DROP-APP: give voice to youngsters through new technologies to fight drop-out! Erasmus Project

Project Title

DROP-APP: give voice to youngsters through new technologies to fight drop-out!

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 addressing more than one field

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

Researches demonstrate that ESL is caused by a mix of individual circumstances, educational factors and socio-economic conditions. It often starts already in primary education and increases during transitions between schools or different educational levels, but education and training systems often do not provide sufficient TARGETED SUPPORT for pupils to cope with their emotional, social or educational difficulties and to remain in education and training. Responding to their different learning styles is still a CHALLENGE.

Almost all aspects of modern living involve nowadays the use of ICT on a continuous basis. For youngsters in particular it means that SHARING and SEARCHING are at the hearth of information gathering and problem solving rather the traditional forms of knowing and experience. Professionals working with youngsters at risk of ESL (teachers, trainers, educators, school and career guide, etc) shouldn’t avoid to acknowledge these changes and take them into account in their work.

This project, promoted by 10 partners of different natures (association, VET institutions, networks, regional administration, high schools) from 6 European countries (Italy, Austria, Germany, Croatia, France and Spain) aimed at defining, experiencing and disseminating an effective approach for pupils at risk/drop-outs based on their involvement through an orientated use of ICT tools and methods that may ENHANCE YOUNGSTERS’ EXPRESSION and so lead to a better comprehension of the reasons of their disaffection and to a promotion of their self-comprehension, self-esteem, critical think and autonomy. DIRECT TARGET GROUPS were teachers, trainers, educators, school and career guides and youngsters (mostly aged 14-18). They both had been involved in testing project activities such as a DIRECT ANALYSIS run with the help of selected ICT tools able to let students express freely their thoughts, SUPPORT WORKSHOPS (focused on empowerment, re-motivation, improving communication skills, etc) integrated with the use of ICT tools and methods, ONLINE MUTUAL-HELP SERVICES, production of VIDEOS and VIDEO INTERVIEWS. All the experiences collected among the project lifespan constitute the core of the GUIDELINES, the final project output that sum up and present in an easy and effective way all the lessons learned in terms of effective approaches and tools to be used, study cases, assessment reports, suggestions and recommendations.

The Drop App project was carried out with a constant attention paid to effective ways to encourage youngsters’ expression in order to feel they can “take out what they have inside” and being listened and feeling understood by both peers and adults. Results foreseen by this project have been in some cases better than the foreseen; in some project activities, in particular, the use of digital tools let partners reach and involve in an active manner a wide number of youngsters. The carried out products, particularly workshops and videos (all available on the project website and through the Erasmus+ Project Result Platform to all interested people and organizations) had an extremely positive impact, so that some of them have already been implemented into the standard activities of project partners. The approach promoted by the project, aiming at MEETING YOUNGSTERS IN THEIR WORLD by using digital tools also in the context of normal school and training activities regardless of teachers’ technical skills, turn out to be of easy application and transfer. Involved teachers, trainers and educators improved their pedagogical and educational competences, to be adopted particularly with students early school leavers or at risk of, as a consequence of an intensive use of ICT tools in the communications and interactions in school-life and other educative contexts; at the same time, youngsters at risk of dropping out or with difficulties at school directly involved in project activities testified a raising of engagement to school/training paths, the feeling of being more listened and understood and to have behaviours more respectful of the rules and of other people both at school and in the society at large. Also the local communities had benefit from these results, emerged from tested interventions which are appropriate to be included in comprehensive local policies.

The Drop App project testifies how the improvement of effective approaches may lead to the reduction of dropouts rates and to the increase of attractiveness of education and training systems, in addition to an improved awareness of the phenomenon of early school leaving – causes, consequences, methods to fight it, youngsters’ needs.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 428709,19 Eur

Project Coordinator

Civiform società cooperativa sociale & Country: IT

Project Partners

• BERUFSFORDERUNGSINSTITUT OBEROSTERREICH
• SCUOLA CENTRALE FORMAZIONE ASSOCIAZIONE SCF
• REGIONE AUTONOMA FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA
• Etudes Et Chantiers Corsica
• ISTARSKA ZUPANIJA
• IES VALLE DE ALLER
• Medicinska skola Pula