Recently, the real face of Domestic Violence in Europe became clearly captured for a first time, in a survey, that involves participants from all 28 European states and reflects the experiences of 42 000 women across EU. The data from the survey dreadfully shows that one in three women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15. This project aims at addressing this crucial topic by building on the successful idea and results of a previous LLP project PACT, which (as its full name clearly reveals) was aimed at Promoting Awareness and Cooperation and Training in the Field of Domestic Violence (DV). Building on major and crucial European developments like the Istanbul Convention and the EU Victims’ Directive (Directive 2012/29/EU) and being strongly aligned with the main priorities and values entangled in strategic documents like the Paris Declaration and Europe 2020, EMPROVE! Aims at: EMPowering DV survivors by IMPROVing the DV intervention and prevention. More concretely, the EMPROVE! Project will train counsellors and trainers, as well as NGO staff, that works with DV survivors, enriching their training repertoire with the EMPROVE! Intellectual products. In other words, the main target groups of the project will be counsellors, tutors, mentors, trainers, working with DV survivors and final beneficiaries of the project will be the DV survivors, whereby EMPROVE! focuses on women, because they are disproportionally affected by this major problem.The overarching goals of EMPROVE! are going to be achieved through the following activities: - comprehensive good practice research and qualitative needs analysis of the challenges both counsellors and DV survivors face;- international and national train-the-trainer events, that will educate the first wave of EMPROVE! Counsellors- introduction of an innovative element in the training and counselling of the DV survivors – an EMPROVE! Social Platform, developed based on the theory of Gamification. This methodology is known to increase the intrinsic motivation, the empowerment and the feeling of community of the learners, keeping them involved throughout all phases of their training and counselling process. - Network Guidelines for successful prevention and intervention of DV- EMPROVE! Competence models and validation reference systems- Policy Paper with recommendations for amendments in local and international policies and practices on DV prevention and intervention- Assessment and validation activities of informally acquired skills and competences - Dissemination & Sustainability- Quality AssuranceIn the piloting of this unique EMPROVE! Approach, the project will train directly between 40 and 50 counsellors, piloting the EMPROVE! Training programme with ca. 60 DV survivors around Europe and disseminating the project products to further 250+ DV survivors. More than 70 professionals and key stakeholders will participate in the EMPROVE! Foundation Seminars and further 1000 will learn about the project through the dissemination activities of the consortium.The EMPROVE! Methodology, that will be applied in the current project, has the following key values in its core:• Holistic approach • Distribution of tasks according to the areas of expertise of each partner• Focus on Competence Oriented Learning in the development and implementation of all educational materials• Promotion of Validation of Formal and Informal Learning for all target groups and final beneficiaries • Impact on EU level: Project management and training/research experts in each partner countryAs a result from all these activities, Good practice brochure, Training products, Policy recommendations, Gamified EMPROVE! Social platform and EMPROVE! Network Guidelines will be developed.With these activities and products, the project makes important steps towards the response of education and training to the main challenges of today's world and to the need to improve the intervention and prevention of such huge social problem as DV. Potential long-term benefits from the EMPROVE! Activities and products are expected for counsellors, trainers, DV Survivors, but also for employers, local and national public bodies, Moreover, the impact and the benefits from the EMPROVE! Project are increased by the fact that the project products are designed to live after the project lifecycle has ended. This will be further ensured by the readiness and motivation of all partners (representing seven of the EU member states) to include the EMPROVE! Training programme in their core activities.To sum up, the project is expected to make a significant contribution to enhance knowledge on the matter of domestic violence, to enhance skills and competences for DV prevention and intervention and to promote social and civic competences, democratic values and fundamental rights, social inclusion, non-discrimination, active citizenship and first and foremost – empowerment of DV survivors.

"BYMBE Project is building up on a national Austrian Project called ""Job Navi"" http://www.zig-training.at/kurs/job-navi-junge-muetter/ , which was developped within a set of measures targeting NEETs in Vienna and accomaning studies how to face ESL and lifelong consequences of it. ""Job Navi"" was designed by Doris Landauer due to the specific problems faced by young girls getting pregnant and who do not finish their professional education. This concern is a problem throughout Europe, not yet adressed by comparable measures. BYMBE partnership a consortium of expert partners with supplementary competences in counseling, motivaitonal training, women and youth work and dissemination activities from 6 european countries: Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Irland and Spain - now aims to develop a transfer of parts of this best practice to a) other countries and b) to include outreach services outside big national centers. Thus the project will focus on the adaption to national contexts regarding education and accreditation systems and to local service provision in the partner countries. All partners will implement the project in smaller centers. Palermo and Dublin are of about over 500.000 inhabitants, Kaunas, Gijon and Innsbruck are at about 400.000, 275.000 and 122.000 and the Bulgarian partner, is going to implement the activities with target groups in Haskovo region (250.000 inhabitants). Identified TARGET GROUPS of the project: • Direct Targets: Young mothers aged 15-25 who have not finished their professional education (IO2,4,5,6) and Social Workers (IO1 and 3) • Indirect Targets: Social workers, teachers, trainers, other stakeholders in the field and general public for dissemination; Based on the above information the overall objective of the project is to improve social inclusion of young mothers, which are not in employment, education or training (NEETs) by bringing them back to school (education or training). The specific project objectives reflect the holistic and innovative nature of the approach chosen by the partners. BYMBE OBJECTIVES: • Adapt & promote good practices of support for young mothers for going back to school or in employment in Europe • Develop innovative outreach strategy & motivational campaign for awareness raising on the issue • Support social workers and trainers by provision of additional tools, knowledge and skills for their work with YM • Develop holistic support instruments for YM, including counseling, training, peer-groups s.o. • Disseminate project results and raise awareness about the problem and how to address it The overall longterm IMPACT of the BYMBE project will be to raise the general awareness of the risk to be exposed to poverty of young mothers dropping out education and to motivate young mothers to re-enter education. Most important on shortterm during the lifetime of the BYMBE project is the development of a successful support package for young mothers which will be implemented in a pilot with min. 12 young mothers from 6 countries (all together 72) are expected to re-enter education. They will be the pioneers for promotion of the project tools after the project end. In the last period of the project the results will be mainstreamed to key players in the field by direct interviews and multiplier events in every country with totally 200 participants in order to mainstream the project on national and european level."

