To achieve a sustainable Europe, the environmental, social and cultural objectives have to be rebalanced against the financial and economic ones. The role of creative and critical thinking, fostered by arts and cultural activities, play a key role if we want young people to regain trust in Europe. Digitalisation and culture for new generations (DiCultYouth project) implemented between November 2018 and January 2021. The DiCultYouth project focused on creating synergies between the creative sectors of culture, education, and technology to boost the digital skills of young people and help ensure that education systems and cultural organisations make the most of new technologies to enhance the employability of the new generation and support youth with a background in humanitarian studies to pursue career opportunities in cultural heritage-related fields.The project worked towards achieving the following specific objectives over the past two years:- To prepare young professionals and open new pathways to careers into the cultural sector by developing essential IT knowledge and skills required in heritage-sector careers.- To develop the digital literacy of young people while trying to combat youth unemployment through a multi-assessed e-learning programme for young people with fewer opportunities to up-grade, up-skill, or re-skill their digital competences to meet the needs of the labour market.- To strengthen the exchange of knowledge and practice between research centres, educational and training institutions d NGOs.Analyse and interpret the concept of cultural heritage through conducting a state of play review in all involved countries in order to map the ICT skills and the level of knowledge required by cultural institutions with regard to digital skills- To set up a network platform where various cultural organisations, stakeholders, agencies, relevant public services etc., to offer guidance and advice for future employmentParticularly, to achieve the objectives above, DiCultYouth developed three tangible intellectual outputs:IO1 Map Digital Skills in the Cultural sector: The comparative analysis describes the participating countries' current situation and a cross-functional skill gap analysis to identify the current and future roles and required skills in the cultural sector. The maturity level of cultural organisations was also assessed, and activities that have to be adapted to increase the level of maturity concerning digital skills were defined. This output constitutes the theoretical basis for the development/assessment of the following two Intellectual Outputs.IO2 Gamifying Culture: A fun and engaging game that puts the player in the curators' role, cultural heritage specialists to learn cultural content and develop digital competences and cultural awareness. It is based on five principles: intrinsic motivation, learning through intense enjoyment and fun, authenticity, self-reliance and autonomy, and experiential learning. The game provides much potential for innovative, effective and accessible contemporary teaching and learning, inspiring young people to learn more about our European cultural heritage, thus raising their cultural awareness.IO3 Online training course: IO3 aims to utilise Europe’s talent and social assets in a lifelong learning perspective while addressing young people's needs on basic digital skills related to the European cultural heritage, as identified in the research IO1. The DiCultYouth consortium designed and delivered an online training course to help young people develop their digital skills, covering a range of non-formal modules related to digital culture and cultural heritage.Furthermore, throughout the lifecycle of the project, partners have undertaken the following activities:1. Project Management 2. Quality Assurance of Outputs 3. Project F2F Meetings 4. Project Online Meetings 5. Dissemination, multiplication, sustainabilityAll partners completed all foreseen implementation activities. The activities were positively evaluated by target groups who expressed that the project could have a tangible impact on their local communities. These activities have led to developing skills and competences of disadvantaged young people, including unemployed, newly arrived immigrants and young refugees, early school leavers etc. Moreover, the project has supported the development of digital skills in all partner countries by providing all the relevant stakeholders with access to tangible education materials that can support them in engaging with this framework through practical and engaging educational activities such as the Online Game the Online Training Course. Dissemination of outputs resulted in the development of synergies and cross-fertilisation between the creative sectors of culture, education, and technology. Overall, during the project's lifecycle, all partners involved over 10.000+ participants through different activities.

