LEARNING OF BEST PRACTICES AND EXPERIENCES IN SANTANDER (SPAIN)
The third exchange of experiences within the ERASMUS + project YouCareOn took place from the 18th to 22nd February 2019, on the north coast of Spain, in Santander. The aim of the exchange of experiences was to get to know good practices in the professional orientation, especially with regard to the youth population in different vulnerability areas such as migration and risk of social exclusion.
On the first project day, a first meeting of all project partners and mobility participants took place. Among them were interested principals and (leading) teachers from the participating partner countries as well as the project leaders and assistants of the YouCareOn project partners.
At the beginning, the participants got a first impression of how diverse professional orientation can be. We played the in Cantabria (region where Santander is located) developed game "Less is Max Game". It encourages young people to reflect and shows them the possible consequences for each of their actions.
Afterwards, the organizer of the project week, the INDEO Fundación Laboral del Metal, together with the project coordinator, the Centrum für Innovation und Technologie GmbH, presented the contents and the schedule of the project week. All participants looked forward to the exciting eventful week and getting to know new practices
At the beginning of the second project day, we first got to know a joint project of the Ministry of Education in Spain and the Chamber of Commerce of Cantabria. The project "LaborESO" represents a slightly differently organized and innovative variation compared to the student internship in Germany. In the implementation, special attention is paid to the abilities and preferences of the students and the cooperation between all participants within the project is very intensive.
After these first impressions, we visited the initiative "Lanzaderas de Empleo". This initiative brings together unemployed people of all ages, usually with higher educational qualifications, within small groups. They support each other, under the professional guidance of a coach, until they are back in work.
The following day, project participants had the opportunity to visit the IES Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, a VET school in the region. In addition to a tour of the school buildings and equipment, we learned in detail about the education and vocational training system in Cantabria. This information was particularly interesting for our participants, because there are some significant differences to the systems in their own countries.
Afterwards we visited the Red Cross in Santander. We were introduced to the "Pulsa Empleo" initiative, which specifically targets young unemployed people with risks of social exclusion. Through this initiative, they receive intensive care, coaching and above all mental support to strengthen their self-confidence.
The final day of the project week, the participants spent in AMPROS, an institution for people with intellectual disabilities. AMPROS seeks to add value to the work of these people and has created five different work areas: catering, gardening, production support, cleaning service and woodwork. The organization works for many companies in the region and provide high-quality work. The participants had the chance to see the production centres and workshops, and talk to the involved people. We are very grateful to have met such a great organization.
At the end of the exciting project week, a joint evaluation took place. All participants were very satisfied with the new findings and experiences. We would like to thank our project partner, the INDEO Fundación Laboral del Metal.