"<< Background >>FROM THE SIDE OF THE PARTNERSHIP:The consortium consists of two types of organisations: training providers and secondary schools. Both profiles have encountered during the current school year the difficult reality in which TOGETHER AGAIN wants to be part of the solution. The educational centres, including the entire educational community (teachers, students, parents) have had to experience the gradual return to normality after months of confinement and distance from face-to-face classes. This long period of isolation and social distancing has had an enormous effect, especially on pupils, who have been caught in the middle of the process of psychosocial development and emotional relationships. This is why TOGETHER AGAIN is in line with the schools' need to harmonise the return to face-to-face training and the recovery of interpersonal relationships at a critical time for the protagonists.For their part, training provider organisations, especially those that actively collaborate with schools and in teacher training, have been surprised by the demand for this type of training, which until now had not been necessary. Only now, after long months of separation and absence, have we realised the need to know how to relate to each other, to harmonise interpersonal relationships and to generate healthy bonds. This is why TOGETHER AGAIN is aligned with the needs of the partners.FROM THE SIDE OF TARGET GROUPS: Taking into account the double line of TOGETHER AGAIN with respect to its target groups (teachers and secondary school students, 12-16 years old), our project fits their needs for the following reasons:STUDENTS: Sadness, anxiety, stress, apathy, fear... are some of the emotions that shake teenagers since the pandemic began. At a stage in their lives when everything is about to happen to them, they have suddenly had to slow down and press the pause button.As UNICEF points out, ""the pandemic is not only compromising our physical health. It also affects our mental health, particularly that of the most vulnerable, including children and adolescents. And it is urgent that we adults review this point, because 25% children and adolescents who have suffered isolation due to Covid-19 have depressive and/or anxiety symptoms.According to experts, it is still too early to fully assess the emotional, social and educational repercussions, but some research is already emerging. According to Miguel Hernández University (UMH), more than 85% of parents of children aged between 3 and 18 (in Spain, Italy and Portugal) noted changes in the emotional state and behaviour of their children, with the most common symptoms being difficulty concentrating (77%), lack of interest and boredom (52%), irritability (39%), worry and family arguments (30%), anxiety (28%), as well as agitation, nervousness, feelings of loneliness, restlessness..."".Despite everything, adolescence is a period in which peers are the great reference and source of satisfaction. For this reason, between the ages of 11 and 19, socialisation becomes one of the main pillars of adolescent development. In this context, the educational centre is the great context in which adolescents relate to their peers. The social aspect is of utmost importance for adolescents because it involves integration, feeling part of the group, feeling loved and valued. Children between the ages of 12 and 16 are in the midst of a formative period in all areas: academic, emotional and personal, and this pandemic has definitively changed the way they relate to each other and to society. That is why TOGETHER AGAIN is fully aligned with their needs.TEACHERS: According to a study carried out by the educational platform Kahoot!, in which more than 1,000 teachers from different countries were surveyed, 64% of the participants say that the most difficult part of the switch to distance learning was the lack of social contact with their students, as well as seeing them motivated.<< Objectives >>CONTEXT: According to the UNICEF report ""The Pandemic Classroom"" (March 2021), around 170 million children worldwide have gone more than a full year without attending face-to-face classes due to the confinements imposed by COVID-19. In addition, around 214 million (one in seven) have missed more than three quarters of face-to-face education, resulting in a serious disruption to students' habits. During these months they have lost direct contact with classmates, friends and teachers, and have been forced to manage their learning autonomously.The WEF report ""A Global Framework for Youth Mental Health"" (2020) states that because of the pandemic, 99% of the world's children and adolescents suffer from various forms of limitation of their autonomy of movement, including suspension of school attendance, and 60% live in countries with partial or total blockade, causing high levels of stress and isolation that can affect the psychophysical development of children and adolescents, even in the long term.Because for more than a year, millions of teachers and students at all levels of education in the EU have been using digital technology as an alternative tool to face-to-face education. While its use is widespread, there has been growing concern about