Social and Financial Education for Engagement, Entrepreneurship and Employment Erasmus Project

Project Title

Social and Financial Education for Engagement, Entrepreneurship and Employment

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 2018

Project Topics

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

Project Summary

The context in which we implemented the action is marked with high youth unemployment rates, low youth social participation rates and their lack of social, financial and entrepreneurship skills. The youth unemployment rates in Serbia are double and triple in relation to Slovakia and Hungary respectively. According to the Republic Statistics Bureau data, in the last quarter of 2017, the youth unemployment rate in the age group 15 – 29 in Serbia stood at 33.3%, whilst according to the Trading Economist, in Slovakia the youth unemployment rate in the same age group in December 2017 was 17.10% and in Hungary 10.8%.
As the midterm stocktaking Evaluation of the EU Youth Strategy points out, in the countries struggling with unemployment, the greatest focus should be placed on interventions in the areas of education, training, social inclusion and employability. However, as the Evaluation carefully reminds, this should not overshadow the importance of active participation and voluntarism, as somewhat “softer” policy areas of EU Youth Strategy. The necessity of integrated approach was reiterated by the Paris Declaration of Education Ministers of 17 March 2015 calling for actions at all levels to reinforce the role of education in promoting citizenship and the common values of freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination, strengthening social cohesion and helping young people become responsible, open-minded and active members of our diverse and inclusive society.
After the first ever introduction of Financial literacy into PISA testing in 2015, the results have shown that among the 15-year old participants, on average 22% of pupils across OECD countries do not have even basic financial skills. It has also revealed that those young people who have their own bank account, earn some money through their own activities and discuss financial matters with parents at least once a month, performed significantly better at PISA testing (OECD, PISA 2015 Results, Volume 5). PISA data have revealed also that 38% of the variation in financial literacy could not be explained by mathematics or reading skills and recognised that many features of financial literacy were unique to the subject, implying that specific programs are needed to increase financial literacy of young people.
The main aim of the project is to support the partnership initiative aimed at promoting innovation in the education of school children, their parents and teachers and the exchange of experiences among participating partners.
The general objective of the project was to empower children and their parents through civil and social competences’ development to become agents of change for themselves and their communities.
The specific objective was to develop the program for social and financial education for target groups, test it and prepare its implementation on large scale, to develop competences of school children, especially their social and entrepreneurial ones. Reaching this target will enable participating countries to improve the school education also on systemic level, spread this program and work systematically on competences within the chosen target groups. The project raised also competences of teachers working with the target group and parents because parents are the main characters in children´s lives and they can influence their attitudes and practices.
Direct participants:
30 mandatory education schools in Serbia, Slovakia and Hungary
Trainers of trainers: 37 (11 trained in Slovakia, 11 in Hungary, 12 in Serbia, 3 Master Trainers – one per partner organisation)
Teachers, members of professional support teams, school administrators, para-pedagogical staff (Teachers’ assistants, Pedagogical Assistants, Roma Assistants…): 150
Representatives of the involved municipalities, regional and national bodies: 50
Events:
1 Final Conference
3 national Round-tables on integrated social and financial education programme
6 information sharing and dissemination events about the produced Intellectual outputs
Activities:
3 trainings for Trainers
Intellectual Outputs:
4 Training Manuals for trainers (in English, Slovak, Hungarian and Serbian languages);
4 Manuals for Integrated social and financial education of children (English, Slovak, Hungarian and Serbian languages);
The methodology used was cascading system of knowledge transfer and information sharing, active learning, child-centred methodologies and learning by doing approach.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 96237 Eur

Project Coordinator

Pomoc deci & Country: RS

Project Partners

• Csoport-téka Egyesület
• Skola dokoran – Wide Open School n. o.