The Out of the Box Skill Week took place in Faro (Portugal) from October 9th – 11th. This event brought together 40 participants from diverse backgrounds, including representatives from the UNICEF Office and the European Parliament, freelancers, consultants, trainers, business stakeholders, as well as representatives from municipalities, NGOs, CSOs, and higher education institutions. Participants hailed from Belgium, the Netherlands, Serbia, Malta, Montenegro, Germany, Bulgaria, Sweden, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, North Macedonia, Croatia, Portugal, Poland, and Italy.
The first day was dedicated mostly to Strategic Planning (facilitated through the General Assembly, an Expert Pool meeting and Working group sessions). In addition, we had the Member Organisation Academy and a session on the EU EP elections where Takeaways and results from the EP elections were presented. After work, we went on a trip to the Island of Culatra, where alongside enjoying the island landscapes we learned about the isolated island life and what challenges inhabitants face.
The second day started with an “Innovation conference” where we discussed Innovative mobility tools and digital revolution in HE programmes. After this, the “3rd European Project Incubator” session took place, which was dedicated to MOs Cross-Sectoral Cooperation Space – OTB skill and EU-funded projects, followed by an overview and deep dive into InterREg and Horizon programmes showcasing the success rates in EU grants. The day finished with a presentation of project ideas for future cooperation among the stakeholders.
The last day was dedicated to the “Out of the Box Skill” Conference. Four panels were held:
- “Cities Developing Out of the Box skills – an honest attempt?” where we discussed creativity, brain drain in rural areas, the gaps between public, private & CSOs, participatory process and educational tools and citizens’ participation at local levels.
- “NGOs developing Out of the Box skills – how to avoid copy-paste?” generated knowledge sharing on mental health, AI issues, tradition, empathy, communication and generational misunderstandings and what are Out of the Box skills we all need.
- “OTB skill to balance – Keep it digital – keep it ethical” was a panel dedicated to the use of AI, problems that social media is creating, data security and data ownership, miss/use of technology, EU funds and real-time problem solving, and critical thinking as a must skill to have.
- “Inclusive and Innovative Classroom – developing OTB competencies of future thinkers” was the last panel where the role of teachers in the past and present was discussed as well as how different settings in and out of the classroom are key to foster involvement and children development. A systematic development and stronger collaboration between NGOs and educational institutions will bring more innovation and benefits to the teachers/professors and students. While doing so we should not forget the collective role in the education of youngsters and parents support.
Three days went by so quickly. We shared a lot, learned and had a good time with our members. We are grateful to all of them for joining us and we hope to see everyone again next year!