Otto ABT (the inspiration for our project name) was a Swiss painter, who fought against fascism. Over the last few years, Europe has, once again, to deal with far right which is advancing and growing in confidence. People from a migrant background are usually among those most affected by discrimination and hate speech. Stakeholders and analysts agree that neo-fascism can only be countered by common, European policies of inclusion, solidarity and equality.In the current immigration crisis, along with the public health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are facing problems from intercultural relations and clashes of culture creating, as we mentioned, a new wave of xenophobia, racism and social fears within the EU. This is a new problem that arises from strong social fears and stereotypes that need to be combatted.We are witnessing events of violence involving migrants and refugees that have the potential to evolve into more dangerous phenomena. Moreover, radicalization and extremism are another aspect of the situation which are affecting young people and local society. Young people, from migrant backgrounds and with other distinct characteristics, who are subject to discrimination and racism in daily life can easily fall out of society and be an easy target for radicalization.At the same time, culture and arts can promote intercultural dialogue. In the context of the migratory and refugee phenomenon, it is crucial to explore the ways in which culture and the arts can help bring individuals and people together, increase their participation in cultural and societal life, as well as promote intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity. The arts, though often underutilised and unacknowledged, can positively transform and benefit communities in such areas as youth development and education, health and wellness and neighbourhood vitality.The EU Agenda 2030 must clearly address the role of the arts and heritage in fostering intercultural dialogue and social cohesion, acknowledge the cultural component of the integration of displaced people and highlight the power of culture to promote democracy and heal social wounds. Culture and creative work must be recognised as key contributors to economic growth and a powerful messenger on all sustainability issues.In order to face these problems, we will provide international training material for youth workers, volunteers and youth leaders in the art sector while also capitalising on the power of art to foster intercultural dialogue and help in facing problems related to xenophobia, racism and stereotypes across and within groups of diverse cultural backgrounds in Europe.The youth workers involved in the project will undertake a learning path to increase their competences and educational tools for working with young people at risk of marginalisation and supporting them to get involved with the host community by sharing and developing inclusive and sustainable informal and non-formal practices. The ABT project will address the needs of youth aged 16 to 30 years from a migratory background and/or with social, cultural and economic difficulties, in order to trigger a process of inclusion within the local community.At the local level, participants will be encouraged towards greater social engagement to improve their communities and the development of their territory, getting involved in activities aimed at changing the local context an in intercultural perspective through Art Hubs, opening up to a real exchange with cultures and ways of being other than their own. At a European level, the project fosters a greater propensity to approach cultural diversity through art, aimed at ensuring a continuous sharing attitude, in order to improve each other and, thus, the dialogue between the different cultures of Europe. Moreover, at the European level, inclusion and integration of youth migrants through art philosophy will be shared.The aim of the proposed project is to join efforts to combat inequality, intolerance and injustice through the establishment of Art Hubs for young people from migrant and non-migrant backgrounds, utilising the ability of the arts to transcend social barriers. The objectives of our project are defined as follows:- Help new arrivals learn about and make European values their own;- Encourage intercultural dialogue;- Build mutual understanding between new arrivals and the receiving communities;- Support the professional development of youth workers and trainers to cope better with intercultural problems, racism, xenophobia, and the social fears of youth learners, in responseto the recent immigration crisis and refugees in EU, through sharing experience, art and Art Hubs;- Promote active participation of young people in their community, with a focus on youth at risk of marginalization because of the cultural, social and economic obstacles they face.

