European Innovatory

x We believe that our project was closely linked to young people's ability to think critically and to link theory to practice. With its format and MO, INNOVATORY aimed to address resilience through creativity, collaboration and communication, developing skills in young people that allow them to improve their performance in key areas. Debates about the future of work are reverberating through society in the light of emerging AI or what knowledge will be valid in a decade or two. But there's no debate about the fact that critical thinking, teamwork, problem-solving, creativity and new forms of applied learning will continue to be relevant and useful. Resilience was already becoming a topic of interest for urban areas, and the COVID-19 pandemic provided an additional argument. Communities around the world need to adapt, find new ways of dealing with crises, and find solutions to capital challenges. While the current focus is on short-term solutions, long-term sustainability through resilience lies in a broad range of skills to manage crises. And this perspective starts with today's youth as the key generation of decision-makers. This is why we have developed and implemented European Innovatory.

x We aimed to create a European Innovatory, involving high-school students, teachers, experts, and decision-makers in a creative learning process to identify and solve societal problems using Design Thinking by 2024. Our goals were: * To help high-school students (aged 14-18) and their teachers from 7 cities develop critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving skills, and proactive attitudes in a supportive environment, improving teacher-student relationships through creative teams of young people. * To promote the problem-solving potential of young people to local stakeholders and decision-makers involved in urban and community development. * To create a Europe-wide learning movement focused on social innovation and Design Thinking, involving students, teachers, and additional experts, mentors, and stakeholders. * To establish a sustainable cooperation and decision-making platform with 7 initial cities and 10 additional European stakeholders to ensure the project's results and its continuation as a European programme.

x On the content and intellectual side, the project was structured around its intellectual outputs. First, we developed the Innovatory methodology which allowed local partners to build their own local Innovatory process. This also contained a learning activity involving all partners. Then, all 7 partners from 7 cities implemented local Innovatory process. These processes ended with a local multiplier event where solutions of young people were presented. Finally, the third intellectual activity was about connecting young people from these cities in addressing and developing ideas and solutions with European relevance. This third part contained our second learning activity, the European Innovatory Camp where we welcomed young people, youth workers and local coordinators in a shared European experience in Cluj-Napoca. The project involved several key activities over its duration. General management covered overall project coordination and administrative work, we hosted three project meetings. Accounting ensured financial management according to the agreement. The project launch announced objectives and timelines in multiple languages. Intermediate evaluations assessed performance at different points. The final evaluation and communication summarized outcomes and planned for sustainability. Each activity was coordinated by specific team members to ensure smooth execution.

The project aimed to achieve several key results. At the output level: * Created a European Innovatory Framework with a context, skills development resolution, local implementation methodology, and an open platform for awareness and cooperation. * Delivered 7 Local Innovatory actions, resulting in a series of 135 creative solutions by young people. * Developed 7 innovative solutions into business cases for European implementation. * Formed 135 teams of high-school pupils and teachers to develop skills through Design Thinking. Established Local Innovatory support networks, documented in 7 city-level case studies. At the outcome level: * It Involved a total of 505 young people in skill development through 135 teams. * Provided 47 young people from fewer opportunities with equal skill development chances. * Developed the skills of 45 teachers and youth workers, forming a support pool for young people's skill development. * Engaged 127 experts, mentors, youth workers and coordinators overall in new collaborative education processes. * Created 7 local stakeholder networks to support young people's skill development. * Created sustainability conditions for continuing the 7 initial Local Innovatory processes from 2025 on. * Received intent from 17 more cities to adopt Local Innovatory from 2025 on. In the case of Romania, there is also a plan for transforming it into a National programme. * Established a European Innovatory model and movement for skill development. * Enhanced cooperation among cities within the Network of European Youth Capitals, prioritizing youth in future city planning and developing urban youth ecosystems.