NEW OPPORTUNITIES OF EMPLOYMENT FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION OF WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES -READY WOMEN FOR NEW EMPLOYMENTS

The socio-economic crisis that Europe is facing, has made the labor market is being severely hit and unemployment rates are increasing thus negatively affecting the EU’s potential growth. 

In this situation, the aim is for Europe to become a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy. Inclusive means, among others, raising Europe’s employment rates and helping people with fewer opportunities of all ages, manage change through investment in skills and training. 

Unemployment is particularly high among women and young people and this situation is exacerbated among disabled women who face a double discrimination: as women and as disabled people. In addition, these women are more vulnerable because of issues related to health-work balance, limited availability for training and access to resources, accesibility barriers, mental or psychological problems among others. 

We started a new Erasmus+ project in order to offer new opportunities and innovative instruments to physical and sensory disabled women for improving their qualifications and thus their levels of employability .Thanks to an European cooperation established by an appropriate mix of complementary organisations coming from different fields but sharing characteristics and objectives, this instrument will introduce new methodologies and tools to make easier the training access, assessment and development of competences and their transference to the labour context. 

So, the general objective of READY WOMEN project is to offer new opportunities and innovative instruments to adult women with disabilities for improving their qualifications and thus their levels of employability and integration into the labour market, mainly through training actions related to the New Yields of Employment (NYE) and emerging sectors. 

. NEWSLETTER 2 EMPOWERING YOUTH FOR EXCELLENCE IN SOCIAL ACTION (EYESA) Project partner’s meeting We started our active project work with our Kick-Off-Meeting in Seville in December 2017. Altum Foundation, our host and EYESA project coordinator, presented the project work plan and schedule and the project Handbook. We discussed in detail each activity and the role of partners, especially as a first step – the Intellectual Output (IO)1 / Self-evaluation tool . Fundación Juventud y Cultura introduced the Evaluation Strategy and the Risk Management Plan and explained that subsequently partners will do a risk assessment brainstorming exercise to identify risk factors, possible solutions and who is responsible for taking action. A dissemination plan draft was presented by EYES and some proposals of the project logo were discussed.     We met each other for a second time in Innsbruck in May 2018. Basically, partners’ work has been focused on brainstorming on intellectual output (IO) 1 and 2, but also the dissemination plan and the project website and Collaborative Portal were discussed. PROJECT PROGRESS We agreed on the Self-evaluation tool sections (IO)1 sections: -       Design and development of a self-evaluation tool; -       Identification of skill deficiencies and gaps among young volunteers; -       Design of professional paths. We determined the main groups of skills to be considered in the Curriculum (IO2 – A1) -  entrepreneurial, social, ICT, communication and problem solving, and agreed on the following characteristics it should have: topics of interest, practical and entertaining presentation, useful and easy understandable tools logical frame and a step-by-step ongoing consolidation tasks offered useful and clearly structured special interests and personal skill´s gaps of users to be attended flexible Afterwards, we proposed some questions partner should answer before preparing their contributions to the curriculum: -          Number of lessons/hours the curriculum should have -          How to match contents and method -          How to present the contributions between partners -          How to share common quality standards KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US Our website is available in English – www.eyesa.eu, so everyone across Europe can find information about the project and get involved. The site contains news, information about activities, Intellectual outputs, partnership, Collaborative portal of young European volunteers etc. If you like what we do, join us! J EYESA - Project Nr.: 2017-1-ES01-KA204-038221 This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] and all its contents reflect the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. www.eyesa.eu

. NEWSLETTER 1 EMPOWERING YOUTH FOR EXCELLENCE IN SOCIAL ACTION (EYESA) Why is EYESA project necessary The EU suffers from a dramatic situation concerning unemployment, especially among young people, doubling unemployment rates for all ages. In addition, the ramping poverty and inequalities figures, social segregation, the migration crisis and the rise of xenophobia in Europe are causing a race to the bottom regarding the pan-european solidarity and volunteering schemes.  Between 92 and 94 million of Europeans, according to recent reports, are engaged in voluntary activities, standing for a 3% of the GPD in developed countries. What are the objectives & aims of the project The general objective of the EYESA project is to provide capacity building opportunities to young volunteers to improve their social performance and undertake entrepreneurial activities, supporting new business creation in the social protection field.  Another key aspect of the EYESA project is to better identify and manage the availability of required skills, competences and qualifications for our young volunteers, and to help preventing skills gaps and mismatches that could undermine the EU business competitiveness. EYESA project aims to improve the performance of young volunteers’ social action whilst providing them the necessary skills to:  1) help them improve the performance of their social action.  2) improve their employability. What are the main topics addressed EYESA foresees training in basics, social, civic, cross-cutting and digital skills, as the ability to learn and initiative-taking. Furthermore, the project will provide specific professional abilities to take into consideration concrete needs of main vulnerable target groups (economic migrants and refugees, Roma people, homelessness, hospitalized children, elderly, disable people, poor families, among others). Intellectual outputs The project intellectual outputs consist in the design and development of a Self-evaluation tool, Curriculum, Workshops on skills and competences (implementation of the Curriculum), a Collaborative portal of young European volunteers, which will be developed in order to  better identify and manage the availability of required skills, competences and qualifications for our young volunteers, and to help preventing skills gaps and mismatches that could undermine the EU business competitiveness. Who is this project aimed to Main target are the young people already volunteering, interested in volunteering and youngsters who are not currently participating in social activities. Vulnerable groups will also be invited to participate, as well as other external agents active in the field of social protection and integration, self-employment associations and local business, education and training organizations, local, regional, national and EU authorities and stakeholders - a pan-European volunteer’s network. PROJECT PARTNERS: who is taking part ALTUM Fundacion  -  Project coordinator Organization’s Website: www.fundacionaltum.org Contact person: Lucila Oses E-mail contact: fundacionaltum.rpc@gmail.com Fundacija SURSUM Organization’s Website: www.fsursum.org Contact person: Lucia Kiriakidis E-mail contact: fsursum@gmail.com EYES Association Organization’s Website: www.eyesbg.blogspot.com Contact person: Bojidar Vasilev E-mail contact: eyesbg@abv.bg JUVENTUD Y CULTURA Fundacion Organization’s Website: www.juventudycultura.org Contact person: Gloria Jurado Sánchez E-mail contact: eu@juventudycultura.org eShopSystem Organization’s Website: www.eshopsystem.cz Contact person: Tea Mrozková E-mail contact: tea@eshopsystem.cz Institut FBI Organization’s Website: www.fbi.or.at Contact person: Dr. Gabriela Schroffenegger E-mail contact: gabriela.schroffenegger@chello.at LEB Organization’s Website: www.th.leb.de Contact person: Beatrice Bojarra-Schachtzabel E-mail contact: Beatrice.Schachtzabel@leb.de VKUC Organization’s Website: www.vkuc.lt Contact person: Isabelle Gaullier E-mail contact: info@vkuc.lt KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US Our website is available in English – www.eyesa.eu, so everyone across Europe can find information about the project and get involved. The site contains news, information about activities, Intellectual outputs, partnership, Collaborative portal of young European volunteers etc. If you like what we do, join us! J EYESA - Project Nr.: 2017-1-ES01-KA204-038221 This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] and all its contents reflect the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. www.eyesa.eu