EYES (Enlarging Youth Entrepreneurial Spirits) is an international project co-financed by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme; the project is implemented and developed by six organisations from six countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Spain & Sweden) sharing the ultimate aim to support professionals in vocational training and integration in changing their teaching practices, to promote the development of a collective entrepreneurial culture and democratic values among young people.
To handle the design of the training programme and to set-up the expected learning outcomes (the so called “EYES REPOSITORY”), the Strategic Partnership relied on the EntreComp Framework, the official model promoted by the European Commission as a reference paradigm for teaching, coaching and educating on entrepreneurial competences.
To date, the EntreComp Framework is still the most valuable reference for entrepreneurial education, and it is conceived to be feasible and “exploitable” for all potential targets (Adult Learners as well as High Scholl students). Partners went through the Framework and made use of the 59 learning outcomes that are described on the intermediate / lower level of the model itself – in compliance with Level 3 of the EQF, the most appropriate to address EYES’ target group.
Recently, the Joint Research Centre from the European Commission published also the third official EntreComp’s follow-up: EntreComp Playbook, a resource that is extremely useful for EYES’ users and VET professionals addressed by the project.
Professionals in the domain of entrepreneurial education that wish to rely on our training material to enrich and diversify their training offer can rely on the EntreComp Playbook the design their overall piloting strategies…
All training material developed by partners is available for free at: https://eyesmodules.eu/
EYES (Enlarging Youth Entrepreneurial Spirits) is an international project co-financed by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme; the project is implemented and developed by six organisations from six countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Spain & Sweden) sharing the ultimate aim to support professionals in vocational training and integration in changing their teaching practices, to promote the development of a collective entrepreneurial culture and democratic values among young people.
The training framework of the EYES project stems from the EntreComp Framework, the official model promoted by the European Commission as a reference paradigm for teaching, coaching and educating on entrepreneurial competences.
To date, the EntreComp is still the most valuable reference for entrepreneurial education, and it is conceived to be feasible and “exploitable” for all potential targets (Adult Learners as well as High Scholl students). Partners went through the Framework and made use of the 59 learning outcomes that are described on the intermediate / lower level of the model itself – in compliance with Level 3 of the EQF, the most appropriate to address EYES’ target group.
During the last cycle of project implementation, partners gathered together a cohort of 10 young students (i.e., fresh graduates, aspiring your entrepreneurs, etc.) to pilot the EYES training framework: a precious opportunity to test and validate its pedagogical accuracy and educational reliability overall.
The official launch of the piloting sessions has been anticipated by the discussion and sharing among partners of a detailed implementation plan, intended to ease the operationalisation of testing activities at consortium level, while providing for overall guidance. Thanks to that, partners could rely on a common reference detailing: – Scale and scope of piloting activates – General structures of the events – Key learning outcomes expected from the training session – Share of roles and responsibilities among partners (i.e., which partner delivers which training module) – Additional tips for coaching of young aspiring entrepreneurs – Means for the assessment of learners’ satisfaction and reporting
Upon compliance with few essential common denominators, each partner was free to rely on whatever training format envisioned by their internal coaching and training staff as the most suitable to engage, retain and empower learners.
Each participating organisation piloted their and one of their project colleagues’ module, so as to diversify the content and of the sessions, and make sure that the whole EYES curricula was covered. Depending on the opportunity, partners implemented the piloting both in online and offline settings following a calendar scheduled together with participants.
The second implementation cycle of the piloting foreseen a series of 1-on-1 coaching sessions with students selected form the general which have demonstrated during the training period a strong, robust and deep predisposition to pursue an entrepreneurial career.
Coaching session have been tailored by the training staff of partners on the specific “business” needs of participants, with narrowed focus on what opportunities, threats, weaknesses and strengths seems stemming from their prototype of entrepreneurial idea: coaches helped students in preparing a beta-version of business plan, guiding them on how to pitch their idea, identify further ways to improve / enhance their business acumen, management literacy and overall sense of initiative, and all in all, to keep on pursuing their entrepreneurial interests.
