Step Up

Step Up

The general objective of the project is to establish a new transnational network of adult education providers of informal and non-formal educational activities, who are working on the promotion of social inclusion of specific adult education learners groups and in particular vulnerable groups.

The specific objective of the project is to foster the European cooperation between adult education providers working with specific adult education learner groups and in particular vulnerable groups. The Network will facilitate the cooperation and exchange of experiences among the participating organizations, and promote the role of culture and arts, in the context of adult education, in facilitating the social inclusion of vulnerable groups. The establishment of the Network, which brings together organizations with experience in the design and implementation of cultural and artistic activities targeting vulnerable groups, aims to the accumulation and dissemination of experience which derives from the implementation of relevant projects and initiatives.

More specifically, the project will collect, disseminate and pilot good practices of cultural activities which had a positive impact to the target groups, i.e. improved their skills (such as communication and social skills), as an important step for facilitating their social inclusion. It is noted that the project will give emphasis not only on the type of cultural activities but also on the methodology applied for implementing such activities. The good practices that will be collected will be piloted in different contexts and socioeconomic environments or target groups and thus provide evidence as to their replicability. The good practices will be based on the participating organisations’ previous experience, while additional good practices will be collected through the project activities.

Furthermore, the project will develop a manual on how to design and implement relevant educational activities targeting trainers or members of vulnerable groups who wish to become trainers themselves. The manual envisages building the capacity of the above-mentioned groups in the design and implement cultural and artistic activities for vulnerable groups, as a training method in adult education, which will take into account the particular characteristics and needs of the vulnerable groups in order to achieve the desired learning outcomes.

In addition, the project will produce a toolbox which will describe the piloted good practices, as well as a report which will provide policy recommendations at the national and European level, regarding the design and implementation of adult education programmes and projects which target vulnerable groups. Overall, the establishment of the Network and the results of the above-mentioned activities will result in the accumulation of experience, which derives from the implementation of relevant projects and initiatives at the European, national, regional and local level and which will be disseminated to a wide range of stakeholders, promoting thus the European dialogue on how to enhance the participation of vulnerable groups in adult education through the provision of evidence based policy recommendations.

Finally, the Network will increase the capacity of the participating organization to implement relevant activities and foster their cooperation in order to promote at the European, national, regional and local level the impact of the cultural activities in the promotion of social inclusion of vulnerable groups.

Nuestro Consorcio