The European project Count me In has arrived at its milestone, the piloting sessions targeting young people and people with special needs with the aim of improving their digital and civil competences.
The Count me In project started in 2017 and gathers a consortium of eight partners: Open Europe (Spain), Istituto de Sordi di Torino (Italy), Domspain (Spain), Collegium Balticum (Poland), Apeirons (Latvia), AGRRA (Croatia), European Digital Learning Network (Italy) and Kolegji Iliria (Kosovo).
The project aims at boosting social participation of all citizens, especially of those who are in risk of exclusion (i.e. the youth and people with special needs) by promoting the use of innovative tools and devices, through an integrated approach, in their close environments (local communities, workplaces, daily life…). People with special needs are expected to, through education and training provided by Count me in, gain the knowledge and skills to provide ICT solutions for community problems and train groups of people in improving their own community life
From the beginning the project had some clear objectives, (i) to support the development of a quality learning offer in the field of adult education focusing on learning outcomes and learner responsibility and autonomy; (ii) to promote the use of technology in educational and civil participation processes; (iii) to provide all interested stakeholders – adult learners, educational centres, civil organisations, decision-makers – with access to open and innovative teaching/learning tools through the SMART platform; (iv) to foster the international cooperation of organisations active in adult education and civil participation focusing on active inclusion of the youth and people with special needs.
In order to achieve the established objectives Count me In partners have implemented two intellectual outputs:
- IO1 SMART platform: this output is a collaborative tool which includes the project website, an e-learning platform and three SMART databases (EU SMART PROJECTS, SMART IDEAS and SMART CHANGE)
- IO2 Teaching and Learning materials for E-course “Digital Tools for Smart Development”: this e-course aims at extending the professional competences of adult educators working with low-educated youth and people with special needs and improving digital and civic competences of adult learners, which in its turn, increase their employability. The topics covered by the e-course are the following: water management, waste management, energy management, urban mobility, e-governance, data mining and access for all. This output has been completed with the testing of the e-course as we have mentioned before.
As part of the project, it was planned that the partners would meet face to face on five occasions. In December 2017 in Turin (Italy), July 2018 in Sczeczin (Poland), January 2019 in Prishtina (Kosovo), October 2019 in Riga (Latvia) and finally May 2020 in Zadar (Croatia) this meeting was cancelled due to the COVID-19 sanitary crisis. Apart from the partner’s mobilities, a face to face training for educators was held in Reus (Spain) and a multiplier event in Zadar (Croatia).
All in all, as we reach the end of Count me In, it is important to highlight that the results of the project will remain available beyond its conclusion. The developed SMART platform will provide open access to teaching and learning materials to anybody aiming at improving their digital skills and competences.