In 2006 the Economic Policy Committee and the European Commission estimated that “the working age population in the EU will decrease by 48 million, a 16% reduction, between 2010 and 2050, while the elderly population will increase by 58 million, a gain of 77%”. Retirement is a universal phenomenon. It is experienced by Europeans in all countries, from all walks of life, from all social classes. It is, however, a period in life when inequalities between different subsets of the population become more pronounced. Either because of the sudden increases in free time, or because of a decline in their personal health, the newly retired are one of the most vulnerable societal groups when it comes to depression and mental illness. The road to inactivity for older workers is more often than not a road of no return. Research shows that prolonging the active engagement of recent retirees’ impacts positively on their personal self-esteem, their mental and physical health and well-being, fights social exclusion and offers recognition of their continued importance to society. As the ageing of the EU population continues apace and the percentage of retirees grows exponentially it is incumbent on service providers in adult education to take the necessary steps to foster positive mind- sets and encourage seniors to plan an active, fulfilling and rewarding life in retirement.Digital Literacy is increasingly becoming an essential life skill and the inability to access or use ICT has effectively become a barrier to social integration and personal development. With the convergence of different media forms in recent years, access to technology platforms can no longer be considered as real barriers to digital inclusion. The real issue where digital literacy is concerned, especially for seniors throughout Europe is about their ability to use the now widely available technology platforms. It is not that there is insufficient training available; On the contrary, there have been dozens of initiatives focused on developing digital skills training for seniors. For many educators who work with seniors, the biggest single barrier to building the digital skills of seniors is the complete lack of interest they show in new technologies which is perhaps masking their fear of these new pervasive technologies. Around 170 million people or 44% of adult Europeans have low or no digital skills. The more you move along the age profile of adults, the greater the percentage of those with no or low skills. Lack of need or interest and insufficient skills are the top reasons cited in the European Digital Progress Report (2017). It is the typical 'chicken' and 'egg' scenario. Do older people have a lack of interest because they have low skills; or do older people have low skills because they have a lack of interest.The VINYL WARRIORS project proposes to develop an embedded learning training programme for seniors that encourages them to recover their musical youth. In the course of the project activities, participants will learn key digital skills to enable them to record in audio and video the musical performance they enact. In this pilot phase, a minimum of 20 seniors in each country will be engaged in producing the proposed musical performance and building their digital skills.To achieve the desired outputs the following resources will be developed:- Digital Skills Training Programme for Seniors divided into 4 categories to support building digital skills for seniors taking responsibility the different roles in the LIVE Performance and Production Team - The Band; The Groupies; The Roadies; The Managers. The proposed embedded learning resources will address a wide range of issues associated with planning, designing, rehearsing, producing and performing at a live VINYL WARRIORS event.- In-service Training Programme and Handbook addressing the pedagogic challenges associated with; (1) online learning and working in dynamic online environments; (2) overcoming motivational deficits through innovative course design for attracting reluctant learners; (3) overcoming digital skill deficits when working with seniors to build digital literacy skills.- A MOOC - a dynamic mobile online learning portal to support the work of adult educators

Skill IT is a transnational European adult education innovative strategic partnership which aims to develop, design and implement inclusiveness strategies for enhancing basic skills, in particular digital skills for specific adult groups -– adults with low level or no qualifications, those in low skilled occupations, unemployed, migrants and economically inactive, older people and least skilled. Skill IT will:a) address the issues of low levels of digital literacy and competency amongst adults who are disadvantaged and at risk of exclusionb) address stagnating participation in adult learning in EU countries through inclusive strategiesc) strengthen the partnership between local and regional organisations in partner countries working with the target groups of adult learners; d) increase digital competence and literacy amongst the hardest to reach groups in 7 partner countries using an innovative transnational approach involving local and regional adult education organisations, teachers, trainers and the adult learners themselves;e) improve and extend access to learning opportunities in accordance with Europe 2020, ET 2020 and Erasmus+ goals. Skill IT transnationality allows adult learners from different target groups and staff from partner countries to cooperate innovatively in order to design and develop an innovative ICT Education Model which will be tested within the 7 partner countries: Northern Ireland; Turkey; Czech Republic; Italy; Greece; Spain; Croatia.Partners