Story Makers - Many Voices Many Lives will develop materials that enable youth workers to use the power of story-making to engage and work with socially excluded young people, equipping them with resilience, confidence, self-esteem and life skills. It aims to foster the inclusion and employability of young people with fewer opportunities, through the promotion of quality youth workThe project has been designed in the context of increasing concern about the growing gap between young people who engage in social, civic and cultural life and are confident about finding a job, and those with little hope of leading a fulfilling life, and risk exclusion and marginalisation. 13.7m young people aged 15-29 are neither in employment, education or training (NEET), and close to 27m are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Young people with a migrant background, low educational achievement and health issues are most likely to become NEET and are least likely to participate in social and civic activities.Number and profile of beneficiaries: The project will engage and support 50 youth workers and 600 young people, of whom at least 500 will be NEET, and face particular barriers to engagement, such as mental and physical health and complex behavioural issues. Based on past courses, we expect approximately 80% of the young people to complete the training and tell their storyThe results of the project will be1. A manual for youth workers, containing the following modules:•the characteristics of socially excluded young people in each participating country. •Using story-making to engage and motivate socially excluded young people: Building on the notion that people connect with stories, young people will co-develop stories accessible through digital media and artefacts, which will push the boundaries of both literature and literacy. The opportunity to engage with story-making and -listening, can be expected to lead to improved engagement and self-esteem and provide opportunities for practising oral literacy •Using mentors to enhance the story-making approach: Mentors will largely be drawn from the local business community and will receive training to act as role models and ongoing support. Mentors will be a critical factor in helping mentees to think about and learn from the story that they are telling.•Where next: supporting young people to access further employment/education/support services.•Building partnerships across sectors: A model for developing and strengthening links between youth organisations, schools, VET, HE and the labour market •A measurement tool that can be used by youth workers to assess young people’s progress2. A multi-media film, produced by young people, presenting the project and its impact on them.3. An open access multi-lingual e-learning portal, targeting youth workers4. A minimum of four multiplier events and a number of local dissemination activities. The immediate impact will bea) Youth workers will increase their skills to engage socially excluded young peopleb) Young people’s creativity and initiative will be stimulated, motivating them about their futurec) Young people will become aware of services, support networks, and means of accessing qualifications for further education and/or employmentd) Participating organisations will gain skills and a wider European network, supporting internationalisation strategies.Longer-term benefits will be a reduction in youth social exclusion; a positive impact on the partners’ reputation, which can be expected to bring further financial support. At wider level: we expect to feed the lessons of the project into policy development at national and European levels. Future funding is expected to be acquired through mainstreaming and multiplying the project both at national and European levels.

"The CC Project aimed at developing, testing and widely disseminating an innovative methodology based on creative approach in adult education. It also focused on the needs of disadvantaged adult learners with a view to training social and civic competences. The choice of theatre and precisely puppetry art was made on the basis of the long-standing experience of Teatr Grodzki in using this specific art form in education and therapy. Even though puppet theatre is usually perceived as something childish, it can serve as a very efficient and attractive way of teaching adult students how to discover their aptitudes and abilities needed for a true social adaptation.Through the activities we created the new educational and self-development opportunities for those who are socially excluded due to their health/disability problems, difficult economic situation, conflict with the law or other factors. We were aware of the fact that integration of socially vulnerable individuals and groups with society was a long and challenging process. It must have involved an important phase of creating a suitable environment for making first steps towards changes. People who had been isolated, often for a very long time, needed to be first of all motivated to make an effort to step out. They needed to see positive results of their actions and to feel rewarded. Such an experience could be a turning point in their life and lead to discovering own place in the community. We found puppetry art a surprisingly efficient tool facilitating this initial stage of social inclusion processes.The project implementation of the CC Project was introduced in six steps.1.Teatr Grodzki, the author of the project, presented their approach of using the elements of puppetry art and psychodrama techniques in adult education to other partners and their trainers during the Short-term Joint Staff Training in Glasgow (18 participants from CITIZENS THEATRE, BABILONAS, Know&Can, CSC Danilo Dolci and TEATR GRODZKI) 2.All partners tested the methods presented during the training, modifying them and further developing according to specific needs/constraints of their target groups (13 local pilot workshops, 177 participants