The concrete objectives of the project were to: 1.Establish a partnership to research&exchange experiences & good practices on digital citizenship & science education for disadvantaged youth 2. Contribute to the improvement of digital citizenship & science literacy education by developing a set of non-formal education tools & methods that will complement formal curricula & that are tailored to the needs of the target group (both disadvantaged youth & educators/youth workers), through integrating end user’s feedback in their creation process. 3.Provide a group of disadvantaged young people with learning opportunities that will equip them with a set of skills that are necessary in the 21st century for their uncompromised participation in professional & social life, & for their empowerment as critically thinking & active citizens 4. Strengthen youth educators’ competencies in working with disadvantaged youth & increase their pool of empowerment approaches & education methods, aimed at enhancing core competencies & life skills for the 21st century. 5.Enhance cooperation among organizations & stakeholders active in the field of youth empowerment, digital citizenship & science education
Reasons The European Commission's emphasis on science education and digital transformation aligns with the main goal of the Install Youth project, as it was designed to foster responsible digital citizenship and increase scientific education competencies among the target groups. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the urgency for youth to critically analyze information, learn the dangers of online platforms such as misinformation or cyberbullying, as well as to gain crucial skills for the 21st century to be active citizens in the digital world. The needs addressed by the project: - To provide equal opportunities for personal development and civic empowerment to disadvantaged youth by offering them modern, non-formal learning opportunities designed to effectively cultivate skills that are fundamental in the 21st century. - To bridge the knowledge and skills gap between what educators are trained for and what they are called to teach, created by the rapid technological and digital transformation. - To enrich the capacities of participating organizations to better cater to the needs of their local community in terms of the sphere of educational activities organized and the impact organizations create.