UpGrad_Me Erasmus Project

Project Title

UpGrad_Me

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Integration of refugees; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

Migrant youths are at risk of low employability potential due to local prejudice, linguistic barriers, cultural differences and lack of recognition of their skills/ experience/ qualifications from back home. Our project will reverse these trends by creating resources for youth workers to help migrant youths utilise social media for personal branding: presenting themselves in a professional manner to potential employers, creating videos of them describing their competences (to add to their CVs) using Google Tools present on their smart phones (Google Docs, etc) which can help them enhance their employability. Google Docs and Drive can help them keep their CV updated, rather than depending on others to draft one for them. Including a URL to a YouTube video of themselves, migrant youths can help overcome potential stigmas and stereotypes before having an interview, by being able to present themselves and their linguistic skills through video. Youth Workers need to be equipped to promote migrant youths’ employability since this is one of the ways to promote their overall social inclusion and integration in society.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES
•Equipping at least 12 youth workers with competences & resources to promote migrant youth employability
•Enabling 80 migrant youths to use social media and mobile apps to enhance their own employability through personal branding
•Promoting migrant youths’ social inclusion

In order to manage and Implement UpGrad_Me, we will conduct various activities in Malta, Spain and Italy, roping in at least 9 youth workers to train 80 migrant youths by the time the project is concluded. Youth workers will help us to pilot the training course and manual during the project. The training course and manual developed will be piloted with the support of youth workers who regularly work with migrant youths, but who were not directly involved in developing the training course. Below are the project activities in chronological order:

-1st Transnational Project Meeting
kick-off meeting in Malta with the partners

-Needs analysis
conducted with local associated partners and stakeholders

-Developing the training course and manual
Cooperation among all partner organisations

-Piloting of the training course and manual
This will be done with groups of youth workers and migrant youths youth workers delivering training and migrant youths receiving it. A total of 15 hours of training by each partner organisations, to 80 youths collectively. These will be spread over 5 days of 3 hours per day (the specific dates and format will be flexible, and personalized in order to meet particular request from participants)

-Evaluation of the effectiveness of training course and manual
Questionnaires handed to youth workers and migrants who participated in the training course piloting, as well as focus groups in each country with potential employers from different labour market sectors for feedback and input

-2nd transnational meeting
Held in Spain to discuss feedback of participants, including feedback from the focus groups and feedback about project management from all the partners.

-Local dissemination activities in each country
Held with associate partners and stakeholders to promote the training course and manual, Erasmus+ funding, how to use the resources developed and encouraging them to make use of the resources developed through the project.

-Conclusion of project
Final project evaluation and submission of final report to EUPA.(National Agency)

Impact:
The training course and manual will be developed to be used by youth workers to teach 80 migrant youths the potential of their smartphone (20 in Malta, 20 in Italy and 40 in Spain). At least 12 youth workers will help us to pilot the training course and give us their feedback. At least 60 more will be reached through the local multiplier activities in each country and dozens more will be reached indirectly through the project dissemination plan. Youth workers will have resources at their fingertips to promote the employability of migrant youths in a fun and innovative way. Personal branding is also a relatively new approach to enhancing employability, since it empowers individuals to take charge of their situation and work to improve it.

Through personal branding, we will be including migrant youths of working age (18-30) who might be at a disadvantage to find work. We will help them gain necessary skills to be independently able to apply to as many job vacancies as possible; sending a CV from their email and exercising themselves in the creation of a YouTube CV, which will open them to an active mock interview where they will learn to sell themselves in 10 to 30 seconds to a potential employer. We will do so by introducing them to the very useful, available and free functionalities of their mobile phones. Mobile phones are proven to reduce the need for physical travel, they ease access to information about job openings and give access to potential employers.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 48410 Eur

Project Coordinator

AFRICAN MEDIA ASSOCIATION MALTA & Country: MT

Project Partners

• ARCIRAGAZZI PORTICI “Utopia Attanasio”
• SOLIDARIDAD SIN FRONTERAS