with fewer opportunities) documented in blogs run by the trainers http://ccproject.art/pilot-workshop/ 3.A VLCE – good practice platform launched in 8 languages (EN, PL, LT, IT, BG, DE, SE, FR) and used for sharing/exchanging teaching experience throughout the project www.ccproject.art 4.On the basis of the training experience further tested and confirmed during the workshops in Scotland, Lithuania, Italy, Bulgaria and Poland the partners jointly formulated the methodological guidelines for the use of puppet theatre inspiration in adult education and social inclusion programs available in 8 languages on http://ccproject.art/publications/ 5.Parallelly to the elaboration of methodological guidelines all partners worked on a presentation of ten different teaching processes and case studies in the form of eCompendium issued in 8 languages: EN, PL, IT, LT, BG, DE, FR, ES on the platform in the section eResources http://ccproject.art/publications/6. Twelve Muliplier Events organized in the last phase of the project in all the partner countries for 233 educators (11 of them from abroad). CC project was recognized successful in the field of supporting the disadvantaged adults. In particular project resources and dissemination activities were found very useful by all partners and their trainers: “I loved the training and I will use all of the resources in the future. The group I work with is very similar to one of the pilot groups and the project would work a treat with the women.” (Project Worker from the Health and Social Care); ""The educational materials are clear and they include important guidelines which I can follow as a trainer. They lead me step-by-step through the workshop process. The methods presented are simple to implement in a wide range of application contexts"" (Adult educator); https://www.creativescotland.com/explore/read/stories/creative-learning/2019/create-a-puppet-citizens-theatre (article in Creative Scotland)"

Our consortium aims to support adult educators (teachers, trainers, but also social workers etc.) by developing teaching/training programmes and pedagogical materials for special groups of adults – groups at risk of social exclusion.From the wide range of such groups we will focus on the three target groups mentioned in one of seven flagship initiatives of Europe 2020 Strategy:- deprived (underpriviledged) communities, - people with disabilities,- migrants.The first group – young, poor adults, who often, for economical or sociological reasons had to leave their educational paths, and still remain in initial conditions Enabling them to exploit the full potential which they have will help not only them, but also will have influence of a level of the whole society.The second group – deaf people, due to lack of oral communication with the (hearing) others, they preferably shut themselves in clubs and associations solely for the deaf, thus maintaining their own identity and culture but at the same time deepening isolation and increasing the distance from the mainstream of life. Parallel, the hearing persons often have the feeling that they have to protect themselves from people who are “different” and are talking differently, so they set social borders.The third group – migrants, especially when visiting countries different for their origins, due to many cultural differences very often (if not always) are in a danger to be treated much more below their value as potential community members. They cannot express their skills and potential in the new society, they cannot enter it in a full, normal way, so they remain in a bad position in all social relationships – from contacts with neighbours to a place in a job market.All those three groups of learners, have at least one common need in order to gain or maintain a chance to be fully-fledged part of society – need to be understood. They need an opportunity for successful communication of their real situation with everyday obstacles, cultural misunderstandings, fears and other problems.In a situation when there are people who need to communicate, but ironically, in most of their cases verbal communication is something what rather causes more problems in interactions than helps, we propose them tools of communisation focused mainly on non-linguistic skills – theatre and digital storytelling. We believe, that expression through images, gestures, sounds, where words are only small part of a message is a great solution to bring these people closer to society, to help them present themselves and also to help them understand surrounding world. To provide complex support for these groups of final beneficiaries we decided to develop educational tools for adult eduators, in particular teaching, training or working with people representing groups at risk of social exclusion, which are:- a handbook which: • describes digital storytelling and theatre storytelling as tools for education and all 3 groups of beneficiaries with their situation and pedagogical needs, • contains examples of best practices on theatre and digital storytelling, trainers reflections and summary- independent pedagogical resources such:• learning paths – ready to use pedagogical scenarios on digital and theatre storytelling as tools in adult education• exemplary digital stories of teachers/trainers and beneficiaries,• movies on exemplary theatre techniques used in adult education- VLC platform containing all the materials, and experience sharing area for teachers, trainers and representatives of supported groups of beneficiaries- PocketNews pedagogical programme on how to manage online educational content produced in the project with mobile devices.All the materials are available in 4 langugages: English, Polish, Italian and Icelandic.Development of the project results is supported by joint staff training on digital storytelling, theatre storytelling and marginalised groups issues, and by multiplier events in all partners countries, where the project and its results are presented and discussed.

