<< Background >>In the EU-28, there are 17 million young people who are neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET). The 21st century, characterized by a fast-moving global economy, economic crisis, and many challenges of post-industrial society is considered a risk factor for the new generations to construct their future career paths, to school-to-work transition and social exclusion and marginalization. As the Eurostat (2021) shows, the NEET problem is urgent because its implications are two-fold: on a personal level, young are more likely and to suffer social exclusion; on a social level, they represent a considerable loss in terms of unused productive capacity and a high welfare payments cost.The psychological literature highlights that in this environment adolescents have difficulty thinking of their future: fear, insecurity, anxiety seems to replace the experiences of trust, security, and hope. In this scenario, it is important to support adolescents by promoting a positive vision of the future and to be proactive, stimulating the propensity to manage changes adaptively, with versatility, flexibility and enhancing hope and optimism for a meaningful future. NEFELE aims to impact at an upper level: through new teaching approaches for teachers, the project will promote a pedagogy that considers vocational and positive youth development. Acting on a teacher education level guarantee a relevant snowball effect (teachers and then adolescents). The actions of NEFELE focuses on Teacher Education: teachers are called upon to provide students with the support for developing skills and competences related to the transitions between different stages of education (high school-to-university) and/or school-to-work, promoting flexibility and adaptability, and a vision of the future that goes towards hope and optimism. NEFELE’s actions aim to tackle a crucial period for pupils future planning, i.e. middle school. Early adolescence (11-12 y.o.) is the active precursory engagement to develop initial career adaptabilities, concern about the future and confidence in future career choices. Following this rationale, it is strategic to impact on initial ITE and CPD. Being the teachers as scaffolders of adolescents’ career planning, it is urgent to train pre-service and in-service teachers of middle school, not adequately trained in this sense during university courses, to carry out this pedagogical need.<< Objectives >>NEFELE will model an innovative teaching methodologies for middle school teachers. Studies demonstrate the link between the role of teacher and adolescents career decision, but the teachers are not trained in HEI on these topics. NEFELE will impact on HEI courses through teachers in ITE courses and CPD who can impact on adolescentsNEFELE project fosters synergies between research and innovation in the field of education, supporting effective and innovative pedagogies and promoting new technologies as drivers of improvements in HE. The project aims to impact HE practices by improving innovative teacher methodologies for middle school teachers in supporting adolescents career construction’ based on Massive Open Online Courses, Tangible User Interfaces, and Open Educational Resources. MOOC will allow the implementation of the new learning methodology (first project result, PR1) impacting the pre-service and in-service teachers. Users will also be trained in the MOOC use (second project result) and in the game (NEFELE BOX, third project result) to be used in the middle school curricula, enhancing their digital skills. The game applies the TUI paradigm to enhance adolescents’ 21st-century career skills (e.g., curiosity, fantasy, creativity) and positive future orientation. Thus, the project aims to bridge the virtual environment of most game-based learning tools with the physical and tangible characteristics of real objects. TUIs paradigm presupposes the innovative aspect of the hybrid approach: digital and physical world at the same time. Finally, NEFELE tools will be shareable and usable in an open online repository (NEFELE PLATFORM, four project result). This platform will exploit the gamification principles, sharing OERs, and directly fostering digital skills. The actions contained in the NEFELE project are implemented to take positive and long-lasting effects through MOOCs, TUIs, and OERs in HEI courses. CONCRETE OBJECTIVES - Design an innovative methodological framework for enhancing Teacher Education courses in HEIs to teacher support in adolescents' career construction and producing guidelines and policy recommendation for enhancing HEI courses.- Design, implement and validate a training model in a MOOC based on the methodological framework for enhancing HEI courses.- Develop an authoring tool that allows the creation for the teachers of exercises and games as OERs for middle school pupils based on Tangible User Interfaces.- Develop a shared Platform based on a Gamification Approach to make the OERs. The platform also includes guidelines and recommendations to support career construction through enhancing HEI courses.