Second LTT – Blended mobility for learners – ”New Artisans’ Workroom”

The second LTT took place in Porto, Portugal, together with the third one. Developing simultaneous these 2 LTT is essential in the project architecture, at it will offer an unique opportunity both to professionals in adult’s education (taking part in C3) and senior artisans to act together in a multicultural environment and begin their transformation into ”changemakers” in their communities. 870d56d1-fa44-4870-8734-3adeb7097b21

The LTT included 30 hours of training (6 hours/day) – 18 in attendance+12 distance learning.

It gathered 17 senior artisans in attendance – 3 from each partner’s organisation, except for Real Time whose participants (4 persons) joined on-line and Malta who had also 2 participants online and 2 in attendance. Even some partners didn’t finish the local piloting activities of IO2, they have already the list with senior artisans to be involved in these events and they selected participants for the blended mobility from these lists. We didn’t restrict the selection to people with minimum basic English knowledge because this could affect the project results and impact (as the whole project is created for seniors strongly ”anchored” in a past when you could have a wonderful life without any knowledge of English or ICT).

So we had a very heterogeneous group regarding the studies (from gymnasium to master degrees) occupations (from farmers to architects) and area of handicrafts (from making jewelleries and homemade food to metal arts). Thus, despite all these differences and the low (or missing) level of English, a particular „chemistry” linked the group since the first moments and participants worked together in a very efficient and friendly way.

20230328_100045The activity begun with a presentation of each national group – for overcoming the language barriers we asked participants to draw what they consider representative for their team. Then we have presentations about the project (partners, outcomes, what we expect from the participants). We underlined the importance of the international dimension of the project, in order to make participants familiar with the context. We also encourage them to communicate with others, to create connections and networking.

Then we introduced participants in the digital platform, explain them how to register and show some examples.
After the coffee break, we discuss about the importance of the stories in selling a product and our colleague from Real Time had a short lesson of how to make a perfect photo. In the afternoon we focused on how to create the perfect ”story that sells”. Participants had a ”homework” – to take some pictures until the next day.

The second day we met one hour earlier with one representative of each team and prepare (in another room) the exhibition with hand-made objects brought by participants. The working day started with a discussion about the pictures participants made as ”homework” (they had to make at least 5 pictures of an object/person/building etc. as follows: one wide shot, one medium shot and 3 close ups). Then we had a presentation about ”Tips&Tricks for the best picture/movie” and after we allow participants to walk around the exhibition, talk each other about their products and try to estimate the price for one or more products.

The afternoon started with a session aiming to develop entrepreneurial competencies – after a short presentation about the main elements include in the price of a product participants worked individually to calculate the price of a chosen product. In the last part of the day we had a networking exercise – in two groups participants had the task to identify common aspects in their products and try to create an ”European product” including an element from each country.IMG_7719

The fourth day was also dedicated to distance learning activities, together with participants to C3 but we practiced the photo/video making during the 3 site visits organised by our Portuguese partner – to the CINDOR (Professional Training Centre for the Goldsmith and Jewellery Industry), to the Filigree Museum of Gondomar and to a local family business (from over 100 year old) in making filigree jewelleries.

The last day we had the activities at the headquarter of Associação Social Recreativa e Cultural Bem Fazer Vai Avante, in Gondomar, we gathered here both participants to C2 and C3. We developed here a co-creation space – participants to C2 and C3 presented their proposals for improving the intellectual outputs and for future activities in the project and after.

IMG_7751Then we filled evaluation questionnaires, watched some movies/stories created by participants in the third day and gave the certificates.

The activity has contributed to reaching the second objective of the project, ”increasing the entrepreneurial and ICT competencies at the level of 280 senior artisans and fostering European identity and awareness both at their level and at the level of at least 21 small communities they are living in”.

Beside the learning outcome achieved at participants’ level (detailed in the evaluation report available here ) participants established strong connections between them and built a nucleus of European artisan with a much higher European identity

There are 2 types of results:

  • related to the IO – s: a set of recommendations (from senior artisans – as final beneficiaries) for improving IO2, contribution for participatory research for IO1, and a first ready-to-launch version of IO3 (21 presentations related to ”story of a product” ready to be uploaded)IMG_7540
  • related to the learning outcome achieved at the level of 21 senior artisans illiterate in entrepreneurship and ICT & with a high level of Euroscepticism (most of them couldn’t be achieved in a national context) – as follows:

Improved knowledges related to:

  • basic topics related to developing a business in crafts/hand-made sector and how to promote it in virtual environment (selling platforms, social media etc.)
  • technical aspects related to on-line marketing and other modern tools to improve small business focused on hand-made/crafts
  • European values and citizenship

Improved abilities/skills in:

  • communication in a foreign language
  • entrepreneurship – according to European Framework EntreComp
  • ICT – according to European Framework DigComp
  • use social media and on-line marketing tool in promoting their arts/crafts/products
  • promote more actively the European values, identity and awareness