Official name: Pučko otvoreno učiliste Varaždin (People’s Open University Varazdin)
Acronym: POU Varazdin
Official legal form: public institution
Place of establishment or registration: Varazdin, Croatia
Entity registration number: 070001072
VAT number: HR34967153991
PIC NUMBER: 907421421
OID: E10040728
Accreditation: Erasmus+ 2022-1-HR01-KA120-ADU-000104258
CONTACT DETAILS
Street address: Hallerova 1/II, Varazdin, Croatia
Postcode: HR42000
City: Varazdin
Country: Croatia
Telephone: +38542213138
Mobile: +385913364599
E-mail address: pou@pouvarazdin.hr
Website: www.pouvarazdin.hr
Type of organization: public institution
OPERATIONAL CAPACITY TO COMPLETE THE PROPOSED ACTION OF THE APPLICANT
POU Varaždin is a public institution for adult and vocational education and audio-visual programs founded by the City of Varaždin. Principally is engaged in the education of adults through training programs for unemployed people or people at risk of unemployment according to the needs of the labour market and conducts entrepreneurship education for entrepreneurs.
POU Varazdin is a publicly-owned education entity in the City of Varazdin. It works with the city, civil society organizations (CSOs) or & other institutions (schools, social services, etc.) to manage programs that enhance civic participation, local development, and democratic processes. POU educates CSO reps, volunteers, students, public servants, etc. so that they can organize actions that address specific themes (re: education, social inclusion, civil protection, applying specific EU policies, etc.). POU also organizes actions that inform citizens of the benefits & challenges of EU integration.
Our participants are of different age groups and interests, from children attending STEAM programs and teenagers involved in youth entrepreneurship programs and IT programs to seniors attending digital literacy, foreign language courses, and programs to improve the quality of life.
However, most of the participants are adult persons attending training and development programs and the Academy for Entrepreneurship (AfE). The AfE program is especially important nowadays when entrepreneurs need professional help in business management, human resource management, business communication, but also opportunities to expand business through internationalization, use of available funds and transformation of businesses due to COVID-19 pandemics. Inclusive access and equality are implied in all activities. As a public institution and being our legal duty, we pay special attention to accessibility and inclusiveness with a particular focus on disadvantaged people.
Kino Gaj (Cinema Gaj) is a cinema managed by the People's Open University Varaždin, situated in the very heart of the city of Varaždin (across the City Hall), established in 1939 and representing the only remaining of the three cinemas that once existed in the city. The cinema hall has over 300 seats in the parterre and on the balcony. Kino Gaj shows independent, European and Croatian films and pays great attention to cooperation with schools from Varaždin and the Varaždin County. In addition to regular screenings, the cinema also hosts programs in cooperation with embassies, other institutions and associations. Kino Gaj hosts two Varaždin film festivals - the VAFI-RAFI festival and the Trash Film Festival and during the summer it organizes a summer open air cinema and Drive-In events.
Kino Gaj is a member of ‘Europa Cinemas’ and the Croatian Independent Cinema Network (Kino mreža).
Project team:
Mrs. Lana Velimirović Vukalović, director of POU Varaždin, working in previous years as a human rights advisor for the office for Human Rights and Rights of National Minorities of Croatia and translator. She has implemented previous projects under national Croatian programe and Europe for Citizens programe. Mrs. Velimirović Vukolović has a MA in European Studies.
Mrs. Lidija Kobal is an experienced educational programs coordinator with over 20 years of experience in the field. She has a proven track record of success in creating and implementing educational programs and projects that meet the needs of the labor market. Lidija has a deep understanding of the adult education sector and is passionate about using her skills and experience to make a positive impact on the lives of others. She is a highly motivated and results-oriented professional who is always looking for new ways to improve the quality of educational programs.
Mx. Sunčica Stanić-Gluhinić is a project coordinator with 20 years of experience in project management, planning, coordination, and implementation. They have a proven track record of success in coordinating project teams, collaborating with partner organizations, managing project budgets and timelines, and delivering projects on time and within budget. Sunčica has worked on several projects focusing on vocational and non-formal adult education, civil society, civic engagement, and culture and is passionate about using her skills and experience to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Sunčica holds a master's degree in art history and Polish language from the University of Zagreb and is also a CEDEFOP ambassador for early school leaving and a certified mediator.