On a topic level, highlights of the coaching sessions were:
Outline of the business idea, very brief presentation of the needs/opportunities addressed
The actual presentation of the business offer (service and/or product).
Communication, Advertising and Marketing (i.e., Marketing Mix)
Essentials of Project Management
Estimation of Cost structure and Revenue Streams (i.e., Budgeting)
Reaction among participants were extremely grateful, these events represented for the training staff of partner a vivid opportunity to see and experience in first hand brilliant entrepreneurial minds in-the-making, nurturing in them great expectations for the future…
Takeaways have been collected by trainers for internal reporting and will be compiled in the methodological guide for trainers: a formal deliverable of the project intended to ease and maximise the transferability, portability and scalability of EYES-like initiative across Europe by any other VET professional interested in capitalising on partners’ experience – what professionals of EU-founded projects recall as “Multiplier Effect”.
To know more about the project and available resources, please visit: www.eyes-project.eu
A training curricula designed to straighten EU Seniors’ proficiency with IT tools and digital skills
Since March 2021, the SOS Creativity’ strategic partnership – and international consortium represented by eight organisations from six Member States – is collaborating to develop new innovative solutions for the empowerment of seniors’ ICT skills and proficiency with digital means as a new concrete way to support their active citizenship and socio-economic inclusion.
SOS Creativity is tailored to provide for easy-to-assess and ready-to-use capacity building material that can help targets in acquiring new knowledge and competences to browse the web safely, effectively and efficiently.
The overall outline of the training curricula looks into the following learning outcomes:
Cultural and Media Literacy which is the ability to identify and use different types of online cultural resources, creativity tools and media.
Personal data protection which will provide end-users with effective tools, guidelines, clear explanation to protect and promote the safeguarding of the personal data and rights of Data Subjects when surfing the Net, using cultural contents, from mobiles or laptop or using apps.
Economic Transactions which will provide end-users with strategies to preserve them when performing an economic transaction online and make them aware of potential risks and unclassified attacks on their computer and other digital devices.
Online security which will develop core concepts needed to assess, and protect information security systems to make late digitals aware of the potential scams of fraud they could meet on the web while using or searching for cultural resources.
Digital Identity and online reputation which will provide does and don’ts.
These five dimensions, touch base with skills gaps identified throughout implementation of an in-depth analysis carried out with the aim to consolidate the most critical areas of intervention and needs to be addressed.
Moreover, relevant to mention is also the fact that the SOS Creativity’s curricula is consist and coherent with key digital competences as identified by DigComp 2.1, the official framework developed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission for EU citizens’ education and training on digital skills.
DigComp 2.1 lists 21 competences, distributed across five training areas of reference:
Information & Data literacy
Communication and Collaboration
Digital Content Creation
Safety
Problem Solving
SOS Creativity’s curricula stems and takes inspiration from all of these five areas, but relates very closely in particular to 1, 2 and 3, as representing the very essentials for the scale and scope of the overall project.
To remain updated with our progresses, please feel free to visit the official project’s website: https://www.soscreativity.eu
ESSEI is a partner in the European project BLOSSOM (Building Learning Opportunities to Support Small Organisations for Multiculturalism), coordinated by the cultural association Katabba.
This project is funded by the Erasmus programme, the European Union’s education, sport and culture programme, in the small-scale partnerships action.
The BLOSSOM project aims to strengthen the operational capacities of the Katabba association in order to be able to collaborate with other organisations on a European level and be an active player in transnational cultural initiatives.
The BLOSSOM project includes the implementation of online and on-site training courses (both in Monforte San Giorgio and in Brussels), the elaboration of a guide for small associations wishing to operate at European level and the internationalisation strategy of the Katabba association.
EYES partners’ experience from the second training week of the project
Back in Nov 2021, the EYES consortium had the opportunity to held the second teaching, training and learning week planned during implementation of the project. Originally supposed to take place in Germany, the even has been rescheduled online so as to guarantee for the safety of all participants.
The event occurred in the course of three days.
