> Jump to the update: “Alpha Skills: the first International Meeting in Morbegno”

> Jump to the update: “Alpha Skills: The second International Meeting in Vicenza”

What for

To customize the materials developed in WP2 to suit the specific local contexts of each partner organization and country, so teachers, educators, and youth workers can be trained on effectively utilizing these materials while enhancing the knowledge and skills in co-creating new methodologies through participatory methods, focusing on social and work skills.

How 

By developing international co-creation workshops, with one workshop dedicated to each partner country. During these workshops, teachers, educators, and youth workers from each country will collaborate on adapting the developed materials to meet their unique local needs.

Outcome

As a result of WP3, the project will produce qualitative methodologies and tools focused on career guidance and the green economy, specifically tailored to the reality and needs of teachers, educators, and youth workers in each partner country.

Alpha Skills: the first International Meeting in Morbegno

With the first international meeting (WP3), held from March 19 to 22, 2024, in Italy, Alpha Skills has made a significant step forward in achieving its set objectives. The gathering in Morbegno (SO) brought together all project partners, including members of their respective Communities of Practice (CoP) from Vicenza, Belgium, and Romania. The aim was to strengthen the collaborative network and delve into strategies for implementing activities.

Meeting objectives

The international meeting in Morbegno focused on three key objectives:

1. Presentation and discussion of Local Co-Creation results: sharing experiences and best practices from the initial local co-creation activities using the #FutureMe methodology.

2. Open discussion on the EU’s Green Comp Document and Green Skills: reflecting on the essential competencies for a sustainable professional future, with the goal of integrating these concepts into project activities.

3. User Content Generation (UGC) Activity: creating video interviews and defining the related social media editorial plan.

A program rich in activities

The meeting featured a series of interactive activities, some specifically for the CoPs and others designed for the partners:

• Sharing local testing experiences and results: the meeting began with a day dedicated to sharing experiences and results from the first local testing method. Members of the Lombardy Community of Practice (CoP) presented the local co-creation process, including test results from schools and after-school services, providing a detailed overview of the challenges faced and successes achieved.

• Training on the #FutureMe Green Edition Methodology: the second day focused on training participants on the #FutureMe Green Edition methodology, developed by Studio SHIFT. During the morning session, participants explored the tool’s features and potential applications, discussing ways to improve and adapt it to their specific cultural and professional contexts. The kits, already translated into English, were used to gather valuable feedback essential for further refining the methodology.

• Prototyping workshop and communication activities: in the afternoon of the second day, a prototyping workshop was held where participants actively collaborated to design adapted versions of the #FutureMe tool. Concurrently, a communication activity was conducted to prepare for the UGC campaign planned for the project, involving the creation of video interviews and other participatory activities.
  
• Planning the next steps: the final day of the meeting was dedicated to planning the project’s next steps. Partners discussed lessons learned during the meeting, planned the next TtheT in Vicenza – focused on the Bootcamp methodology – and reviewed financial aspects. A plan for upcoming regular meetings and ongoing activity monitoring and evaluation was also developed.

Conclusions and future prospects

The first international meeting was successful on many fronts. Thanks to the contributions of all involved partners, the Alpha Skills project continues to progress toward its goals, offering new growth and development opportunities for young people in local and international communities. 

The meeting highlighted both the challenges and resources of this ambitious project: on one hand, the difficulty of using guidance and training tools and methodologies from diverse social and cultural contexts; on the other hand, the conviction that there is always something to learn when fundamental values for Europe’s present and future, such as respect and curiosity for what is different and new, underpin actions.

As envisioned by the project, partners returned home with the objective of testing the newly acquired methodology, using tools appropriately translated by Studio SHIFT, and sharing the results observed in their specific training and guidance contexts.

Looking ahead, the next meeting, organized by Cooperativa Margherita, will be held in Sandrigo (VI) from October 22 to 24, 2024. It will focus on the Bootcamp methodology, continuing the development and implementation of green skills across Europe.

Alpha Skills: The second International Meeting in Vicenza

The second international meeting (WP3) took place from October 22 to 24, 2024, in Vicenza, Italy, organized by the partner Margherita Società Cooperativa Sociale. All partners participated along with
members of their Communities of Practice (CoP). The purpose of the meeting was to present and disseminate the “Boot Camp” methodology.

Meeting objectives

The international meeting, like the first meeting in Morbegno regarding the #FutureMe methodology,
focused on three key objectives:

1. To share with all participants the knowledge of the original Boot Camp, developed by Margherita Cooperativa in 2018, which has been used over time to support youth orientation in the area;
2. To present the journey that led to the development of the adapted Boot Camp, detailing the various phases of the project and involving testimonies from those who contributed to its realization. Additionally, to include insights from experts who have played a role in various editions of the original Boot Camp;
3. To experiment with both versions of the Boot Camp with different country groups to help them understand the methodology and explore how to apply it in their own contexts, reflecting together as a group.

A program rich in activities

The meeting was characterized by a series of frontal presentation activities and other more interactive ones:

• Presentation of the original Boot Camp, through a promotional video that described the implementation of this experiential methodology. This allowed for the involvement of experts in the green sector and beyond, who shared their testimonials after participating in previous versions of the original Boot Camp in the Margherita Cooperativa area. In addition, a testimonial from one of Margherita’s educators, who regularly implements the Boot Camp, was shared with the participants.
• Presentation of the adapted Boot Camp (Boot Camp Pills), introducing the process used to develop this version: 3 local co-creation sessions with educators, psychologists, and professionals working with young people. Two participants explained their involvement in these sessions.
• Training for the Boot Camp: it was carried out in two phases. The first phase allowed participants to plan the implementation of the original Boot Camp in their contexts, considering their available resources (e.g., budget, human resources, timing). The same approach was applied to the Boot Camp Pills. In this way, partners and participants began adapting the Boot Camp, organizing the subsequent testing phase in their countries.

Conclusions and future prospects 

The second international meeting was held, focusing on the Boot Camp methodology. This methodology, in both versions (original and pills), is entirely experiential for young people. The meeting served as a great starting point for participants and partners to understand how to implement the other aspects of the project (WP4), test the methodology, and adapt it to their contexts and organizations. In addition, this allowed for a focus on the methodology with a green perspective. Specifically, partners returned home with the objective of testing the newly acquired methodology, using indications gave by Margherita Società Cooperativa Sociale, and sharing the results observed in their specific training and guidance contexts.

Looking ahead, the next meeting, organized by Imago Mundi, will be held in Bucharest and Pitești from April 1 to 3, 2025. It will focus on their methodology, continuing the development and implementation of green skills across Europe.