European Youth Remote Orchestra (EYRO): Orchestra music labs as a tool for inclusion of vulnerable youth

EYRO addresses critical EU-wide issues relating to youth, particularly worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic: social exclusion. isolation of vulnerable youth, lack of opportunities and lack of civic engagement. Covid-19 has had a massive negative impact on all youth, and particularly on youth who were already at risk of social exclusion (NEET, youth wit migratory backgrounds, youth with any addictions etc...) in isolating them further from social contexts and has created anew generation of socially isolated youth, who have a need to re-acquire fundamental social and life skills.

1. EYRO created an inclusive, collaborative EU peer-to-peer (P2P) ‘youth remote orchestra’ for young people at risk of social exclusion, offering mentoring and coaching in playing music together across Europe. 2. In order to achieve this, EYRO also offered music teachers a training programme to allow them to work effectively with specific competences relating to working with vulnerable young people (i.e. emotional intelligence-based competences) and with the selected technology (digital competences). 3. Finally, the project developed a Guideline to offer EU institutions and organisationsacross the EU working with vulnerable youth an innovative approach for their engagement and social inclusion, as well as a tool to foster a sense of belonging to the EU. This project result represents a fundamental sustainability and transferability strategy. It has been disseminated widely through the project website, partners' networks at national and EU level, social media, and through multiplier events in each country.

R1 (Training programme for youth inclusion though EU music orchestra labs) was completed. It is composed of 9 training modules and was tested during an LTT Activity which took place in Athens (Greece) in September 2022 and validated the training course. R2 was completed and will provide Guidelines for replication of the EYRO model. Quality assurance and dissemination activities were carried out systematically.

R1 (Training programme for youth inclusion though EU music orchestra labs) was completed. This is made of 9 training modules and it was tested, piloted and validated during the 4-day LTTA in Athens. It is available in all project language plus English. R2 was completed and provides Guidelines for replication of the experience, offering learning and guidance. Avaliable in English and all project languages. Both results are available from the project website: https://www.eyroproject.eu/ MOreover, Music Labs were established in each aprticipating ciuntry. The trained music teachers worked with young people in the national labs and then connected up the labs so that an EU Lab could be established, where young people were able to meet and work together towards playing remotely as an orchestra. The result was a final EU Remote Orchestra concert, which was held in January 2024. The experience led to music tacgeììhers acquiring new competences in working with young people and the creation of a sense of community in the young people involved, both at looca, community level and at EU level.