Mr. Hrvoje Kovač, project assistant in POU Varaždin - Communication Officer / in charge of the communication plan and all communication and dissemination activities, communication and dissemination of project results, communication with the media, writing press releases, and promotion of the project both online and offline. Hrvoje is public policy expert both in theoretical and practical sense, he is youth policy activist with over 20 years of experience in advocacy and policy making.
Mr. Goran Plantak, Kino Gaj cinema coordinator
Goran was a columnist for the audio/video e-magazine Popcorn.hr and wrote comics reviews for the Stripovi.com portal. In 2012, he founded the Variete association. He is the author of numerous texts and film reviews. Since August 2018, he has been employed at Varaždin Public Open University as a cinematographer, and since September 2020 he has also held the position of film program coordinator. Goran activly participates in the organization of film festivals (VAFI, Trash Film Festival) held annually in the Gaj cinema and is on the organizing committee of various cultural and artistic events (Revue of Croatian Children's Filmmaking).
Child Protection Policy
Ongoing projects:
(click on the name of the project for more details)
PLAYING CINEMA
Project Playing Cinema is funded by program Innovate to Collaborate inside Europa Cinemas Network established by Creative Europe Media
Coordinator: Cinema Center Romuva (Kaunas) - Lithuania
Partners: Kino Gaj (Varaždin), Kino Valli (Pula) - Croatia
The project aims to expand the boundaries of cinematography and introduce a wider audience to European cinematography by using a gamification method that would interest and involve a new audience in European cinematography. The gamification method includes activities for film education in the cinema, school or for self-study. It helps to create dynamic and engaging content for all age groups and is an excellent learning tool that encourages curiosity, interest, desire to explore and improvise, but also contributes to reducing the fear of making mistakes. Therefore, the gamification method is an excellent way of learning for children and adult audience.
FRIDAY
Future Restoration Innovation Development Activism Youth
ERASMUS-YOUTH-2021-YOUTH-TOG granted by European Education and Culture Executive Agency
The FRIDAY project aims to strengthen the youth intervention in the political debate about climate change. The project meets two of the EC’s priorities 2019-2024:
1. A European Green Deal, as it concerns the formation of young activists working about environmental issues solutions;
2. A New Push for European democracy, as it aims to enhance the engagement of young European citizens in the democratic process.
The specifics objectives of the project aim:
- to increase knowledge of young people in environmental issues;
- to encourage the active participation of young people in European environmental process;
- to raise young people’s awareness of the importance of taking action against climate change.
The project partnership involves 4 organisations, coming respectively from
Hungary - Tudatos Tervezésért Egyesület
Italy - PROGEU-PROGRESS IN EUROPEAN UNION - ISTITUTO PER LO SVILUPPO
Lithuania - Asociacija "Aktyvus jaunimas"
Croatia - PUCKO OTVORENO UCILISTE VARAZDIN
characterized by different and synergistic expertise in the field of youth, environment and active citizenship.
Implemented projects:
(click on the name of the project for more details)
(if you want to know more about our national project you can find them here)
RECREATE
Entrepreneurial Skills for REsilience in CREATive sector
Programme Erasmus+
Action Type: KA210-ADU - Small-scale partnerships in adult education
Project ID: 2021-1-HR01-KA210-ADU-000034950
Project Start Date: 2.11.2021.
Project total duration: 12
Project End Date: 1.11.2022.
Lead partner: People’s Open University Varaždin, Croatia
Project partner: Building Bridges, Madrid, Spain
Objectives:
The project aims to develop a digital education program for financial literacy, business planning, funding options, and online marketing for the cultural and creative sector and provide free access to all people who need this knowledge to be more resilient, boost their digital skills and capacities. We aim to provide digital tools and knowledge for one of the sectors that suffered more during the COVID crisis through an open-source digital platform that will be developed during the project.