Day 1 – Monday, Nov 22 During the first day, partners gathered together to greet and meet new participants taking part into the activities. After the formal welcome of VHS cham (host organisation), the coordinator re-introduced participants to the scale and scope of the project, formal objective of this event, results and deliverables achieved so far by partners, i.e., entrepreneurial scenarios from which target can take inspiration for their own sustainable idea of business. After a short coffee break, partners introduced very briefly themselves, their organisation and their role as project partners. A key roadmap has been represented by the EntreComp framework and learning outcomes associated to the model, this was intended to help participants in identifying who they are and what are their aspirations in a EntreComp interpretation. Before the formal conclusion of the first day, Elderberry presented in-depth the training material developed by the organisation on Pop Up exhibitions & Spaces and which potential opportunities of business come from this idea
Day 2 – Tuesday, Nov 23 The second day followed a similar agenda with Infodef, RCCI and Elderberry introducing participant to three other training modules, respectively on: The Social Media Marketer, eCommerce and Clean un the beach & preserve the Costal Environment. Despite the differences in the actual content of the education material, it is also clear that the resources produced and shared by partners rely on a common social and sustainability principle that finds applications regardless of the underlie domain and topic. The comments from participants of these training modules fuelled the discussion with numerous contributions, food for thoughts, and further inputs on how these topics can represent the basis for sustainable and profitable business ideas…
Day 3 – Wednesday, Nov 24 During the last of the training & learning event, partners introduced participants to the reaming education material, with particular focus on the extra-modules developed throughout the last months of project implementation. ESSEI kick-launched the last showcase with the presentation of Sustainable Tourism Initiatives, followed by VHS cham with Starting & Running a Café. The even took a short break which gave to Elderberry the opportunity to lecture partners on the concept of “intercultural” and its implication in market labour, business & management, and private sector. From there, responsible partners guided attendees through the three remaining training modules: The Personal Helper, Pop-up Restaurant, Basics of social entrepreneurship; so as to make sure to cover the entire education spectrum of the project. Before the formal conclusion, VHS cham wrapped-up key takeaways from these three days condensing gathering feedbacks and impressions from partners and external participants. All in all, people demonstrated great enthusiasm for the initiative with great appreciation for partners’ efforts and commitment.
The EYES training programme and related material is available for free via the official Open Educational Resource Platform of the project: https://eyesmodules.eu/
All training and education material is targeted to both aspiring entrepreneurs as well as vocational education and training providers. In attachment, users can find numerous support material that will sustain their learning process.
The aim of SOS CREATIVITY Intellectual Output 2 is to map free cultural resources and creativity tools already available online in Spain, Italy, France, Poland, North Macedonia and Europe in general, as well as to define those digital skills and competences that late digitals might need to make the most of them in order to have an in-depth analysis of the phenomenology on the degree of digital gap among ICT-low-skilled adults.
The aggregated report and summaries in all project’s languages are now available and ready to be download in the OER Platform https://www.soscreativity.eu/
For each country, partners created an updated short report based on existing data regarding actions taken to tackle the issue of digital skills related to culture in Adult Education (AE) in their homeland.
With the support of the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. This document and its contents reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
The SOS Creativity European Consortium (eight Partners from Spain, Italy, Belgium, France, Poland, and North Macedonia) took part in the first project meeting, after the Kick-Off Meeting held in April 2021. The meeting, originally planned in Bruxelles, has been run in an online mode (due to COVID-19 post-pandemic restrictions) on the basis of an agenda developed and pre-agreed among Partners.
Soon after the friendly greetings from the coordinator (Internet Web Solutions from Spain), Partners focused on the state of development of the Open Educational Resources platform that is already online at: https://www.soscreativity.eu/ (which, among other things, is already on page 1 for the open search: “Senior Online Security”).
