Badges4Good Erasmus Project

Project Title

Badges4Good

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Recognition (non-formal and informal learning/credits); ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)

Project Summary

Context/background
This project will offer an opportunity for several organisations to partner up for the good practice exchange project, which would allow to scale up the use of Open Digital Badges within our networks, sectors and countries.
Among other priorities, it contributes directly to the Erasmus+ priority on TRANSPARENCY AND RECOGNITION OF SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS, stating that priority will be given to projects “promoting innovative solutions like DIGITAL BADGES to improve recognition and supporting the validation at local, regional, national or European/international levels.

The interest in open badges is increasing and more organisations are willing to adapt this technology, but often lack know-how or guidance from others how to build quality recognition system. Few partners of this project were among the first one to adapt Digital badges 6 years ago and are ready to equipp other organisations in Europe with skills to scale the use of Badges for recognition.

Objectives

We aim at achieving the following objectives:
To map, exchange and disseminate good practices and lessons learned from the experience of using digital Open Badges across sectors of education, training, youth work and learning.
To train staff of partner organisations to be ready to support the design, implementation and evaluation of badge based recognition systems within our networks and beyond.
To promote further the adaptation of digital Open Badges as one of the tools to implement youth policy in the field of validation and recognition of learning and achievements.
To build the capacity of partner organisations to be the ambassadors of Open Badges for the benefit of young people in their field of activity.

Participants

This project will address the following target groups:
Members, volunteers and staff of partner organisations
Members, volunteers and staff of other organisations belonging to our networks and partnerships
Other youth work organisations, VET schools and organisations, colleges and higher education institutions interested in using/researching badge based solutions
Youth policy and education policy stakeholders at European, national and regional levels

Description of activities and methodology

The project partners plan to implement two transnational partner meetings (kick-off and final evaluation) and three staff training activities:
Staff training of Multipliers (ToM) for Badge system design
Staff training of Facilitators (ToF) for external recognition of Open Badges
Study visit for ambassadors of badge recognition

As a follow-up of the staff training activities, partners will implement multiplier and dissemination activities to support other people and organisations in adapting Open Badges for validation and recognition of learning and achievements.

The European communication strategy and resources will be developed to support partners in communicating and promoting value and benefits of digital Open Badges. We will hold meetings with other organisations, institutions and stakeholders to influence the education and youth policy to include Open Badges as one of the tools for validation and recognition of non-formal learning.

Results and impact

The partners of the project will map 12 good practices of using digital badges and prepare selected case examples for dissemination. At least 60 staff members of partner organisations will be equipped with necessary competences and capacity to o support the design, implementation and evaluation of badge based recognition systems within our networks and beyond. They will be training on how to design badges system and plan internal and external recognition of badges.

The partner consortium will develop a communication strategy and resources to further promote the adoption of the digital Open Badges. This strategy will be adapted to the national and/or regional realities of partners and will allow reaching more than 24.000 people, 170 organisations and thousands of educators and youth workers in Europe.

At least sixty staff members of the partner organisations will be involved directly in the transnational activities of this project. The partner organisations will implement 20 activities within their networks, partnerships and channels.

Longer term benefits

We expect that in the upcoming years, our local partners will create even more badge based recognition and validation systems for other activities they do and will actively join our dissemination efforts as it is in their interests to build an ecosystem of recognition, where participants of their activities can earn badges for diverse learning opportunities; collect, manage and share in places that matter and and have possibilities to open new opportunities by showing their competences gained through non-formal education programmes.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 94054,6 Eur

Project Coordinator

LIETUVOS NEFORMALIOJO UGDYMO ASOCIACIJA & Country: LT

Project Partners

• Sosialinnovatørene
• Opintotoiminnan Keskusliitto ry
• ASOCIACION CAZALLA-INTERCULTURAL
• YOUTH FOR EXCHANGE AND UNDERSTANDING INTERNATIONAL AISBL
• VIESOJI ISTAIGA CREATIVITAS
• UNISER SOC. COOP. ONLUS