Code@Youth
Start & End Date: September 2016 to November 2017
Place: Erfurt, Lefkosia
Participating Countries: Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Italy
Project Partners: Cyprus Computer Society (CY), National Center For Scientific Research “Demokritos” (EL), Futuro Digitale (IT), A & A Emphasys Interactive Solutions Ltd (CY)
Number of Participants: 100 participants
Grant Giver: Erasmus+
Funding Program: Key Action 2, Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices
Action Type: Strategic Partnerships for Youth
Grant Amount: 147,980 EUR
Programming and computational thinking skills are becoming ever more important in our society and working life. The project comes to address the recommendation of the recent EC Report titled “New priorities for EU cooperation ET 2020” Report (COM15), which stresses that “knowing how to code is empowering. It allows to understand the digital world we live in and to shape it. Basic coding skills are essential for accessing the jobs of tomorrow and today” and for achieving a better skills-match between education and the world of work. “Coding is seen as the red thread that runs through future professions”.
The project opens up new routes into not only teaching coding and programming to teenagers, but also to open up their career options in order to initially have a first hand experience of the various field of computing and then choose to study in a related topic. Summer time, has been seen as an opportunity to offer an innovative and interactive programme for teaching coding to teenagers, but also to explore the field of computing for a better career guidance bridging skills gap between education and the labour market.
Activities
Kick-off Meeting to prepare the project, held from the 5th till 14th of October in Erfurt, Germany.
Number of participants: 5
Profile of participants: Partner Project Coordinators.
Short-term Staff Training in Lefkosia held from the 3rd till 7th of April in Lefkosia, Cyprus.
A Short-term Staff Training for professionals who will take the role of MENTORS and will guide and support YOUTH WORKERS/TRAINERS to implement the CODE@YOUTH PROGRAMME to their youth centre/NGO/institute will be organised. The Staff training will take place in CY (P5 established ICT Training Centre that has the expertise and infra-structure to deliver professional training). During the same time the 2nd Partner Meeting (saving expenses), while a Multiplier Event (E5) is also planned which will have a transnational character with the participation of all partners.
It is proposed here that from each partner country 1 professionals will participate in this training:
(1) the Partner Project Coordinator in order to fully support the implementation of the project in non-formal learning institutions/organisations, and
(2) another professional who will be involved solely in the implementation and evaluation of the e-tool and programme.
The main focus of the Training will be on the following:
– “Open Badge System Development” : The training will be aiming to enable staff of partner organisation to test developed “intellectual outputs” – Open badge systems, on-line educational quests and mobile application along with existing web platform and other tools for working with Open badges in the field of coding and ICT.
The added value of this activity is the competence development of badge issuers. Our developed badge systems and ICT tools will be effective only if badge issuers will get mastery in using them. Possibility to have international training activity would also build stronger partnership among badge issuers; it will provide better understanding of each other’s work reality and major challenges in the field of ICT education and coding. Participants will get greater understanding of all Badge Systems developed and will be kind of “badge agents” looking for opportunities to apply developed badge systems locally in the future. Another added value is possibility for partners to benefit from the German partner, who already had experiences in applying badges in some local and international educational projects. They would be sharing their insight and facilitating training sessions during the Training Workshop.
During the Training it is planned for the staff members to follow the procedure planned in the CODE@YOUTH project to earn a BADGE for their participation in the specific training, so that they are familiar with the process when used later..
The training is particularly important for all professionals involved with regards to their involvement in the project, but the added value is the opportunity that they are provided:
– For further professional development
– For being involved in transnational learning mobility who will broaden their horizons and extent their capabilities, motivate them for further work.
– For upgrading their ICT skills in new areas such as learning analytics and learning semantics and be introducing to an up -level technological tools to further improve learning outcomes
– For utilising their involvement and experience in the project into taking the role of MULPTIPLIER, INCUBATORS AND TRAINER for others.
– For upgrading their own and their organisations’ professional profile.
– For being involved in the exchange of good practices, new synergies, new ideas etc.
Number of participants: 5
Profile of participants: Partner Project Coordinators.
Methodology
The methodology to be used through all stages will be based on competent management and effective monitoring of the scheduled activities, on-going assessment and evaluation of project outcomes, rigorous quality management and appropriate dissemination activities to generate awareness of the aims and objectives of the project.
In preparation of the proposal the consortium has done some preliminary research that identified the following:
- According to the 2015 Eurydice Report, 11-13 weeks per year in CY, GR and IT are utilized in any way for the benefit of the students, while MS complain of the insufficient national results presented by PISA (2013). Evidence suggests that young people (14-18 yrs) are offered more opportunities to participate in recreation and camp programs (i.e. sports), whereas programs related to the acquisition of specific ‘academic’ competences are limited.
- Over the last couple of years, many scattered initiatives were taken in partner countries (CY, GR, IT, DE) to promote digital acquisition and coding through non-formal learning and in particular through volunteering youth work provided in NGOs, Youth Centers, Councils etc. Although in some case, ICT professionals were highly involved, these initiatives failed to expand.
Impact
Gallery
Blog Posts
Code and Youth ME – Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften in Weimar
On November 17th CGE team packed a box of electronic devices and rushed to join famous “Long Night of Sciences” – a theme for events …
Code and Youth Conference in Nicosia, Cyprus
November 11th was marked in the calendar of all Nicosians interested in high-tech long time ago. The date was saved for the multiplier event, the …
