The project’s mission is to develop the skills and competences of diverse urban actors in being capable of responding to unexpected challenges. In this framework, the project aims to develop an innovative training model for VET trainers/educators to assist them to acquire the skills and competences on how to deal, in their cities, with the unexpected global challenges faced, e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic. The training model will be combined with training materials with digital means, i.e serious game and e-learning portal, video narratives, digital case study report cards, all available as an OER in the project’s e-learning portal. The project’s results will contribute toward one of the most important global need of overcoming climate change and environmental protection. It will directly contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (17 Goals of Sustainable Development) with main focus on Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities and Goal 17 Partnerships for the Goals. To achieve this, the following objectives are set: -To develop an innovative training model for VET trainers to give them the tools, guidance, and proper support to train urban actors (city decision-makers, mayors, city officials, city council members, local policymakers, city consultants, advisors, counselors, relevant authorities, NGOs, international institutions). -To directly train VET trainers to develop the knowledge, skills, and competences to train urban actors and enhance their future effect in training about sustainable cities. -To contribute to developing the urban actors' skills in building sustainable and resilient cities and have the flexibility on responding to challenges, e.g. the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cities around the world have been affected by the global outbreak of coronavirus with the pandemic quickly exposing countries’ fragile social fabric. The multidimensional nature of the pandemic has left an indelible mark on the outlook of the cities and has led to rethinking cities’ development in different dimensions - social, cultural, economic, and environmental. Being at the forefront, cities have played a central role in the global response to the ongoing pandemic (UNESCO Cities Platform, 2020). More than ever, in such a challenging time, the collaboration of urban actors (including mayors, local policymakers, city council members, professionals and practitioners, NGOs, international institutions, city decision-makers) should be leveraged to strengthen cooperation among cities and reinforce ties between people and communities (Pazarbasioglu &Ayhan Kose, 2020). Cities should be mobilised to further enhance solidarity, cooperation, and collaboration by sharing valuable information, including their innovative measures and good practices taken before and during coronavirus, being implemented to cope with the global challenge that we are all currently facing and work towards building environmentally balanced, sustainable and resilient cities of today and tomorrow (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2020). The project idea derived following an online focus group that was carried out in the form of an online thematic chat where a number of diverse urban actors of the project’s partner countries participated. The focus group aimed to investigate the impact of Covid-19 on the cities from the project’s participating countries and identify opportunities/solutions to overcome those impacts. The main conclusion derived were: - the territorial challenges each country is facing due to the Covid-19 pandemic and similarities of the issues among the countries - the participant interest in developing the skills and competences to deal with unexpected challenges - their willingness to obtain training to develop and/or enhance their skills and competences to mitigate occurring challenges The activity shaped the project’s mission to develop the skills and competences of diverse urban actors in being capable of responding to unexpected challenges. In this framework, the CoopCities project will bring together partners from diverse backgrounds and fields of expertise, who aim to collaboratively work through an innovative training model for VET trainers/educators combining training materials with digital means (serious game and e-learning portal, video narratives, digital case study report cards) directed towards urban actors. Through this project and its results, the partnership will contribute in the urban context for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (17 Goals of Sustainable Development) and support city decision-makers in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 crisis with main focus on Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities and Goal 17 Partnerships for the Goals.