Summer e-CHALLENGE: Acquiring Soft & Digital Skills Through Non-formal Free-time Practices Erasmus Project

Project Title

Summer e-CHALLENGE: Acquiring Soft & Digital Skills Through Non-formal Free-time Practices

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 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Access for disadvantaged; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)

Project Summary

According to the 2015 Eurydice Report, the average summer holidays in Portugal, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece was about 11-13 weeks. Could this non-working period be occupied in a useful and productive way so that young people can acquire skills and competencies that are not promoted in formal education? Are the families and educators available all over this period to support and accompany their children? Does the territory has any alternatives to offer for the occupation of the younger? On other hand, Non-formal learning has been acknowledged widely in the last decade proving unique opportunity to involve young people in activities on a voluntary basis and to develop their skills.

Having all of the above in mind, the ‘SUMMER e-CHALLENGE” project was designed aiming, first of all, using the summer non-school time in order to promote the acquisition, recognition and validation of basic and soft skills, with emphasis on digital skills, that young people gain in non-formal learning opportunities, so that they become transparent, visible and useful for their academic and adult life.

As for its main activity, the project proposed the introduction of an innovative “Summer eChallenge Programme” (4 Summer Camps held one in each of the partner countries – Portugal, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Greece) which young people (10-16 yo) could participate on a voluntary basis in order to acquire a combination of skills, competencies, knowledge and attitudes that are considered essential for personal fulfillment and development, active citizenship, social inclusion and employment. It is in essence a self-directed, non-competitive, voluntary, flexible, and adaptable scheme of non-formal learning activities based on young people’s’ personal development. The programme provided holistic opportunities away from subject boundaries for young people to acquire record, recognize and validate those key competencies and transversal skills, while developing personal qualities which are not so much emphasized in formal education. In doing so young people could be guided in an effective and constructive way towards a better career selection, bridging the mismatch between skills and the demands of the future labor market.

The main outputs of the project include, besides the comprehensive framework of skills (entrepreneurial, digital, soft skills) and the 4 Summer eChallenge Programmes, a dynamic and interactive e-Learning tool, based on cutting-edge technology, designed to manage the implementation of the programme, and to record, present and support young people’s learning. As well, a dissemination guide, a project website and a social network page were produced to facilitate the communication and dissemination of the project and of its results.

Direct impact is acknowledged on the target groups, namely on their performance, motivation, confidence and self-esteem, as their progress could be closely monitored and reviewed, while a closer skills match and career orientation was envisioned. The participation, communication and active citizenship of young people could as well be improved and new synergies between stakeholders was initiated (third party institutions, such as schools and parents associations were involved and motivated to support new Summer eChallenge initiatives in the nearest future). Through the Joint training of staff implemented, the digital skills of youth workers and educators, and their skills to work with non-formal methods were as well upgraded and their professional profiles developed thus enriching their quality of work.

The Summer eChallenge Programme was based on the principles of a research project cycle seeking its continuous adaptation to different contexts of implementation and variations in the profile of the target groups, and the openness and accessibility for its main technical resources, being thus prompt to be replicated in the same or in other educational contexts.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 103400 Eur

Project Coordinator

MAKE IT BETTER ASSOCIACAO PARA A INOVACAO E ECONOMIA SOCIAL ASSOCIACAODE DIREITO PRIVADO & Country: PT

Project Partners

• A & A Emphasys Interactive Solutions Ltd
• SDRUZHENIE YUNI PARTNERS
• NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH “DEMOKRITOS”