Reaching the Stars

We applied for this project since, according to our needs analysis, there was a need for helping adult learners expand their ideas and plans for the future, and for encouraging them to set higher goals for themselves. We found that guidance and counselling often directs adult learners towards more or less pre-determined future goals. We therefore concluded that there was a need to develop guidance and counselling in such a way that it would be better suited for helping adult learners to discover their true hopes and wishes for the future, instead of merely pointing them towards some career path that might seem easy to achieve. Besides developing guidance and counselling in a hope-based direction, we also identified a need at our organisations for developing the competences of our guidance and counselling staff. The staff at our organisations were already highly skilled at offering counselling for achieving pre-determined goals, such as finding a new job or a study path, but we recognized that there was a need to develop the competences of our own staff in a way that would allow them to facilitate freer and deeper self-reflection for the learners, and to motivate them to contnue to develop their goals and pursue their dreams.

The project had four main objectives. Firstly, our objective was to develop innovative pedagogical material, both offline and online, that could be used to help adult learners, as well as to allow adult educators and counsellors to develop their skills. Secondly, our aim was to improve our understanding regarding the similarities and differences in EU countries with respect to guidance and counselling practices. Thirdly. our objective was to improve the skills and competences of our own staff, when it comes to guidance and counselling, and to improve their ability to operate on a European wide level. Fourthly, we aimed to provide adult learners, especially those with fewer opportunities, with the opportunity for participating in project activities relevant to their own future plans, and for learning about guidance and counselling.

During the project, we implemented the following activities: - Four Transnational Project Meetings: the Kick-off meeting, supposed initially to be held in Messina, Italy, was moved online and hosted by Työväen Akatemia due to the Covid-19 situation in January 2022. We met face-to-face in Messina, Sicily; Lublin, Poland; and Celje, Slovenia. - Regular virtual meetings (around every six weeks, except when there was a TPM at the same time) - We produced three Project Results: (1) a handbook for guidance and counselling, printable to be used in offline form (2) a card game for adult learners, printable to be used in offline form and (3) a digital tool for guidance and counselling. - Desk research on the topic of hope-based guidance and counselling, as well as on the sociocultural context of guidance and counselling in the countries of the partner organisations. - Two questionnaires: one for adult learners, and one for adult educators and counsellors - Semi-structured interviews with adult educators and counsellors - Piloting and testing activities - Translations - An LTTA in Italy with adult educators/counsellors and adult learners - We organised a lecture by an outside expert regarding guidance and counselling - Multiplier Events in the countries of the partner organisations - Other dissemination activities

We produced three Project Results: (1) a handbook for guidance and counselling, (2) a card game for guidance and counselling, and (3) a digital tool for guidance and counselling. The handbook included a theoretical background report and a report of the project's initial research activities. During the project, we increased the competences of our staff, when it comes to guidance and counselling, and managed to develop new, innovative tools (both offline and online) for guidance that can be easily applied at other organisations as well. A major result of the project was the further development and implementation of the concept of hope-based guidance and counselling. Through the project activities, we improved the ability of our staff work on a transnational level, and also gave our learners the opportunity to take part in project activities both in our own countries and abroad, especially through the project's LTTA.