<< Objectives >>This project aims to address the digital transformation of secondary schools through flipping the classroom experience in different subjects to develop digital readiness of secondary teachers. The project not only creates and promotes hybrid learning experiences for secondary school students but also for teachers to increase their pedagogical capacities through the development of project results, namely a digital learning platform and toolkits.<< Implementation >>The project has 4 WPs. We will host 5 face-to-face and 3 online TPMs for successful communication and management of the project. A workshop for teaching teachers to use the learning platform and an online expert panel will be conducted. Activities for creating toolkit and implementation in classrooms will be followed. The EU Teacher Network will be initiated for creating a professional learning community. Finally, an international conference will ensure an effective exploitation of the results.<< Results >>We expect to train 20 teachers about flipped learning in 5 different countries via developed digital learning platform containing 8 different main topics and a total of 460 minutes of videos. Trained teachers will develop 120 tools and use them in their lessons. Other 3 types of tools will be created, too. We will set up a network of teachers and reach 50 teachers in EU to share good practices. We will organize an international conference and host 100 stakeholders and beneficiaries.

Building trust, including people and exploring challenges within societies…by and trough art and culture. Sometimes, people underestimate the power of art and culture in the everyday life and how they could be used to facilitate the social and labour integration of excluded people. Art and culture can transform people’s lives, they offer opportunities in building stronger ties between groups and individuals. Use of cultural and artistic creative processes as a tool for social and labour inclusion is more than relevant specially in these actual times marked by COVID-19 and its consequences on health, social and economic life. Art and Culture for many years has been a strong link for a well-functioning democracy. Of the values nurtured by art and culture over the centuries, some of the most important to be noted are that societies tend to be more tolerant, well-functioning, open-minded and successful where individuals have the possibility to engage and participate in a range of cultural activities. The project aims to empower vulnerable adults and youngsters (trainees in formal, informal & non formal settings including women and migrants) using art and culture activities/processes. The project will combine three main areas, namely: social capital theory, global competence and art & culture. Social theory is concerned with trust, social ties, shared norms and relationships among people and communities.Global competence is the skills, values, and behaviours that prepare people to thrive in a more diverse, interconnected world based on 4 main domains: Investigate the world, Recognize perspectives, Communicate ideas and Take actions. Art & culture will be the mean to be used.The aim is linking social capital and global competence of trainees by establishing the support for trainers/facilitators which enable them to work with these trainees in formal, informal and non-formal training settings using art and culture techniques and processes. Trough art & culture, participants will investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate ideas and take actions. The CULTUR'ACT project will be implemented on basis of the following pedagogical principals:- Start and use the own experience of each participant: taking into account the individual and collective history of the participants attending the training, their daily life problems and difficulties are valuable elements to supports building training content and outputs.- Alternate group work and individual learning so that each participant can integrate new concepts at their own pace and allow them to develop their learning strategies.- Make the participant a real player in his training (an actor): autonomy and participation are part of the work priorities. Sharing life experiences allows each person to be valued but also facilitate the co-construction of common knowledge and the strengthening of social ties.- Develop knowledge, know-how but also interpersonal skills and appropriate behavioral skills. A focus on foster global competence will guide our activities.The main activities of CULTUR'ACT aims to:- EXCHANGE and TRANSFER experiences and good practice among trainers, adult and their communities- DEVELOP a methodology guide and resources for trainers to empower vulnerable adults and youngster using art and culture precesses- EMPOWER vulnerable adults and youngsters - IMPLEMENT local pilot projects with participants (both users and beneficiaries) - ENGAGE associated partners, key-stakeholders in training and cultural sectors and carry out dissemination and exploitation actions

Focus on refugee migration to Europe means a focus on a silent parallel emigration crisis - the “brain drain” from the Western Balkans – has lost momentum of solving the loss of able, highly educated individuals from our region in search of higher-paying jobs or and better working conditions elsewhere that has taking place since the 1990. BalVET-EWEC aims to keep talent home by addressing the need for young people to acquire new skills that will enable them to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Pilots establish living labs as VET capacity-building mechanisms, develop new curricula for skills development for learners ages 16-28, and create opportunities for synergies and cross-border collaboration. Actions VET educators as “paradigm shifter” learning facilitators to mentor learners with skills to respond to myriad jobs - both in conventional local markets and in remote work; entrepreneurship ed positions both VET systems and learners for the twin transitions, and Open Badges display capacity transparency of skills acquired during training. Via the Collaborative Leadership Process, EWEC also prepares a cross-section of sectors to respond to innovation and technology advancements that warrant the design of new products and services, create new jobs and careers and support social entrepreneurship to address social agendas. It reviews the “new normals” of workplace realities reshaped by social disruptors that, coupled with initiatives that promote digitalization, sustainability and the greening of society, present new opportunities for young people in our region to re-evaluate how, where and for whom they work, but are in need of new skillsets to face post-Covid careers. Mobility for both teachers and learners is a priority. Ultimately, a new generation of changemakers and problem-solvers is nurtured, able to address challenges with new skillsets, enter or progress in a variety of labor markets and contribute to the economic development of our region.

The general objective of this project is to contribute in the development of the research and innovation capacities of HEIs in Albania and Kosovo by enhancing their institutional capabilities, staff skills and networking.For both countries, improved capacities are needed in terms of the HEIs research management and adopted methodologies, but most importantly a closer cooperation of the universities with other actors in the innovation ecosystem, especially local actors as businesses and international partners. The cause for poor performance in both countries, in terms of innovations, lays not only in the economic structure of Albania and Kosovo (dominantly composed by SMEs), but also on the underdeveloped capacities of the HEIs, and the weak links they have developed locally and internationally. The needs analysis for both countries reveals two major fields for action:- The need to improve the HEIs capacities for research and innovation,- The need to foster the links and cooperation among the actors in the innovation ecosystem.As a result, the project seeks to support the development of capacities for research and innovation in intra and inter institutional level.The foreseen outputs can be summarized as follows:- Newly established/ strengthened research and innovation support structures- Modernized teaching and mentoring methodologies that enhance students’ capacities for research - Trained researchers and managers - Research quality indicators developed- Enhanced International linkages through interdisciplinary research groupsThe short term impact is to have increased capacities for research in the HEIs participating in the project, as well as generate synergy and a stronger cooperation among them.The expected long term impact is improved research performance in quantitative and qualitative terms.

"The internationalization of higher education is not regarded as a goal in itself anymore, but as a mean to improve the quality of education and increase the relevance of HEIs within the society at large. Notably, for higher education institutions from developing countries, internationalization brings significant benefits in terms of the improvement of the academic effectiveness, through the mutual exchange and experience of different practices in teaching and learning. Moreover, it fosters the development of human capacities through international collaboration, and students obtain intercultural competences by being exposed to an international setting.Internationalization of HEIs in the Balkan region has been primarily achieved through student and staff mobility as well as Erasmus + CBHE projects that involved a limited number of staff. HEIs have realized that trying to approach to internationalization through these initiatives leaves room for fragmented and individualistic results which prevents internationalization to be embedded within the institutional structures. In this vein, ""internationalization at home” (IaH) is vital as it refers to the policies and processes that purposefully integrate international and intercultural aspects into the curricular and co-curricular activities for students. By leveraging on the potentialities of information and communication technologies, this project aims at removing the financial and formal barriers that prevent internationalisation to reach a wide number of students and staff. The process to integrate learning material and teaching approaches, and the technical solutions that will be devised, will allow promoting a framework that can be re-used in other contexts, thus providing an additional tool for effective internationalisation in higher education."