Self-assessment system for validation of non-formal experience via youth mentoring programmes for the reintegration process at education and labour market of students & youth with disabilities Erasmus Project

Project Title

Self-assessment system for validation of non-formal experience via youth mentoring programmes for the reintegration process at education and labour market of students & youth with disabilities

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 youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; Disabilities – special needs; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education

Project Summary

CONTEXT & BACKGROUND NEEDS:
The UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD) recognizes in Article 27 “the right of persons with disabilities to work, on an equal basis with others; this includes the right to the opportunity to gain a living by work freely chosen or accepted in education, a labour market and work environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities”.
Disability statistics collected by Eurostat (http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Disability_statistics) are showing the following common gap on EU level in terms of provision of guidance services towards successful educational and employment realisation of youth with disabilities.
– Early educational dropout is an urgent and serious problem, both for individuals and society as a whole. EU Member States work together to reduce number of pupils who drop out before the end of secondary education. There are many reasons (often highly individual) why young people give up education and training prematurely: learning difficulties, social problems or lack of motivation, guidance or support.
– According to EUROSTAT annual data (22 August 2016), early leavers from education and training percentages of the population aged 16-24 are higher than 10% and the Europe 2020 target aims at reducing the rate of early educational leaving in the EU to below 10% by 2020. Giving young people between 16 and 24 years old a fair chance for education and realisation on the job market, will make them less dependent and boosts their confidence.

Instead of marginalizing a large group of people and ignoring their potential, the project consortium will increase level of integration of youth with disabilities into society.

Mentoring brings an additional encouragement for participating youth to realise their career ambitions and life aspirations. If students with disabilities lack a positive role model and personal attention in their existing private network, a mentor can help with dilemmas in the field of personal leadership, education (to avoid possible educational dropout) or career. These role models are a key factor for success. Due to the mentoring relationship, the mentees with disabilities (youth aged 16-24). Embracing mentoring in educational institutions will contribute to an alteration in the way of thinking within them. Mentoring as a pedagogical management facility can contribute to the way students with disabilities act in the classroom. In that case the VM-PRO mentoring programme will cause a complete new way of thinking amongst teachers, thus creating a change in mind-set within the educational institution. Strengthening their network with the business will create a strong relationship among them.

TRANSNATIONALITY:
Based on above EU-wide report it is evident that the biggest LACK/GAP is in terms of appropriate conducted actions at educational and labour market (work experience) for youth with disabilities which our mentoring approach and validation process could support in countries such as Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria, Belgium and Serbia. The validation self-assessment tool that this project will develop deserves transnational nature of creation which will leads to approbation and verification of a common EU validation in youth mentoring procedure and mechanism.

TARGET GROUPS: MENTORS (teachers, trainers,psychologists,social & youth workers – at educations institutions (secondary, tertiary & VET levels) and at NGOs.
BENEFICIARIES from the services: YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES (aged 16-24), families of people with disabilities, non-formal settlements of people with disabilities, governmental institutions and policy makers.

VM-PRO project will develop the following unique and novel outputs (in EN, IT, TR, BG, NL and SER):
IO1: Good practice guide in youth mentoring to prevent educational and labour market dropouts
IO2: Extended Code of practice for conducting youth mentoring programme
IO3: Self-assessment system for external validation as a part of a blended-assessment model
IO4: Android based mobile mentoring application to facilitate distance mentoring for youth with disabilities

CONSORTIUM: The project is developed by 6 partners from: Italy (Mentoring NGO pioneering in the field of youth support towards education and employment & National Youth Council dealing with the social inclusion and active citizenship of youth); Turkey (Inclusive educational association dealing with youth with disabilities); Bulgaria (National representative body of professionals and mentors of people with disabilities); Belgium (SME who is enabling internship and mentoring schemes for people with disabilities) and secondary level VET school from Serbia.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 238383,78 Eur

Project Coordinator

AUDEO C.R.F. Sas DI PERCHIAZZI MATTEO – SCUOLA ITALIANA DI MENTORING & Country: IT

Project Partners

• PHOENIXKM BVBA
• MARIE CURIE ASSOCIATION – MCA
• MOSAIKO
• International Association for Research and Development of Vocational Education and Training
• BEOGRADSKA OTVORENA SKOLA