Activities:
The planned activities in the project are: a Kick-off event in Varaždin where the project will be presented and workshops will be held where experiences in the creative sector will be exchanged between Spain and Croatia and a detailed program plan will be developed. This is followed by a phase in which an online learning platform will be developed with the modules described in the results, followed by a final conference in Madrid with the dissemination, evaluation and follow up activities.
Moving Forward in Europe with Volunteering (MoveFwd)
As a result of COVID 19, civil society organisations (CSOs), public bodies/authorities, educators and citizens have had to reinvent themselves. Promoting active citizenship and volunteering during these times has been especially challenging due to new restrictions on physical contact and movement. Due too many unknowns (i.e. infection), many citizens (incl. younger persons) think twice about volunteering. With this situation in mind, the project aims to enhance citizen engagement in volunteer based actions relating to civil protection, social inclusion, culture, education and employment. The project is organized as 1 preparatory meeting (in Varazdin, HR) and 5 3-day events in the partner countries (in HR, IT, RS, SI, BG). Each event will detail best practices showing how citizens (esp. youth) can engage as volunteers in actions that address issues that affect local development. The project activities are also designed so that the partners can gather opinions/inputs from citizens re: the Europe they want. Particular focus per event will be on how the concept of solidarity functions; how the new agenda for 2021-27 supports communities in overcoming COVID-19 (& other crises) and in their efforts to enhance civil society. Workshops, panel discussions, presentations, site visits, group work, and other methods will be used to encourage volunteering and enhance understanding about how solidarity in an EU context contributes to sustainable growth. The dissemination actions (incl. the volunteering guide) contributes to informing the wider public on how they can volunteer in actions and the benefits of applying EU values to community actions. The network agreement defines priorities & future actions for the partnership. As a result of the project, Citizens will gain competencies to plan/manage & volunteer in actions during COVID (& other crises), and better understand how the EU agenda & values function in practice.
PROJEKT CAReer - PATH TO PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Project goals:
GETting to Active CITizenship in Europe (Get2it)
The project focuses on engaging citizens in democratic processes. Citizens are the main drivers of growth and they must be active in developing their communities. In the partner regions, citizens are unaware how they can plan & participate in local actions, and often rely on local authorities to take lead roles. There is also confusion re: the EU’s role in local actions, esp. a lack of understanding about the principles of solidarity & volunteering. Based on this, the project aim is to create a transnational network of towns that focuses on enhancing citizen engagement in local actions based on the principles of volunteering and solidarity. The project is organized as 5 events (in HR, RS, IT, SI & CZ) that focus on building citizens’ understanding on how to plan & manage actions that contribute to inclusive growth (re: education, employment, cultural diversity, environment, migration).
C via C
C Via C focused on the role culture plays in creating inclusive growth and European identity in towns & emphasized the EU’s role in enhancing cultural activities locally (in line w/the European year of Cultural Heritage). The project promoted key EU values that preserve culture and that also bring citizens together (intercultural dialogue, volunteering, inclusive growth). It also addressed misconceptions relating to cultural activities (for example, culture is not thought of as a means for new jobs and growth, misperceptions that EU integration would erode local identities, etc.) and aims to engage youth in CSO actions. Many citizens in the partner regions view culture as important, but misunderstand how it drives employment & growth and lack formal cooperation with other citizens (& know-how) in promoting cultural assets (re: histories, traditional skills, textiles, ceramics, arts, etc.).
Promoting Social ENTREpreneurship in EUropean communities
ENTRE-EU focused on education, employment & civil society and promoted social entrepreneurship/ enterprise as a means to bring citizens together, promote EU values (intercultural dialogue, solidarity, volunteering) & address regional issues. The participants in the project were citizens including youth, students (high school & university), and representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs), SMEs & cities/towns. In the countries involved (HR - Croatia, SI - Slovenia), citizens are unaware of EU policy agendas & values; how they contribute to employment & strengthening civil society; and how to take actions to enhance the community. To address these topics, 2 pre-event seminars & 1 3-day event where organized which brought together Slovenian & Croatian citizens.
