Project partners

Kansalaisfoorumi

Kansalaisfoorumi (Citizens Forum) is a Finnish non-formal adult education organisation working together with culturally oriented associations. We aim at promoting active citizenship, community values and democracy through non-formal education and cultural projects. We provide educational, cultural and developmental services to civil society organizations and individuals interested in personal growth and life-long learning.

Cultural and communitarian work are two major strategic parts and specific areas of expertise for Kansalaisfoorumi. Our aim is to promote participation and personal growth through communitarian cultural education and culture itself. Our cultural work involves supporting the educational and cultural work of our member organisations and other cooperating partners through funding for study groups and courses, guidance for their educational development work, and the production of studying material; organising our own educational events, courses and cultural happenings; participating in the cultural events organised by our member organisations when they relate to our own educational and civic task; and international cultural cooperation.

With our communitarian work, we aim at promoting active citizenship and developing citizens’ activities and associationbased work. Citizens’ Forum inspires people to participate, to influence and to bring forth ideas and insights as member of their own community. This work involves supporting and developing the work of associations through education; activating citizens and increasing their knowledge about participation and means of exercising influence; devising and testing activities that complement representative democracy; and organizing activities that reinforce Finnish civil society and making them known to a wider public.

Asociatia Perseidele

The Perseidele Association was created in December 2014 at the initiative of a group of teachers with a combined 22 years of experience within the field of education. We implemented different international projects and partnerships from the former Comenius Programme and LLP. The Perseidele Association structures its activities on two target groups: the first being youth, 13-20 years old (youth field), and the second consists of teachers, educators (field of adult education). Because the field of adult education is very complex we focused our activity both on teacher training through training, and workshops, as well as by publishing pedagogical resources and scientific materials which are very useful in working with students. The Association has as its main goals:

• The valuation of the material and immaterial patrimony of the area by specific activities;
• Education, formation and supporting young people by running projects with European funds;
• The sustainable development of the local community and the economical stability through the valuation of the human and natural potential of the area.

Most of activities were carried out having as objectives: the social inclusion of disadvantaged groups using culture as tool, the school dropout reduction, the formation of democratic values, the work with students with special educational needs and providing equal opportunities.

Blue Beehive

Blue Beehive is made up of a multidisciplinary team whose objective is to promote education and culture, filling the gap between formal education and the real world with non-formal trainings. Our mission is to enhance the education and cultural levels, developing educational and cultural projects. We are an adult education provider in Spain. We offer workshops for adults on new technologies, traditional ceramics, as well as emotional and healthy workshops. We are non-governmental, non-profit and non-political association.

The aims of Blue Beehive are:

1. Encourage educational activities in the field of adult education. Promote development through non-formal educational alternatives based on creativity and learning-service.
2. Encourage the training of people with multidisciplinary knowledge adapted to the demand of new changing scenarios that require innovation and flexibility. Encourage and support entrepreneurship in the digital, cultural, social environment, promoting lifelong learning as a basis for development.
3. Empowering through education: social inclusion, interculturality, emotional control, gender equality, healthy ageing and intergenerational relationships.
4. Encourage and promote cultural, leisure and sports projects that are beneficial for all members of the association and for the environment in the preferential field of the Valencian Community.
5. Improve competences in the digital age. We have ICT experts who work by offering continuous training to address the challenges of the digital society.

We work especially paying attention to diversity, inclusion, discrimination, health, raising awareness in society, and serving the most disadvantaged groups. We are aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

We collaborate with various associations of the disabled, immigrants, cultural, in our environment. We test technologies in different environments and for different groups.

We are experts in educational innovation. We are technological experts who develop applications with social responsibility to achieve the educational, social and cultural objectives set. We always apply active methodologies, so that the participants are at the centre of learning and it is also a life experience that they can apply in their development, both professionally and personally. Blue Beehive has experience in educational ICT in educational developments integrating cutting-edge tools: developing apps, using Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Makerspaces, Animation 2D&3D, Visual Thinking, eLearning Platforms, and also applying artificial intelligence in basic developments.

But not only do we have an ICT team. We also combine with a pedagogical team, with experience in the field of social skills, emotional intelligence, advising targets with group dynamics, working in inclusive environments for disadvantaged target groups.

Blue Beehive develop projects related to:

• The development of cultural and creative projects that favour the exchange of experiences by fostering empathy between countries in Europe.
• Support for entrepreneurship in different projects.
• Improvement of key education competencies to acquire new skills needed in the labour market, covering the gap between formal education and the real needs of the labour market.
• Socialisation projects for disadvantaged groups, healthy projects, supporting solidarity and promoting the service-learning.

Oideas Gael

Oideas Gael, located in the north west of Ireland, provides Irish language and cultural activity programmes for adults from Ireland and worldwide. Our aims are to:

• To provide for adult Irish language learners, enabling them to learn enjoyably and efficiently.
• To participate in the daily life of Ireland’s Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) regions.
• To promote the Irish language and its literature.
• To promote relationships between people of Gaelic background and interests worldwide.
• To promote relations between Gaeltacht people and the rest of Ireland through the language.
• To bring together people of all cultural and political backgrounds through the medium of Irish.

These aims are realised at a number of levels, from local adult education interventions and cultural initiatives, through to generating economic activity via sustainable cultural tourism, to cross-border and international co-operation projects that foster best practices in education and social enterprise.

University of Eastern Finland

The University of Eastern Finland (UEF) is an international, participatory and inclusive scientific community. We have four faculties: the Philosophical Faculty, the Faculty of Science and Forestry, the Faculty of Health Sciences, and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies. Our campuses are located in Joensuu and Kuopio, and we are one of the largest universities in Finland.

UEF is a multidisciplinary university that offers teaching in approximately 100 major subjects. We have identified four global challenges for which we seek solutions through our interdisciplinary research and education. These challenges are Ageing, lifestyles and health; Learning in a digitised society; Cultural encounters, mobilities and borders; and Environmental change and sufficiency of natural resources.

As part of the global scientific community, we have extensive international relations and are involved in several international networks. Our teaching and research staff and students are active in participating in various mobility programmes through our bilateral agreements of cooperation with approximately 100 universities abroad. We also play a role in many international networks and discipline-specific projects.