"CONTEXT The R.E.M.I.D.A. project intends to contribute to countering the problem of social exclusion of over-45 disadvantaged adults, in line with the actions implemented by Member States. Unemployment in the more adult age group risks to become crystallized over time, also because it often concerns poorly-educated workers, with low qualifications or with out-of-date qualifications and skills, immigrants or ex-prisoners. Therefore, the actions supporting the social inclusion of the over 45 adults at risk are fundamental. AIM The project ""REMIDA - Renewed Models for the Inclusion of Disadvantaged Adults"" was created with the aim of supporting the social and working inclusion of adults 45+ at risk of exclusion (low qualifications and skills, obsolete skills, immigrants...) by defining and testing an innovative model of intervention, aimed at achieving personal empowerment and enhancing the informal and non-formal skills / abilities of this target group.PARTICIPANTS NUMBER AND PROFILEThe direct target group (at least 50% women):- operators working for the social inclusion of disadvantaged adults;- adults 45+ at risk of social-work exclusion;- representatives and / or managers of adult education, training, assessment and guidance organizations;- experts / researchers in adult education methodologies;- representatives of the PA.ACTIVITIES DESCRIPTIONThe project schedules the realization of activities such as:-IO1: ""DEFINITION AND EXPERIMENTATION OF A NEW MODEL OF INTERVENTION FOR THE SOCIAL AND WORKING INCLUSION OF ADULTS OVER 45 AT RISK OF EXCLUSION "":-JOINT STAFF TRAINING EVENT (C1);-dissemination activities: 8 MULTIPLIERS EVENT in the countries of the participating organizations.METHODOLOGY TO BE USED IN THE REALIZATION OF THE PROJECTThe proposed methodology is the result of the union, within a pedagogical framework for adult education, between the Lego Serious Play model, adapted to the target audience, and the consolidated methods for the assessment and orientation of adults.MAIN INTANGIBLE RESULTS1. definition of an innovative model of intervention for the personal empowerment of 45+ adults at risk of social-working exclusion. This model comes from adaptation of the Lego Serious Play principles to the adult 45+ target and its alignment with consolidated methodologies for adult education, training assessment and orientation.2. upskilling of operators of adult education centers, engaged in activities in favor of adults 45+ at risk of social exclusion.3. support to European processes for enhancing informal and non-formal skills / abilities of this target groupMAIN TANGIBLE RESULTSR3 - Final version of the intervention modelR5 - GuidelinesR6-R8 - Macro and micro design of the training courseR9 - Environment for online learningR10 - n.8 local pilotsR15 - n.8 case studiesR16 - Training course for operatorsMAIN IMPACTThe R.E.M.I.D.A. project will have a significant impact on partner organizations and participating operators, stakeholders and key actors at the local, national and EU levels. The project's expected impact on adults in a situation of disadvantage is to increase their opportunities for social and work inclusion, (re) inclusion in active participation processes and in the labor market, as well as to enhance their life experiences, increasing their self-esteem and awareness."

<< Background >>The Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy 2014-2017 (www.coe.int) sets out five strategic objectives. The first on the list is combating gender stereotypes and sexism. The strategy defines gender stereotyping as preconceived ideas whereby males and females are arbitrarily assigned characteristics and roles determined and limited by their sex. A conscious effort on the part of society to change attitudes and to accommodate diference is a prerequisite for an inclusive society. Education plays a central role in this process. Schools occupy a unique position in society, and the role of the school is fundamental in promoting gender equality. By offering new models of behaviour, the school can be seen as an instrument for positive change. The Conference concluded that societies remain strongly gender stereotyped and that the education system, which is a subsystem of the societies they serve, reproduce the values and culture of those societies without challenging their possible limitations on the life opportunities and experiences of their pupils. Furthermore, in the conference the issue of technology and on the conscious use of it and the social media, was raised. And it was also concluded that the influences of parents and schools on the personal and social development of young people have been diminished by their children’s ever increasing use of social media.Destructuring stereotypes is an urgency. Learning to think critically is therefore a first step towards this path of awareness. The Diogenes project aligns, stands in synergy and reponds to the council of Europe conclusions and suggestions (Schools should play an active role in preparing all young people to develop the skills necessary to fully participate in all spheres of modern society) and responds to The Polish National Action Program for Equal Treatment for 2021-2030, and to serveral national and international project and dispositions like the Italian project “Gender School- affrontare la violenza di genere” by INDIRE and the Dipartimento per le Pari Opportunità della Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri, the art. 5, co. 2 lett. c) of the DL93 / 2013, also the DDL July 2015 n 107 and the point.4 of Objective 2030) . Furthermore it pays attention to the EIGE report which shows that there’s no Nation that is totally free from Gender Stereotypes and this project, if carried out transnationally could favour and put a small brick toward a culture of gender non-discrimination. The project aims at contributing in the road towards the improvement.