group.