Furthermore, IWS presented the state of art of the back-office platform where the Cultural and Creative mapping repository is already available (a total of 810 are available in all languages (EN, ES, FR, MK, IT, PL from Intellectual Output 2) and the draft version of the IO2 Self-Assessment tool (SAT). The SAT is the innovative core of the project as it defines questions with three possible answers each addressing three different levels of proficiency in that particular topic/skill. At the end of the self assessment, according to answers given, the SAT will be able to
assign different courses – organised according to different thematic areas – to users.
In the coming months, the work will be focused on the development of Training contents, to be loaded on the platform in order to offer non-formal education courses on ICT skills related to culture addressed to IT low-skilled adults, but also to trainers who provide courses to seniors in order to boost their social inclusion and promote digital skills when navigating through cultural contents.
Dissemination plays a big role in communication of all outputs and deliverables and Partners showed a genuine enthusiasm towards all online and offline initiatives proposed in the meeting in the two years of project and beyond to ensure sustainability of results.
There is a quote that says:
“Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime”.
The SOS Creativity project, co-funded by the European Commission, strives to provide IT key competences for adults to let them exploit cultural offers and artistic contents available online, while boosting their level of consciousness toward the potentialities and the risks of the Internet such as phishing, fraud, fake news, invasion of privacy, defamation etc.
On June 17th 2021, Internet Web Solutions run the first bimonthly call of SOS Creativity, a 24-month Project co-funded by the Erasmus Plus Programme of the European Commission.
S.O.S. Creativity is designed to support the development of IT key competences for adults to let them exploit cultural offers and artistic contents available online, while boosting their level of consciousness toward the potentialities and the risks of the net such as phishing, fraud, fake news, invasion of privacy, defamation etc. that can arise while navigating free contents website or paying to subscribe to some cultural contents or even looking for books to be read online.
After the official greetings from the coordinators and some points regarding administrative issues, the shared agenda of the call included:
the Intellectual Output 2 tasks made so far and future steps (Mapping of cultural resources and Baseline report and Self-Assessment Tool)
dissemination status and future Press Releases to be translated and shared in Institutional channels
discussion about next Transnational Project Meeting in September
This Erasmus+ project gives the opportunity to eight partners from Spain, France, the Republic of North Macedonia, Belgium, Poland, and Italy to develop free and user friendly deliverables to enable seniors to benefit from online cultural and artistic contents, resources and activities in total security being aware of the risks of navigating and downloading such resources.
Internet Web Solutions, the project coordinator together with the consortium showed a genuine enthusiasm in collaborating toghether in this project and for the tasks implemented so far.
EYES training content is finally available online in multilanguage version
EYES (Enlarging Youth Entrepreneurial Spirits) is an international project co-financed by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme; the project is implemented and developed by six organisations from six countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Spain & Sweden) sharing the ultimate aim to support professionals in vocational training and integration in changing their teaching practices, to promote the development of a collective entrepreneurial culture and democratic values among young people.
In the previous months, partners gathered relevant experiences from other EU contexts so as to get a sense on “what works” and “what doesn’t” in the field of entrepreneurial teaching for young aspiring entrepreneurs (i.e. a benchmark of best innovative practices). On the basis of lessons learned & takeaways collected during this secondary assessment, the next step consisted in developing a methodological guide to help trainers in embracing smart, “lean” and interactive approaches of teaching – with specific focus on entrepreneurial and “business initiative” teaching.
To handle the design of the training programme and to set-up the expected learning outcomes (the so called “EYES REPOSITORY”), the Strategic Partnership relied on the EntreComp Framework, the official model promoted by the European Commission as a reference paradigm for teaching, coaching and educating on entrepreneurial competences.
To date, the EntreComp Framework is still the most valuable reference for entrepreneurial education, and it is conceived to be feasible and “exploitable” for all potential targets (Adult Learners as well as High Scholl students). Partners went through the Framework and made use of the 59 learning outcomes that are described on the intermediate / lower level of the model itself – in compliance with Level 3 of the EQF, the most appropriate to address EYES’ target group.
The finals result is represented by a compositum of e-learning materials for Entrepreneurship and Management in the form of “business challenge”, roleplays and case- scenario.
