The aim of the “Video in Education Process” project is to broaden the scope of activities for adult education by introducing activities that use various forms of video-making, both in terms of methodology and ICT. Educators who master our techniques will be able to reach out to larger and more varied groups of people, as this type of activities work against digital exclusion and can be practiced even by unskilled and inexperienced individuals. We want to create a partnership of institutions that deal with adult education and those who work with audiovisual forms, and in this way establish methods that would answer the educational needs of the future. In the course of the project, we will prepare overview reports of various methods and techniques, design practical guidebooks based on pilot educational activities, and create on line tools with supplementary description for possible uses. There will be fifty direct participants of the project, but we also intend to reach out to educators, coaches, social workers, therapists and learners affiliated with institutions not involved in it in any direct way. The project activities will include workshops on methods and techniques, research & analysis work, followed by handbook publication. We intend to share our results and promote our educational concepts with as many individuals and adult education institutions as possible.

The project “Innovative Methods of Adult Education For The Future of Europe” was completed by five partner organisations: Cotopaxi Film Workshop Association from Poland, Centro Italiano Per L'Apprendimento Permanente from Italy, Magenta Consultoría Projects S.L.U from Spain, Superact C.I.C. and Real Time from the United Kingdom. All of these organisations have been dealing with adult education for many years, however they work using different methods, from audio-visual techniques to coaching.The project started in September 2016 and ended in June 2018. Its aim was to exchange good practices and develop solutions for working with adults in the context of migration policy, understood as actions addressed both to migrants and local communities. The goals of the project were as follows:1. Learning and sharing useful tools for adult education with the focus on inclusive education2. Supporting career development of professionals in adult education in order to improve the quality of offered trainings3. Upgrading the international status and image of the partnershipThese goals could have been achieved thanks to the participation of affiliated educators, facilitators, coaches and professionals in four short-term training sessions focusing on specific methods, techniques, forms and regulations for working with groups in the context of migration. The first session, organised in Rome, was concerned with Italian examples of working with migrants, and it also offered insight into legal regulations, migration statistics and European policies. The following sessions focused on specific methods for working with adults: audio-visual techniques in Warsaw, Lego Serious Play and other forms of gamification in Gijon, and storytelling in Reading. Each session was attended by a team of specialists from various European institutions, who discussed the possibilities to implement those methods on the local level and decided to strengthen their cooperation. Although we did not intend to develop any innovative solutions, each of the organisations created their own strategy to include the new methods in their educational offer. We also prepared detailed scenarios (curricula), which can be readily applied by other organisations.Owing to the vast number of dissemination events, activities engaging the target clients, consultations and knowledge-sharing, we became aware of the challenges and worked on possible solutions. What is the most important, however, is that each of the partners started to implement the new methods to upgrade their educational potential and have better understanding of the needs of their clients.

The Covid pandemic we are dealing with brings out a lot of weaknesses both at an individual and collective level, but also offers some important opportunity, one of the most important being the development of new ICT tools and the increased diffusion and use of already existing ICT tools for supporting our daily life. Young people have a greater propensity to any ICT tool and this is both an opportunity – especially for education- and a threat as many youngsters fall in dangerous addictions to games, social media networks etc. with serious long-term effects. One of the most dangerous effect is youngsters’ isolation in front of a computer, that leads to an even higher disengagement in social and civic life, with negative impact both as individuals and community. The risk that young people will alien in front of the computer is greater in a period of pandemic, when we are forced to stay home.On the other side, Young Europeans do value democracy but the way young citizens get involved in the democratic life is changing and the challenge consists in helping the younger ones to find a proper way –closer to the millennials style– to be active in the civil life of communities.Fondazione Toscana Sostenibile (Italy), Asociatia Pro-Xpert (Romania), Mobilizing Expertise (Sweden), CEBS (Poland) and Real Time Video Ltd (UK) works to find out new strategies to inspire young people and involve them in the civil life and to find together with their young participants new ways to shape their role in the decision-making process. In this framework, the idea to use participatory videos and Virtul Reality arises with the objective to:1.Foster youth participation in the civil life and in general promote citizenship competences for a democratic culture by offering innovative and interactive non-formal educational instruments 2.Develop skills related to communication and ITC since a group of 20 youth workers will learn to make videos using VR with the purpose to involve young citizens in active participation to the democratic life. Creativity and a reflection on democratic life issues to develop the contents of the messages. Technical competences to create the videos using VR.3.Implement high quality learning opportunities tailored to the needs of individuals - especially from different marginalised groups (that are more difficult to reach and involve)4.Promote the international dimension of non-formal education for a democratic culture The project addresses the following needs:A) of youth workers:-Improving qualification and expertise of youth workers dealing with youth -Develop high-tech and interactive training methodologies that should be tailored to the needs and background of young learners-Set up new inclusive pathways to bring young people closer to policy-makers and to the decision-process finding out new strategies and methodologies closer to the style of millennialsB) of young people:-To have their needs considered and included in the decision-makers agenda-To be included in creative activities that give them the chance to express their emotions, potential and aspirations-To be active protagonists in the civil life of their communitiesTarget group is composed by: - Youth workers looking for new and creative approaches to help younger ones to be key players in facing the challenges of pandemic;- Young people aged 18-26 in contact with each partner organization: they will be involved during the preparatory work in their communities and a group of 25 (5 per partner) will take part in the blended activity.