its effects on children and adolescents, especially in the aftermath of confinement and particularly in relation to their psychosocial development.NEEDS: Science has already observed that children who suffer from social isolation experience cognitive, social and emotional difficulties in adulthood. A study conducted by Boston Children's Hospital and published in Science has shown how the brain alterations that give rise to such dysfunctions arise.It is clear that remote education in a context of confinement and affective restrictions is an important risk factor for social and emotional isolation and alienation for European children and adolescents.Thus, the study ""Health Behaviour in School-age Children"" (2020), published by the WHO Regional Office for Europe on the social behaviours of European schoolchildren aged 11-15, shows that the mental well-being of adolescents declined in many countries between 2014 and 2019, correlating among other factors with social isolation resulting from the increasing use of digital technology.Thus, the report ""Strengthening Social and Emotional Education as a core curricular area across the EU"" (2018) states:•That children and teens need concrete emotional and relational exchanges. •That these are the only real form of learning and healthy development. •The use of digital technologies can enrich and stimulate a child's experience, but it can never replace the human relationship, the source of growth.The conclusion is that confinements, restrictions, and the substitution of interpersonal social and affective relationships by the use of remote relational and educational options pose a huge risk (present and future) to healthy psychosocial development in children and adolescents. In fact, all Member State governments agree on one issue: the return to school was vital and all pupils in Europe should return to face-to-face classes as soon as health conditions make it possible. SOLUTION: TOGETHER AGAIN aims to support European children and adolescents through a training plan that strengthens their intrapersonal and interpersonal skills and competences by working on emotional intelligence, psychosocial and affective development at a key moment for the establishment of these areas.Our vision is to alleviate the consequences of the isolation and social distancing that children have experienced as a result of the measures imposed to control the pandemic. These include virtual education, which has deprived children of social and emotional relationships with their peer groups.TARGET GROUPS:-Secondary school students (12-16 years old).-Secondary school teachers.<< Implementation >>TOGETHER AGAIN consists of a training plan that will implement the tools and resources proposed by Emotional Intelligence for the development of interpersonal and intrapersonal competences in the target groups (teachers and students in Secondary school). The final goal is to compensate for the deficits in their psychosocial development generated by the isolation and social distancing imposed for the control of the pandemicFollowing these general lines, and in order to achieve the expected results, the partnership has planned has designed a meticulous plan which, in its implementation phase (subsequent to the preparation of this proposal) starts with the KOM. This first meeting will set the bases of the project, going through the goals and dividing the task and responsibilities. In this way, it will be a key point in the establishment of the Steering committee, Promotion and Quality Committee. According to the sections described in this application form, the first set of activities will be directed toward the establishment of working groups, who will be responsible for activities concerning the detailed working plan for the three PR of the project. TRANSVERSAL ACTIVITIES will cover aspects such as project management, monitoring and evaluation, dissemination and former exploitation of the results and contents of the project. They will last the whole duration of the project as described in the dissemination element of this application.PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION activities led by the project coordinator will also include the Quality Control activities, risk assessment and prevention activities, financial management and coordination of all partners in financial reporting as well as content reporting, organizing project meetings and online meetings, monitoring and addressing all issues and problems as they appear, as well as providing all national activities (research, promotion, etc.). AN INTERNAL AREA for project management and administration will be generated at the first stages of the project in order to facilitate communication, interchange of ideas, comments, files and materials between partners, as well as collaboration in the general management of TOGETHER AGAIN.FOUR TP will facilitate cooperate and partnership working amongst the project partners and support the management and delivery of key project activities and outcomes. Moreover, a series of four MULTIPLIER EVENTS are designed to promote the PRs and facilitate ongoing engagement with target groups.All PR will be implemented at a regional scale for regular personal contacts, keeping travel efforts low, and strengthening regional networks. They is the core of the project and all transversal, management and preparation activities are focused on the right execution of innovative and attractive training system for the target depicted in the description of the project. Thus, PR1 is the umbrella and departure point for all the activities in the Project, focusing on Secondary school teachers as a primary target group. PR2 will make emphasis in the relationship between teachers (adults) and students (teenagers), paying attention to the different perspective of each target group and the diverse way in which both have lived the time far from face-to-face school. Finally, in PR3, the partnership will focus especifically on students aged 12-16, the final beneficiaries of TOGETHER AGAIN. We will attention to how they resume interpersonal relationships, avoiding situations of risk or confrontation caused by social alienation and recovering the new normal after a critical period in their lives.<< Results >>TOGETHER AGAIN will produce two kind of outcomes:-Those related to content (Project Results)-Those related to management and implementationOur project will develop and test three Project Results with this outcomes:-PR1. A handbook for Secondary teachers on social emotional competences and a toolbox (20 practical tools) for teachers on interpersonal skills.-PR2. A practical bank of resources for teachers to relearn to interact with students.-PR3. Resource kit for student-to-student post Covid-19 relationships. More in detail, the project will produce the following minor deliverables:* Deliverables related to the activities of Management (also described in this application form):- Managing guidelines;- Reporting procedure and administrative guidelines;- 4 transnational meetings + meeting minutes.* Deliverables related to Monitoring and evaluation (also described in this application form):- Evaluation tools: meetings evaluation questionnaire, project progress questionnaire, Project Results evaluation tools and multiplier events evaluation questionnaire.- Evaluation Reports: mid-term and final evaluation report, Project Results reports;- Project risks analysis. * Deliverables related to the activities of promotion and sustainability (also described in this application form):- Project graphic design;- Social networks profiles;- Project website;- Project mailing list;- Newsletters;- Informative brochure; - In the Multiplier Events (E1-E4) the project consortium will hold workshops in order to ensure the sustainability of the project results beyond the project partnership and project’ lifetime.- In the training activity (C1) the result will be a train-the-trainers for 18 staff members in order to test and develop in practice and with real targets the tools and competences described and developed in the three PR."

"<< Background >>Population ageing is one of the most significant demographic and social trends of the 21st century. Although it is a global phenomenon, it is particularly pronounced in European countries. According to Eurostat, (August, 2020) there are more than 90 million people aged 65 and over living in the EU-27, which is more than 20% of the total population.Moreover, according to a report by the Council of Europe Development Bank in January 2014, the proportion of people aged 65 and over is expected to reach 29% of the total population in the coming years, to represent some 150 million individuals. Another important feature is the rapid increase in the proportion of the ""elderly"" (80 years and older), expected to almost triple from 4% to 11% of the population, representing some 64 million individuals. As life expectancy increases and treatments for life-threatening disease become more effective, the issue of maintaining wellbeing at advanced ages is growing in importance, and not only from a physical point of view, but also mental and emotional. For some, growing older is a positive experience. However, there are also critical issues during this phase of life. Ageing can have a significant impact on the mental health. It is often associated with loss of status and loss of organisation of daily activities associated with working life, as well as the perception of a markedly reduced role in life, with few social relationships. Older people often suffer from the gradual loss of close friends, family and partners, deterioration of functional ability, sense of purpose in life and poverty. Fear of losing their independence is also common in this age group.In general, older people in Europe feel less content with their lives than younger people, with greater differences in feelings of life satisfaction and happiness between the age groups. Depression or anxiety, which are the most common mental disorders, are very often found in old age, with depression affecting 10-15% of people over 75. (Eurostat, July 2020)Moreover, in addition to the profound and immediate impact on quality of life, depression in older people is a risk factor for functional dysfunction and may portend premature death. Older people with depression are two to three times more likely to have two or more chronic diseases, and two to six times more likely to have at least one limitation in their activities of daily living compared to younger age groups. Depression in older people also increases the frequency and cost of professional help and the risk of premature admission to a nursing home.Psychological wellbeing may even be a protective factor in health, reducing the risk of chronic physical illness and promoting longevity. Good physical health is associated with good mental health. Poor physical health is associated with poor mental health. Older people talk about health in a holistic way, combining both mental and physical aspects. In this sense, Emotional Intelligence is one of the strengths that in balance make up a valuable and confident person, both on a personal level and in relation to the people around them. EI has been defined as the ability of an individual to identify, understand and manage the emotional content of their interactions and experiences (Goleman, 1995).Reaching an emotionally healthy old age, knowing how to appreciate the present, adjusting to each moment, adapting to the environment and of course developing a relaxed and optimistic approach is synonymous with active and successful ageing.And this is where EmoSeniors can be beneficial and necessary for seniors and also for caregivers (target groups in our project), as it will help them to cope with the new stage they are facing as well as the changes. To this end, emotional management must be a priority for the elderly and is necessary in order to enable them in dimensions such as empathy, emotional regulation or social skills, favouring in a remarkable way the ageing process itself<< Objectives >>The vision of our project is to have a positive impact on the lives of the target group and to positively improve their situation and integration into society and, ultimately, their quality of life.The final purposes of this project are to: a) Foster the development of EI at a time of senescence to improve the quality of life in their final stage.b) improve skills as a caregiver by promoting transversal EQ skills to better both their quality of life and that of the person being cared for. MAIN GOAL: to support older people to mitigate the negative impacts on their physical and mental health from social isolationEmoSeniors pursues the following objectives with CAREGIVERS (MAIN TARGET GROUP), but also with SENIORS who will be the FINAL BENEFICIARIES of the project:- Develop emotional skills to overcome social obstacles, such as isolation and loneliness.- Regulate their emotional states to improve their psychological and physical well-being. - Improve an individual's perception of the ageing process and how older people can adapt to changing circumstances.SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:- Make seniors able to socialize and improve emotional functioning- Make seniors able to face aging with optimism to adapt to the changes generated and help them to accept old age as a stage of adaptive adjustment, rather than a phase of mere psychophysical decline.- Make seniors understand how emotions work, how they can manage them better, and teach them to recognize other people’s needs.- Help seniors to understand the importance of EI to improve their mental and physical health.- Reduce the occurrence and duration of the negative emotions that appear as a consequence of stressful situations.- Help seniors and caregivers to overcome difficult situations and emerge stronger from them.- Enhance individual perception of the aging process and how the elderly may adapt to changing circumstances.- To provide caregivers with training content that will help them improve their quality of life and relationships with the people they care for.- Motivate carers and increase their level of satisfaction with their care because of their ability to manage their relationships and self-esteem in an emotionally intelligent way.- Benefit the whole of society by maintaining older people’s social and economic contributions, minimising the costs of care and improving quality of life.- Create a training system with tools- Disseminate the results of this training to other institutions that could benefit this output<< Implementation >>Project is divided into 2 types of work packages:1. PROJECT RESULTS (PR), responsibility for 4 PRs lies with the Results leader. Detailed description of work plan, division of task and responsibilities of partners is included in section: Project Results. Each PR has an individual leader reporting always to the coordinator.2. MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION WORK PACKAGES – (financed under the item Management and Implementation) cover the whole project duration.There are 3 main work packages under the item Management and Implementation including following fields of activity:1) MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION:A. DOCUMENTATION: all templates and needed documents: project documentation, contracts, timesheets, reporting, etc.B. COMMUNICATION AND MEETINGS: transnational meetings, internal staff meetings dealing with the project itself and the intermediate inline meetings, internal staff meetings organised by partners at country level. Communication is described in detail below.C. PROGRESS REPORTING: reporting the work done and following steps achieved, milestones, reporting PRs, activities and events: progress of results, international meetings, multiplier events and other activities by partners.D. BUDGET CONTROL AND FINANCIAL REPORTING: tasks and responsibilities as well as procedure of reporting are described in section: budget control and time managementE. TIME MANAGEMENT - described in section: budget control and time managementF. HANDLING RISKS – described in detail below.The responsibility for work package 1 lies with Project Coordinator (CEN). 