Digital Storytelling for Seniors
Learning about the history, finding interesting stories, reflections, discussions, proposals and comparisons about the past and today, etc. were carried out in the form of workshops. Partners organized 3 meetings held each time in another partner’s town. We have defined the form, schedule and duration of workshops and we prepared educational programs for mentors. Each partner was responsible for their own set of mentors and participants. We organized and carried out 3 training sessions for mentors - one in each partner’s town. After successful completion of training for mentors we have started to work on inter-generational workshops where senior participants under supervision of trained mentors, prepared 6 different digital storytelling videos, connected with previously developed interesting local stories and myths (which we produced in previous EU for Citizens project, entitled Present based on past). We took the research done in PBP and manage to put it a step further: not only to tell the story, but also to produce it in digital storytelling form as videos. 3 workshops were carried out simultaneously in all partner towns from 11th until 13th of September 2018.
Present based on Past
The project partnership composed a consortium of 3 adult education organizations from 3 cities: Ormož and Ptuj from Slovenia and Varaždin from Croatia. For the smooth running of project activities partners organized 3 meetings; the first one was held on 24.08.2017 in Varaždin, the second one on 06.09.2017 in Ljudska univerza Ptuj, and the third one on the 03.10.2017 in Ormož. We were communicating via mails and phones before, during and after each project activity took place. The purpose was to ensure the best possible planning, preparation and implementation of project activities. The promotion plan has been prepared, as well as the acquisition plan for mentors and participants, training plan for mentors, educational program for mentors (consisting of 30 learning hours/lessons and arranged in five learning modules). Partners together defined the form of logos, type of promotional materials (anti-stress balls, shopping bags and chocolates), together we have selected promotional materials suppliers, and we jointly selected the content and defined the format of the brochure.
4 for 600
The project involved 4 institutions, POU Varaždin was the holder of the project. During the project, 600 unemployed people were educated in basic and advanced IT skills.
The project was funded by the European Union through the ESF -IPA mechanism (2010-2013)
Acronym: POU Varazdin
Official legal form: public institution
Place of establishment or registration: Varazdin, Croatia
Entity registration number: 070001072
VAT number: HR34967153991
PIC NUMBER: 907421421
OID: E10040728
Accreditation: Erasmus+ 2022-1-HR01-KA120-ADU-000104258
CONTACT DETAILS
Street address: Hallerova 1/II, Varazdin, Croatia
Postcode: HR42000
City: Varazdin
Country: Croatia
Telephone: +38542213138
Mobile: +385913364599
E-mail address: pou@pouvarazdin.hr
Website: www.pouvarazdin.hr
Type of organization: public institution
OPERATIONAL CAPACITY TO COMPLETE THE PROPOSED ACTION OF THE APPLICANT
POU Varaždin is a public institution for adult and vocational education and audio-visual programs founded by the City of Varaždin. Principally is engaged in the education of adults through training programs for unemployed people or people at risk of unemployment according to the needs of the labour market and conducts entrepreneurship education for entrepreneurs.
POU Varazdin is a publicly-owned education entity in the City of Varazdin. It works with the city, civil society organizations (CSOs) or & other institutions (schools, social services, etc.) to manage programs that enhance civic participation, local development, and democratic processes. POU educates CSO reps, volunteers, students, public servants, etc. so that they can organize actions that address specific themes (re: education, social inclusion, civil protection, applying specific EU policies, etc.). POU also organizes actions that inform citizens of the benefits & challenges of EU integration.
Our participants are of different age groups and interests, from children attending STEAM programs and teenagers involved in youth entrepreneurship programs and IT programs to seniors attending digital literacy, foreign language courses, and programs to improve the quality of life.
However, most of the participants are adult persons attending training and development programs and the Academy for Entrepreneurship (AfE). The AfE program is especially important nowadays when entrepreneurs need professional help in business management, human resource management, business communication, but also opportunities to expand business through internationalization, use of available funds and transformation of businesses due to COVID-19 pandemics. Inclusive access and equality are implied in all activities. As a public institution and being our legal duty, we pay special attention to accessibility and inclusiveness with a particular focus on disadvantaged people.
