New Pathways – Identifying and Promoting Best-Practice in Supporting Long-Term Unemployed Adults into Education Pathways
Erasmus+: Key Action 2 – Small-scale partnerships in adult education
Project number: 2021-2-DE02-KA210-ADU-000050168
Duration: 18 months. Start: 01.03.2022 End: 01.09.2023
Project summary:
The New Pathways project connects five diverse organisations (IWM GmbH, CGE Erfurt, Eurobug, CitizensAct, Youthtopia), from four European countries, in an 18-month program of exchange, job-shadowing, study visits, and collaboration; all aimed towards identifying and promoting best-practice in supporting long-term unemployed adults into education pathways.
Our consortium contains service providers, project management experts, informal associations of educators, and migrant-led research organisations. This gives our consortium many angles to approach the project from, and gives our project structure of exchange and collaboration potential to spark innovations and future partnerships.
After three series of job-shadowing activities, the project will then compile the collective learning and case studies into a resource that is available both online and in publication, and the final stages of our project will look forward to where we can integrate our learning into ongoing services and future cooperation.
Job Shadowing – Group One, April 2022 (9-24th) – Hosted by IWM GmbH & CGE Erfurt e.V.
This study visit focused on the use of arts and sports as an outreach tool to groups with fewer opportunities.
Amina Moustafa – Eurobug Ireland
With extensive experience in third sector engagement, Amina Moustafa is the chair of the Board of Eurobug Ireland. She also works as Programme Manager of the Women’s Leadership Programme at a leading peacebuilding NGO. She holds a BA in Neuroscience from Trinity College Dublin and is currently completing a PhD exploring the contentiousness of Muslim women’s involvement in sports considering themes such as identity, belonging and anti-Muslim racism within the Irish context. Using sport as a non-formal learning tool to tackle numerous social issues such as racism, discrimination and gender inequality, she has worked with various organisations on a local, national and international level such as Swim Ireland, the GAA and FIFA Foundation to emphasise the need for cultural and religious considerations in the design of community development programmes and highlighting the potential for sport to support the inclusion of refugees into society.
She is a Board Member of Sport Against Racism Ireland and has previously been the Project Coordinator of their Hijabs and Hat-Tricks programme encouraging Muslim women to play football after the lifting of FIFA’s hijab ban in 2014. She is also a Board Member of the National Women’s Council of Ireland and is an active member of their All-Island Women’s Forum, a forum for women North and South to come together in solidarity to raise and address issues faced by their communities.
In 2018, Amina was selected as one of 10 Michael Johnson Young Leaders from around the world for her contribution to community development and in 2019, she acted as an Ambassador Coach for Ireland encouraging female leadership, gender equality and the sustainable development goals through the medium of sport and brought the Irish women’s team to the Final in the Global Goals World Cup in Copenhagen. Amina has also acted as the Project Lead for a variety of EU-funded programmes that engaged young people, youth workers and trainers from various backgrounds across Europe in Youth Mobility, Leadership Development, Education and Training, and Capacity Building.
Robert Nesirky – CGE Erfurt e.V.
Robert Nesirky is a project manager at CGE Erfurt e.V., with a first-class honours degree in law. Between 2017-2021, he represented the National Youth Council of Ireland within the European Youth Forum as the board-selected delegate and has been elected twice as vice-president of a large Brussels-based NGO network, ECYC, which represents a network of NGOs within EU/CoE institutions.
As a freelancer, Robert has rapporteured for the European Parliament Directorate General for Communication, the Council of Europe Directorate General for Democracy, the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe, and multiple third-sector organisations, as well as leading two submissions to parliamentary committees in the Republic of Ireland on European funding programme reform and support for NGOs in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. He is passionate about migrant integration and empowerement, having lived in five countries, and about promoting European and global citizenship as identities as tools to promote European values.
Marilena Moschogiannaki – Youthtopia
A PhD candidate at the University of Crete and a young Researcher in the field of materials’ development for environmental applications such as gas sensing and monitoring. Marilena is co-founder and leader of Youthtopia Youth Organisation. She has a great experience in KA1 key actions , desinging, organising and implementing workshops in non-formal education and she has participated in a variety of EU projects ranging from dialog and ways of communication to body movement/expression and Robotics/STEM Education. She has a lot of ideas in helping young people and puts them on paper by writting and submitting EU projects. She is interested in the topic of unemployment and employability and wants to learn more in helping youngsters to become better interviewees through both voluntarism and research.
George Vardakis – Youthtopia
A software engineer and an expert in the field of signal processing and space telecommunications. He is also a co-founder of Youthtopia youth organisation and his main responsibility is the development and maintenance of Youthtopia’s webpage as well as providing input on ways that technology and computer science can benefit young people in their quest towards fulfilling their life goals. He also takes part in technical writing of Youthtopia’s project proposals. He believes that unemployability can be tackled through the development of each individual’s soft and hard skills in order to be better qualified for working in their area of interest. This can be achieved through participation in european projects that build on new technologies and innovations.
Job Shadowing – Group Two, July 2022 (15-30th) – Hosted by CGE Erfurt e.V. and IWM GmbH
This study visit also focused on the use of arts and sports as a outreach tool to groups with fewer opportunities, it brought a specific focus on urban participation and community engagement.
