Start Now+

Background:

The Startnow + application is a collection of educational modules devoted to health, well-being and the development of broadly understood social competences. It is dedicated to educators, teachers, facilitators, trainers, educators and animators – anyone who would like to conduct their classes in an interesting way, using the wealth of non-formal education methods.

The Startnow + project publication is about health education of young people, but the direct recipients of our activities were teachers, educators and other people working with this age group. Together with our partners from Norway, we have been developing innovative tools for public health education for over the past 2 years.

Our base was the lesson modules created as part of the previous START NOW! project in 2018. We have developed some of them in Polish and Norwegian language versions, adapted them to the school education format, and updated them with the latest trends in health education and the social context.

In addition, we have created 10 new lesson scenarios that meet the educational needs of the pandemic and are based on many interesting and engaging methods that can also be used in the distance learning mode.

One of the most important activities of our project was developing of 10 principles on which Child Welfare is based (the well-being of children and adolescents) and how it can be implemented in educational activities at school or other organizations. Educators, teachers, trainers and other people interested in the topic could explore it during training and promotional meetings that we organized as part of our project activities, as well as by subscribing to the Newsletter, in which we described one principle in detail every week.

Objectives:

1. development of educational tools for public health of youth (based on the non-formal education modules, hereinafter: the Modules).
2. development and implement safety standards in education based on child welfare education (quality standards in the form of QNEC Certificate, hereinafter: the QNEC).
3. further developing of the tools from START NOW! project (ERASMUS KA2, 2017-18, www.startnow-erasmus.eu) and disseminate them to new groups of beneficiaries (the Modules and the QNEC)
4. supplementing the educational offer with aspects of inclusive education (the QNEC)
5. improving the health competences of young people, in particular groups with fewer opportunities (the Modules)
6. implementing security standards in education (the QNEC)
7. incorporating new technologies (the mobile app)
8. developing pedagogical innovations (the Modules)
9. promoting equal opportunities for men and women (the Modules and the QNEC)
10. promote the principles of "child welfare education" in Poland (the QNEC)

Implementation

The first result will be an update of the educational tool developed as part of the "START NOW!" Project (startnow-learning.eu). The previous textbook encountered a language barrier in recipient countries. Therefore, the first result will include the translation and update of 10 modules selected together with the partner into Polish and Norwegian.

The second result will be a guide for youth health education, containing a set of 20 workshop modules (10 from the first result and 10 completely new). The handbook will also contain a context for non-formal education, helping people with a formal educational background to assimilate a new approach.

The third result will be the QNEC certificate, which will be based on our experience in certifying organizations using non-formal methods (NEC certificate). We will create practical and formal education standards in line with the "child welfare education" principle, which is very little known in Poland. Holding a certificate is a desirable asset for organizations and institutions of formal education.

The fourth result will be an app which will enable to:

• Introduce students to the new topic of the lesson;
• To learn while learning – in line with non-formal education, where everyone can be an expert;
• Motivate group to greater involvement and creative cooperation;
• Become an innovative educator;
• Use the lesson modules in one of the 3 available languages: Polish, Norwegian and English;
• Introduce a new standard of education and peer learning in your environment.

Impact:

• 85% Share of participating staff assessed by their employer as having improved skills/competences in their field of work (Survey results, evaluation, report)
• 80% Share of participating students assessed by their education institution as having improved their level of competence (Survey results, evaluation, report)
• 80% Share of staff participating in institutional cooperation who express satisfaction with the mobility/ exchange (Survey results, evaluation, report)
• 80%Share of students who declare satisfaction with the mobility (Survey results, evaluation, report)
• 6/7 Level of satisfaction with the partnership (Survey results, internal evaluation - analysis, report)
• 5/7 Level of trust between cooperating entities in Beneficiary States and Donor States (Survey results, internal evaluation - analysis, report)
• 70% Share of cooperating organisations that apply the knowledge acquired from bilateral partnership (Survey results and evaluation of educators, number of certificates issued, report)
• 15 Number of education institutions offering new/redesigned education offers/ programmes/courses (Number of certificates issued, educator evaluation, report).

www.startnowplus.com