Kino Gaj (Cinema Gaj) is a cinema managed by the People's Open University Varaždin, situated in the very heart of the city of Varaždin (across the City Hall), established in 1939 and representing the only remaining of the three cinemas that once existed in the city. The cinema hall has over 300 seats in the parterre and on the balcony. Kino Gaj shows independent, European and Croatian films and pays great attention to cooperation with schools from Varaždin and the Varaždin County. In addition to regular screenings, the cinema also hosts programs in cooperation with embassies, other institutions and associations. Kino Gaj hosts two Varaždin film festivals - the VAFI-RAFI festival and the Trash Film Festival and during the summer it organizes a summer open air cinema and Drive-In events.
Kino Gaj is a member of ‘Europa Cinemas’ and the Croatian Independent Cinema Network (Kino mreža).
Project team:
Mrs. Lana Velimirović Vukalović, director of POU Varaždin, working in previous years as a human rights advisor for the office for Human Rights and Rights of National Minorities of Croatia and translator. She has implemented previous projects under national Croatian programe and Europe for Citizens programe. Mrs. Velimirović Vukolović has a MA in European Studies.
Mrs. Lidija Kobal is an experienced educational programs coordinator with over 20 years of experience in the field. She has a proven track record of success in creating and implementing educational programs and projects that meet the needs of the labor market. Lidija has a deep understanding of the adult education sector and is passionate about using her skills and experience to make a positive impact on the lives of others. She is a highly motivated and results-oriented professional who is always looking for new ways to improve the quality of educational programs.
Mx. Sunčica Stanić-Gluhinić is a project coordinator with 20 years of experience in project management, planning, coordination, and implementation. They have a proven track record of success in coordinating project teams, collaborating with partner organizations, managing project budgets and timelines, and delivering projects on time and within budget. Sunčica has worked on several projects focusing on vocational and non-formal adult education, civil society, civic engagement, and culture and is passionate about using her skills and experience to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Sunčica holds a master's degree in art history and Polish language from the University of Zagreb and is also a CEDEFOP ambassador for early school leaving and a certified mediator.
Mr. Hrvoje Kovač, project assistant in POU Varaždin - Communication Officer / in charge of the communication plan and all communication and dissemination activities, communication and dissemination of project results, communication with the media, writing press releases, and promotion of the project both online and offline. Hrvoje is public policy expert both in theoretical and practical sense, he is youth policy activist with over 20 years of experience in advocacy and policy making.
Mr. Goran Plantak, Kino Gaj cinema coordinator
Goran was a columnist for the audio/video e-magazine Popcorn.hr and wrote comics reviews for the Stripovi.com portal. In 2012, he founded the Variete association. He is the author of numerous texts and film reviews. Since August 2018, he has been employed at Varaždin Public Open University as a cinematographer, and since September 2020 he has also held the position of film program coordinator. Goran activly participates in the organization of film festivals (VAFI, Trash Film Festival) held annually in the Gaj cinema and is on the organizing committee of various cultural and artistic events (Revue of Croatian Children's Filmmaking).
Child Protection Policy
Ongoing projects:
(click on the name of the project for more details)
PLAYING CINEMA
Project Playing Cinema is funded by program Innovate to Collaborate inside Europa Cinemas Network established by Creative Europe Media
Coordinator: Cinema Center Romuva (Kaunas) - Lithuania
Partners: Kino Gaj (Varaždin), Kino Valli (Pula) - Croatia
The project aims to expand the boundaries of cinematography and introduce a wider audience to European cinematography by using a gamification method that would interest and involve a new audience in European cinematography. The gamification method includes activities for film education in the cinema, school or for self-study. It helps to create dynamic and engaging content for all age groups and is an excellent learning tool that encourages curiosity, interest, desire to explore and improvise, but also contributes to reducing the fear of making mistakes. Therefore, the gamification method is an excellent way of learning for children and adult audience.
