<< Objectives >>By implementing the project, we follow several motivations. First, we would like to increase awareness about microplastics among young people, teachers, and educational institutions. Second, we would like to offer the teachers some quality teaching material that may be used in schools as curricular or extracurricular teaching resources. Thirdly, we would also like to foster discussion on the topic in the general public, possibly leading to reflection about possible solutions to the problem.<< Implementation >>Development and execution of webinars dedicated to spreading theoretical knowledge and general understanding of microplastic pollution and prevention. Developing and availability of online courses on the topic of microplastics and pollution with many shareable digital media learning materials.Delivery of dissemination events to spread ideas and raise awareness of the problematics among youngsters and teachers. Encouragement of reflection among students and teachers by organising the contest.<< Results >>Development of 5 online courses on microplastics serving as an awareness-raising media.Development of high-quality didactic materials and digital learning media.Activation of young future experts to identify innovative ideas on how to tackle the problem of microplastics.Promotion of the microplastics problems and problem-solving solutions in the context of education and training.Introduction of new learning approaches with a transfer of knowledge and good practices to education and training.

<< Background >>Following the study related to needs analysis carried on by partner organisations, attached to the application form, we conclude that the lesson learned from Covid-19 is that the maturity of digitalization strongly depends on the business sector and the firm’s value proposition. The smaller the company, the more difficult is the digital transformation. Not all micro-businesses have the capacity to undertake digital transition. They find it hard to rethink their business model, adopt new digital practices and integrate basic digital processes. The well-known phrase “survival of the fittest” becomes genuine: a changing environment requires adaptation, and within the next years we will face many disruptive changes, like “greenformation”.Lock-downs and a rapid decrease in customers even after re-opening businesses have hit retail and tourism, while many of the large, digital retailers have thrived through the crisis. The reaction of many businesses has been described as “shock and awe”, only few of them tried to adapt in a flexible way, e.g. by reaching out to customers through the internet, organizing delivery services or creating associations of businesses for sharing resources for delivery, marketing and payment. Many of these attempts have been incremental and unprofessional. While some businesses managed to cope in innovative ways, many failed, pointing at a deficit in digital readiness in technical skills to plan and implement the use of e commerce platforms, reaching customers through non traditional media like social media, but also an inability to shift the mindset to a more digital model of finding and serving their customers.While large companies can rely on their own resources to shift their business models to the digital space, small and self employed business owners have to react very quickly to this mortal threat. They need to learn the technical skills and the (self-) management skills for shifting (pivoting) their business to the more robust digital model very quickly and in a very flexible way. Therefore the main need of the target group is quick and effective training on how to digitise their business. They need a “Digital First Aid Kit” which is immediately accessible, delivered through their trusted and reliable support structures while at the same time teaching the vocational skills and competences, but also attitudes for coming out of the crisis stronger, going beyond the emergency reaction and building a new business model that will be more resilient to crises and more successful in the long run.<< Objectives >>Our objectives therefore are to support small businesses and self-employed at risk of failing in the COVID induced crisis as a consequence of outdated, non-digital business models to become crisis resilient through digital business models and digital outreach to customers. Specific objectives include: - Increasing the digital organizational readiness and digital competencies in case of 70 small business owners and self-employed vulnerable to Covid crisis, as consequence of outdated, non-digital business models, by developing a highly innovative training toolkit based on Matrix of Crisis Resilience and Digital Customer Retention Competences and on self-assessment tool, developing a blended training program “Crisis resilience, business sustainability and digital readiness” for vulnerable small businesses and building a user community learners from small businesses, particularly those affected by Covid-19 with limited access to training; 20 from them will be trained through C2 activity and 50 from them will be assisted for become more crisis resilient through digital agility and also for ensuring business sustainability; - Supporting the professional use of IT and digital marketing, increase the awareness for good practices of pivoting small businesses to more digital business models, enhancing the widespread use of such transversal methodologies by disseminating to 290 small business owners and other stakeholders, within 9 multiplier events and one final conference;- Increasing the digital education and partner organisations capacity to develop and use innovative training toolkit by training of 25 consultants.