<< Objectives >>As a general priority, the project Diogenes aims at promoting –in particular through innovative and integrated approaches– gender equality, non-discrimination and social inclusion. Specifically, the project goal is to address the difficulty that students have to activate information processing in a critical way, regarding a sensitive topic as gender equality. Moreover, it aims to promote- in particular through innovative integrated approaches- shared values, equality, social inclusion, diversity and non-discrimination. The need is for teachers to be able to address and share these values and therefore it is crucial to update their competences to transfer these topics to the student.The aim of the project is to:-define and test laboratory activities capable of stimulating critical abilities with respect to gender stereotypes disseminated through Social Media and implementing proactive attitudes towards gender equality.-Update teachers' skills in the field of Social media Storytelling, critical thinking and gender equality.-Define school-family alliance models and facilitate students’ active participation processes-Encouraging the creation (by students) of awareness videos aimed at both peers and parents and adults, to activate users' critical abilities towards the messages that social media transmit in terms of gender stereotypes.<< Implementation >>To achieve the above mentioned objectives, the project is going to develop:IO1- Digital storytelling laboratories to stimulate critical thinking on the issue of Gender StereotypesIO2- Training course for teachers on digital storytelling and a set of video contents to sensitize the general publicIO3- To do and not to do list for parents (to help them understanding appropriate and inappropriate behaviour or statements towards gender stereotypes)Through the implementation of the activities the project aims at updating of teachers' skills on basic concepts of gender difference and elements of critical thinking, have teachers acquire a new path to stimulate critical thinking regarding the issue of gender difference and also have the ability to apply and experiment with the abovementioned techniques within a class. This is to plant a seed for an initial change by pupils of the perception they have about gender difference and for the transition towards the idea of gender equality and non-discirmination. Furthermore it will help towards a more conscious and more critical use of the social media. Last but not least aims to raise awareness by parents of the most appropriate attitudes to adopt in influencing their children.The partnership will involve 5 lower secondary schools, a university, a training and consulting agency, a cooperative and a NGO.The project aims at having an impact on school education system in order to empower teachers’ skills providing them with innovative and effective methodology tools.It also aims at having an impact on the social system, raising awareness, both at a local and international level, regarding a conscious and critical use of social media, in particular regarding gender stereotypes.<< Results >>Through the implementation of the activities related to these four Intellectual Outputs, the Diogenes Project aims to obtain the following results: 1- Updating of teachers' skills on basic concepts of gender difference and elements of critical thinking2- The acquisition by teachers of a path made of Laboratory activities to stimulate critical thinking regarding the issue of gender difference. 3- The ability, also by the teachers, to apply and experiment with the abovementioned techniques within a class4-The ability to transfer these skills to other fellow teachers who intend to experiment the above techniques in their class.5-The acquisition, by teachers, of community engagement tools to trigger a school / family alliance and raise awareness on the issue of gender difference 6-An initial change by pupils of the perception they have about gender difference and about a more critical and aware use of social media.7-An awareness by parents of the most appropriate attitudes to adopt in influencing their children The TANGIBLE RESULTS of the 3 IO's are:IO1 will produce a set of Digital Storytelling laboratories that contain elements of critical thinking and gender equality stimulation IO2 will produce a teacher training course on Digital Storytelling workshops and a set of videos aimed and parents and peers to sensitise on the topicIO3 will produce a very clear and direct list of appropriate and not appropriate attitudes to be adopted with their children, but not only, on the theme of gender equality

Entrepreneurship is seen as one of the 8 key competences for lifelong learning. Entrepreneurship curricula in primary education continue to evaluate, but focus mainly on the development of relevant training materials, support tools for secondary and tertiary VET teachers and universities. At present, there is no new approach to adult skills and entrepreneurship. Adult learners represent a group of the unemployed, the excluded, often without proper entrepreneurship education. Even if they are ready to start their own business, they do not have TIK skills, social competences as younger EU citizens. The YouBrand project responds to this need. The YouBrand Project - Storytelling and Pitching for Start-ups (YouBrand) was implemented from 31 December 2017 to 30 December 2019 within the framework of ERASMUS+ Adult Education. The main objective of the project was to create innovative tools for entrepreneurship education and to test them. The YouBrand project has achieved the following objectives: shaping a proactive entrepreneurial mindset as a means of reducing unemployment, improving entrepreneurial education, providing services to support business start-ups and promote self-employment opportunities, creating a programme for start-ups to strengthen their TIK