"DIGITAL MEDIA AND XENOPHOBIA IN EUROPEThe European Union has been based, since its creation, on the meeting of cultures, as is well expressed by the motto adopted since 2000, ""United in diversity"".This vocation has been seriously endangered over the last decade, in which - also following the migration crisis from third countries, as well as the economic crisis - we have witnessed the continuous growth of phenomena such as:-the rise of racist and xenophobic movements in many European countries;-the spread, both in the media and in the political discourse, of ""hate speech"", speeches and communications that promote hatred and discrimination;-the spread of populist and discriminatory policies.The role of digital media in disseminating narratives and information that feed these visions is ever greater, as underlined by the ECRI annual report, European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (June 2019).OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIESThe general objective of the project is to help expand knowledge and methodologies about how digital media can foster intercultural dialogue in young Europeans.The specific objective of the project is to carry out an exchange of good practices between partner organizations, concerning this crucial issue. In particular:-5 Joint Staff Training Events will be carried out in the partner countries, aimed at youth workers of partner organizations, aimed at exchanging good practices on the theme of intercultural dialogue and Digital Media; each meeting will have a specific focus, depending on the host organization, in order to explore different aspects of the project theme;-after each meeting the partner organizations will experiment the methodologies learned by carrying out training and animation activities with young people.Three outputs will also be produced, namely:- a collection of good practices exchanged;- video materials produced by the youngsters within the experimental activities, all concerning the theme of intercultural dialogue and Digital Media (tot. 40 videos and 10 podcasts);- 5 short informative videos concerning the methodologies shared in the practical exchange meetings.IMPACTThe expected impact on youth workers participating in the joint staff training concerns, first and foremost, the increase of knowledge and skills on educational methodologies aimed at young people concerning Digital Media and intercultural dialogue.Also the partner organizations, thanks to the increased competence of their staff, will see their educational competences increased in the education of young people linked to Digital Media and intercultural dialogue.The project intends to produce an impact at local, national and European level on this important issue of Digital Media and young people, not only as a development of critical knowledge, but as a focus on the impact of communication that occurs through these media on phenomena such as increased racism and xenophobia among young people.At the same time we want to underline how the knowledge and the diffusion of adequate methodologies can develop in young people a positive use of Digital Media as tool of knowledge and active participation in society, for the promotion of human rights and intercultural dialogue."

BACKGROUNDDespite EU and national policy efforts and initiatives to foster social inclusion and education for young with fewer opportunities, disadvantaged groups continue performing worse, participating less & benefiting less from education opportunities than other learners. Those starting life with fewer opportunities ((NEEts, migrants..) tend to accumulate disadvantages. For this reason there is a urgent need, at European level, to develop new methodologies of education and non formal education to foster young social and democratic participation.Educators, learning providers, should acquire new methodologies, tools and guidance in order to engage young people with fewer opportunities and, as European Commission recommends, include new technologies in the training approach to stimulate them. OBJECTIVESCreating paths of civic and social education addressed at young people, through autobiographical methodologies and digital storytelling. In particolar the project is aimed at:•developing creativity skills and ability to use ICT tools, develop competences regarding historical and humanistic field, with a focus on civic and social competences;•developing a series of transversal skills, such as the ability to relate, to listen, to empathize, related to the practice of collecting a life story, as well as a greater self-awarenessThe StoryDeC project is addressed at Youth trainers / Youth training associations/ social promotion associations / at national and European level / Policy makers in the educational field.ACTIVITIES & METHODOLOGYThe innovation of the project is based on the methodology of autobiographical narration and digital storytelling raise awareness about social change and the importance to promote an active social and political participation.The project will create a series of innovative outputs:O1 - StoryDeC Good Practices - A collection of existing good practices that use autobiographical writing and life stories of social change as a tool for civic and social educationO2 - StoryDeC Educational paths - The definition of some non-formal education paths through autobiographical writing and Digital Storytelling, for the development of civic and social skills of young people and the development of young active participation.O3 - StoryDeC Game - A game, in digital and board version, for the development of civic and social skills in young people, through the stories of social change.O4 - StoryDeC Training Module A short training module for trainers, to assure the correct application of the educational paths created by StoryDeC project.O5 - StoryDeC Digital Archive - Creation of a digital archive of stories of social commitment and participation, collected by young participants. To achieve these results and assure their wide dissemination, the project the realization of:•5 Transnational Meetings: at least 14 people involved (education / trainer experts of partner organizations)•1 Joint Staff Training: 14 people involved (partner organizations staff)•6 Multiplier Events: at least 175 people (young learning providers/trainers; policy makers, decision makers, education expert, institutions) involvedRESULTS & IMPACTThe expected results are:- acquisition of new methodologies for the development of civic and social skills in young people, through autobiographical and Digital Storytelling methodologies;- acquisition of a Training Module concerning the new methodologies and educational paths created by the project;- the increase of knowledge on the issue of youth participation at European level;-the improvement of cooperation skills at European level.The StoryDec outputs at aimed at providing young learning educators/trainers with the tools to promote in young people: - a more active participation in social and civic life (national and/or European level);- a greater awareness about the social change theme;- the increase of knowledge on the History and Culture of Europe;- Development of technological skills and use of ICT tools;- Development of civic and social skills, thanks to the creation of StoryDeC Game about social change;- Development of creativity and storytelling skill;- Development of empathy but also self-esteem.The impact, described above, should be maintained and potentially strengthened post-project, through the adoption of the StoryDeC common assessment framework, assessment methodology (educational path using storytelling and DST) and StoryDeC Training Module (04) by the trainers of the partner countries. The results of the project will be disseminated and promoted through the created European network, existing networks and social media.The project produces concrete and transferable results, which can be exploited even after the project conclusion, both by the partners and by other stakeholders.