Kelvin Akpaloo – Eurobug Ireland
As Creative Director, my role within Eurobug is to develop international youth mobility activities (youth exchanges) under the Erasmus+ program together with other young people from Europe and to bring a creative perspective to all Eurobug activities. I also initiate and facilitate creative activities with the Eurobug Youth Group in Kilkenny and Dubin. My passion is to advocate for a world filled with peace, love and freedom. My creativity brought me to Eurobug at first and now I am taking an active role in developing international Youth Exchange projects that combine my creativity and my passion to advocate for a better world!
I hold a BA certificate from DCU in Media production Management, Higher National Diploma in Multimedia and Web Design which is recognised by the QQI as being comparable to the Higher Certificate at NFQ Level 6 and Certificate in Multimedia Production. As a young person attaining this qualification and knowledge has taught me business aspects of multimedia, Research Methods, Consumer Behaviour, Human Resource Management, Media and Entertainment Law, Project Management, International Media Marketing, Popular Culture Studies, Strategic Media Management and finally Media Project.
In addition, I am a graduate of the 2022 NUI Certificate in Global Youth Work and Development Education programme, a collaboration between Youth 2030 and Maynooth University.
Ulyana Duve – Youthtopia
A project manager and educator from Belarus, with experience delivering NfE projects in many settings. Ulyana brings a non-EU perspective to our study visit group, integrating the perspective of third-country national professionals into our learnings.
Xavier Ocana – Eurobug Ireland
A professional mime, actor and performer passionate about inclusion. Xavier is part of the Eurobug pedagogical team. His unique educational background enables him to bring alternative means of participation to our study visit programs and development processes within the New Pathways project.
Learning Outcomes:
The recent influx of migrants and refugees to countries all over the globe has resulted in a large population of people who are often unfamiliar with the language, customs, and education system of their new home. For these individuals, adjusting to their new environment can be difficult. One way to help them become more comfortable is through non-formal learning spaces that use art methodologies such as dance, sports, theatre, etc.
Artistic activities provide an engaging and interactive way for newcomers to learn about the culture and customs of their new country while also building skills that can be useful both inside and outside the classroom. Arts spaces or sports teams offer valuable opportunities for socialization which can help reduce feelings of isolation or loneliness associated with being a newcomer in a foreign land. Additionally, participating in these activities helps build confidence needed to participate fully in other aspects of life such as job searches or educational pursuits.
Non-formal learning spaces using art methodologies do not require extensive knowledge prior experience making it easier for those who are unfamiliar with formal education systems to access resources they need without feeling overwhelmed or inadequate. Furthermore, participation in artistic activities provides an enjoyable way for newcomers adjust quickly into their new environments by providing avenues through which they can make connections with peers from similar backgrounds as well as locals from different cultures; this ultimately results in greater understanding between diverse groups within society overall.
In conclusion, utilizing artistic methods such as dance classes or theatre performances is an effective strategy for helping newly arrived migrants and refugees settle comfortably into their new homes while simultaneously preparing them for future educational pathways and employment opportunities .
In some cases, non-formal learning spaces are used as part of a larger program that helps new arrivals acclimate to life in their new home. This can include orientation classes on topics like health care and education as well as language classes tailored specifically for specific needs such as learning English or French. As we all know, education is the key to a successful life. But we often forget that migrants play a crucial role in the education process.
In fact, it’s estimated that almost half of all adults in the world are currently enrolled in formal education, but that doesn’t mean they’re all doing well. In fact, there are some places where enrolment is falling off dramatically—and many of those places are home to large migrant populations.
One of the most effective ways to combat this trend is through migrant-led non-formal education spaces. These spaces provide comprehensive understanding over the needs of their target groups and necessary experience to asses the current situation and sensitivity of the content being taught. They also help migrants feel connected to their new context, which can help them feel empowered to enter educational pathways.
An example would be participation in urban art, like murals, which helps people connect with their new context and feel empowered to enter education pathways.
New migrants or refugees to a country can often find the prospect of formal education daunting. One way to ease them into educational pathways and potential employment opportunities is through non-formal learning spaces that use art methodologies such as dance, sports, theater, etc. These methods can help new arrivals feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar environment and learn about the culture and customs of their new home. Additionally, participating in these activities can help build skills that can be useful in future job searches.
For example, dance can help new migrants and refugees learn about the customs and traditions of their new home country through movement and music. Sports can also teach teamwork and communication skills that can be beneficial in future employment opportunities. Theater can help build confidence and public speaking skills. Participating in these activities can help new arrivals feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar environment and learn about the culture and customs of their new home. Additionally, these activities can help build skills that will be useful in future job searches. can help create a more inclusive environment for everyone, regardless of their background or situation. It is one way to help break down barriers and make sure everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
Study Visits:
Both IWM and CGE reached into their networks to connect diverse organisations to this study visit. IWM hosted a tour of two of its service centers in Erfurt, aimed at long-term unemployed adults, and CGE gave an overview of its programs in adult education and migrant entrepreneurship. Over the two study visit periods, many NGOs were engaged with, in many cities, including regional bodies such as MigraNetz e.V., the Thuringian body for migrant NGOs. Here we have collected an overview of some of the NGOs our six job shadowers engaged with over the two visits.
