Project aimed to bridge the gap between formal and NFE by building sustainable partnerships between NGOs and universities. Continuing on the work that started in the INSPIRIT project, we aimed to formally recognise the competencies youth develop through volunteering and NFE activities. The recognition was primarily aimed to enable participant of our activities to earn ECTS credits for their participation in workcamps and other NFE delivered trainings. Beyond the formal recognition, we have also aimed to raise awareness and increase our advocacy efforts on the academic level about the value and impact of NFE, to attract new volunteers and learners, and to strengthen the internal capacities of participating organisations through improved marketing strategies and a ambassador system. We also aimed to address a challenge many academic institutions face by introducing a pilot for the formal recognition of NFE within the curriculum of the University of Prishtina (UP), with the goal of developing a replicable model that could inspire and guide other universities with no prior experience in NFE recognition. Ultimately we aimed to create a sustainable framework of NGO-university cooperation that would last beyond the project
Recognition of non-formal education (NFE) within formal systems is one of the priorities advocated on the European level, however, learners participating in volunteering and NFE activities rarely receive formal acknowledgement for the competencies and skills they gain. Moreover, while universities increasingly recognise the importance of practical and experiential learning, structured collaboration with NGOs offering NFE activities remains rare and often underdeveloped. We have identified these gaps through our previous Erasmus+ KA2 project INSPIRIT, which researched competencies gained through workcamp leadership and initiated first steps toward university recognition. Building on these results, the Re-cognition project aimed to deepen and scale this work. The project addressed: - lack of formal recognition of volunteering experiences through ECTS credits - lack of visibility of NFE and volunteering - limited awareness among students and teachers about NFE opportunities and developed competences - modernisation of universities' curricula with experiential learning - strengthening of the sustainability of NGOs through structured university partnerships