EU is involved in a great effort to create the conditions for a more competitive economy with higher employment rate, and a clear demonstration is the financing of the various policy initiatives which aim to promote sustainable and high-quality employment, ensure adequate and decent social protection and combat social exclusion and poverty, improve working conditions (EaSI). Among these initiatives, the cultural sector (CH) is proving of strategic importance because over 300.000 people are employed in the CH sector. It is estimated that about 90% of jobs will require some kind of digital skills in the future (EU2020) making it necessary for education and training institutions to offer training which supports the development of such skills. ECHE project fosters the provision and assessment of entrepreneurial skills for Cultural Heritage Entrepreneurship (CHE) and digital competences by supporting personalised learning approaches, collaborative learning and strategic use of ICT. The aim of ECHE project is to develop solutions (IO2) game that combines transfer of knowledge, skills aquisition with entertainment) that foster CHE skills for youth through direct collaboration and co-production with the target group representatives youth workers and unemployed youth. The GAME will be available in the internet for long lasting use. The produced solutions will be disseminated through (IO1ECHE mobile app) for those working in the field of youth, in order to internationalize and digitalize their curricula for youth work. The mob app is designed to bring our innovative elements to a large number of people, as mobile app is easy to use. The mob app will aslo be a “road map” for live events like the meetings and infodays, information on upcoming trainings or workshops in the area. The MOBILE APP will be available for long lasting use even after the end of the project. The policy-makers will be addressed through a Policy paper (IO3), prepared by the University of TARTU. It will emphasize different ways in which youth can be involved in the CHE activities in the coming years, as cultural heritage entrepreneurship is gaining strength. We aim to reach through direct face-to-face collaboration / game / mob app / policy paper and mobile app testing at least 100 youth per country, at least 5 policy-makers per country and at least 3 NGOs per country. Disseminated solutions will be further used by partners to multiplying the audience effect. The urgent need for our project resulted from two main weaknesses indentified in SWOT analysis conducted in each partner organisations that lead to create the present project: - youth luck of entrepreneurship skills and - the low degree of internationalization of the youth center curricula, special with digital skills. The central focus is to raise awareness that we are the creators of the future world by tackling topics like CHE, technology and people, self employment in 2036. OBJECTIVES: - to develop CH entrepreneurial, digital, transversal and soft skills which will be tested on at least 200 unemployed youth (50/participating country) and 28 trainers by 2020 - to foster forward and conceptual thinking among youth and reach out to the larger possible audiences in local communities - to internationalise and broaden the NGOs working with youth curriculum in participating EU countries - enable access to international professional markets and strengthen international business cooperation in CHE sector - create synergy between youth organizations, local authorities, companies, employment centers, policy makers, professionals and researchers - provide youth with tools they need to anticipate entry into the CH labor market and overcome the state of unemployment Internationalising the NGOs curriculum implies providing young people with EU and global perspectives of their discipline and giving them a broader knowledge base for their development. The project will develop youth’ s CHE skills, digital competences preparing them to be global citizens of a rapidly changing, complex global world and workforce. TARGET GROUP involved in the project is formed by youth for: - youth workers, trainers and educators - youth within the bracket of 20-30 years old, unemployed from local and rural areas - NGOs working with youth - immigrant and refugee youth
ECHE project fostered the provision and assessment of entrepreneurial skills for Cultural Heritage Entrepreneurship (CHE) and digital competences by supporting personalised learning approaches, collaborative learning and strategic use of ICT. Through the involvement of various communication channels, the project has achieved set priorities and had expanded its outreach beyond the project duration, with stakeholders and project participants interested in the using the project results. Each partner has reached at least 1000 participants through dissemination activities, social media and workshops. Participants involved in the ECHE project have expressed over 90% satisfaction resulting from their involvement in the project. Partners have reached youth, trainers and educators at different levels, and where great support have been local universities and youth centers along with representatives of public authorities. Partners have promoted, raised awareness and disseminated information on the importance of developing CHE competences for a better future. Involved youth had the possibility to increase their competence and received support for improving their situation on the labour market with the use of digital tools; this was also enabled through the close cooperation between public authorities, partners and the unemployed/youth. Trainers have increased their competences in delivering training to the youth with the use of new methodology; as well as extended their expertise on sectorial consultancy regarding effective intercultural education schemes supporting the professional activities of trainers with trainees. Moreover, the educators have increased their general knowledge on blended learning, as well as the practices, policies and education system of European countries. The policy-makers were addressed through the Policy paper (IO3), prepared by the University of TARTU emphasising the different ways in which youth can be involved in the CHE activities in the coming years. More than 300 youth have been reached in partner countries, through direct face-to-face, online workshop collaboration and the testing of the game and the mobile app. Further to the spreading of the Policy Paper by Tartu Uni, partners contacted local policy-makers and NGOs in their territory. Disseminated solutions were further used by partners to multiplying the audience effect. Partners have been involved in a variety of activities for the creation of conditions to promote social entrepreneurship education for youth. Developed have been results that focused on transversal but personalised approaches for the benefit of youth development. The approaches that were finally delivered have taken into consideration the peculiarities and differences in countries, to in the end have results for the benefit of a wider audience and not only for CHE. However, it is through CHE that the young participants have developed creativity, design thinking, leadership, social and digital skills to improve their situation on the labour market. Project results, to be used either in digital (game, app) or non-digital form (policy papers, guidelines) are relevant for developing competences in ECHE target groups. Partners have involved youth and youth workers into all stages of the project. Most of the young participants had limited opportunities – they were either unemployed (including refugees, asylum seekers and NEETs), living in remote areas or having economic obstacles. The participants were involved in development of project’s products, especially the game. They tested the APP and the game and provided feedback. They also participated in trainings (50 young people in 3 workshops in each partner country). In addition, two youth workers took part of LTTA in Tartu. Participants: had the opportunity of exchanging experience, increasing knowledge on CHE, receiving new tools, methods and resources for upskilling, but also enhancing digital competences, as well as raising awareness on cultural diversity, especially for tourism and creative industries contexts. Participating organisations: have exchanged valuable knowledge with the Consortium members, increased their expertise in relevance to CHE, but also developed the competences of staff for implementation of international projects and extended their capacities for delivering training for the purpose of distance learning, while increasing motivation in the youth. Other relevant stakeholders: have received new tools related to CHE, increased their intercultural awareness, as well as understanding of international educational, social and cultural systems, policies and practices, as well as reinforced interaction between practice and policy.