The network’s members on a visit to the Portuguese Second Chance School AE20
The New Chance Mediterranean Network (MedNC) brings together players from the Euro-Mediterranean area which have developed local measures to meet the challenges of unemployment and socio-professional integration among young people. Today, it represents more than 26,000 young people and 100 partner centers in 9 countries (Algeria, Egypt, Spain, France, Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal, Tunisia, Italy), 5 of which have been collaborating on an Erasmus+ strategic partnership since September 2018. Coordinated by the IECD, the network is supported by the Union for the Mediterranean, the French Development Agency, the Drosos Foundation, and the European Union via the Erasmus + program.
THE MEDNC NETWORK IS GROWING AND STRUCTURING ITSELF
New projects, fruitful meetings, strengthening of skills, structuring, and more, the wealth of news from the MedNC network over the past six months bears witness to its growing usefulness for professionals in the professional integration sector in the Mediterranean!
The energy that has characterized the network over the past few months is the result of a number of key actions targeting its members: training, exchange of good practices, visits to existing operations, mobilization of public authorities, in particular through the organization of a conference in November 2018 which brought together 80 people, including ministerial representatives, local authorities, experts and corporate foundations.
In this newsletter, we discuss the network’s latest news and, in particular, the progress made on strengthening the skills of professional integration players via training, the publication of a guide on socio-professional integration which promotes the members’ expertise, and the approval of a charter.
In the space of a few months, the network has become more professional and has grown. It has acquired common indicators, validated its charter and its membership criteria, and received its first membership requests. “A new member already joined the MedNC adventure during the 11th steering committee: the VIS association and Italy, already a member of the Erasmus+ strategic partnership project (2018-1-FR01-KA202-048205) with the Italian association CNOSFAP, the Portuguese second chance school AE2O, the Spanish network of second chance schools E2O and the French network of second chance schools E2C, as well as the IECD, the partnership’s coordinator. The project supports the network’s missions and will span from September 2018 to February 2020.
FOCUS ON THE SECOND CHANCE SCHOOL IN PORTUGAL: AE2O
The school offers a specific educational approach by placing artistic practices and creativity at the center of its teaching techniques. The committee started with a visit to this innovative and extremely inspiring establishment.
PROGRESS IN STRENGTHENING THE SKILLS OF INTEGRATION STAKEHOLDERS
Network’s 11th Steering Committee
13/14 February
21 participants were welcomed by the Second Chance School and the municipality of Matosinhos on 13 and 14 February 2019 for the network’s 11th steering committee, in order to continue work on the projects discussed at the network’s annual conference in Marseille: new themes studied for the production of the 2019 good practices guide, training, communication, governance, etc. In particular, the meeting was marked by the approval of a membership charter.
Interested in joining the network?
Consult the membership charter below and contact Astrid Desjobert.
SHARING OF GOOD PRACTICES
The strategic partnership’s members share their expertise and know-how through training courses on 5 themes: cross-cutting skills for the socio-professional integration of young people; the setting up of strong structural partnership; the setting up of integration surveys; the setting up of mobility actions for young people and trainers; the setting up of guidance and employment activities for young people.
TESTIMONIAL
Luisa Salgueiro, Mayor of the Municipality of Matosinhos (Portugal), member of the MedNC network
“The municipality of Matosinhos is honored to welcome the 11th steering committee of the MedNC network. I congratulate the members for validating the charter, a fundamental document for the construction of our network, which symbolizes our agreement on our missions and our strong wish to work together. I am very committed to the MedNC network, which represents a great opportunity to learn from the experiences of other socio-professional integration stakeholders in the Euro-Mediterranean region, and promotes the work of the second chance schools in these countries. I am completely convinced about the need to develop this type of measure, which offers concrete solutions to youth unemployment and school dropouts. As national coordinator, I have informed the Portuguese government of the importance of this challenge. The MedNC network is a very concrete means of supporting this mission and contributing to the build of responses for young people who need to regain self-confidence and benefit from solutions their city and country can develop to help them build their future.”
LOOK BACK AT A KEY EVENT: THE NETWORK’S ANNUAL CONFERENCE
26-28 November – Marseille
SKOLA, an innovative real-life situation teaching concept
On the occasion of the visits to the professional integration operations in Marseille, the network’s members discovered Skola, a retail fashion school-shop.
More than 80 professional integration stakeholders in the Mediterranean met for 3 days in order to benefit from training, visit the professional integration operations in Marseille, and participate in several workshops to discuss and exchange on the topic of good practices.
“The entire event – meetings and training – was held in a very professional environment. The content was useful and the participants were very experienced! », explains Antonio Pinto, Councilor for the Municipality of Matosinhos.
The three-day event was closed by the institutional partners of the MedNC network – the French Development Agency, the Drosos Foundation and the Union for the Mediterranean – which all confirmed their support for the network.
Interested in this event?
Read the full article below and attend the next annual conference in Barcelona in November 2019!
A NEW TOOL FOR PROFESSIONAL INTEGRATION STAKEHOLDERS
The good practices guide
The MedNC network’s good practices guide, published in November 2018, is designed for all professional integration players wishing to benefit from advice and adapted tools proposed by experienced players in the field and the network’s members. They are structured around four themes:
– Develop a network of structures and optimize the effects of it
– Define a relevant approach to personal development
– Build strong partnerships with companies
– Diversify sources of funding and ensure the long-term funding of structures
Interested in this guide?
Download its content below.
The themes of the forthcoming 2019 guide were already selected at the 11th steering committee and can be discovered in Barcelona next November!
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.