Ne014 THE M_APP PROJECT FIRST PROJECT MEETING Our Kick- off meeting held in Trim, Ireland on the 13th and 14th of January 2014 was a great success! At the meeting, the representatives of all 7 partner organizations (Austria, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Romania and Turkey) discussed the aims of the project in more detail and planned the steps and tasks through which these objectives can be achieved. The meeting gave us a clear idea of the direction the project should take, paving the way for the next project phase. Travel broadens the mind! The M_APP project, funded by the EU's Lifelong Learning Programme aims to define the new skills learned by people during trips abroad, enabling them to be documented and then shared with others. The project started on January 1st, 2014 and will run until 31st of December 2015. OUR AIMS To create a mobile device application (for smartphones or tablet PCs) which will help European adults to: · document what they have learned during a stay abroad · show how and when they have gained new skills · present these newly acquired skills to others To develop a recognition and accreditation procedure for two, out of the eight, European lifelong learning key competences : · learning to learn · social and civic competences Both of these competences can be acquired during stays abroad. We believe that enabling this acquired knowledge to be accredited will help adults improve their employability and competitiveness on the labour market. RESEARCH PHASE We have just completed our research and analysis phase. This has allowed us to get a better understanding of the interlinking between transnational mobility and informal learning experiences. A competence grid was drawn up by the Irish partner, which provided a common structure for the analysis and description of the competences used. Using this grid, research was carried out in all partner countries with at least 20 adult learners plus two professional experts. We gathered very useful information in this research giving us an excellent basis to work from. The enthusiasm shown by respondents also reaffirmed for us the importance of the project. Thanks again to all who participated! OUR TARGET GROUP Adults involved in different mobility actions across Europe, such as: workshops, volunteering, internships, practical training programmes, university exchange study programmes, municipality mobilities, leisure mobilities Organisations such as: adult education entities, public bodies providing recognition of nonformal and informal learning as well as European and public organizations involved in education policy making. 1 539068-LLP-1-2013-1-AT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP. This project has been funded with the support of the European Commission. This publication and all its contents reflects the views only of its author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Ne014 WHAT YOU THINK MATTERS! A sample of feedback received during research phase: · · · · Meath Community Rural & Social Development Partnership Limited (IE) Jennifer Land [email protected] www.meathpartnership.ie Every stay abroad is enriching- not only for improving language skills but also for soft skills in general. I think that by immersing yourself in a new culture you begin an internal evaluation process. Stepping outside of your normal life allows you to view your life objectively. Being confronted with a new culture also gives you an insight into how things can be done differently and makes you more tolerant and acceptant of how other cultures live at home. Yes, existing competences can be applied and further developed and new competences can be obtained in many areas when you experience a new country. I think that a mobility stay is the perfect opportunity to rediscover yourself, see how you react in unfamiliar situations and deal with problems. Soros Educational Center Foundation (RO) Zsófia Pál [email protected] www.sec.ro Fondo Formacion Euskadi (ES) Marta Palacio [email protected] www.ffeuskadi.net Campus Varberg (SE) Ida Boström [email protected] www.campus.varberg.se WHAT'S NEXT? Karabağlar District Directorate of National Education (TR) Ugur CELIK [email protected] www.karabaglar.meb.gov.tr We are now gearing up for our next project meeting in Izmir, Turkey in September. This meeting will allow us to make our ideas for the app more concrete and will kick off the development phase of the project. Our website: www.mapp-project.eu will soon be available in all partner languages! Stay tuned for further updates... THE PARTNERSHIP Auxilium pro Regionibus Europae in Rebus Culturalibus (AT) (Coordinator) Karen Schreiner [email protected] www.auxilium.co.at Rapidrabbit (DE) David Wulff [email protected] www.rapidrabbit.com 2 539068-LLP-1-2013-1-AT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP. This project has been funded with the support of the European Commission. This publication and all its contents reflects the views only of its author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.