OVERVIEW, BACKGROUND AND NEEDS To achieve Europe 2020 strategy's objectives of smart and inclusive growth and contribute to fight the high youth unemployment and social exclusion, the need to equip the future workforce with skills increasing their employability and equip students to participate constructively in social and working life in increasingly diverse societies, is clear. Partners’ experience has shown that learners need real-life examples from their own communities to commit and be sustainably engaged. It has also shown that these social, civic and employability skills are most effectively acquired through work-based learning experiences. A Pro Bono Programme consists in the realisation of a professional consultancy in a key area of the organisation of one NGO run by a team of volunteers, which can be the employees of a company, free of costs. The company does it for the common good. In the University framework, this pro bono programme is performed by students under the guidance of a team of professional workers from a company. The BEESE Pro Bono Project Project will respond to this need by offering unique Pro Bono Programmes that unite students with businesses and community-based NGOs and recognise the voluntary work-based learning academically through ECTS credits. All the Project has been ideated to build a common methodology to facilitate the correct implementation of Pro Bono Programmes in Universities. ALLIANCE AND OBJECTIVES This Project is a European Strategic Partnership between NGOs working in the field of promoting pro bono practices and professional volunteering (pro bono intermediaries) and Higher Education organisations and Institutions (5 countries, 9 partners). This Project aims to announce, promote and consolidate pro bono practices among students in European Universities and to strengthen links between Higher Education (HE) Institutions, NGOs and enterprises. Therefore, the Project will reach two objectives. - Firstly, it increases HE students’ employability by contributing to the achievement of relevant and practical knowledge and skills. - Secondly, it improves students’ awareness of social causes by enabling them to work together with NGOs and companies on civil society issues. ACTIVITIES The Project includes: - A deep research on students motivations in order to implement successful Pro Bono Programmes in European HE Institutions. - Execution and evaluation of different kinds of Pro Bono Pilot Programmes in each country which focus on different professional areas of students. Following the Lean Start Up Model Methodology, each Pilot will be executed, iterated and improved in each country in order to create one unique Methodology for European Universities. - Publication of a Guide Book and an Online Course on how-to implement Pro Bono Programmes in European universities. - One International Training Activity. - 5 Multiplier Events. PARTICIPANTS (3.000 people are expected to be reached during the Project) - Students of the last university courses: - NGOs who will benefit from the pro bono consultancies carried out during the Pilots - Companies who will guide students during the Pilots - University teachers who will also guide students during the Pilots - Admin staff of the Partners organisations during the Training Activity - Other stakeholders that will participate in the dissemination activities, including Multiplier Events: companies, NGOs, students associations, Junior Enterprises, university teachers, university staff and other university stakeholders (public administration staff and politicians) and general public. IMPACT and LT BENEFITS - Regarding UNIVERSITIES in Europe, we aim to reach a large number of European Universities. In a 10-15 years framework we believe a 30-40% of these institutions will have develop any kind of Pro Bono Programme based on the results of this Project. - Regarding university STUDENTS, this Project will improve their employability, by acquiring new skilss, working together with professionals and facing real problems. On the other hand, it will empower their social engagement. - Regarding COMPANIES, this Project will allow them to work in their "employer branding": becoming companies more attractive for students and attracting new talent. - Regarding the NGOs, this Project will allow to obtain professional consultancies for free, which will allow them increase their impact. Also, this Project will serve to attract new talent to the 3rd sector. - Creation of new links and narrow existing ones between the companies), HE Institutions and the 3rd sector. SUSTAINABILITY Creation of the LOCAL INFORMATION DESK NETWORK of the BEESE Pro Bono Project Network: it will be formed by each member of this Consortium and will guarantee the exploitation of its results in order to ensure the implementation of Pro Bono Programmes in European Universities once this Project is finished.
CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND Our starting point was the Europe 2020 strategy's objectives of smart and inclusive growth and contribution to fight the high youth unemployment and social exclusion. For that purpose it is necessary to equip the future workforce with skills that will enable them to find their firsts job experiences. In the moment of the creation of the Consortium, partners’ experience had shown that learners need real-life examples from their own communities to commit and be sustainably engaged. These social, civic and employability skills are most effectively acquired through work-based learning experiences, as a pro bono project. Such Project consists in the realisation of a professional free of cost consultancy in a key area of the organisation of one NPO run by a team of skills-based volunteers. In the University framework, this pro bono project is performed by students under the guidance of a team of professional volunteers that work as mentors. Thus, the BEESE Pro Bono Project had responded to this need by offering unique Pro Bono Projects that unite students with businesses and community-based NPOs and recognise the voluntary work-based learning academically through their teachers. All the Project was ideated to build a common methodology to facilitate the correct implementation of Pro Bono Projects in Universities. ALLIANCE & OBJECTIVES This Project was a European Strategic Partnership between NPOs working in the field of promoting pro bono practices and professional volunteering (pro bono intermediaries) and Higher Education (HE) organisations and Institutions (5 countries, 9 partners). This Project aimed to announce, promote and consolidate pro bono practices among students in European Universities and to strengthen links between Higher Education Institutions, NGOs and enterprises. Therefore, the Project reached two objectives: 1.It increased HE students’ employability by contributing to the achievement of relevant and practical knowledge and skills. 2.It improved students’ awareness of social causes by enabling them to work together with NPOs and companies on civil society issues. ACTIVITIES INCLUDED - A research on students' motivations in order to implement successful Pro Bono Projects in European HE Institutions, coordinated by the UAM with a pool of more than 1,700 students from the 5 European countries of this Consortium. - Execution and evaluation of different kinds of Pro Bono Pilot Projects in each country. Following the Lean Startup Model Methodology, each Pilot was executed, iterated and improved in each country in order to create one unique Methodology for European Universities (3 times at the 5 countries). - Publication on the BEESE website of a Guidebook and an Online Course on how-to implement Pro Bono Projects in European universities. - One International Training Activity (Paris, September 2021). - More than 5 Multiplier Events. PARTICIPANTS We reached more than 3.000 people during the Project as mentioned in the application: 1.Students of the last university courses and master degrees; 2.NPOs beneficiaries from the pro bono consultancies carried out during the Pilots; 3.Companies who connected with their employees as mentors during the Pilots; 4.University teachers who guided students or connected them during the Pilots; 5.Admin staff of the Partners organisations during the Training Activity; 6.Other stakeholders that participated in the dissemination activities: students associations, university teachers, university staff and general public. IMPACT and LT BENEFITS - Regarding UNIVERSITIES in Europe, we aim to reach a large number of European Universities. In a 10-15 years framework we believe 30-40% of these institutions will have developed any kind of Pro Bono Project based on the results of this Project. - Regarding university STUDENTS, this Project will improve their employability, by acquiring new skills, working together with professionals and facing real problems. On the other hand, it will empower their social engagement. Benefits that we have already seen during the Pilots. - Regarding COMPANIES, this Project will allow them to work in their "employer branding": becoming companies more attractive for students and attracting new talent. - Regarding the NPOs, this Project will allow them to obtain professional consultancies for free, which will allow them to increase their impact. Also, this Project will serve to attract new talent to the 3rd sector. - Creation of new links and narrow existing ones between the companies, HE Institutions and the 3rd sector. SUSTAINABILITY During the latest months of the Project, we have created the LOCAL INFORMATION DESK NETWORK of the BEESE Pro Bono Project Network formed by each member of this Consortium. Each member has created an email only for this purpose. It will guarantee the exploitation of the Project results in order to ensure the implementation of Pro Bono Projects in European Universities in the future.