FRIDAY
Future Restoration Innovation Development Activism Youth
ERASMUS-YOUTH-2021-YOUTH-TOG granted by European Education and Culture Executive Agency
The FRIDAY project aims to strengthen the youth intervention in the political debate about climate change. The project meets two of the EC’s priorities 2019-2024:
1. A European Green Deal, as it concerns the formation of young activists working about environmental issues solutions;
2. A New Push for European democracy, as it aims to enhance the engagement of young European citizens in the democratic process.
The specifics objectives of the project aim:
- to increase knowledge of young people in environmental issues;
- to encourage the active participation of young people in European environmental process;
- to raise young people’s awareness of the importance of taking action against climate change.
The project partnership involves 4 organisations, coming respectively from
Hungary - Tudatos Tervezésért Egyesület
Italy - PROGEU-PROGRESS IN EUROPEAN UNION - ISTITUTO PER LO SVILUPPO
Lithuania - Asociacija "Aktyvus jaunimas"
Croatia - PUCKO OTVORENO UCILISTE VARAZDIN
characterized by different and synergistic expertise in the field of youth, environment and active citizenship.
Implemented projects:
(click on the name of the project for more details)
(if you want to know more about our national project you can find them here)
RECREATE
Entrepreneurial Skills for REsilience in CREATive sector
Programme Erasmus+
Action Type: KA210-ADU - Small-scale partnerships in adult education
Project ID: 2021-1-HR01-KA210-ADU-000034950
Project Start Date: 2.11.2021.
Project total duration: 12
Project End Date: 1.11.2022.
Lead partner: People’s Open University Varaždin, Croatia
Project partner: Building Bridges, Madrid, Spain
Objectives:
The project aims to develop a digital education program for financial literacy, business planning, funding options, and online marketing for the cultural and creative sector and provide free access to all people who need this knowledge to be more resilient, boost their digital skills and capacities. We aim to provide digital tools and knowledge for one of the sectors that suffered more during the COVID crisis through an open-source digital platform that will be developed during the project.
Activities:
The planned activities in the project are: a Kick-off event in Varaždin where the project will be presented and workshops will be held where experiences in the creative sector will be exchanged between Spain and Croatia and a detailed program plan will be developed. This is followed by a phase in which an online learning platform will be developed with the modules described in the results, followed by a final conference in Madrid with the dissemination, evaluation and follow up activities.
Moving Forward in Europe with Volunteering (MoveFwd)
As a result of COVID 19, civil society organisations (CSOs), public bodies/authorities, educators and citizens have had to reinvent themselves. Promoting active citizenship and volunteering during these times has been especially challenging due to new restrictions on physical contact and movement. Due too many unknowns (i.e. infection), many citizens (incl. younger persons) think twice about volunteering. With this situation in mind, the project aims to enhance citizen engagement in volunteer based actions relating to civil protection, social inclusion, culture, education and employment. The project is organized as 1 preparatory meeting (in Varazdin, HR) and 5 3-day events in the partner countries (in HR, IT, RS, SI, BG). Each event will detail best practices showing how citizens (esp. youth) can engage as volunteers in actions that address issues that affect local development. The project activities are also designed so that the partners can gather opinions/inputs from citizens re: the Europe they want. Particular focus per event will be on how the concept of solidarity functions; how the new agenda for 2021-27 supports communities in overcoming COVID-19 (& other crises) and in their efforts to enhance civil society. Workshops, panel discussions, presentations, site visits, group work, and other methods will be used to encourage volunteering and enhance understanding about how solidarity in an EU context contributes to sustainable growth. The dissemination actions (incl. the volunteering guide) contributes to informing the wider public on how they can volunteer in actions and the benefits of applying EU values to community actions. The network agreement defines priorities & future actions for the partnership. As a result of the project, Citizens will gain competencies to plan/manage & volunteer in actions during COVID (& other crises), and better understand how the EU agenda & values function in practice.
