What was the main purpose of FLOW?
“The primary objective of the FLOW project was to design and develop educational materials and resources aimed at activating NEET women (women who are Not in Education, Employment, or Training)”, says Communication and Events Manager Athina Psariai from IED. “There is a rising global interest and huge need for financial literacy as a key life skill, especially for women in NEET contexts. Financial literacy improves the well-being of individuals and enables them to participate in economic life.”
“The project supports women in building skills and competences for the purpose of their reintegration to education, active citizenship or employment. The restoration of trust and confidence were the main focus of the project as women may have been affected by previous negative experiences. In parallel, the support of women’s motivation has been addressed as it was one of the main reintegration barriers.
The adult education professionals were responsible for delivering and sustaining this initiative. That’s why the project partnership proposed and developed a training programme to support the educators in using new resources and in developing key skills for dealing with new challenges”.
How did the project foster transformative learning and values?
“For our target group, the key innovation is the development of a game-based online learning resource. This non-formal way of learning supports participants in developing behaviours to succeed in education, employment, or training, and in developing useful skills for further learning. Added to that, they will be able to change their attitudes towards participation in the future”, says Psariai.
“These objectives are representative of the overall focus of the FLOW project. Game-based online learning can be attractive and appealing for people who haven’t participated in any education programme for years. The training programme for adult educators will help them make full use of game-based online learning. Additional resources will be designed for the four competence areas”.
What was the best practice learnt from this project that you want to share?
“We gained valuable knowledge and experience during the implementation of this project. For example, it has inspired us to learn more about the needs of adult learners, especially women NEETs, and to find new solutions to meet those needs.
The pilot courses were a very interesting process that we consider essential in any course creation. Based on those, we came to the conclusion that the course should be delivered in the evening and once a week, as this will allow a larger audience attendance, especially women with family commitments during the day.
Another useful insight is that face-to-face training should be provided instead of online training, as the games and activities created will be more effective then”.
Text: Dimitra Kladia, EAEA
Photos: FLOW Project