will be involved in identification of the needs of their target groups-adults with low level or no qualifications, those in low skilled occupations, unemployed and economically inactive, migrants/refugees, older people and least skilled in terms of digital skills. ICT modules will be developed is response to these needs. Implementation and delivery of the ICT modules will involve the use of peer mentoring and partners will be involved in the identification of peer mentors within their target groups to complete a peer mentoring training course. All partners will be involved in the implementation of the ICT education model. Skill IT will be produced in an online tool box for future use by teachers, trainers, organisations and adult learners.The overall results of the project are:- Development and implementation of effective strategies to meet the digital needs of disadvantaged adults- Enhanced adults learners' ICT literacy and competencies- Promotion and cooperation between adult educators to increase disadvantaged adults participation in lifelong learning- Enhancement of transnational cooperation and networking between partner organisationsThe Skill ITproducts are:1) A Digital Needs Analysis Report of adults form the target groups within partner countries - 2) A ICT Competency profile in a table detailing the expected knowledge, skills, competencies and learning outcomes of the ICT educational model.3)Peer Mentoring Training Course for adults based on the competence profile including curriculum, course design and implementation 4) Production of ICT educational model - curriculum, course design and implementation.5)Skill IT Toolbox with guidelines, methods, training modules to enhance disadvantaged adults digital literacy and competency6) Promotion of exchange of experiences, further adapations of the innovation and transnational networking by integrating the local stakeholders of each partner in the project7) Skill IT website with all productsThe Skill It project will enhance the digital skills of adults who do not traditionall engage in ICT Training through lack of skills, fear or ability and are at risk of exclusion. Skill IT will create new inclusive opportunities for increased participation in lifelong learning activities. Skill IT will reconnect groups at the risk of exclusion to learning, to the labour market, to public services encouraging them to become more active citizens within their countries.

The ERFAL project is a KA2 Strategic Partnership for Exchange of Practices aimed at creating a thematic network for sharing experience on different topics in the area of integration of disadvantage people. The project developed a collection of good practices dealing with the integration of migrants and refugees, disabled people, NEETs and elderly and providing successful models for raising their skills and supporting their economic and social integration. The project objectives covered:-To establish a thematic network for sharing experience on different topics in the area of integration of disadvantage people -To improve the quality of the educational opportunities offered to disadvantaged people and raise their skill levels in a wide variety of sectors-To support disadvantaged people in their economic and social integration-To enhance the exploitation potential of existing educational projects focused on integration of various disadvantaged groupsThese objectives were achieved through the development of a Toolbox of 75 tools, initiatives and good practices for integration of migrants and refugees, disabled people, NEETs and elderly people from the partner countries and beyond, which are made available on the project website (www.erfalproject.eu). The Toolbox development and information included was continuously communicated with relevant stakeholders dealing with the integration of disadvantaged people. The project website registered 6,000 visitors since its launch.ERFAL used the methodology of the BarCamp participatory workshops where information and experiences are shared through different means and formats. A total of 4 BarCamp workshops were organised under the project, each one dealing with a specific topic related to the integration of disadvantaged people, and namely:-First BarCamp: Integration of migrants and refugees-Second BarCamp: Integration of disabled people-Third BarCamp: Integration of NEETs-Fourth BarCamp: Integration of elderly peopleDuring the workshops each participant presented a good practice dealing with the topic in question in diverse forms – presentations, educational games, national and European initiatives and projects for integration and education of disadvantaged people, first-hand people experiences, mobile applications, videos, educational digital technologies, etc. During the implementation of the project, the ERFAL partners created a network of 54 organisations and hundreds of individuals from the area of integration of disadvantaged people and used them for input and feedback at different project stages. The ERFAL outcomes were spread to relevant stakeholders within two rounds of national workshops aimed at exchanging experience on methods and opportunities for the integration of disadvantaged people. A total of 505 target group representatives participated in 24 workshops organised in the 9 partner countries. The ERFAL project was widely disseminated within 184 dissemination events reaching nearly 8,000 people; thousands more were reached through online dissemination and different informational platforms. In December 2018, the ERFAL project was awarded a Certificate for quality implementation of a project at an official ceremony during the annual valorization conference of the Bulgarian National Agency.

