The first meeting of QU.A.R.AN.T.I.N.E. was held over the 21st and 22nd of December 2020 – the project anticipated the continued need to limit travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as planned, it therefore took place online. It was organised and managed by the coordinator – Eufemia – who successfully brought together the partners and conducted a very productive meeting even in these difficult conditions.
QU.A.R.AN.T.I.N.E. is a project that aims to improve the quality of “distance” youth work and to empower young people suffering the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly NEETs – those “Not in Employment, Education, or Training”. The project will do this through the development of a toolkit for “Smart Youth Working”, a series of motivational videos to empower young people, and a virtual mobilization campaign called “I’m with you(th)”.
QU.A.R.AN.T.I.N.E. departs from the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which, as well as the physical harm it has caused people, has also led to serious psychological issues. Young people in particular have suffered the consequences of the isolation associated with lockdowns. NEETs are a particularly vulnerable group, and the reduction in work opportunities as a result of the pandemic has in some cases worsened their prospects for employment. Youth workers and organisations have also had to halt their face-to face activities, so the sector faces changes in the way these groups can be accessed and helped.
The first Intellectual Output of the project is toolkit for “Smart Youth Working”, which hopes to provide guidelines on innovative methods for conducting youth work activities at a distance, and will be made available publicly for youth organisations and youth workers to use to improve their online youth work activities.
The second Intellectual Output, the motivational videos, will cover a range of topics relevant to youth empowerment, and, even if the COVID-19 situation has improved and lockdowns have been lifted, these videos hope to inspire youth and provide them with strategies in several areas such as coping, leadership, and community involvement.
Finally, the third intellectual output of the project aims to end with a positive and inspiring campaign, connecting and mobilizing youth with the social media campaign “I’m with you(th)”.
The KOM was a fantastic opportunity for the partners to (virtually) meet each other, present their organisations, and the activities that they will lead during the project. The first steps of the project were discussed, with many useful ideas and feedback shared. Finally, the consortium collaborated on the brand identity of the project, in which proposals for the project logo were discussed.
Stay tuned for the next updates of our project!