Youth Mayors Education Program Erasmus Project

Project Title

Youth Mayors Education Program

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 school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Social entrepreneurship / social innovation; Regional dimension and cooperation; Social dialogue

Project Summary

The idea of the Youth Mayor Education Program (YMEP) is centred around teaching high school students (aged 14 – 18) 21st century skills. This will be done by implementing Youth Mayor projects. The idea of a youth mayor is built on the premise of the book by Benjamin Barber entitled: “If mayors ruled the world”. The main idea behind the book is that democracy would function better if it was done at the city level by mayors than at the national level by rulers of nation states. The project partners share the opinion that this idea could be a way to contribute to tackling the challenges regarding the education of 21st century skills. For this reason, they will develop the teaching instrument of the ‘youth mayor’. The youth mayor is a student trained to use 21st century skills in executing concrete assignments in projects with partners in his or her local environment. Possible topics for these assignments are about alleviating poverty, urban environmental projects and the integration of refugees within society. The program that will be developed within the Strategic partnership centres on student projects at their own municipality. The core of this youth mayor project will be focussed on four of the 21st century skills; namely: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and initiative.
This project will prepare and stimulate the students to engage with the society at all stages of their life. The starting point is at the city level, but the skills can be used in all levels of society. To engage in their projects, students will receive tailored education centred on 21st century skills. When they have completed the courses and their project at their own municipality, they will be able to contribute to the development of solutions for future societal problems they will face in their surroundings.

This project aims to develop a hands-on instrument for acquiring 21st century skills in secondary education and to support secondary schools in the partner countries and other European countries through cross-country collaboration fostering long-term partnerships. The program will be developed in close collaboration with partner institutions to ensure uniformity of developed materials. The program will be extensively piloted, initially at an institute level, followed by development into curriculum that will be disseminated through the network of United World Colleges and other secondary school (international) networks.

Objectives YMEP and project partners
The objective of the YMEP program is to develop a curriculum which inbeds the 21st century skills into education of secondary school students, thereby preparing them for the future as their 21st century skills will become essential in their future (academic) careers.
The project partners are UWC Maastricht, UWC Red Cross, UWC Robert Bosch College, International School Brussels and Strothoff International school.

Description of activities and methodology
The YMEP project will have 4 IO’s, 4 ME’s and 1 LTT. The IO’s are:
– Youth Major Education Program;
– Modules for the youth major program;
– Assessment guide and valorisation of the program;
– Centre of expertise;

The first ME will be for all European UWC schools. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th ME will be events in the partner countries for secondary education institutions outside of the partnership. The LTT is aimed at training educators of secondary education institutions to use the Youth Major Education program.

YMEP Results:
• A centre of expertise (IO4);
• A curriculum which is suited for educating students in 21st century skills through the youth mayor program or through modules from the program. Also, this curriculum will contain the necessary valorisation and assessment instruments. The participating schools will acquire in-depth practical knowledge and experience on the joint effort to create and sustain a new education model around 21st century skills;
• Participating schools will get more hands-on experience with integrating the school in society. This will be done through the practical projects which will be set-up with the local communities;
• A network of Youth Mayors will be set-up. The starting point of this network will be the projects which will be developed by the project partners during the project period. After the project period this network will be further developed by the centre of expertise. The network will be an online community where the Youth Mayor Projects will be published and where Youth Mayors can exchange ideas, tips & tricks and where relevant stakeholders can find more information on potential Youth Mayor Project;

YMEP Impact and benefits
The expected impact of the project is at different levels. The project will impact:
– Students;
– Teachers at the partners’ institutions;
– Teachers of other secondary schools;
– The local and regional institutions;
The main impact will be that 21st century skills become more integrated into secondary education.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 291393 Eur

Project Coordinator

Coöperatieve Vereniging United World College Maastricht U.A. & Country: NL

Project Partners

• The International School of Brussels asbl
• Strothoff International School GmbH & Co Rhein-Main Campus Dreieich KG
• Robert Bosch College UWC GmbH
• Røde Kors Nordisk United World College