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Supported by Erasmus + Programme

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Open Digital Europe

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Out of the Box International develops a tailor made open data model and policies based on open digital environment which is transparent, accountable and secured.

Social Businesses

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Out of the Box International works with already existing hubs, various local and national stakeholders and social entrepreneurs in order to further develop and promote successful social entrepreneurship policies and practices.

Solidarity Europe

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Out of the Box International delivers expertise in the field of cohesive policies by using cross-sectorial approach and non-formal  education, in a global perspective.

European Project

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Out of the Box International  works further to enhance current cooperation in South East Europe region and actively supports the integration of all European countries in common European project.

SLUSIK PILOTING CONCLUSION

July 3, 2022

PLACE Model tested and upgraded in the “SLUSIK” project

Brussels, Belgium, 27th June 2022

Centre for European Volunteering, in collaboration with 6 other partner organisations and universities based in Belgium, Croatia, Ireland, Spain, Austria and Slovakia are currently implementing “SLUSIK: Service Learning Upscaling Social Inclusion for Kids”, a project co-funded by the EU’s Erasmus+ Social Inclusion programme.

The main objective of the project is enhancing the acquisition of social and civic competences, fostering knowledge, understanding and ownership of values and fundamental rights. For this project, the consortia is using the Service Learning model already in place in the universities that are partners in the project, “scale it up” and “test” in cooperation with high schools in 5 countries and advocate for service learning to be part of the secondary school curriculum.

Over the period of implementation, the partners have engaged in a set of activities encompassing research, upscaling the PLACE model, Community of Practice engagement, advocacy and communication actions, as well as the SLUSIK curricula piloting in schools, which was recently concluded in 5 SLUSIK implementing countries (Spain, Ireland, Austria, Croatia, and Slovakia) thus concluding a crucial milestone in this multi-faceted project.

Gabriella Civico, Director of CEV mentioned: “Service learning curricula is a proven tool to enhance the civic competences and engagement of students in initiatives in their communities, contributing to the prevention of social exclusion. I am sure the project will produce an adaptable model and materials to be used across Europe both by policy makers and schools in different school contexts and situations”.

Optional for each partner: Marko Paunović, CEO of Out of the Box International emphasizes that “Civil Sector organisations and Educational institutions should cooperate more in order to create innovative and “up-to-date” educational practices able to enter state educational systems. “SLUSIK” project is a great example of cross-sectoral cooperation and we are very glad to be part of this initiative from its start”.

Both students and teachers found the piloting and testing the SLUSIK model experience to be very rewarding and engaging. Laura, one of the students from Croatia, pointed out that such activities are “a great way to get more confident and learn how to work in a group”. Teacher Sonja Doboviček also highlighted the collaborative dimension of the project. Colaiste Ioseaf, from Ireland, found the actions to be very effective as “the importance of connection with the community has never been more significant or needed”.

The SLUSIK Project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, is led by the Malta Business Bureau (Malta) in collaboration with Out of the Box International (Belgium), Rijeka University (Croatia) , University of Limerick (Ireland), University of Granada (Spain), University College of Teacher Education, Vienna (Austria), Matej Bel University (Slovakia).

Optional: For more information on SLUSIK in your country, please contact Out of the Box International Office at info@outofthebox-international.org.

 

For more information, please consult the SLUSIK Website, https://www.slusik.eu/

 

Why Out of the Box International

The seemingly ever-lasting depression of European economies has shaken the very foundations of many European societies. The shear rate of unemployment in Europe and the omnipresent environmental crisis coupled with the often frustratingly slow process of decision making in the EU, are calling for civil society actors to step in and fill the void.

In the aftermath of the 2008. economic crisis, the apprehension of falling under the spell of apathy of economic depression across the continent has not been easy to shake off. However, pinpointing the culprits for the current state of affairs on any particular EU decision maker is not the answer. Nonetheless, the fact remains that the current approach to the economic and environmental crisis hasn’t yet shown the affected citizens the light at the end of the tunnel.

As representatives of the civil society we feel the need to make our voice heard in the midst of the current debate on economic crisis. Being a social enterprise we offer new and feasible ideas in education and community work, creative cross-sectorial cooperation among different actors and strong networking coalitions to turn these dire economic challenges into possibilities through social entrepreneurship initiatives which aim at benefiting wide range of citizens, particularly vulnerable groups and those affected by the economic crisis.

Social entrepreneurship is a simple concept that has been put into practice by civil society actors for the benefit of a specific social group or people, and this is precisely what we want: to create projects and initiatives with fresh ideas in different policies, educational programs or tools, support businesses, empower cultural initiatives and offer different solutions to individuals, corporate bodies, everybody who believe that we can have more Creative, Innovative and Cohesive Europe.

 

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