<< Background >>Despite the wide agreement on the importance of ensuring access and inclusion of all children in early childhood education and care (ECEC), there are still many barriers that constrain the participation of children with intellectual disabilities, putting them at significantly greater risk of missing out on early childhood education. Many children with intellectual disabilities lack ECEC practitioners who are adequately trained and equipped to meet their needs and they are faced with prejudices, discrimination and negative attitudes both by their peers and adults in their communities. Тhe EMBRACE project emanates from the need for support continuous professional development of ECEC staff and leaders in working with children with intellectual disabilities, and in building partnerships and collaborations among themselves and with children, parents and community members. The main project target groups are staff working in ECEC settings, including educational staff, care staff and auxiliary staff/assistants, as well as leaders/heads of ECEC settings, i.e. nurseries and kindergartens. Ultimately, the project will benefit preschool children with intellectual disabilities, such as autism, Down's syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Williams syndrome, Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.The initial training of educational staff (who are qualified at tertiary level), care staff (usually with a minimum qualification at upper-secondary or post-secondary) and auxiliary staff or assistants (usually either not qualified or with a minimum qualification at upper-secondary level) often fails to provide them with the knowledge, confidence and skills to support the learning of children with intellectual disabilities. Opportunities for continuous professional development in inclusive early education for children with intellectual disabilities are exceptionally limited. As a result, ECEC staff often lack basic understanding of the overall philosophy and underlying values of inclusive early years education, as well as of the different forms of intellectual disabilities, their implication the learning capacities of children and the adjustments needed to ensure they can participate in education. Educational, care and auxiliary staff generally consider special educators as solely responsible for this group of children and are less aware of their own key role. Lacking fora and methods for working closely with their colleagues, exploring together the challenges in their everyday work and reflecting on solutions, they might also feel overwhelmed and doubt that they can provide for children with intellectual disabilities. Peers can be very powerful in supporting the participation of children with intellectual disabilities in ECEC settings. Yet, ECEC staff are not equipped with the needed tools and skills for encouraging children to overcome their initial fears or prejudices, develop socially inclusive behaviours and support each other. Awareness raising among parents, engaging with them, as well as with other professionals and community members are also among the essential strategies for inclusion that can be employed by ECEC settings. Unfortunately, ECEC setting’s leaders are not familiar with the approaches for collaborating with parents and other community members.<< Objectives >>The overall objective of the EMBRACE project is to contribute to the enhancement of the quality of early childhood education and care and promote the inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities.The specific objectives are: • To develop inclusive values and attitudes among ECEC staff and strengthen their knowledge and capacities to accommodate the needs of children with intellectual disabilities. • To equip ECEC staff and leaders with the needed tools, resources and knowledge to foster a culture of inclusion through collaborating with colleagues, children, parents and community members.• To raise awareness among children, parents and the general public on the importance of inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities in ECEC. • To increase the visibility of children with intellectual disabilities, deconstruct stereotypes and fight discrimination through overcoming barriers to early years education.<< Implementation >>PROJECT RESULTS R1 Mapping the Terrain: Initial and continuous training opportunities for early childhood education and care staff (M1-M10)R1-A1 Design of research protocol and national reports template R1-A2 Implementation of desk research in partners’ counties R1-A3 Implementation of key informant interviews R1-A4 Production of national report R1-A5 Drafting of the Transnational Report R1-A6 Drafting of policy recommendations R1-A7 Review of Transnational Report & Policy Recommendations R1-A8 Finalization and design of the Transnational Report & Policy Recommendations R2 E-learning course (M11-M19)R2-A1 Design R2-A2 Development R2-A3 Piloting R2-A4 Evaluation and finalization R3 Fostering a Culture of Inclusion Handbook (M8-M24)R3-A1 Background desk research R3-A2 Consultations and meetings R3-A3 Development of the draft version of the Handbook R3-A4 Piloting & Evaluation R3-A5 Finalization and publication/dissemination of the Handbook R4 Awareness-raising Toolkit: Inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities in early childhood education and care (M13-M24)R4-A1 Development of the content of the toolkit R4-A2 Piloting and Evaluation R4-A3 Finalization, Publication and Dissemination TRANSNATIONAL MEETINGS Meeting 1: Kick-off meeting (Poland, M1) Meeting 2: Interim meeting (Greece, M12)Meeting 3: Final meeting (Belgium, M24)PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION • Project Management A1: Setting up the project A2: Project Communication A3: Project management and reporting • Quality Assurance and EvaluationA4: Quality Assurance and Evaluation PlanA5: Interim and Final Evaluation reports • Dissemination and exploitation A6: Dissemination and Exploitation A7: Project branding and visual identificationA8: Media activity A9: Project Factsheets Two (2) project factsheets will be producedMULTIPLIER EVENTS - Digital multiplier event (M20)- Final conference (M24)<< Results >>The outputs produced within the duration of the project include: - Development of a transnational report that provides a critical analysis of the opportunities for initial and continued education of ECEC staff on topics concerning inclusive ECEC of children with intellectual disabilities, the knowledge and skills gaps, and needs, concluding with policy recommendations (Result 1)- Design, development and piloting of an e-learning course for ECEC staff, with a focus on strengthening their attitudes, knowledge, values, and skills that are central to ensuring that ECEC settings are welcoming and inclusive of children with intellectual disabilities (Result 2)- Design, development and piloting of a handbook for ECEC staff and leaders on fostering inclusive environments for children with intellectual disabilities though engaging and collaborating with colleagues, children, parents and other community members (Result 3) - Design, development and piloting of a toolkit for ECEC settings with useful and effective resources for raising awareness of the importance of inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities in early childhood education and care (Result 3). - Multiplier events that will contribute to the wide dissemination of these outputs. Through these outcomes the project will lead to achievement of the following outcomes during and on its completion: - Strengthened knowledge and capacities among ECEC staff to accommodate the needs of children with intellectual disabilities and increased inclusive values and attitudes. - Better equipped ECEC staff and leaders with the needed tools, resources and knowledge to foster a culture of inclusion through collaborating with colleagues, children, parents and community members.- Increased awareness among children, parents and the general public on the importance of inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities in ECEC. Ultimately, the project will contribute to enhancement of the quality of early childhood education and care and the promotion of the inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities.