I total, there are 7 quests structured and designed as follows:
Pop-Up Exhibitions and Space
Running a Café
The Grocery Basket
The Social Marketer
E-Commerce: A Modern Approach to Entrepreneurship
Clean Up the beach and preserve the costal environment
Sustainable Tourism Initiatives
Each scenario is further divided in sub-didactic units to facilitate the ease of use of the material and the provision of the training by teachers.
The sub-units are extremely user friendly with easy-to-understand notions and very practical exercises to stimulate learners’ mind and their managerial propensity. After a brief introduction to the considered topic, learners are invited to engage in simple task requiring a dose of critical, strategic and creative thinking to further immerse themselves in the role of entrepreneurs and business owners.
The tasks are followed by “Process” guidelines that can sustain learners in processing the information and strategic decision-making.
At conclusion, partners developed a sum-up section that provides for last-minute hints, recommendations and action lists. To facilitate the learning mechanisms, Partners attached to each sub-units a series of external supporting material such as short animations and clips, tutorials and other useful links.
All content is translated into the languages represent by the Consortium and it is available for free at: https://eyesmodules.eu/
EYES project is entering its next implementation phase
EYES (Enlarging Youth Entrepreneurial Spirits) is an international project co-financed by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme; the project is implemented and developed by six organisations from six countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Spain, and Sweden) sharing the ultimate aim to support professionals in vocational training and integration in changing their teaching practices, to promote the development of a collective entrepreneurial culture and democratic values among young people.
At the end of March, Partners spent three very intense days together, in which they had the opportunity to exchange views, feedback and recommendations on the training modules developed during the first half of project implementation. The event was originally planned in Sweden, but it has been rescheduled online during the obvious and unfortunately well-known COVID-19 restrictions.
Nevertheless, partners have been able to organise and implement from remote a very fruitful occasion for debate. The focus of the discussion was on two main topics: the training models as designed by partners (so as to engage learners in operative role-playing scenarios that empathise with the very essentials of business, entrepreneurship and management); guidelines and recommendations sustaining educators in the delivery of the training.
The design of the learning outcomes and the overall pedagogical framework to operationalise the training and enhance its educational impact relied on the EntreComp Framework – the official model promoted by the European Commission as a reference paradigm for teaching, coaching and educating on entrepreneurial competences. To date, the EntreComp Framework is still the most valuable reference for entrepreneurial education, and it is conceived to be feasible and “exploitable” for all potential targets (Adult Learners as well as High School students). Partners went through the Framework and made use of the 59 learning outcomes that are described on the intermediate / lower level of the model itself – in compliance with Level 3 of the EQF, the most appropriate to address EYES’ target group.
All contents are translated into the languages represented in the Consortium and are available for free at: https://eyesmodules.eu/
During the first day (Monday, 29th of March), after a brief welcome and introduction by Elderberry, partners deep dived into the first three modules:
Pop Up exhibitions & Spaces (by Elderberry) – the Swedish partner shared with colleagues the main highlight of its training module in term of background references (i.e., what is a Pop-Up space?) and why it is potentially relevant for aspiring young entrepreneurs. An in-depth description of tasks and processes expected by learners followed immediately after. Finally, all partners discussed together about the envisioned learning outcomes and “hints and tips” for educators.
Sustainable Tourism Initiatives (by ESSEI) – the Belgian partner arranged its presentation in three clusters of topics strategically relevant for (sustainable) tourism education: a) defining the basics of a Business Idea: mission, vision, actual service related to Sustainable Tourism (ST); b) getting familiar with “pills” of accounting and communication in their very essentials, i.e. budgeting, basics of accounting (R-C=π), stakeholder mapping; c) drafting of a simplified business plan (limited to objective(s), market of reference, service provided) and exercising the elevator pitch.
eCommerce (by RCCI) – the Bulgarian partner concluded the first day with a very comprehensive presentation on how to thrive in digital markets. Partners have been guided through five key topics conceived as formal sub-units of the module: “Understanding eCommerce”, “Finding a niche”, “Choosing the right outline solution”, “Legal Aspects”, “Attracting Customers”. Each unit has its own learning framework elaborated in further theoretical and operative knowledge.