<< Background >>In May 2018, the EU Council adopted the revised Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, setting out a core set of skills necessary to work and live in the 21st Century. The aim is that everybody should have the essential set of competences needed for personal development, social inclusion, active citizenship, and employment. Active citizenship is the key that enables youth to unleash their potential and contribute to the development of their societies.According to EU Youth strategy 2019-27 youths need to:-act as agents of change for environmental and sustainable development.-know the effect of their actions on environment-become active citizens, agents of solidarity and positive change inspired by the EU values and European identity-develop and strengthen personal, social and civic competencies, develop critical thinking and creativity Youth workers’ needs are related to:-support youths’ active citizenship and to develop their life skills-create and implement more personalized, participative, and cooperative learner-centered methods in every step of the education process-incorporate methods within informal and non-formal education settings that enable youths’ to develop personal skills including critical and analytical thinking, creativity and learning-encourage and equip young people with the necessary resources to become active citizens, agents of solidarity and positive change angels inspired by EU values and EU identityACTIVEYOUTH4Life meets the abovementioned needs exploiting and developing:A)The LIFEComp framework (2020): conceptualizes “Personal, Social and Learning to Learn” as a set of competences applying to all life spheres, acquired through all forms of education, which can help youths to thrive in the 21st Century. This set of competences will equip youths with skills that could unleash their dynamic potential, self-regulate their emotions, thoughts, and behaviours, build meaningful lives, and cope with complexity as thriving individuals, responsible social agents, and reflective lifelong learners having as a focal point of how to tackle environmental issues and raising environmental awareness. B)A socio-emotional educational approach via storytelling and innovative tools such as Filmmaking and Serious gaming: The selection of these two techniques rather than spontaneous is. On the contrary, the fact that in 2020 young people receive much of their education, information and entertainment via still and moving images on screens – on mobile phones, notebooks, iPad, tvs or cinema guides the selection of these tools and methods. Filmmaking can provide a safe and effective way for young people to explore sensitive issues and find their voice on challenges they face. It helps them increase their confidence, build resilience, and work in teams, whilst giving a sense of achievement, pride and confidence that can positively impact other aspects of their lives. Following LIFEComp, specific competences of youths could be cultivated via filmmaking (such as flexibility, well-being, collaboration, communication and empathy) promoting particularly environmental awareness. On the other hand, serious gaming in general and escape rooms in teaching can facilitate youths to cooperate, communicate, and be critical and active learners. As a didactic tool with a motivational purpose they can create memorable learning experiences that cannot be replicated by standard classroom activities. They can inspire learners to seek more knowledge, help them reflect upon learning, develop their intrinsic motivation to learn and explore instead of just responding to extrinsic motivations. Escape rooms could also be the ideal technique for cultivating LIFECOMP competences, self-regulation, growth mindset, critical thinking and managing to learn.<< Objectives >>The overall objective of ACTIVEYOUTH4Life is the enhancement of youths’ civic participation and sustainable and environmental awareness, so as to be able to effectively tackle climate change issues through the cultivation of LIFEComp competences.In more detail the specific objectives of the project are: -To foster active citizenship among young people and strengthen young people's sense of initiative towards environmental problems - To create a multidimensional training approach adaptable to local, regional and EU contexts- To provide innovative practices and tools, such as filmmaking and serious gaming through “the art of storytelling”, so as, to prepare educators, trainers, youth workers and youths to become true agents of change via cultivation of LIFEComp competences- To promote youths active motivation so as to become more cooperative, be engaged towards problem solving for overcoming environmental challenges embracing their dynamic potential to cope with complexity as thriving individuals/ citizens - To create an attractive and easy to be used training material for youths, in order to equip them with the necessary knowledge, skills and competences that will prepare them to be active citizens towards environmental issues- To create a virtual community space for the promotion of dialogue and collaboration among youths, motivating them to take initiatives towards a common goal: how to take action against climate change.