<< Implementation >>To achieve these objectives we will implement several activities:1. Based on a qualitative survey on small business digital readiness to business changes induced by Covid crisis it will be designed the Matrix of Crisis Resilience and Digital Customer Retention Competences for Small Businesses and self-employed2. Develop and test a self-assessment tool very specific for the digital readiness of small businesses and self-employed, on a technical, personal and organisational level 3. Test and apply a targeted training toolkit with 25 consultants through 3 days face –to-face training. This will be supported by a online system, online content and course platform4. Develop a blended training program “crisis resilience, business sustainability and digital readiness” for vulnerable small businesses and self-employed and building a user community Learners from those businesses, particularly those affected by Covid-19 with limited access to training (costs, accessibility, time and location limitations, and flexibility)The project will be organised by 4 face-to-face and 6 virtual partner meetingsFor wide outreach, we will reach 260 additional entrepreneurs and other stakeholders through 9 multiplier events.A final dissemination conference attended by 30 small business owners, business consultants, business support organisations and small business associations as well as policymakers in the field will make the results universally available also to interested parties Europe-wideThe project will consider the environmental impact of all activities. We will use planning tools that calculate the CO2 footprint of all mobility https://uba.co2-rechner.de/de_DE/mobility-travel and choose the eco-friendly alternative whenever reasonable or compensate for the negative impact. We have moved a part of training activities online for didactical effectiveness but also to lower the CO2 impact. We will choose eco-friendly alternatives when ordering office supplies and will discuss the sustainability aspect briefly when setting up the implementation plan for each step. Diversity aspects will also be considered in all activities and we will monitor and report the diversity in all activities in the framework of the internal evaluation and quality assurance.Selection of participants will have in view the application of non-discrimination principle.<< Results >>The project will produce the following outputs and other results: Result 1: Matrix of Crisis Resilience and Digital Customer Relation Competencies for small businesses, based on a qualitative survey on the impact of Covid-19 on small businesses with policy recommendations for skills investment and development. The result will cover lessons that need to be learned and key factors of small businesses who survived well. We capture the key competencies of these businesses and develop a matrix of competencies that can be used by all those who are interested in training more resilient micro-businesses and shape favorable political and administrative conditions to do so. (lead: ISOB)Result 2: Self-Assessment-Test for the resilience and digital skills of entrepreneurs based on the competencies found in Result 1. The small businesses can identify their strengths, resources and potentials, are alerted early about a deficient digital, organisational and individual readiness and are motivated to enter training. The assessment can be used as well to assess learning outcomes. (lead: DERMOL)Result 3: Consultant Training Toolkit based on the previous learnings. Consultants of the partner organisations must focus on the key competencies and get access to a compact set of didactical guides and materials to help small businesses and self-employed to become more resilient through digital readiness. Indicative contents include: overcoming mental barriers; becoming organizational resilience (personal resources, resilient behaviour of individuals and teams, organisational culture and processes, networking and building a support system) and working on mental balance and determination in times of crisis; learning to pivot (change and agility as core entrepreneurial competence); crisis management competencies (know how to rethink and develop the business model, value proposition and product portfolio, trend monitoring, liquidity assurance and operational planning, leadership and change management, infrastructure expansion); digital outreach and customer relation skills (customer acquisition, customer retention, online communication and marketing, data analysis by understanding your business’ needs, understand users’ needs, understand your future customers’ needs, define your vision and pick the right system, make a plan to build a customer “tribe” and be aware for the potential of digitalization); using digital B2C platforms, technical skills for customer relationship management systems; digital and green competencies: economic sustainability depends on environmental sustainability: basics of sustainability and eco-friendliness business operation (supply chain, distribution, production, customer relation, culture), networking and support). (lead: GrantXPert) Result 4: Developing a blended training program “crisis resilience, business sustainability and digital readiness” for vulnerable small businesses and building a user community learners from those businesses, particularly those affected by Covid-19 with limited access to training (costs, accessibility, time and location limitations and flexibility) must get access to motivation and guidance on how to become more resilient, sustainable and digital. This has two components: (1) a switch in the mindset and (2) additional technical skills in digital customer outreach. The small businesses must be engaged in an innovative format that is easily integrated in their tight schedules: Snippet learnings (each taking a few minutes) in various formats and media (transmedia strategy). (lead: StoryTellme)25 consultants trained and certified (Europass)20 small business owners and self-employed trained (Europass) and 50 of them assisted through a blended workshopAn expert audience of 290 involved and engaged in 9 multiplier events and one final conference4 transnational project meetingsEvaluation report of outputs and outcomes for the information of the expert community and potential users