Support Mobility Activities Running through Tech -SMART Youth Center

S.M.A.R.T. is a 25-month Strategic Partnership having involved 7 partners from 6 different European countries from the youth and digital activities development sectors. The project aimed to suppor...

During the COVID pandemic, unprecedented challenges were posed to all types and levels of learning, including non-formal education and training. An entire generation of young people might have suffered disruption to their learning experience if it had not been ensured to continue through distance learning. There was an urgent need for a response that focused on the needs of every young person during the global recovery from the pandemic, especially those at risk of early retirement, such as learners with less favored socio-economic backgrounds, refugees and migrants, trainees with disabilities and special educational needs. The target group of the project was youth workers because they were those who came into direct contact with the above-mentioned high-risk groups for exclusion or limited access to digital education and had to enrich their knowledge and acquire innovative tools in order to meet this new challenge that also affected learners, teachers, and trainers around the world. In addition, the provision of training for the acquisition of digital skills and competences was taken into account as not all learners had equal skills, resources, or opportunities to participate in distance learning and e-learning.

The activities included in the project’ plan that are not related to the creation of Project Results are found in the following categories: a. Communication/ Promotion of the project and its results b. Exploitation of a CEREBRUM digital platform c. Creation of Guides for the proper implementation of the project and its activities a. Communication/ Promotion of the project and its results - For the proper and effective communication and cooperation of the project partners, in addition to the official Transnational Meetings established at specific times during its life cycle, it was jointly decided to hold continuous informal meetings in which the trainers and other staff of the organizations concerned, such as the technical support team, etc., were invited on a case-by-case basis. These meetings were held through a digital platform in its professional publication e.g. ZOOM, Microsoft teams. - Regarding the promotion of the project, provision was made for the creation of the visual identity of the project, which required the involvement of a graphic designer in order to approach the identity of the project professionally by strengthening its footprint to all interested parties. - As a basic means of promotion and sharing results, the website that was created remained operational and remained active even after its completion. - As the dynamic presence on social media was perhaps the most effective promotional channel, we proceeded to the promotion of Facebook ads and the implementation of native advertising (mainly during the early stages of the project) - To enhance the visibility of the project and its objectives, it was planned to implement a Kick-Off event in Athens during which all target groups were invited to attend, to share their objectives and possible ways of involvement in the project. - The project was also supported by the creation of (mainly digital) dissemination materials such as gadgets, brochures, posters etc b. Exploitation of the digital platform CEREBRUM.gr (www.cerebrum.gr) The online courses that were created were hosted on the CEREBRUM digital platform, which is an interactive educational platform, friendly to its use and with the capability of direct communication of users. In order to maximize its use, this platform was adapted to the language and learning requirements of this project. The CEREBRUM.gr platform was created by the coordinating body itself based on the Strategic Framework of the European Union "Education and Training 2020" with the aim of promoting good practices, highlighting new skills and academic development in Greece and Europe. c. Creation of Guides for the proper implementation of the project and its activities For the proper implementation of the project, provision was made for the creation of a set of Guides which contributed to the more efficient management of the whole project and to the better implementation of the activities contained therein. In detail, we proceeded to the creation of the following Guides: - Communication Strategy Guide - Quality Assurance Guide - GDPR Guide - VR Environment User's Guide - CEREBRUM.gr Platform Registration and User’s Guide - MOOC Courses Guide

The project essentially provided for 4 core activities in the form of four different but interrelated Project Results (PRs). In summary, these were: 1. MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) or Mass Free Online Courses for the Digitization of Education and the Use of Digital Tools under CEREBRUM.gr platform 2. Virtual Reality Platform App for the implementation of digital activities for youth workers 3. Pilot implementation of digital activities 4. Creation of a digital toolbox on DYW Initially, the partner-head of MOOC PR, in collaboration with the other partners, created the mass lessons. This PR was also the backbone of the overall project, as it aimed to educate youth workers on a variety of topics related to digital education, digital tools, distance learning, etc. MOOC practically empowered and trained youth workers so that they could further develop any existing digital skills and competences, but above all, be able to develop new ones, become familiar with the use of innovative digital tools, and eventually be able to develop and use creative educational methodologies, making the most of the available online resources that were concentrated in the Digital toolbox. The use and exploitation of these open-source and free courses largely ensured an educational process that did not exclude anyone due to geographical, cultural, social, or economic constraints. In addition, the nature of these online courses and the structure of educational content were such that they did not require the physical presence of the user at certain times and days. Users were free to formulate their own monitoring and participation schedule in the various course chapters of MOOC, in their own free time, and even at the end of each chapter had the possibility of repetitions, self-evaluation of their progress through special tests, and questions to the instructors. The Virtual Reality Platform for the implementation of digital activities emerged as an evolution after the end of the MOOC training process and offered learners the possibility of simulating an environment that provided a high degree of interaction and direct contact of the user with it. The VR environment acted as a safe field of experimentation on the knowledge and theory gained by the trainees in the first stage of the project. Within the platform, users were able to simulate electronic, mixed, and distance learning and learning environments, safely, and with the help of modern technological tools, thus developing the corresponding digital and pedagogical skills and competences described in the project results section. The Digital Activities Pilot Application was the general rehearsal for the implementation of the planned results of the project. Through its implementation, the consortium had the opportunity to better evaluate the results of the first 2 PRs in an "experimental" phase, to respond to any problems that may have arisen, and to resolve them using the method of back testing. This meant that the consortium carried out evaluation actions of the first two PRs using evaluation methodologies that were rigorous, systematic, and continuous. Finally, the Digital Toolbox that was created, and was open and free of charge accessible to all, ensured the continuity of the project beyond its official ending date, as it continued to be enriched with material from all partners. The Toolkit provided learners with the most innovative and up-to-date digital applications for the development of new pedagogical methods and the implementation of digital interactive workshops.