IN TOUCH: 9 Partners – 1 Project

IN TOUCH is Babilon Travel NGO’s first Erasmus+ KA-2 project and it is all about social inclusion, employability and entrepreneurship in the field of youth with and without disability.

THE CONTEXT

Eurostat 2012 shows 70 million people aged over 15 with a disability in the EU. According to WHO around 15% of the world’s population has a disability yet over 46% of people do not know anyone with a disability. Disabled young people are at least twice as likely as their non-disabled peers to not be in education, employment or training (NEET) and the proportion of disabled people with no qualifications is nearly three times that of non-disabled people. Less than 1 person out of 2 persons with basic activity difficulties is employed (Papworth Trust).

“The Game of Life” (Sport and Recreation Alliance), “Different Just like You” and “Moving Together” (ICSSPE) confirm the partner’s experience of sport and physical activity’s positive impact on people with fewer opportunities and disability especially in educational attainment and entrepreneurship.

In accordance with Hart’s Ladder and the principle of “Nothing about me without me”, coaches, coach trainers, youth workers, NGOs, will explore ideas for the participation of disabled/marginalized young people during international cooperation in equal partnership and cooperation with young persons with fewer opportunities or a disability themselves.

THE OBJECTIVES

This unique collaboration represents an opportunity to share best practice between a range of partners with different backgrounds, professional interests and expertise, but all sharing an longstanding commitment to inclusion and equity in their activities. The partners will provide an European review of entrepreneurship education for persons with fewer opportunities coming from 9 north, south, east and western European countries; Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Greece, Ireland, Poland, Romania, Spain and UK, reflecting the ambitions of the members of the partnership to generate a genuine community of practice, a context for organic co-operation learning and capacity building, and an inclusive collaborative working environment that reflects closely the ambitions of the partners. The relationships create an opportunity to explore and exchange ideas to engage and empower young people with fewer opportunities and develop entrepreneurial spirit in youth groups and youth workers through innovative non-formal learning tools. In Touch aims to share best practice to increase experience and competences in delivering education through non-formal learning (NFL). All of the partners have profound experience and knowledge in international projects on a range of issues for young people with fewer opportunities especially disabled people. The partners will share their work in including and empowering youth with disabilities and fewer opportunities in entrepreneurial education. Social inclusion is embedded at the heart of achieving the following objectives:

1. To build a long-term collaborative network of partners who are experts in the field of inclusion, empowerment and NFE entrepreneurship;
2. To research external and internal tools, methodologies and resources, produce a Best Practice Report and identify deficits in education and provision;
3. To use the partners vast knowledge and the collaboration on the Best Practice Report to design the framework of at least 5 inclusive KA2 Innovation projects to improve inclusion, empowerment, entrepreneurial education and entrepreneurship for youth with fewer opportunities especially disability in the next 24 months.

To achieve these objectives, the project, throughout 18 months and during three meetings and two seminars, over 56 participants will explore, in depth, ideas for applying non-formal education in a holistic bio-psycho-social approach of using theater, gamification, role play, music, yoga and arts combined with new and innovative methodologies blending psychological recovery tools, self-defense empowerment tools, coaching, meditation, and martial arts education and physical activity, to empower young people with fewer opportunities and disability in social entrepreneurship.

THE TRANSNATIONAL LEVEL

Will add substantial value:

• Partners from different countries with a wide variety of relationships;
• Partners with long-standing involvement in practical implementation of issues of persons with fewer opportunities and non-formal learning;
• Partners from range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds;
• Partners with a proven track record of successful co-operation on EU projects;
• Partners with the capacity, knowledge, skills and experience in the context and subject matter;
• Partners will provide a unique opportunity to share transnational resources that meet EU objectives;
• EU strategy in area of social inclusion and equal opportunities;
• encourage participation in sport and physical activity (EU Physical Activity Guidelines);
• Employment, entrepreneurship and education;
• Promote voluntary activities in youth work, social inclusion, equal opportunities and awareness of the importance of health-enhancing physical activity.