The LT2016 Researchers’ Night projects for 2016 and 2017 will take place in major Lithuanian cities, i.e. Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Siauliai and Moletai, as well as in rural areas. The project aims to enhance public recognition of researchers and their work through bringing scientists and public closer to one another and thus increasing an understanding of the impact of researchers' work on citizen's daily life as well as encouraging young people to choose careers in science and research. Both events will offer a broad range of varied activities addressing all categories of the public at large, regardless of age and scientific background, i.e. notably: Meetings and activities together with researchers; Lectures, discussions; Visits to open laboratories; Real life observations and experiments; European corners; Various contests, games, exhibitions, movie and online broadcast watching. All the activities planned will actively involve researchers and will offer a balanced combination of "serious" activities and funny ones to be attractive for the general public. Activities will be hosted in labs, lecture halls, meeting places, cafes, while in the rural areas they will take place in schools or public spaces. Some activities conducted in the main sites will be broadcasted online. Common concept for the Night in 2016 and 2017 will be Learning about Technology Futures. Therefore activities of Researchers’ Night projects in 2016 will be organised with focus on Virtual Reality thus building foundations for the Night in 2017 which will focus of "science futurity" or Futures of technologies. Both events will be finalised with the grand event unifying different fields - music, science and cinema. We expect at least 500.000 people made aware of the Researchers' Night and its objectives through the awareness campaign and 11.500 direct attendees to the various events planned in 2016 as well as in 2017.

Context and back ground of the project: Life long learning is an important part contributor to active ageing and ensures that people stay active, have sense of purpose and do not become socially isolated which impacts on their mental health. Need to increase the circle of friends who they could rely on as families become more fragmented as a result of migration and economical reasons. The project fitted well with UK current agenda of keeping people age 50+ active and reduce loneliness. It is also important to increase longevity with quality of life through learning's and steps are taken to ensure there are facilities for people age 50+ to engage, the idea of this project was combined with other partners, to what best could be found which will help the target groups to stay active and healthy, as people are living longer it is important to keep the pressure of the NHS services and other services, hence the reason local stake holder are stepping in voluntarily or paid staff to run the activities, in the UK health walk was one of the example where it's run by the volunteers every week in the park, it has also helped to make good use of green space and being in the greenery benefits your mood and mental health. The project partnered with six other partners, Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Lithuanian, Latvia and Spain to come together and address the issues that are concerning Europe.Objectives:The objectives of the project were to learn and share from partners the best practices how to keep people age 50+ engaged and what activities they are doing which could be replicated in other partner countries. Number and Profile of participation organisation:UK involved 9 organisation and individuals providing the activities, they included local groups, adult trainer, individual trainers providing activities to the older people, NGOs, count council, repair Shed and Radio DacorumSpain: in their programme included 8 different organisation, sight visits, NGOs, theatre work shops by 2 different trainers and workshops on various topic. The community house was the key to all activities, it was a unique example of 120 nationalities living under on roof, provided activities to all ages from baby to 70 year old, what was learnt from this that sometimes it's important to have a roof over you head before we can event think of Active ageing. Lithuania: there were 8 different organisation engaged with the project as well as some seniors, Art Laboratory, which is a hub for people to come together and do the activities, Sport activity and body flex, visit to Lekeciai where national cooking was show cased, local NGOs, visit to tarakai region to learn about adult education center, University of third age, Art gallery, Sport university combined research with Coventry university UK to look at how to keep people active in old age as there is no funding left for pension, professional came together to find solution. Greece: nine organisation were engaged with the visit however local municipality has also been engaged with the project, the organisation included, Athens impact hub which is used as a hot desking and coming together to create ideas for projects, Musuem of folk Art, Starvros Niarchos Foundation, story telling with Stelious, Friendhips club and visit to amarousion Open Center for Senior protection.Latvia: involved almost 12-15 different organisations and individuals which included local municipality, NGOs, older lady dancing and music group, Regional development center, Gym and physio session, recycling session, visit to medieval castle, Library, Nordic walking in nature, Adult education center, NGO preserving cultural and historical craft traditions. Bulgaria: art therapy workshop, visit to retirement club, trip to Zlatograd where following workshops took place, Saddler, weaving, Pottery and tailoring. visit to Plovdiv, which is 8000 years old town. Italy: included six interesting organisation, lots of NGOs working with older people as well as people struggling financially, autistic people, Co- housing scheme, Urban gardens included inter- generational learning. sight seeing of Rome and learning about history with senior volunteers.Results and Impacts mentioned later on in result and Impact section. Long term benefits are also added in the Impact section, however can highlight that the participants who did take part in the mobilities have further developed their volunteering skills and have carried out activities in their home countries, nature park, litter picking, healthy cooking, other benefits include finding new ways of up skilling through volunteering and creating social friends as well as thinking outside the box.