- According to a report, the Covid-19 worsened the young’s people mental health generating academic distress, lowering the motivation to learn and underlined the existence of inequalities in the educational area.
- Destine project aims to create an online platform that ensure the total inclusion and access to e-VET education.
The burst of Covid-19 not only slowed down the economy, society and stopped the world, but has also a very negative impact on the mental health of young people. Locked at home, the move from the educational environment to the home computer introduced a more impersonal model, without taking into account whether everyone could have access to the internet and the necessary tools. This fact underlined the need to adapt this environment to the digital world as well as to the different vulnerable backgrounds of students and teachers, who due to socio-economic, religious or simply personal circumstances cannot have access to digital facilities.
Under this context, the European Commission has published a report that illustrates the impact of COVID-19 on young people’s mental health. As far as the educational environment is concerned, area in which the Destine partners works, the main causes that worsened the mental-health of the youth were: rupture of daily routine, social contact, social and emotional support from teachers, physical activity, and a sense of belonging to a community. This situation led to an increasement of the academic distress, the effectiveness and motivation to learn and underlined the existence of inequalities in education based on their socioeconomic status and gender.
Both students and teachers experienced these obstacles to which each country came up with a response. Thus, while Sweden or Iceland did not impose a total school closure, Spain, France or Luxembourg did, creating a difference between the countries of the European Union.
The findings of this report only confirm the need for the Erasmus+, Destine project to achieve its goal: adapt traditional classrooms to the new digital learning environment safeguarding the values of diversity and tolerance trough the creation of an online learning platform inclusive and tolerant. A project that has become into reality thanks to the cooperation of seven enterprises from six diferent countries. Under the leadership of the French NGO’s OSENGO together with the greek’s NGO Simplexys, the Vocational training institute Akmi, germany’s BK Consult Gbr, Irish’s Future in Perspective Limited, the romanian’s NGO Centrul Pentru Promovarea Invatarii Peramente Timsioara Asociatia and the spanish’s non-profit foundation Finnova.
Trough cooperation and collaboration the partners try to reach trough the analysis of the needs and gaps that each country present. Moving from the individual context to a general level with the intention to eliminate barriers between the EU member states academic structure adaptation to the e- environment.
About DESTINE
In a context marked by recent technological changes, shifts in global economic power, accelerating urbanization and demographic changes, coupled with the importance of digital as recently highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic; the DESTINE project, funded by the Erasmus + programme, responds to the challenge of addressing the issues of inclusion, diversity and tolerance in the online and distance learning environment. Specifically, the project aims to develop and improve the skills and competences of teachers, trainers and mentors in the field of inclusion and diversity as applied to e-learning.
About ERASMUS +
Erasmus+ 2021-2027 is the European Union’s renewed programme in the fields of education and training, youth and sport, offering opportunities for all people and in all education sectors (School Education, Professional Training, Higher Education and Adult Education). This new Erasmus+ is more international, more inclusive, more digital and greener, supporting digital transformation, inclusion and diversity, as well as the environment and the fight against climate change. With a budget of more than €28 billion, it will fund learning-related mobility and cross-border cooperation projects for 10 million people of all ages and from all backgrounds.
“This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.”