<< Implementation >>Six partner organizations from Spain, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus and Bosnia and Herzegovina will join their forces to implement this project. The consortium consists of 3 non- profit organizations, 1 research and development center, 1 private company and 1 aggregator of people and companies. Innohub (Spain) having great experience in the promotion of professional and personal development through actions that support sustainable solutions to systemic social problems leading to creative solutions that impact significant change in local ecosystem, in projects focused mainly in youths, is the coordinator. Materahub (Italy), is an aggregator of people and business having experience in adult education, consulting, and managing cultural heritage and creative activities, and the implementation of EC competence Frameworks in the Italian settings (such as DigiCOMP, EntreComp). It is the Leader of R2. FIP (Ireland) is a private company working in the field of youth development, e-learning, digital media and social inclusion specializing in the development of innovative educational materials and courseware specifically targeted at non-mainstream educational providers therefore is the leader of R3.CARDET(Cyprus) is one of the leading research and development centers in the Mediterranean region with global expertise in project design and implementation, capacity building, and e-learning and is the Leader of R4.BALKIEN (Greece) is a non-profit entity that conducts research, evaluation and data analysis fostering innovation and sustainability in the fields of culture and education, by training and supporting young people. BALKIEN is the leader of R1.SMOC (Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a non-profit organization with a vast experience in youth work, nurturing a creative approach to problem solving and youth empowerment, fostering active citizenship, as well as providing methodologies to develop their creativity and entrepreneurial skills.ACTIVEYOUTH4Life applies a holistic approach, addressing both youth workers, trainers, educators and youths so as to provide new alternative, inspirational means for engaging youths and cultivating their key competences that apply to all spheres of life and can help them to thrive in the 21st Century. The training methodology will lie upon the principles of active, challenge-based learning and social constructivism. Having a learner centered focus enriched by participatory and digital storytelling it will contain highly motivating and interactive content in an online mode adopting forms of blended learning (face to face, online). Products will be tested in a piloting phase and presented in multiplier events. The consortium plans to directly involve 294 individuals from the main target groups, youth workers, trainers, educators, youths and other relevant stakeholders in the project activities. At least 60 persons will be youths with fewer opportunities. Through the dissemination activities carried out by the consortium and the associated partners it is estimated that more than 5000 persons will be reached.<< Results >>ACTIVEYOUTH4Life is anticipated to have the following Results (R):R1: A training approach for the up-skilling of youth workers in integrating storytelling (participatory and digital) through the use of filmmaking and digital escape rooms for the enhancement of youths’ civic participation, environmental and sustainability awareness via the cultivation of LIFEComp competences. R2: a handbook for educators, trainers and youth workers for encouraging them to integrate storytelling through filmmaking for the development of youths’ LIFEComp competences. R3: Digital Escape Rooms and Guidelines for fostering active citizenship of youths and enhancing specific LIFEComp competences.R4: A collaborative space platform that provides e-learning tools and resources to be used by educators/trainers, youth workers and youths as a means for the enhancement of youths’ civic participation, operating also as a virtual community platform.Dissemination material (as described in the relevant section).In addition, ACTIVEYOUTHS4Life’s Outcomes (O) are given below:FOR PARTNERS(including associated partners):-Sharing of knowledge, experience, ideas and good practices. Partners are involved in different ways in social inclusion, youths’ civic participation and innovation in education, and originate from countries where different integration policies and practices exist. The sharing process will add value both to the project products and to the development of the partner organizations.-Development of new networks through cooperation and contacting stakeholders during the exploration of exploitation possibilities-Utilization of new innovative training approach, material and tools for engaging youths and fostering their civic participation competences FOR YOUTH WORKERS, EDUCATORS & TRAINERS: -Increased awareness on the significance of active citizenship as a means for tackling climate change issues in a creative way-Knowledge and understanding on how to develop LIFEComp competences through the use of film making and digital escape rooms-Exchange of ideas and experience -Familiarization with the use of storytelling and innovative techniques (filmmaking and digital escape rooms) for engaging youths FOR YOUTHS: -Improved civic participation, environmental and sustainability awareness and LIFEComp competences -Awareness on how filmmaking helps them to conceive the world and realize their identity/individuality-Awareness on how Digital escape rooms help them become creative and socially proactive being adept at problem-solving and critical thinking, qualities that characterize an active citizen-Improved skills for using available digital equipment (tablets, smartphones etc) for making films-Improved LIFEComp competences for enabling them to thrive as individualsFOR STAKEHOLDERS (Youth associations/institutions, policy makers, youth councils etc.):-Increased awareness on the role of active citizenship for tackling climate change issues-Chance of capitalizing at national and EU level an effective and tested socio-emotional training approach based on active and challenge-based learning in order to develop sustainable strategies for the development of youth workers’/ educators’/ trainers’ competences in using innovative techniques for the enhancement of youths’ civic skills-Opportunity to use a training handbook to upgrade youth workers’/ educators’/ trainers’ knowledge and skills that encourage youths to tackle climate change issues via film making -Exchange of ideas and good practices during the development of the pilotings, multiplier events On project completion it is expected that ACTIVEYOUTH4Life will have raised awareness of all the parties informed on the importance of active citizenship and environmental awareness and provide a sustainable model for youth workers/ trainers/educators’ and youths’ training and active engagement in youths’ cultivation of civic participation competences using innovative techniques

