Twenty-first century citizens live in an interconnected, diverse and rapidly changing world. Emerging economic, digital, cultural, demographic, environmental forces and global diseases (like COVID-19) are shaping everyone’s lives around the planet, and increasing intercultural encounters on a daily basis. To cope with this complex environment, it is urgent to foster global competence and equip all, not only the adults of tomorrow, but also the adults of today, with the necessary know-how and tools to use global competence. According to the OECD PISA global competence framework, global competence is a multidimensional capacity. Globally competent individuals can: - live harmoniously in multicultural communities - thrive in a changing labour market - use media platforms effectively and responsibly - support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - pursuit lifelong learning and stay curious, open, and get active With a focus on foster global competence, BOOST has had a strategic interest in targeting women, current facing vulnerability due to their migrant background and cultural differences, but also targets those professionals that are working in the field, such as trainers, career counsellors, social workers, intercultural mediators. Both targets-groups have been engaged in MOOC sessions for building global competence. BOOST has also equipped the professionals with bespoke coaching tools to better support these women in advancing their social inclusion and career path, by using global competence to cope with challenges they face every day. As recommended by Gabriela Ramos, OECD Chief of Staff and Sherpa to the G20, “together, we can foster global competence for more inclusive societies", BOOST has promoted a network of organisations from Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Greece, Poland, Ireland and Turkey, to build innovation at a more global level, benefit from exchange practices and ensure a broaden transferability and sustainability of the project. To achieve its objectives, BOOST has developed: - A multilingual MOOC offering a flexible microlearning path on global competence for both target groups, women and professionals - A bespoke programme to equip professionals in providing coaching support to vulnerable women in advancing their social inclusion and career path, by using global competence to cope with challenges they face every day. The programme includes a coaching scheme, a step-by-step guidance and recommendations, and a toolkit to support the coaching cycles. This coaching programme can be used across countries, regardless of age, background, ethnicity BOOST has generated a circular benefit effect and impact by involving directly the final beneficiaries (vulnerable women and professionals) and key-stakeholders in project activities: -over 80 vulnerable women; - over 40 professionals; - over 26 associated partners from all participating countries, including both public and private, policy-makers, training and education providers, NGOs, networks; - over 800 stakeholders (educational and training providers, women associations, NGOs, social organisations/ charities, employment services, experts, networks, professional associations, skills agencies/ certification bodies, local/ regional/ national bodies/ agencies/ authorities, media partners). In addition to these achieved impacts impacts for each one of these target groups, a cross impact for all of them, and also at local, regional, national, EU and International levels of the NOW project has been to gain understand on national and transnational strategic objectives and goals that underpin the Sustainable Development Goals, the Global Competence framework, and the EU Commission objectives related to migrant women integration, education and empowerment.
• To contribute to advancing social inclusion of vulnerable women by boosting their global competence and strengthen the skills, knowledge and attitudes of the professionals that are working in the field, such as trainers, career counsellors, social workers, intercultural mediators by providing them with tools and methodologies to improve their training practices. With appropriate knowledge, skills and competences, women can make use of the global competences for improved labour conditions, increase their engagement in social activities and improve their quality of life. • To increase the train-the-trainers’ opportunities: higher skills, attitude and knowledge applied to global competence-based training and education initiatives – in reference to both project’ staff and target groups (professionals) • Enlarged network of professionals to which collaborate with more in the future • To address through innovative methods, resources and methodologies well-known needs recorded at local and national level – with reference to the partners’ countries ecosystems (i.e., lack of multicultural sensitivity) • Widen and diversified set of services – and related resources – deployable by partners’ staff to tackle similar needs hold and manifested by similar target groups • To support the mainstreaming at local / national / european level of the Global Competence framework as a sustainable model for peoples’ empowerment, training & education, and ultimately, employability and socio-economic emancipation • Valorisation of potential interlinkages of the global competence framework with other official EU frameworks for education and training developed by the JRC • To disseminate and sustain the operationalization of the BOOST resources (MOOC and coaching programme) among grass-root and local based professionals operating in the “typical” ecosystem targeted by the project • To foster and enhance the replicability and transferability of BOOST resources as a ready-to-use toolkit for migrants’ integration and further opportunities for socio-economic emancipation
As starting point, SSF identified and evidenced the barriers and gaps that still exist for the social and labour inclusion of women facing different situations of vulnerability. Having a migrant background and cultural differences, social obstacles, lack of educational opportunities often give women lower social status and livelihood opportunities and makes more difficult for women the access to the labour market and career progression.. BOOST was designed to develop a bridge that vulnerable women to achieve to their highest abilities within the current and world changes and challenges and through the development of the Global Competenc (GC). The power of GC approach in the everyday life is proven it facilitates the social and labour integration of excluded people. Mastering GC can transform people’s lives; it offers opportunities in building stronger ties between groups and individuals. BOOST also was designed to equip professionals working with vulnerable groups as trainers, counselors, social workers, intercultural mediators, psychologists and coaches with bespoke training materials and a coaching programme to deliver support for the personal and professional development of vulnerable women through GC.