The second day (Tuesday, 30th of March) has been dedicated to the presentation of three other modules:
The Grocery Basket (by CIJ) – the French partner presented to the consortium the entrepreneurial fundamentals of this module. The Grocery Basket concept is aimed to promote a more sustainable agriculture by sustaining and supporting short circuits between producers and consumers. In the context of this training, learners are invited to get familiar with the essentials of circular and green economy, two new paradigms that worldwide economists identified as key drivers for innovation, competitiveness, and long-term financial sustainability.
The Social Media Marketer (by INFODEF) – the Spanish partner made colleagues part of a very interesting presentation about Social Media Marketing in general and the profession of the Social Media Marketer. The participants showed great interest in the topic and on how the contents have been arranged and displayed. The modules deep dive into the multiple dimensions of Social Media Marketing (i.e., aesthetic product and establishment photographs, regular publications on social media and marketing campaigns aimed at targeted audiences) and provides learners and educators with a great number of external resources to master the subject even further.
Starting a Café (by VHS CHAM) – the German partner discussed with colleagues the content pertaining starting and managing a small Café. Partners remained impressed by the level of detail that the VHS staff has been able to provide during development. Leaners and educators have at their disposal a considerable amount of supporting material to organise, open and run a Café from the very basics: from designing a menu, to calculating their break even point; from dividing tasks among staff, to budgeting, etc.
In the very last day (Wednesday, 31st of March), partners wrapped up the training session by going through:
The last training module Clean un the beach & preserve the Costal Environment (by ELDERBERRY). The project “clean up the beach and preserve the coastal environment” is a summer activity that initiates its beneficiaries into the democratic functioning of a business. It is a project in which young people are mobilized to clean and preserve their environment and inform the population using the beaches of their city. This module is also a sort of framework for the “sustainable” spirit that characterises each unit produced by partners. Regardless of the underlining content, all training materials make of the topic of sustainability their lowest common denominator as a sort of red line that connects partners’ efforts and the same as EYES’ social commitment.
The Implementation and Validation plan produced by IO leader ELDERBERRY. EYES’ implementation plan is a simple, straightforward, and easily accessible set of recommendations dedicated to support collaborative dynamics between young (aspiring) entrepreneurs and representatives from the business community / local business support systems, local VET networks in general.
The implementation phase will represent in fact the bulk of the very next cycle of EYES’ development. This is a pilot phase that will allow partners to test and validate the EYES training paths (online and face-to-face) according to the specific training needs and skills gaps identified during the preparation and benchmarking phase. Each partner will design a local project on its own territory in order to implement specific actions and schemes to combat social and urban exclusion in sensitive neighbourhoods. Partners agreed on general timeline, ways and means on delivery, plus the content that each organisation will test beside the one for which it has been responsible.
The feedback system, meaning: the way in which partners will assess the reliability of EYES’ training and the overall level of satisfaction with its deliverables. RCCI, formal lead organisation of this activity, shared with partners two modules of evaluation forms, in compliance with the two-part assessment:
Part 1 is the questionnaire in order to “interview” the trainees and get to know more about their experience and satisfaction level. It is a very short and simple survey and will cause no trouble for participants to fill it in as it takes no more than 5 minutes. This is just a template.
Part 2 is the template for a national report that each partner should fill in after the piloting phase in order to analyse the effectiveness of the training – this should be done by an analysis of the received answers from the survey (Part 1) and according to the organisations’ own view and impressions of the training.
Before leaving the session, partners discussed very briefly about the second Training Event scheduled for September 2021 in Germany and hosted by VHS CHAM. Each organisation will participate along with three young aspiring entrepreneurs that took part in the summer training organised by the same sending partner. Such experience will represent for them a unique opportunity to get involved not only with the consortium but also, and most importantly, with their international peers and to engage cross-national and cross-cultural realities.
For further information on other initiatives promoted by ESSEI, please visit:
