Priorities of the Erasmus+ programme

The Erasmus+ program seeks to enable the participation of even more participants and a wider range of organizations in the period 2021-2027. In this regard, the new program emphasizes inclusiveness, green initiatives and digitalization as key and most important priorities that supports through financial mechanisms, then strengthening civic values, dialogue of cultures, tolerance and understanding of social, cultural and historical heritage.

The program seeks to promote equal opportunities and access, inclusion, diversity and equity in all its activities.

At the heart of these goals are organizations and participants with disabilities. With this in mind, the program makes available mechanisms and resources that will make them available to a diverse circle of participants.

To implement these principles, an Inclusion and Diversity Strategy has been devised covering all parts of the program to support easier access to funding for a wider range of organizations and better access to more participants with disabilities.

This strategy aims to help address the various obstacles that target groups may face, which may hinder their participation both as a stand-alone factor and in combination between them:

Disability: It involves physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments that, in interaction with various barriers, can interfere with one’s full and effective participation in society.

Health Problems: Obstacles can arise from serious health problems, including serious illness, chronic illness, or any other physical or mental health situation that prevents participation in the program.

Barriers related to education and training systems: Individuals struggling for various reasons to join education and training systems, early school leavers and low-skilled adults may face these barriers. Educational difficulties, although they may be related to personal circumstances, are mainly the result of an education system that creates structural constraints and / or does not take into account the specific needs of the individual.

Cultural differences: They represent significant barriers to learning in general, especially for people with migrant or refugee status (especially new migrants), for people belonging to a national or ethnic minority, for sign language users, for people with linguistic difficulties.

Economic barriers: Economic disadvantages such as low living standards, low incomes, students who have to work to support themselves, dependence on the social protection system, long-term unemployment, poverty can be obstacles.

Barriers related to discrimination: Barriers may arise as a result of discrimination related to gender, age, ethnicity, religion, beliefs, sexual orientation, disability or a combination of two or more of these barriers.

Geographical barriers: Living in remote or rural areas, in peripheral regions, in urban suburbs, in areas with limited public transport, or less developed areas can be barriers.

For more information on the participation of people with disabilities in the Erasmus + program, see the Inclusion page on Erasmus+ site.

The COVID-19 crisis highlighted the importance of digital education for the digital transformation that Europe needs.

She particularly emphasized the increased need to harness the potential of digital technologies for teaching and learning and to develop digital skills for all.

In line with the strategic priorities of the Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027), the program aims to support this endeavor to involve students, teachers, youth workers, youth and organizations on the path to digital transformation.

The program should reach a larger target group inside and outside the Union through greater use of information, communication and technological tools, combining physical mobility, virtual learning and virtual cooperation.

The program will support the development of a high-performance educational digital ecosystem by building capacity and critical understanding in all types of educational institutions on how to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digital teaching and learning technologies at all levels and for all sectors to develop digital transformation plans.

The program will also support actions aimed at improving digital skills and developing competencies at all levels of society and for all. The focus will be on fostering basic and advanced digital skills as well as digital literacy.

A European Center for Digital Education will be establilshed to improve the coordination of digital education at EU level and contribute to research exchange of good practice and research experimentation.

The aim of the center will be to support Member States through closer cross-sectoral cooperation; a network of national digital education advisory services to share experiences and good practice on the factors that enable digital education; linking national and regional digital education initiatives and strategies; connecting national authorities, the private sector, professionals, education and training providers and civil society through more agile policy and practice development in digital education. Moreover, the Center will assist in monitoring the implementation of the Digital Education Action Plan.

Environment and climate action are key priorities for the EU now and in the future.

The European Green Deal is a new European growth strategy that recognizes the key role of schools, training institutions and universities to engage with students, parents and the wider community on the changes needed for a successful transition to become climate neutral by 2050.

The Erasmus + program will therefore be a key instrument for building knowledge, skills and attitudes on climate change and sustainable development both within the European Union and beyond.

The Erasmus + program will increase the number of opportunities for forward mobility in green fields, which encourage the development of competencies, improve career prospects and engage participants in the subject areas, which are strategic for sustainable growth of our planet, with special attention to rural development (sustainable agriculture, natural resource management, land protection, bio-agriculture).

Moreover, Erasmus+, whose core is mobility, promotes sustainable modes of transport and more responsible behavior.

Since the environment and the fight against global warming is a horizontal priority for project selection, priority will be given to projects aimed at developing competencies in various areas relevant to environmental sustainability.

The program supports the use of innovative practices to make students, employees and youth workers real drivers of change (eg saving resources, reducing energy consumption and waste, compensating for carbon footprint, making sustainable food choices and mobility, etc.).

Priority will be given to projects that, through education, training, youth and sports activities, enable changes in behavior towards individual preferences, cultural values and awareness of sustainable development, consumer habits and lifestyle habits.

Therefore, the organizations and participants involved should strive to integrate green practices into all projects through an environmental approach when designing activities, which will encourage them to discuss and learn about environmental issues, consider local actions and devise alternative green ways to implement their activities. .

Platforms such as eTwinning and EPALE will continue to create supporting material and facilitate the exchange of effective educational practices and policies on environmental and sustainability issues.

The program addresses the limited participation of citizens in its democratic processes and their lack of knowledge about the European Union and seeks to help them overcome difficulties in actively involving and participating in their communities or in the political and social life of the Union.

In addition to formal education, non-formal learning can improve citizens’ understanding of the European Union and foster a sense of belonging.

The program supports active citizenship and ethics in lifelong learning; fosters the development of social and intercultural competencies, critical thinking and media literacy.

Priority is given to projects that offer opportunities for people’s participation in democratic life, social and civic engagement through formal or non-formal learning activities.

The focus is on raising awareness and understanding of the European Union context, especially with regard to the EU’s common values, the principles of unity and diversity, as well as their social, cultural and historical heritage.

In the field of youth, the Youth Participation Strategy is designed to provide a common framework and support for the use of programs to encourage youth participation in democratic life.

Dissemination of project results is an essential and mandatory phase of any Erasmus+ project. It is a set of measures for presenting and disseminating the results and impact of projects, as well as for achieving greater visibility of the project.

Dissemination of project information is important because:
  • Increases the visibility of the project,
  • Promotes examples of good practice that may be useful to future applicants,
  • Increases the visibility of the organization implementing the project,
  • It enables the creation of future partnerships,
  • Increases the visibility of the Erasmus + program.

In order to design a good plan for communication and dissemination of information about projects, the following should be considered:

Communication goals: Raising awareness, promoting social values, developing new partnerships;

Audience or target groups: These are the people you would like to get in touch with and who could benefit from the results of the project. This can be the general public, stakeholders, experts, decision makers, the media, etc .;

Channels and activities to reach the target audience: Channels and activities should be selected that are most effective and most appropriate to meet the needs of the selected goals, such as social media, events, publications.

Project results: These can be a guide to good practice, a practical tool or product, research, a study report, what knowledge and skills have been acquired and so on.

Timeline: It is necessary to plan effectively when different activities take place (linking it to the work plan), agree on a realistic goal and ensure flexibility depending on the progress of the project and changing needs of the target group.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): These indicators are a valuable tool for project management to monitor progress (allow for adjustments as needed) during the implementation of the communication and dissemination plan, as well as to measure the degree of success in achieving goals.

Dissemination of information about projects is always started in the institution / organization participating in the project, and then this information is shared at the local and international level so that the results achieved during the project can be used by others. At the international level, this implies the promotion of the project and its activities in which all project partners participate and which is aimed at each individual country from which the institution comes, as well as at the European Union. Locally, the dissemination of information is carried out at the level of the state, city or municipality from which the project coordinator / partner is and adapts to the specifics of its environment, which includes different types of promotion with different partners.

It is important to make a good plan for disseminating information and using project results. It is best to plan such activities at the beginning of the project, possibly supplement during the duration and implement after the end of the project. It is also important to determine what needs to be promoted and how. Project results can be concrete and clearly measurable (number of events held, curriculum changed, equipment purchased) or less measurable, but still significant (acquisition of new skills, knowledge, competencies), so the promotion of results should be adjusted to these criteria.

Identifying the target group is an integral part of successful promotion. The promotion of the project and its outcomes will not be done in exactly the same way to colleagues from similar institutions, decision makers, media and project beneficiaries, but the method of promotion and dissemination should be adapted to the selected target group.

There are various ways to disseminate the results and promote the project:

  • Through the organization’s website,
  • Through the account of the organization on social networks: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,
  • By tagging the Foundation Tempus on social networks when posting about the project – we recommend using @FondacijaTempus for tagging on Twitter, or the hashtag #fondacijatempus (which can be used for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts),
  • Audio / Video materials to share,
  • Press statements, press releases, media appearances,
  • By sending a newsletter with project news,
  • By organizing or participating in conferences, seminars, trainings and other events,
  • By publishing publications and brochures,
  • By creating a visual solution unique to the project (eg project logo),
  • By making promotional material (folders, blocks, pens, leaflets…).

More detailed information on disseminating information and using project results can be found in the Program Guide.

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