PROJEKT CAReer - PATH TO PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Project goals:
- exchange of international experiences Poland / Croatia / Germany in the field of professional counseling, including cooperation with employers
- developing, based on international experience, educational innovations in the field of career counseling with the use of group and individual counseling and cooperation with employers
- developing a manual containing a professional counseling program aimed at cooperation between educational institutions and enterprises
GETting to Active CITizenship in Europe (Get2it)
The project focuses on engaging citizens in democratic processes. Citizens are the main drivers of growth and they must be active in developing their communities. In the partner regions, citizens are unaware how they can plan & participate in local actions, and often rely on local authorities to take lead roles. There is also confusion re: the EU’s role in local actions, esp. a lack of understanding about the principles of solidarity & volunteering. Based on this, the project aim is to create a transnational network of towns that focuses on enhancing citizen engagement in local actions based on the principles of volunteering and solidarity. The project is organized as 5 events (in HR, RS, IT, SI & CZ) that focus on building citizens’ understanding on how to plan & manage actions that contribute to inclusive growth (re: education, employment, cultural diversity, environment, migration).
C via C
C Via C focused on the role culture plays in creating inclusive growth and European identity in towns & emphasized the EU’s role in enhancing cultural activities locally (in line w/the European year of Cultural Heritage). The project promoted key EU values that preserve culture and that also bring citizens together (intercultural dialogue, volunteering, inclusive growth). It also addressed misconceptions relating to cultural activities (for example, culture is not thought of as a means for new jobs and growth, misperceptions that EU integration would erode local identities, etc.) and aims to engage youth in CSO actions. Many citizens in the partner regions view culture as important, but misunderstand how it drives employment & growth and lack formal cooperation with other citizens (& know-how) in promoting cultural assets (re: histories, traditional skills, textiles, ceramics, arts, etc.).
Promoting Social ENTREpreneurship in EUropean communities
ENTRE-EU focused on education, employment & civil society and promoted social entrepreneurship/ enterprise as a means to bring citizens together, promote EU values (intercultural dialogue, solidarity, volunteering) & address regional issues. The participants in the project were citizens including youth, students (high school & university), and representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs), SMEs & cities/towns. In the countries involved (HR - Croatia, SI - Slovenia), citizens are unaware of EU policy agendas & values; how they contribute to employment & strengthening civil society; and how to take actions to enhance the community. To address these topics, 2 pre-event seminars & 1 3-day event where organized which brought together Slovenian & Croatian citizens.
Digital Storytelling for Seniors
Learning about the history, finding interesting stories, reflections, discussions, proposals and comparisons about the past and today, etc. were carried out in the form of workshops. Partners organized 3 meetings held each time in another partner’s town. We have defined the form, schedule and duration of workshops and we prepared educational programs for mentors. Each partner was responsible for their own set of mentors and participants. We organized and carried out 3 training sessions for mentors - one in each partner’s town. After successful completion of training for mentors we have started to work on inter-generational workshops where senior participants under supervision of trained mentors, prepared 6 different digital storytelling videos, connected with previously developed interesting local stories and myths (which we produced in previous EU for Citizens project, entitled Present based on past). We took the research done in PBP and manage to put it a step further: not only to tell the story, but also to produce it in digital storytelling form as videos. 3 workshops were carried out simultaneously in all partner towns from 11th until 13th of September 2018.
Present based on Past
The project partnership composed a consortium of 3 adult education organizations from 3 cities: Ormož and Ptuj from Slovenia and Varaždin from Croatia. For the smooth running of project activities partners organized 3 meetings; the first one was held on 24.08.2017 in Varaždin, the second one on 06.09.2017 in Ljudska univerza Ptuj, and the third one on the 03.10.2017 in Ormož. We were communicating via mails and phones before, during and after each project activity took place. The purpose was to ensure the best possible planning, preparation and implementation of project activities. The promotion plan has been prepared, as well as the acquisition plan for mentors and participants, training plan for mentors, educational program for mentors (consisting of 30 learning hours/lessons and arranged in five learning modules). Partners together defined the form of logos, type of promotional materials (anti-stress balls, shopping bags and chocolates), together we have selected promotional materials suppliers, and we jointly selected the content and defined the format of the brochure.
4 for 600
The project involved 4 institutions, POU Varaždin was the holder of the project. During the project, 600 unemployed people were educated in basic and advanced IT skills.
The project was funded by the European Union through the ESF -IPA mechanism (2010-2013)