The increase in risky sexual behaviors among young people has sparked urgency and has become an area of interest for global public health researchers aiming to find innovative approaches to promote better sexual health. Sexual and reproductive health education is one of the objectives of EU Action Plan for Sexual and Reproductive Health dedicated to the need of establishing and strengthening formal and informal evidence-informed comprehensive sex education pointing to the development of competency training and aids for teachers, educators and health professionals. Many people feel less vulnerable to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) based on their belief that they can ascertain whether a potential partner is likely to be infected or not on the basis of the way that they look or some other superficial characteristic. The challenge is to find the best way to tackle this problem and to ascertain what tools we could further develop to establish this. Digital educational interventions and serious games could be an effective sex education method as this generation is very familiar with this technology. Safe4Play will be a big a step toward the design of tailored and relevant sex education interventions that will promote active learning, rather than passive one-way learning. Two-way, interactive and tailored education is a more promising form of education compared to traditional one-way passive education, as early literature evidence suggests. How much will this form of education benefit sex education and better protect people from contracting STIs? These questions will be addressed by Safe4Play, that aims to include all young people irrespective of background, ethnicity and age. The educational material will be adapted to the user’s needs and delivered via different means, such as text, simulations, games, graphs and e-learning tutorials.Better realising the risks involved in our sexual behaviours and interactions with our sex partners could potentially have a big impact on our behaviour and future actions. According to the Health-Belief-Model model, understanding the consequences of a certain action can have a positive impact on protection against STIs and unwanted pregnancies. As a result, there may be a reduction in STI rates and unwanted pregnancies in the EU after the introduction of Safe4Play. To maximise the project’s impact, special attention will be paid to the dissemination of its achievements, objectives and activities – combined with intensive communication with various target groups, and the broader aim to increase public awareness. All partners are committed to maximize the project outcomes and benefits and to reach the widest possible audience.The consortium: United Kingdom: University of Southampton (leading University in the UK for sex research), Ballybeen Women's Centre Ltd (integrated service provider promoting health and well-being within the community), causaLens (High-tech SME in the area of ML).Belgium: Welcome Home International (NGO providing encouragement, education and assistance to migrants and refugees)Greece: Innovation Frontiers (SME with expertise in Serious Games and AR)Cyprus: Technologos Research and Innovation Services ltd (SME with specialisation in digital educational interventions)

The topic of health concerns both individuals and society as a whole. While everyone wants to be healthy there is a strong connection between income levels and where you live with your health and life expectancy. The rising costs of health care, including for diseases that could actually be prevented or better managed means that societies and economies have an interest in promoting better health. To be and to stay physically and mentally healthy is linked to knowledge about living a healthy life at all stages. Central to achieving this is having access to health care and understanding health information. Health literacy is a basic competence and needs to be recognised as such. Health literacy is the capacity of people to access, understand and apply information, so that they can make informed choices related to their health. In a Report by the European Health Forum in 2014 an alarming 47% of the population in eight EU Member States were reported to have insufficient levels of health literacy; 43% of adults surveyed had difficulty in grasping the notion of disease prevention and 51% of adults were found to struggle with the concept of health promotion or the ability to advance their own health. Health literacy levels have an impact on the efficiency of healthcare systems. People that have low health literacy tend to go to the doctor more often, to be hospitalized more often or to take inappropriate treatment or prescriptions. Furthermore, they are less inclined to take preventative measures. Fostering health literacy of all citizens is beneficial for society at large as it reduces costs for public health systems which can, then, work more efficiently for those really in need of care. Nowadays, the internet provides not only a vast array of health related websites, but increasingly also becomes the first information point for health issues. It eventually leads to self-diagnoses of illnesses and diseases based on this information. However, the information provided in fora and on online consultation websites has to be dealt with carefully, as not all information on diseases, illnesses, their symptoms or their treatment is correct and corresponds to the scientific state of the art in medicine. There were 4 intellectual outputs completed over the 27 month implementation period as follows: IO1- a bespoke Lay Family Health Advisor curriculum to train local residents as health literacy tutors IO2 - an Induction Training Programme to support the delivery of the new Lay Family Health Advisors curriculum IO3 – a digital toolkit of health literacy resources addressing positive mental health promotion; diet and nutrition and preventative measures for healthy living IO4 - a suite of online tools and resources to include an e-learning portal and a suite of social media platforms facilitate interaction between the newly trained lay family health advisors