Project DROP IN

schermata-2017-11-10-alle-23-20-21DROP-IN

Early School Leavers: Drop-in

Program and announcement

Erasmus +, KA2 (Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices, Strategic Partnerships in the Youth Sector) – 2017 Call, Round 1

Project N ° 2017-1-UK01-KA205-035400

Short description

The project intends to create alternative paths for young people who leave school early (ESL – Early School Leaving) towards social inclusion in order to finally enter the labor market. The innovative aspect is that the project does not seek to reintegrate school dropouts into the formal education system, but focuses on enhancing their self-esteem and supporting them to embark on an alternative path of self-learning.

InEuropa srl is the  partner of the project.

Objectives

  • battle discrimination against young people who precociously leave school (who face the risks of unemployment, poverty and social exclusion) and increase their socio-economic inclusion by developing basic and transversal skills;
  • launch a flexible, innovative and youth-led online course for the development of basic and transversal skills, adapted to the needs of young people who have left school early;
  • offer an accessible and integrated tool (e-learning platform and for network actions) and a coherent European methodology for the capacity building of young people, easily applicable and transferable;
  • improve self-respect and self-confidence of young people, developing their skills and testing them for their personal and professional development;
  • increase the recognition of skills acquired and certified through non-formal learning, thus enhancing the competitiveness and employability of young people;
  • transfer, employ and build skills and good practices from successful models of development of key competences of disadvantaged young people across Europe;
  • fill the gap between the world of formal qualifications (acquired through formal education) and the acquisition of informal skills (acquired through informal educational ways as e-learning)
  • offer alternative education and training paths and opportunities, leading the way for a labor market and education for young people with educational disadvantages, which are more inclusive.

Actions

The proposed methodology involves the design and development of an online self-learning platform with gamification elements. The project will follow a holistic approach based on the direct feedback of the young beneficiaries, who will be actively involved in the process of design, development and verification of self-learning platform and will act as ambassadors that “drive” the awareness-raising campaigns on a large scale, with partnership support, with the aim of promoting the new electronic platform and involving its peers.

The project foresees the realization of 6 Intellectual outputs:

IO 1: E-Book “identification and analysis of needs”

IO 2: Development and Accreditation of the training course ”

IO 3: Implementation, development, and coordination of the Platform for Capacity-Building & Networking

IO 4: Training and activation of “Ambassadors” and Dissemination Campaign

IO 5: Guidelines for the realization of Coaching Centers and Support at a national level, towards young people who have abandoned school early, for opportunities for non-formal and informal training.

OI 6: E-book: “Drop-in final report of the project”.


Results

The main expected results are:

  • Increased confidence and capacity in young participants (who left school early), reintroducing them into informal and non-formal learning processes, for further development of their skills;
  • Increased awareness and understanding of the long-term positive impacts of informal and non-formal learning processes on the personal and professional life of the young people involved;
  • Increased awareness on the part of young people who have left school early to be closer to their peers who have instead completed a formal educational path;
  • Increased capacity to promote the employability and socio-economic inclusion of young people who have left school early, through shared and innovative informal and non-formal methodologies and tools.

Leader

The IARS International Institute – UK

Partnership

The partnership consists of 4 subjects from 4 different Countries:

  • Fundatiei Schottener Servicii Sociale – RO
  • Kentro Merimnas Oikogeneias kai Paidiou – KMOP – GR
  • Centre for Advancement of Research and Development in Educational Technology Ltd – CARDET – CY
  • InEuropa srl –IT

Associated partners are also involved.

Duration
The project lasted 24 months (1 September 2017 – 31 August 2019)

Website
www.dropinproject.eu

Total Budget
The European grant received is € 154,194.00

Financing corporation
European Commission – National Agency Erasmus + UK01