Study Visits – Erfurt
An interactive presentation of Saline 34, a participatory urban regeneration project coordinated by Plattform e.V. that reclaimed an abandoned building and repurposed it into a collaborative, community-driven space for artists, NGOs, and community organisations.
An incubator for start-ups for groups with fewer opportunities, such as NEETs, migrants, young people and people from rural areas.
This was followed by a meeting with Klanggerüst e.V., a community-driven NGO that has been involved in the Erfurt cultural scene since 2007, that provides space for concerts, artists, theatre, and community events.
The study tour then visited Erfurt Nord and Frau Korte, two more urban regeneration projects where artists and communities reclaimed abandoned public buildings and created community-driven spaces for public use. This tour was led by the Erfurt Nord ‘Stadteilbüro’, the local office coordinating community supports.
A tour of Erfurt city, with a growing arts and activism scene, saw the participants engaging with many cultural spaces across the city before the group headed back to Weimar to prepare for the third day of study visits.
Study Visits – Weimar, Thuringia // April & August 2022
We were given an overview of some of the programs run by EJBW, by their pedagogical director, and discussed alternative pathways for outreach to and the empowerement of migrant in Thuringia.
An urban participation and creativity initiative, we joined their Yiddish Summer Festival to observe how outreach can be integrated into community events.
An urban regeneration project, active since 2017, the Alte Feuerwache Weimar e.V. (Old Fire Station) is an association that currently has 18 members between the ages of 25 and 65: students, employees, the self-employed and people of retirement age, all sharing the desire to live independently and actively shape our own residential district. With diverse professional backgrounds, the association has extensive experience in project management, finance, architectural and construction planning, design, public relations as well as social work and urban planning. As such, this visit was a positive example of pooling capacities and expertise considering how communities benefit enormously from this swarm intelligence.
- Radio Lotte e.V. is the citizen radio for Weimar. The station receives significant funding through crowdsourcing donations from listeners, who are then actively engaged in the shaping of content and focus of the programs and organisation of the station. This ensures the station is community-driven and in turn community-focused.
Halle // August 2022
Halle Freiraum Gallery e.V.
www.freiraumgalerie.com
“What‘s our city supposed to look like? How do we want to live? To answer questions like these and have a real impact on peoples living conditions and surroundings, we are working together with citizens on concepts of urban development. From planning to realizing, our interdisciplinary work with externs and experts ensures profound and sustainable results. We focus on reframing and redesigning spaces, by which means we also can and want to highlight social imbalances. Every part of the town, living space and street is different. We adjust our work, goals and methods to the people and places we act with and always place importance on the integral inclusion of inhabitants and users of urban spaces.”
The Freiraum Galerie support many initiatives in Halle, such as:
Halle Freiimfelde
The formerly emptiest quarter of Germany develops into a colourful and self-determined part of town. Impulses are given by urban art festivals, culture and education, networking and the establishment of ateliers and workshops. Freiimfelde is history in the making.
The Fallow / The Park
Abandoned property, beginning civic engagement, real estate speculation and even more engagement – after years of work in the quarter and together with the people of Freiimfelde, the city of Halle (Saale) and the Montag Stiftung Urbane Räume, we are capable of securing the most important space of the quarter. A brownfield of 6000 square meters becomes an open and creative park for the people.
The day concluded with a visit to Passage 13 e.V.
An urban regeneration project in the heart of Halle Neustadt, Passage 13 offers a space that serves the needs of a broad range of organisations within the region. Youth groups and organisations can engage in educational and leisure activities in areas from science to technology to culture and art. The project is funded by the Silbersalz foundation and exists in a reclaimed building space adjacent to several tower blocks and acts as a sandbox and platform for cultural and political initiatives within the area.
www.passage13.de
Berlin – August 2022
Tempelhoferfeld: introduction into a case of civic initiative protecting public space in the city, and demonstrating the variety of grass root, civic, NGO etc. activities that can take place in a public space (apart from simple consumerism) (https://gruen-berlin.de/tempelhofer-feld) https://gruen-berlin.de/projekte/parks/tempelhofer-feld/ueber-den-park
Holzmarkt: introduction into a case of civic activism withstanding gentrification, and of the social entrepreneurship project rooted in the city/district identity, that was able to change the city landscape and daily culture
(https://www.holzmarkt.com/downloads/140411_Holzmarkt_Broschuere.pdf);
Bernauerstrasse (walk along the Berlin Wall memorial): (https://www.berliner-mauer-gedenkstaette.de/en/) excursion, explaining the role of the Wall and the trauma of divided country/city in the history and current culture of Germany.
Prinzesseningarten Kollekitv: introduction into a case of urban gardening initiated by the neighborhood community, that became a world-famous case of green-thinking and community management. (https://www.visitberlin.de/en/prinzessinnengarten);
Haus der Statistic: an example of the artistic commune of the city scale serving the tasks of the district and city; https://hausderstatistik.org