The Count Me In Too! (CMI2) project originated from the partners' conviction that no European citizen should be disadvantaged in education or in the workplace because of his/her disability. The partners focused on finding new ways to improve the use of diverse resources of organisations and people. Aware that lifelong learning is perceived as highly desirable in the European Union, and the labour market in Europe values constant updating of knowledge and professional skills, the partners agreed that it is highly relevant to improve vocational education and training for people with special needs (e.g. autism, ADHD, Asperger's syndrome) and learning difficulties. CMI2 aimed to build a methodology for the inclusion of such people in the society, and more specifically - in the job market. The partnership also wanted to empower such people and increase their self-esteem.Based on the needs analysis and research conducted within the previous project (Count Me In), the CMI2 partners carried out further needs analyses, developed a methodology, tools and materials for introducing new technologies to VET of those groups, and tried to transfer the created methodologies to all EU countries by making them available in English, German, Polish, Danish, Swedish and Hungarian.The project complemented and improved upon the existing eLearning and training courses by developing an ultra-simple and intuitive App Generator meant to enable employers and educators of people with learning difficulties to create simple task-based apps for the workers and trainees with learning disabilities to work more independently. The tool was equipped with a step-by-step built-in tutorial which allows users to get acquainted with the Generator at their own pace, and makes it possible to put content into the app while the user is being guided. Additionally, a bank of 11 English apps and 8 apps in each partner language was created. The topics included getting ready for work (job interview, getting to work by bus); basic maths (making a sandwich, using a cash register); handicrafts (making a paper puppet, making a paper bag); social competences and customer service (how to greet guests or customers); everyday activities (making breakfast; using a washing machine); professional tasks (binding a book) and relaxation (muscle relaxation).The apps were thoroughly tested by VET professionals and people with disabilities and learning difficulties in each partner organisation, and feedback was obtained to support the creation of some tips and guidelines on how to integrate the apps into the workplace. By combining the App Generator with the established VETPRO training courses and eLearning material, we increased the impact, usability and accessibility of the methodology for VET for special needs through cultural institutions to many EU countries (the training material is offered in the languages of all participating countries: Poland, Austria, Sweden, UK, Denmark and Hungary).The project goals and activities completed during the first year of the project (01.09.2015 - 31.08.2016) were: the creation of all Work Plans related to Intellectual Outputs; carrying out an expanded Needs Analysis with new examples from Austria, Hungary and Poland to prove the validity of the project; the identification of stakeholders and interested parties, the creation of the Generator; the translation of Generator into all the partner languages; the creation of 8 super simple training apps and accompanying eLearning Modules; the creation of the OER platform, Impact and Sustainability Plan, Evaluation Plan, Dissemination Plan and Management Plan and the tests of the App Generator in Austria, Denmark, Hungary and Poland.The project goals and activities completed during the second year of the project (1.09.2016 – 31.08.2017) were: an improvement of the beta version of the Generator; the creation of further apps in English; the creation of further eLearning Modules; the translation of 8 relevant apps into national languages; the translation of 8 relevant partner eLearning material/modules into national languages; the supplementation of OER platform content; writing the project methodology publication; translating the publication into all the national languages; uploading the publications to the OER platform; holding seminars, workshops and courses in Denmark, Austria, Hungary and Poland; undertaking numerous effective dissemination activities; adaptation of a live training course with modules on using the app generator; internal and external evaluation; and finally, holding a successful final conference “New Technologies in Vocational and Educational Training” in Bielsko-Biala, Poland, on 08.06.2017, with the participation of all the partner organisations and two keynote speakers from outside the partnership.All the project goals, activities and outcomes outlined in the project description were accomplished in a timely manner, and all the deadlines were duly met.