Tomorrow´s Land Erasmus Project

Project Title

Tomorrow´s Land

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; Open and distance learning

Project Summary

The aim of Tomorrow´s Land was to prepare citizens to tackle future challenges by delivering a competences framework and a Learning Academy to nurture and empower Europe´s potential social innovators through the development of key knowledge and competences required to create new ways of working to achieve positive social change and a more inclusive society.

Organisations from 6 European countries, combined different organisational profiles, each bringing relevant expertise – 2 Social Enterprises (NGO’s): South Sefton Development Trust (Regenerus), UK and Socialas Inovacijas Centrs, Latvia (SIC), 2 businesses: Advancis, Portugal and Bespoke, Denmark and 2 Universities Politecnico di Milano, Italy (Polimi) and Münster University of Applied Sciences, Germany (MUAS).

We delivered 4 intellectual outputs, designing a creative learning journey, available digitally through our online platform: Massive Online Learning Course (MOOC) and complemented by a Facilitators’ Guide to empower educators to utilise our learning approach, to support adults exploring the MOOC and to deliver face to face workshops.

Bringing their expertise in academic research, lead partner in Intellectual Output 1 (IO1), MUAS were supported by Bespoke, world leaders in future design thinking. Bespoke led the creative foresight research which uses the potential of design thinking to create strategies for the future, combining the two disciplines: design thinking and strategic foresight.

Highlighting the key drivers of social innovation in Europe, the Strategic Foresight report (IO1) presents an overview of current academic thinking in the field of social innovation drawn from in depth secondary research. Primary research activities tested our preliminary results with social innovators and social entrepreneurs in focus groups held in each of the 6 partner countries, to further refine our findings and gathered intelligence from participants’ experience to establish 5 profiles of the social innovator and the key competences relevant to each profile to design the learning framework.

Following review by an external panel of social innovation experts from across Europe, the report was improved, published in Autumn 2017 and launched at multiplier events in all 6 partner countries. where participants received a copy. The Digital Foresight Report presents an overview and can be viewed on the website (www.tomorrowsland.eu), where the full report is available for download by request, to date we have received 104 requests.

Lead partner, Polimi developed the design template for Intellectual Output 2: the Learning Academy. Specialists in designing innovative e-learning experiences, Polimi coordinated the contributions of partners, designing templates to be populated with content for the MOOC. Each of the other 5 partners worked on one of the 5 profiles of a social innovator, Polimi designed the introductory path. Content for each learning path includes: introduction video; inspiration and training moments and resources.

Intellectual Output 3 (IO3): Champions of Change, was coordinated by Regenerus, experts in designing engaging workshops. The 5 day event introduced 11 educators from across Europe to the Tomorrow’s Land journey, combining practical workshops to demonstrate the resources and incorporating case study visits to meet inspirational speakers, reflecting each of the 5 profiles. Empowering educators as change makers, the workshop also allowed partners to test our tools and resources.

Advancis, respected for creating dynamic and effective learning approaches organised an amazing Bootcamp (IO4), where 26 participants from across Europe tested the Tomorrow’s Land journey, applying their new knowledge to “real” challenges and working in collaborative multi-national teams to develop socially innovative solutions.

Feedback from educators (IO3) and pioneers (IO4) led to further improvements of our resources.
5 Transnational partnership meetings allowed partners to deliberate and debate face to face, strengthening on-going communications via email and skype meetings.

Successful digital dissemination through the project website (www.tomorrowsland.eu) and social media presence: Facebook page (@Tomorrow’s Land) and Twitter account (@TLinnovation) has attracted interest on a global scale. Partners promoted the project on their own and other organisation websites and through the publication of articles and presentations at external events, raising awareness of the project with wider stakeholder groups. Leaflets, a storybook and flyers have supported dissemination activities. We celebrated our success and shared our outputs at the final conference in Liverpool, UK.

The project will continue to engage and inspire future pioneers beyond the project lifetime. Preparing citizens to tackle future challenges, new connections have been by by participating target groups, already leading to emerging partnerships, co-creating social innovation initiatives.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 318699,87 Eur

Project Coordinator

SOUTH SEFTON DEVELOPMENT TRUST & Country: UK

Project Partners

• ADVANCIS-BUSINESS SERVICES, LDA
• SOCIALAS INOVACIJAS CENTRS
• FACHHOCHSCHULE MUNSTER
• BESPOKE APS
• POLITECNICO DI MILANO