- Promote and disseminate the project results at institutional, national, and EU levels by fostering a freely and easily adoption to policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and stakeholders.<< Implementation >>NEFELE project aims to reach the objectives with a 30-months project that involves 6 Partners from 5 different countries: Italy, Greece, Spain, Switzerland, Netherland.The project involves 4 higher education institutions, 1 company and 1 network of Universities in the field of distance education.NEFELE partnership includes:- UNINA (University of Naples) in Italy, the partner leader, that will bring its expertise in the in the areas of psychological and cognitive sciences, as well as in developed learning platforms and methodologies, including manipulative technologies, game-based learning, gamification and online courses.- UVEG (University of Valencia) in Spain which has a long tradition of Positive Psychology studies to promote well-being and health in adolescents.- HOU (Hellenic Open University) in Greece, which develops and maintenances online platforms and it is expert in the development and delivery of online courses and MOOCs- SUSPI (Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana) in Switzerland, which is recognized as a Teacher Training Professional University (centuries-old tradition) and provide its leading role in career guidance for adolescents.- SM (Smarted srl) in Italy, is a SME that will represent the technological branch of the NEFELE project bringing its expertise in applying technologies and innovative methodologies in education, included the paradigm of Tangible User Interfaces.- EADTU (European Association of Distance Teaching Universities) will bring to the Consortium its evaluation competences and an excellent network to reapply the NEFELE training course in different countries. EADTU is the leading institutional network for innovative online, open and flexible universities and is at the heart of the modernization agenda. These countries constitute a representative sample of Europe and can be replicated across other member states with the effort of the EADTU that is a network of 25 countries covering 200 universities.The project encompasses three main phases:Project investigation: the consortium wants to create an ad hoc, new, and innovative framework for teachers starting from Career Development Framework, Positive Youth Development Framework, and the TUIs Methodology. Specifically, the TUIs are natural candidates to lead a revamping of the classical psycho-pedagogical practices. These activities will be integrated and re-thinking to be useful strategies in teachers' hands. This first project result created a theoretical and methodological framework that be implemented in Teacher Education This prototype framework will be the input for the development of the MOOC, the NEFELE BOX, and the creation of OERs materials available on the NEFELE PLATFORM.ToolsDesign and creation of the tools usable by the teacher training. The consortium intends to create a MOOC through the definition of the Training Approach, and the syllabus based on the outcomes of the first project result.The second tool is the NEFELE BOX based on the TUIs paradigm. The final part of the MOOC will contain practical examples of the use of the NEFELE BOX. The tools will be presented in E6.PlatformCreation of the NEFELE PLATFORM to make the tools of the training model open, shareable and usable. Contents as OERs (produced by the Consortium and the participants during the co-design events) will be shared. The training model available on the Platform will be compliant with the norms of CPD programs and certification systems at stake in each country. The platform will make all the contents of the project shareable, guidelines and good practices for educational practitioners, policy recommendations, and allow the uploading of all contents to those who will use the NEFELE training model.<< Results >>Through the project results, the Consortium expects to enhance HE courses by providing innovation in Teaching Education. NEFELE (from ancient Greek, Νεφέλη) in Greek mythology is a nymph of the clouds. It is the name given to a magic cloud, which was modeled by Zeus guided by the appearance of Era. Providing adolescents with space to metaphorically look at and shape the clouds is meant to be a way to train their aspirations. Teachers can help pupils by developing these tasks. Thanks to its novel approach, the Partnership expects to achieve results at different levels and moments:SHORT-TERM- Sustainable training model for enhancing support adolescents’ career construction in middle school practice.- Enhancing teachers’ competences and digital skills by NEFELE training model. Co-design workshops (E2, E3, E4) are planned also to empower teachers’ digital skills through the implementation of the NEFELE box. Other teachers, teacher educators, and professionals in the field of education not involved in the events will have the possibility to learn these competences using the MOOC. Finally, users then add the OERs elements in the Platform to access digital creativity. Distance and blended learning needs are current topics in Teacher Education policy recommendations and curricula, not usually address appropriately.MEDIUM-TERM- Effect of the platform on other not directly involved in the project. We expect that the NEFELE PLATFORM is used by middle school teachers, educators, psychologists. It would be desirable that other people involved in adolescents' career choice can find inspiration from the OERs and then use, re-use, and adapt those resources.- Impact on adolescents. Teachers will use the new pedagogy in middle school classrooms, impacting adolescents. It will increase several 21st-century future-oriented skills (i.e., curiosity, fantasy, imagination, interests) enhancing career decision-making and future positive vision. The final goal is to bring adolescents to start “shaping their NEFELE”.- Use of NEFELE BOX in guidance practices. NEFELE dissemination and exploitation activities will boost the adoption of the BOX as a useful tool in the orientation practice of students in different settings (e.g., career guidance centers).LONG-TERM-Integration of the NEFELE model in HEI. The HEIs are expected to play a central role in the experience of integrating the project results into their policy and educational activities, internalizing it as a strategy and tools to integrate their activities. The open methodology of NEFELE is useful for this purpose.- Integration of the NEFELE training model in CPD programs. We expect that the open training (available on the NEFELE platform) and certified to users can be integrated into the curricula of in-service teachers and other professionals in the field of education.- Reducing NEET-rate. The pedagogical and technological approach has the final impact of reducing the NEET phenomenon, applying early prevention with actions on teacher education. We expect a long-term impact on career choices and transition points (i.e., from middle school to high school, from high school to university, school-to-work).

<< Objectives >>The Project aims to:1) developing a model of increasing language competences2) promoting new innovative educational practices, including in particular the use of the latesttechnological advances3) developing and making available an attractive, intuitive, multilingual and engaging tool, which will be accessible without restrictions free of charge due to, among others, age, place of residence, wealth, mode of education, etc.<< Implementation >>The project will consist of the following activities:- Development of the game prototype- Testing the prototype- Development of additional game scenarios by partners- Translation of the game into the languages of the partners- Testing of the game scenarios in the wider circle of potential users<< Results >>The main result of the project is to create a tool which will combine knowledge from many areas, supporting multidimensional education of the participants. Knowledge of experts from various fields will be used, while the tool itself will include provenmechanisms for building e-learning engagement.Results are:- Development of different game scenarios covering intercultural issues- Providing the game in partner languages- Strengthening the intl. collaboration between Partners

<< Background >>This project aims to increase the resilience competencies of mental health professionals (MHPs) in Europe, through non-formal distance-learning training. Specifically, the project will focus on factors that buffer the effects of work-related stressors on MHPs, who are at risk of burn-out and compassion fatigue, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project also aims to boost their psychological resilience against work adversities and enhance thus the quality of mental – health care provision.Covid situation has serious effects in the mental health of most people with longitudinal studies to show increase in anxiety, depression, and symptoms of PTSD (Wang et al., 2020; Gaur et al., 2020; Brooks et al., 2020; Argyropoulos et al., 2021). This situation has a serious impact in MHPs as they have to deal with more clinical cases, severe relapses and more serious psychological symptoms, when at the same time they have to deal with the impact of covid situation in themselves, in their families and loved ones.Additionally to this difficult social situation, MHPs are also exposed to secondary traumatization, while trying to stay empathetically connected to people suffering. In the literature, secondary traumatization is described as compassion fatigue (Lakioti et al., 2020). Compassion fatigue affects all caring professions (such as counselors, nurses, doctors and teachers) and the most common symptoms are chronic physical and emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, feelings of inequity, touchiness, headaches, loss of weight and negative feelings toward work, life and others outside the caring relationship (Negash & Sahin, 2011). Especially for MHPs, compassion fatigue is also linked with self-contempt, feelings of low job satisfaction, psychosomatic ailments, absenteeism or substance abuse (Singh et al., 2020).The most appropriate way to protect and empower MHPs is the training in techniques that help them build psychological resilience. Psychological resilience refers to the maintenance or recovery of one’s mental health, when subjected to stress, adversity, or traumatic experience (Rutter, 1999). In the workplace, resilience is mainly focused on the mitigation of stress effects, through behaviors that enhance positive adaptation and positive functioning (Tusaie & Dyer, 2004). Also, current results in psychotherapy research examining the therapists’ contribution to patients’ outcomes indicate the importance of therapists’ wellbeing and resilience. Specifically, Pereira et al. (2017) showed through multilevel modelling therapists’ resilience and wellbeing to be positively associated with therapists’ effectiveness and patient outcomes (Pereira et al., 2017). Consequently, in these difficult times for MHPs the need to support them and train them properly to face the adversity of their jobs and everyday lives becomes comparative.Yet, research and implementation strategies to combat work-related stress and compassion fatigue in mental health care have mainly focused on tackling the risks instead of increasing the protective resources that sustain and promote resilience against work challenges, thus rendering a more comprehensive and multi-disciplinary training approach warranted.Building resilience after the COVID-19 era, is one of the main competencies that should be developed, especially to the MHPs, due to the pressure and exhausting circumstances that these professionals face due to the pandemic breakdown. Furthermore, this project aims to empower their competencies, such as resilience, IT skills, etc. for being more efficient and for reducing the possibilities of burn-outs and compassion fatigue due to work overload and due to the severity of the clinical cases. Consequently, training MHPs in techniques that help them face the adversity in a way that promotes personal and professional growth will be of great help not only for them but also for the clients they work with.<< Objectives >>Globally, people experience enormous mental health challenges, whether they are infected with COVID-19 or not (Tandon, 2020). These challenges affect different groups of people (general population, COVID-19 patients, elderly, healthcare workers, marginalized population) differently in terms of its nature and severity. Research shows that mental healthcare need during this COVID-19 pandemic is high among the general population (Roy et al., 2020) and that mental health of MHPs is affected adversely (Galbraith et al., 2020). As the number of mental health issues related to COVID-19 is emerging exponentially, it puts the MHPs under tremendous pressure. Other than dealing the mental health issues, MHPs are also engaged in additional responsibility, which is likely to increase their stress and adversely affect their own mental health.The COVID-19 has a great impact on healthcare workers that includes negative mental health outcomes, such as post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms. There is a common belief that MHPs have strong mental health abilities to deal with challenges and are expected to be strong and free from stress. However, they are also humans and vulnerable to frustrations, stress and depression and this notion stigmatizes psychiatry and mental health professionals (Kumar Kar, 2020). The project aims to equip MHPs with innovative educational tools aimed to enhance their resilience, wellbeing, the level of knowledge, skills, and resources from the scope of Positive Psychology, the science of happiness, and its applications in Adult and VET Education through Positive Counselling. More specifically, the target groups of this project are the following: (1) Mental healthcare professionals (Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Psychotherapists, Social Workers, Counsellors, Mental Health Nurses, Occupational and Speech Therapists), who are at high risk of burnout due to increased work-related stressors because of the pandemic and the type of their profession. (2) VET Providers (adult trainers, social workers, educators, psychologists, counselors, coaches), who work with mental health professionals. (3) Indirect target group are the end-users (people who receive mental healthcare services).OBJECTIVES-To address current needs and challenges of MHPs to cope with COVID-19 related stress and face secondary traumatic situations.-To quip MHPs with the resilience competencies required in order to minimize risk factors and cultivate protective factors against work-related stress and burnout; and thus, be able to provide a higher quality service to their clients. -Το engage MHPs in self-care evidence-based practices derived from the field of Positive Psychology to deal with work related stressors and prevent job burnout.-To enhance health professionals’ and VET trainers’ digital skills and creativity through the resilience exercises to confront practical COVID-19 consequences.-To equip MHPs and VET providers with useful resources that will empower the mental healthcare professions.-To provide non-formal educational methods that can be combined with formal education.-To provide interactive digital resources, which will be available to trainers-educators and health professionals to improve achievement in high-level basic and transversal competences in a lifelong learning perspective to confront work-related adversities.-To promote the effective provision of healthcare, taking into consideration the significance of providers’ resilience competencies for a cost-effective healthcare system that is efficient against the new challenge of COVID-19 pandemic.-To increase awareness and sensitize the decision-makers of educational and health policies in the partner countries concerning the critical role and needs of healthcare providers.-To set off an international conversation and create a Positive Community between health professionals and intercultural dialogue on ways to protect them from COVID-19 related stress.<< Implementation >>POSITIVE ACADEMY will implement the following activities. To come up with the Baseline Report and Digital Storytelling Clips (R1), the partners will explore the resilience skills, resources, and competences that MHPs and VET providers need to cultivate. Questionnaires on the training needs of MHPs will be administered in each partner country to elicit information regarding the resources, skills, and competencies they employ to cope with work-related stressors during the pandemic. A virtual focus group will help identify additional training needs of MHPs and explore their expectations regarding training material, while 4 digital storytelling clips will be conducted and recorded, where storytellers will share their personal experiences. Each partner will sum up the data at national level, and all national reports will be integrated in the Final Baseline Report that will set the main thematic areas, based on which the project’s training material will be developed. Each country will organize a short online dissemination event with MHPs, VET trainers, and stakeholders, who will be encouraged to disseminate the outcomes and use them in their job. POSITIVE ACADEMY’s e-kit training content (R2) for the development of MHPs’ resilience skills will then be created. The theoretical framework of resilience and hands-on activities will be developed. Piloting and evaluation will take place to improve training materials and guidelines, including an online train-the-trainer webinar on how to use the training platform, a joint activity to get the main trainers trained and prepared for the forthcoming piloting period and the implementation of the Webinars with the trainees. The e-kit contents will be finalised and will be freely accessible on the project platform for the pilot participants, after they register their interest and affiliation with mental health organizations. A short online dissemination event will be organized by each partner.The E-POSITIVE ACADEMY for MHPs will then be created (R3). A digital platform including a Serious Game for Moodle and an E-Kit will be developed where the R2 material will be uploaded as e-Courses to the Digital Learning Platform. R3 aims to enhance MHPs’ resilience by linking experiential learning scenarios and adult education methodologies with resilience building resources. R3 will integrate different interactive areas of the Learning Platform, which will facilitate online interaction and networking. The Digital Learning Environment, connected to the project website, will include storytelling clips (from R1), training methodologies, activities and tools, and the Serious Game for resilience-building that will provide a virtual role-play simulation for MHPs, and will launch as a mobile and a web app. The digital content will be used for online/offline self-study and self-growth. Piloting and evaluation will take place with three events so that feedback can be provided: an online train-the-trainer webinar on how to use the training platform and the Serious Game, a face-to-face joint activity where participants will interact with other Serious Game users, and a national pilot where each country will demonstrate locally the Serious Game to participants and conduct a virtual Focus Group. Gained competences by trainees will be certified, providing the opportunity for a Network of certified MHPs to arise. A short online dissemination event will be organized by each partner.This links to R4, which aims to create a non-formal Network of representative organizations and MHPs all around Europe. The consortium will organize 5 European Info Days (1 per month) where the “Positive Community” members will sign a Memorandum of Collaboration, followed by the generation of a “Dream Project” idea regarding the promotion of MHPs psychological resilience, wellbeing and job flourishing, with the ultimate goal to ensure ways to continue their Network even after the project’s completion.<< Results >>POSITIVE ACADEMY is expected to produce four distinct results:R1 Baseline Report and Digital Storytelling Clips: R1 aims to identify resilience skills, resources, and competences that MHPs and VET providers should enhance. Questionnaires on the training needs of MHPs will provide information regarding their coping strategies against work-related and COVID-19 related stressors. A virtual focus group to identify the training needs of MHPs and explore their expectations regarding training material will be held in each country. Four digital personal experiences storytelling clips based on the Role Models technique will be conducted and recorded. All these data gathered will be summed up in the national reports that will be consequently integrated into the Final Baseline Report. The document will be available on the project platform and will set the main thematic areas, based on which the training material of the project will be developed.R2 E-kit material for the development of MHPs’ resilience skills: The training material will be based on EQF (European Qualification Framework) and ECVET (European Credit system for Vocational Education & Training) guidelines. Training contents entail description of learning outcomes based on the Needs Analysis, integration of resources that fit the learning objectives, and definition of total learning hours (e.g. hands-on practice, self-study). Training materials will include the theoretical framework of resilience from the Positive Psychology perspective, together with hands-on activities that will combine different methodologies and techniques. The e-kit contents will be finalized after piloting and evaluation procedures and will be freely accessible on the project platform for the participants in the pilot. An innovative training methodology that will meet the need for empowering MHPs’ resilience is essential nowadays that virtual environments are becoming the main mode of working and studying.R3 E-POSITIVE ACADEMY for MHPs: a digital platform including a Serious Game for Moodle and an E-Kit will be created. The Digital Learning Environment, connected to the project website, will include storytelling clips (from R1), training methodologies, activities and tools, and the Serious Game for resilience-building that will provide a virtual role-play simulation and create a space for reflection and sharing for MHPs. R3 will facilitate online interaction and networking by encouraging engagement with the contents and the Serious Game, aiming to enhance MHPs’ resilience by linking experiential learning scenarios and adult education methodologies with resilience building resources. The digital material will be finalized after piloting and evaluation procedures and will be used for online/offline self-study and self-growth. Certification based on the ECVET accreditation system will be given to trainees for gained competencies. Thus, a Network of certified MHPs will be created that will maximize the impact of the project. The gamification approach combined with the Positive Psychology theoretical framework that underpins R2, will create a powerful tool and promote deep learning, while the Serious Game that will lunch as an app on Google Play for mobile devices and as a web app will strengthen the impact of R3.R4 European Mental Healthcare Community: Five EU Info Days (one per month) will be held to gather (trans)national MHPs, MHP associations, organizations, and local authorities. This Network will address MHPs’ wellbeing and will focus on the creation of a “Positive community” involved in training and dissemination activities. A Memorandum of Future Collaboration will be signed aiming to sustain the project outcomes after its completion. A report of the “Dream Project” idea that will accrue from a Virtual Discussion on promoting MHPs’ psychological resilience, wellbeing and job flourishing will be established by the consortium partners, which will participate in the Closing Multiplier event.

The summary is in English

<< Objectives >>IA-ME purpose is to support teachers in the assessment, monitoring, planning of tailored educational plans for SEN students, using an innovative AI-based tool.IA-ME has three main objectives:-To increase school institutions awareness about the most inclusive technologies to be applied in inclusive education-To provide teachers with digital tools to automatize and standardize teaching process of SEN students-To increase teachers’ professional skills in taking on students with SEN.<< Implementation >>The activities that IA-ME wants to implement, organised in 5 WP, are:-project management and coordination within Partnership-drafting guidelines for teachers in implementing ICTs in inclusive education-design of the AI-based tool, enable to support teacher in fostering inclusive education -development of a MOOC for teachers, based on the application of the ultimate technology for teaching with SEN students -development of EU guidelines for the personalization of teaching paths for SEN stude<< Results >>IA-ME main results will be:-a manual containing guidelines for teachers in implementing ICTs in inclusive education-an innovative multilingual AI-based web app, able to automatically assess each pupil’s needs, define tailored educational objectives, and suggest inclusive technology to reach them-a MOOC for the continuous professional development of teachers dealing with SEN pupils.-an handbook, containing EU guidelines for the personalization of teaching path with SEN students.