The main goal of the project MORE OPPORTUNITIES LESS DIFFERENCES is to create conditions for better involvement of students with fewer opportunities in mobility experiences and raise awareness on the challenges faced by the European community in organizing inclusive mobilities. The project sets the following specific objectives: 1) to reach out to students facing social obstacles, economic difficulties and educational challenges and encourage their involvement in mobilities; 2) to deliver tools for sending and intermediary VET organizations that will ensure quality in mobilities and will facilitate the inclusion of students with fewer opportunities; 3) to equip mentors in SMEs hosting mobilities with an adequate tool to monitor the mobility experience of VET students with fewer opportunities. The target groups of the project are: - Sending and intermediary VET organizations managing mobilities; - VET schools sending/receiving mobilities; - SMEs providing work placements for mobility participants; - VET students facing social obstacles, economic difficulties and educational challenges; - VET professionals taking part in mobility projects. The project stipulates the delivery of 4 Intellectual Outputs each aiming to support a particular interested party of those involved in organizing VET mobilities: 1) IO1 Quality Assurance Framework for sending VET organizations: the output will present a number of indicators and quality criteria that will serve as a reference point for sending VET organizations to organize and manage safe and high-quality mobility experience for students facing social obstacles, economic difficulties and educational challenges. 2) IO2 Self-assessment tool: the tool will step on the quality assurance framework and will serve as an online self-diagnostic instrument that will help sending VET organizations to identify areas for improvement as regards their work with students facing social obstacles, economic difficulties and educational challenges. It will enable them to make a change by specific recommendations resulting from their score from self-assessment. 3) IO3 Handbook for mentors in SMEs hosting mobilities: the handbook will deliver tips and practical advice on particular situations that may occur when hosting mobilities with students with fewer opportunities. It will serve as a tool to prepare mentors in SMEs hosting mobilities to organize better mobility experience for students facing social obstacles, economic difficulties and educational challenges and guarantee that they are adequately involved in work placement tasks and social activities. 4) IO4 Board game for students: the board game will be the tool to reach out to students facing social obstacles, economic difficulties and educational challenges in a non-threatening manner and, through a game, both prepare and educate them on what a mobility abroad looks like. The players of the game will encounter different situations and obstacles and will “live” a period abroad including work placement, life in a different cultural environment, interaction with employers and fellow students. Thus, the students will be better prepared and build confidence that they will cope with the challenges occurring from a mobility. The IO are designed in a way that takes into consideration each of the actors involved in mobilities. The partnership believes in applying a comprehensive approach that requires efforts from all parties to make mobilities a positive experience. Therefore, the project aims to provide tools to all concerned groups and build capacity in each of them. The IO are intended to facilitate transnational cooperation between sending and hosting organizations. They are not only about encouraging the inclusion of students with fewer opportunities, they are about including them in trans-European activities. The availability of tools to prepare adequately all actors in organizing inclusive mobilities will reaffirm the organizations’ credibility and encourage mutual trust and reliability. The project outputs will be widely applicable and can be used well beyond the countries involved in the project. They will be freely available in 7 languages and because of their nature may serve as a basis for further development and adaptation to other disadvantaged groups. Hence, an unlimited number of mobility organizations can apply and benefit from the project results, creating more favourable European environment for inclusive mobilities. The improved experiences will have as a result the higher number of mobilities involving students with fewer opportunities carried out throughout Europe. Thus, another impact of the project will be the improved cooperation between EU institutions in addressing common issues and challenges. This will contribute to the creation of a European space educating young people in tolerance towards “the other” and encouraging interaction between people with different backgrounds.
The project's objectives and proposed activities have led to the development of several tools, namely, a Quality Assurance Framework (IO1) and a self-assessment tool (IO2) to help VET organizations, both sending and hosting, better understand the specific aspects arising from the presence of disadvantaged students that could affect their experience abroad. Additionally, a Handbook for mentors in small and medium-sized enterprises hosting mobilities (IO3) has been developed. This product aimed to provide practical advice to mentors to organize a better mobility experience for students with fewer opportunities and address challenges related to job placement, involvement in social activities, teamwork, etc. Furthermore, a board game for VET students (IO4) was created.
All the partners involved in the project come from institutions/organizations involved in sending or hosting students in VET mobilities. They have observed certain dysfunctions in the organization and implementation of VET projects that are equally attributable to both sending and hosting organizations. Thus, the project started from the need to create favorable conditions for a more efficient involvement of VET students facing social obstacles, economic difficulties, and educational challenges in international mobilities. Therefore, the project proposed providing tools to assist all actors involved in mobilities - sending and/or receiving VET organizations, as well as intermediary organizations, small and medium-sized enterprises, to provide everything necessary for the successful implementation of projects. Project partners started from the idea that social inclusion consists of better understanding and knowledge of each other, which laid the foundation for mutual trust and reliability. It was also argued that efforts needed to be made by all those involved to make mobility a positive experience.