WeGROW: EQ learning for YOUTH
WeGrow aims to support the youth professionals (youth workers, youth trainers, youth leaders, and mentors of young volunteers of the European Solidarity Corps) to ensure the social inclusion of all young people. The ever-changing nature of European society demands a high level of social skills; a prerequisite for inclusion. This is true for all countries regardless of the stage of economic development and it affects both the people working with the youth and their target group; the youth.
With our project, we wish to address the need for youth professionals for continuous professional development with a focus on competencies to support the development of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and the social skills of young people with low school performance, and early school leavers, and/ or NEETs.
Additionally, we wish to create non-formal tools and methods that are attractive to the aforementioned young people who are often feeling uncomfortable in formal settings.
The development of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) through Youth Work is proposed as a means to ensure for all young people equal opportunities to demonstrate good school performance, stay in school, and get and maintain a job.
Aim
GO DigiART’s main aim is to enhance skills development & competencies of marginalized adults, that reinforce creativity, thus contributing to their engagement in new educational environments and settings of Digital media & Art. As the COVID-19 crisis has hit the cultural and creative sectors particularly hard, some latent social tensions have been explored along with exclusion. Educators have in their hands a great variety of all-encompassing educational environments and tools that are user friendly and can be accessed by all, independent from their digital literacy, which is as well attractive and engaging for marginalized groups. However, there is a deficiency when it comes to adequate in-service coaching for them because of a poor investment of means and resources.
Objectives
The project aims to promote the development of the Emotional Intelligent of young people with low school performance, early school leavers, and/ or NEET through Youth Work. To achieve this aim, the partners will first work on the competence development of youth professionals (youth workers, youth trainers, mentors of ESC volunteers).
The objectives of the project are to:
- Increase the skills of Youth Workers and update their methodologies so as to better support young people with fewer opportunities to improve their Emotional Intelligence including social skills, adaptability, stress management, and general attitude.
- Help young people with low school performance, early school leavers, and/ or NEET to develop basic and transversal cognitive, and especially emotional and social skills, using innovative approaches. These skills are becoming increasingly important for education performance and employability.
- Provide youth organisations with a structured coaching programme that enhances self-awareness and self-management of personal emotions.
- Raise the impact of Youth Work by creating an open European e-platform for best practices and creation of awareness on EQ at the European level through innovative content.
Products to be developed
- IO1. WeGROW methodological guide and toolkit in Emotional Intelligence and Social Skills for Youth Workers. This is a toolkit that will contain the initial activities that will allow YouthWorkers to get to know the young people better and learn about their individual circumstances through different activities, games, personal interviews, etc.
- IO2. WeGROW: EQ Curriculum – Detailed programme and training materials for Youth Workers with 5 innovative training modules, plus an Emotional intelligence certification for Youth Workers.
- IO3. The WrGROW e-learning platform will support new approaches to helping academically disadvantaged youth. The output will offer the wider community access to follow the updates, share best practices, and get all the knowledge developed. This will ensure to continue the collaboration of the project after the project ends.
Results
The project will equip the youth professionals with practical tools to use in their work utilizing Emotional Intelligence in non-formal learning. Through the development of Emotional Intelligence, the youth workers will support young people with low school performance, early school leavers, and/ or NEETs to enhance their school performance, reduce possibilities for early school leaving and gain employment.
Partnership
SEAL CYPRUS – Cyprus – coordinator
Arista Deka – Cyprus
VSI INOVACIJU BIURAS – Lithuania
ADEL Slovakia – Slovakia
Ce.F.A.S. – Centro di Formazione ed Alta Specializzazione – Italy