competences, creativity, innovation, providing continuous updating of teaching / learning resources through a small-scale collective awareness platform, dissemination of results and products developed within the project. The YouBrand project supports the above mentioned priorities through:1) Creation and testing of an innovative training model / programme for the development of disadvantaged young people (NEET) of the following key competences: initiative and entrepreneurship, digital literacy and creativity. (O1) 2)Define and test a trainer pathway to introduce digital innovation into the training model to support start-ups in their development path. (O2) 3)Design and implementation of a web portal aimed at making available the developed training concepts, information and exchange of experiences and good practices. (O3) Key elements of the training programmes developed within the project: 1. knowledge and practical skills in human resources management, in particular in the area of recruitment, selection, motivation; 2. Business model canvas; 3. Digital corporate Storytelling; 4. Personal Branding; 5. Corporate Storytelling; 6. Pitching Fundraising & Crowdfunding. As part of the project, a YouTube channel was created with videos and interviews presenting business experiences of entrepreneurs with brand awareness building. Also as part of the project, five conferences were organized: the first conference with a min. 60 participants took place in Lublin, the second conference with min. 30 participants took place in Cartaya, the third conference with min. 30 participants was held in Birningham, the fourth conference with min. 30 participants took place in Larissa, the fifth conference with min. 60 participants took place in Rome. Project activities involved the following target groups: 30 beginning entrepreneurs, 20 trainers, 20 people connected with vocational training directly participated in the development of training programs, 15 representatives of public institutions involved in activities concerning opinions, advice and suggestions, 15 trainers directly participated in training activities YouBrand, 210 interested people took part in conferences. During the project four project meetings were organized: in Rome, Warsaw, Athens and Lublin.YouBrand has a significant impact on participating trainers, young people, entrepreneurs and key partners, stakeholders and the wider community. However, the focus is on strengthening young people who have the opportunity to start a business in order to successfully enter the labour market, increasing their resilience and vocational training, as well as shaping their entrepreneurial spirit. Trainers directly benefit from project activities and intellectual products, by continuing to use training in their professional activities and updating their professional profiles with new teaching techniques and ICT skills, improve their knowledge and develop new skills, update their pedagogical skills through the exchange of training materials, engage in the design and implementation of an online community of trainers on entrepreneurship, engage in European teamwork and interdisciplinary cooperation, broaden their horizons, experience different European cultures and improve their knowledge of different communities. Young people: They will receive a set of innovative technical competences and skills to increase their chances of success in a start-up process, they will receive knowledge and skills to help them succeed in the labour market, they are supported by an international team in developing a business idea, they are in direct contact with entrepreneurs, improving their business skills through the development of sustainable business contacts, they improve their decision-making skills, communicate their ideas, improve their language, social and presentation skills, develop and improve their digital ability to work with different sources of information, develop a higher level of cultural awareness and understanding of social and business issues, and improve and develop self-awareness and self-esteem in terms of their knowledge, talents and skills. Entrepreneurs: develop skills to contribute effectively to the education of the young generation of entrepreneurs, appreciate the knowledge, skills and ideas that young people can bring to the labour market, business, improve business skills through the development of sustainable business contacts, receive new suggestions and opinions on the potential for further development of their business. Partners: improved education by adding innovative content and processes to their training offer, equipped their employees with new skills and competences, created a network of cooperation. Institutions: obtained results of the project as a practice of supporting the labour market and social integration policy of adult learners, received access to the YouBrand programme. The 2020 Entrepreneurship Action Plan envisages the creation of SME as the main source of employment. It stresses that in order to boost European growth, employment and competitiveness there is a need to create new businesses and innovative start-ups. Member States should provide more services to support and promote business start-ups. They should focus on the need to promote entrepreneurial and business spirit, training new generations of entrepreneurs, encourage schools, education centres, universities, training institutions and labour market institutions to actively support entrepreneurship. The biggest gaps in terms of competences, skills and entrepreneurial knowledge are: problems with communication, presentation, planning, definition and development of business plans and creativity. Investing in education for entrepreneurship supports economic growth and the creation of enterprises. The YouBrand project supports these objectives and bridges the gaps in terms of competence, skills and entrepreneurial knowledge.