Τhe project provides sustainable, low cost, community based and community generated informal learning opportunities to promote the inclusion of migrants and refugees using mobile technology. Specifically, we have created a game for mobile devices that provides fun, informal learning opportunities for migrants and refugees located and grounded in the communities they live in. Together with this App, our aim was to create tools to help using the game in a sustainable and easy way. These are the main products that can be found on our web-page. For the realization of the whole design, we fulfilled our main objective of working with community groups, societies and businesses, along with migrants and refugees. In this way, we have created content that responds to the realities of the society, for the benefit of residents, both locals and migrants, and visitors. Our OERTOWN Mobile app enables towns, villages and communities to create learning challenges based on their cultural, physical and natural environment so that the whole town becomes an open learning resource. Participants in the game scan the QR codes that create the route. Through them, they access the challenges and complete the paths, getting to know different locations in the city while acquiring knowledge of the place and people living there. We create a database with more than 900 challenges that can be used without any changes or be adapted to the reality of the place, but you can also create original challenges in a very easy way. These challenges have been designed at least for eight different locations with very diverse realities, so it is easy to find challenges that suit the new realities of the potential users. The project has operated in five different communities, with a broad linguistic and geographical coverage. The main project outcomes are available in English, but the Mobile App and challenges can be found in seven different languages: German, Spanish, French, Italian, Greek, Basque and Occitan. The main outcomes of the project are: - A Generic framework (basic concept) on transforming a community into an open learning resource using gamification approach - The OER Town Mobile application - A Toolkit for trainers/facilitators. - A database with more than 900 open learning challenges - Roll Out Handbook for other communities wanting to replicate the project
According to studies by Red Cross and UN, vast majority of migrants and refugees are using smartphones during migration journeys but also after migration in order to adapt to new communities, new workplaces and new cultures, while maintaining links to their families and societies back home. This background and context provide the basis for objectives for the objectives of the project: - To produce a generic framework on how a local community could be transformed in an open educational resource for migrants and refugees - To develop, test and distribute a mobile application for presenting and evaluating learning challenges to the users by scanning QR codes - To produce a database with 600 open learning challenges in different languages (English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and Greek. - To develop and test a web-based application for adding and editing challenges in the above database - To provide all the theoretical and practical information needed by trainer/facilitators in order to enhance their teaching by developing open learning challenges for migrants and refugees in a form of an interactive toolkit - To provide a guide for other communities and towns wanting to replicate the project
Migrants and refugees face different sets of obstacles to integration: language barriers in accessing public services; lack of information; discrimination and prejudice from nativeborn communities complicating their access to jobs and social inclusion. Cities respond to challenges faced by migrants as well as other groups through integrated inclusive urban strategies, when possible soliciting active engagement from all communities. There is no doubt about the importance of early integration. Therefore, we proposed a model in line with European policies that support ICT to facilitate the management of the inclusion processes. This project proposed the non-formal learning provision by using mobile apps and using the cultural, physical and natural environment of a town as an open educational resource for migrants and refugees. The learning is based on completing learning challenges that develop core skills (languages, culture, history, civic and digital skills) but will also create an awareness of life in their local community, its heritage and its culture and actively engage migrants and refugees more closely in that community thus developing active citizenship and a sense of identity.