2) QUALITY ASSURANCE AND EVALUATION:A. preparation of Quality Assurance Plan, under the responsibility of CENB. setting qualitative and quantitative indicatorsC. quality checks and quality assessment of the PRs – realised under PRs, included in PR as integrated part of products development processD. Evaluation of the project – all quality and evaluation indicators related to fields different than PRs – quality of management, communication, evaluation of meetings and promotion activities etc.E. final evaluation of the project’s success – does the project meet the goals, the potential of results, potential to sustain.Tasks under this item are presented in details in appropriate sections of this application form.The responsibility for work package 2 lies with Quality Assurance Leader (CEN) who cooperates with Quality Assurance Group (QAG) on a regular basis.3) PROMOTION A. Promotion plan with measures and indicatorsB. Graphic standardsC. Visualization of the project: logo, colours, templates of documentsD. Project websiteE. coordination of promotion in partner’s Social networks (FB, LinkedIn, YouTube)F. newslettersThe responsibility for work package 3 lies with Promotion Leader (Eesti people to people) which cooperates with Promotion Group (DG) on a regular basisMoreover, and as a transversal activity, the partnership has agreed a green protocol, preparing our staff to become true agents of change. Thus, all partners are committed to protect the environment with the following list of actions that are part of the values of the project:- In face-to-face sessions, there are no plastic waste emissions.- Paper is no longer used in any of the project's processes or outputs.- Find the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation for the TPMs.- Preferential use of collective and less polluting modes of transportation for travel (train if possible).- Priority for airlines that are committed to using fuel in an environmentally friendly manner.- Meetings with a distance of zero kilometers. This eliminates the need for transportation between the hotel and the event site.<< Results >>TANGIBLE RESULTS:To achieve the objectives of the project four Project Results will be developed, tested and multiplied: The project will develop four Project Results: * PR1. Self-Evaluation Tool. The consortium will define a list of the 12 areas of greatest emotional impact for older people and, based on these, develop a self-assessment tool for carers to discover their level of knowledge and competence in these areas.* PR2. Training system for caregivers. Based on the results of PR1, the partnership will develop a training programme for caregivers to increase their theoretical and practical competences to deal with these emotional difficulties in their daily work with the elderly.* PR3. The consortium will create a board game for the elderly, the final beneficiaries of our project.* PR4. The consortium will adapt the board game developed in PR3 to digital format.RESULTS RELATED TO MANAGEMENT- Managing guidelines;- Reporting procedure and administrative guidelines;- 5 transnational meetings + meeting minutes.- 4 intermediate online meetingsRESULTS RELATED TO QUALITY AND EVALUATION- Evaluation tools: meetings evaluation questionnaire, project progress questionnaire, Project Results evaluation tools and multiplier events evaluation questionnaire.- Evaluation Reports: mid-term and final evaluation report, Project Results reports;- Project risks analysis.RESULTS RELATED TO PROMOTION- Project graphic design;- Social networks profiles;- Project website;- Project mailing list;- Newsletters;- Informative brochure;INTANGIBLE DIRECT RESULTS:- Developed knowledge and skills of teachers and teenagers in testing project outputs on how to manage their emotions.- Increased awareness of the need to manage the teachers and teenagers´ emotions in their day by day. ADDITIONAL OUTCOMES FOR PARTNERS:- Increased capacity of partners and associated partners through expanded offer of their organizations with free solutions available to customers and recipients;- On the basis of international cooperation among diverse partners, experience exchange, and mutual learning, partners' experience and potential have been developed.- Partner collaboration should be strengthened.- Partners' image as those who undertake innovative initiatives and promote an innovative approach has been reinforced. The consortium will use the results of the project, exploiting them with different objectives, in other initiatives on the same topic, disseminating them through all its channels and applying them in its internal working dynamics."