"The scale of human suffering and forced displacement caused by the war in Ukraine faced Europe with the largest refugee crisis of the century. The situation is opening old wounds for WB countries that are still recovering from a legacy of war crimes and ethnic divisions. A deeper understanding of collective trauma faced by the WB population could help build resilience of European CSOs working with youth in the context of the current humanitarian crisis.The EU-CARES project aims to address collective trauma and support reconciliation process among young people from war affected countries through storytelling techniques fostering active participation, constructive dialogue and critical thinking. The recognition of different narratives and creation of new collective ones as a holistic method for fostering youth engagement, esp. among displaced youth, will raise the capacity of youth CSOs to mainstream peace-building best practices.Main activities:• Collection of best practices and exploration of main narratives on WB conflicts;• Think Tanks involving 176 young people, representatives of local authorities, educational institutions and stakeholders;• International Training Course for 40 youth workers on using storytelling to help youth understand trauma and explore resilient community building;• Local storytelling workshops for 120 young people with production of a storytelling catalogue;• Final round table conferences and a storytelling exhibition encouraging networking and dialogue.Expected results:• Measured improvements in youth workers and young people’s emotional, creative and social skills, i.e. active participation and conflict resolution;• Raised awareness on human rights, reconciliation and collective trauma related to WB societies;• Consolidated European collective identity with opened transnational and intergenerational dialogues.Main outputs:• Virtual Handbook;• E-toolkit with Operational Curriculum;• “We are all stories"" catalo"

Cultural administration and sustainable development constitute one of the priorities in EU 2020 Agenda, in the European Commission’s Technical Co-operation and Consultancy Program for the promotion of cultural heritage and its sustainable development, in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with the recognition of culture and its administration in the majority of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in the UNESCOs Conventions.The project CUBES- ‘CUltural administration Boosting with the Engagement of Sustainability for local communities’- includes 9 partners (Homo Eminens-HE, MINDSHIFT, Sarajevo Meeting of Culture-SMOC, Xenios Polis, Culture, Science & Action-XPCSA, Center for Social Innovation-CSI, GRIPEN, NGOSC, University of Peloponnese, Department of History, Archaeology and Cultural Resources Management-UOP, Assembly of European Regions-AER) from 7 countries (Lithuania, Portugal, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Greece, Cyprus, Romania, and France). CUBES derives from the need to create and disseminate know-how regarding the sustainable administration of tangible and intangible cultural resources in order to really empower all sectors of society to own and administer their cultural resources in sustainable ways, aiming at both cultural democracy and cultural sustainability. The empowerment and actual involvement of different sectors in the governance of culture is still largely undeveloped; one reason for this is the lack of know-how that would enable the more active and knowledgeable involvement of local communities members in the sustainable administration of their heritage and cultural resources. This kind of empowerment of various sectors of society could further foster grassroots ownership of cultural assets, gradually enabling the administration of cultural heritage within a sustainability framework. In this context, CUBES targets the local communities members, local authorities leaders & representatives, public staff, NGOs & CSOs, private & public key-players in the cultural sector; its objectives are: a) to empower local communities in the participating countries with knowledge and awareness on significant aspects of cultural administration and sustainable developmentb) to provide target groups with all the necessary knowledge so that they can act as access point-role mentors in the local communities, taking up the responsibility of informing, guiding, mentoring (as Boosters, now) the other members of the communities in a series of cultural management & sustainability frameworkc) to give the chance to youth & women of these local communities to be in the leading and take the opportunity to be also these ‘boosters’ in their communities c) to take advantage of the opportunities offered by ICT and digitize the quality of learning content as a driver for systematic change in cultural administration & sustainability and for an increase in the quality of trainingd) to create and deliver innovative products and training digital tools- as tailored needs learning resources – based on differentiation methodologies and adult education approachesThe activities include respective intellectual outputs and multipliers events (National Seminars/Workshops, Final Conference); the CUBES IOs comprise of Review Paper on Parameters Mapping-IO1, Cultural Administration & Sustainability Boosters Curriculum-IO2, Digital Toolbox & Resources-IO3, Methodological Approaches Guide for Educators-IO4, Policy Paper-IO5.