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PIECE is an Erasmus+ KA2 project in the field of adult education that aims to strengthen and empower communities through education and training.

The project partnership consists of 5 European organizations from 5 different countries, Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Greece. The partners are: Kairos Europe, ALDA – European Association for Local Democracy, ITAKA Training, Acoge Andalucia and Innovation Frontiers.

The project stems from the need to combat new social challenges due to the effect of globalization and digital innovations. Nowadays it has become increasingly rare for people to be in touch with their local communities and create networks that are both local and offline. Because of this social disconnect, the consortium has devised education and skills enhancement that can help combat these increasingly prevalent trends in modern societies, which is why this project aims to address the needs of communities in Europe through training, education and empowerment of community workers.

The target group of this project is community workers and individuals interested in community engagement and development. In the context of the project we have defined this group as individuals or organizations working for the welfare and development of local communities. They can be charities, NGOs, religious institutions, theaters, local organizations, local governments, schools, community centers, educational institutions, cultural associations, community interest societies, networks, social cooperatives, etc. The people who were involved in the project were people working at different levels in these organizations as volunteers, employees, managers, mentors and directors.

The design and development of 3 Intellectual Outputs guided the project activities.

Initially, the consortium was involved in mapping and identifying the needs of the selected target group (IO1). The methodology used for this research was a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods that included surveys and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders. We had 274 respondents for our survey and each organization conducted an average of 5 interviews for a total of 25.
What emerged from this study was the need to create educational materials on several topics. Which were:
– Climate change;
– Civic engagement;
– Critical thinking;
– Financing and sustainability;
– Storytelling – Social Media.

Educational and training material was developed by each partner to address the needs of the target group (IO2).

The final Intellectual Output of the project was the creation of an E-Learning Platform for updating and empowering the target group. This IO is an online learning platform that trains people on the topics identified in IO1 and already covered in IO2. The platform is aimed at people already working as community workers or with communities in various capacities or people interested in engaging in this field. Participants will receive a certificate of attendance after successfully completing every module and a “full “ certificate after completing the 5 modules.

The people who took part in the project and benefited from the intellectual outcomes of the project have improved their skills and employability and, in turn, have improved the social inclusion, skills and employability of the people they have trained and will train, involve in their activities and come into contact with, thus creating a virtuous circle of empowerment. “Not just a project: thanks to PIECE I have been able to exchange with other community workers from other countries, thus improving my skills”

This project has come to an end, but thanks to the results produced (and available for free on the project website) it still has the potential to impact not only existing community workers and communities, but also to help people create community spaces and activities.

Photos from multiplier event held in London on 07/11/2022