Date: 13 February 2025
Format: Online (Google Meet)
Organized by: Junta de Freguesia de Vila Boa do Bispo (Portugal)
The Youth Work in Schools (YWIS) project partners met online on 13 February 2025 to review the progress of ongoing activities and plan the final stages of the project. Representatives from Portugal, Greece, Finland, and Estonia participated, focusing on creative outputs, digital learning tools, financial reporting, and upcoming dissemination activities.
The meeting opened with welcoming remarks from Beatriz Ribeiro (Portugal), who thanked partners for their continued dedication and teamwork as the project nears completion.
💡 Creative Publications and Expert Texts
The Finnish team provided an update on the creative outputs — a series of blogs, vlogs, podcasts, and expert texts reflecting the project’s key themes.
- Estonia and Greece have finalized most materials, with minor adjustments pending.
- Portugal is finalizing its second blog post and podcast, awaiting confirmation from the Portuguese Youth National Agency President for an interview.
All final versions of creative publications and expert texts are due by 28 February 2025.
💻 E-Learning Platform and Digital Courses
The Greek team shared progress on the YWIS e-learning platform, which is being developed using Moodle.
- One-on-one technical meetings with all partners are ongoing.
- The platform will host all course materials by mid-March 2025, with modifications continuing until mid-April.
- A training workshop in Greece (May 2025) will officially introduce the platform and allow partners to review and provide feedback.
📰 Academic Article
The article on Youth Work in Schools, coordinated by Greece, is 80% complete and will be submitted to a youth studies journal by the end of February or early March.
Survey responses from partner countries — Finland (5), Estonia (8), Greece (4), and Portugal (2) — are being incorporated into the final version.
💶 Financial Reporting
The Finnish team reminded partners that all working hours should be used by the end of May/early June 2025, with financial reports due by 31 July 2025. The financial manager will join the next meeting in Finland to discuss project accounting and closure.
🇫🇮 March Meeting in Finland
Preparations for the in-person meeting and seminar in Mikkeli, Finland (March 2025) are well underway.
The event, titled “School Youth Work in 2025 – in Finland and Beyond”, already has over 50 confirmed participants.
A special “Catwalk Activity – Recycled Fashion” will showcase sustainable youth creativity, with each partner contributing an outfit made from second-hand materials, accompanied by music chosen by the team.
🇪🇪 Estonia Training Course
The Estonian team presented a summary of the “Motivaarikas” training course, held on 21 January 2025 in Kuressaare. The event gathered 63 participants, including 45 students from local schools, and offered workshops based on the YWIS Good Practices Handbook. Feedback was highly positive, emphasizing teamwork, creativity, and youth participation.
📣 Dissemination Month in May
May 2025 will be the official YWIS Dissemination Month.
Each partner will create at least five social media posts highlighting project results, success stories, and behind-the-scenes activities. Estonia will coordinate the content calendar and prepare templates for publication.
“It’s inspiring to see how every partner is contributing to the final phase of YWIS. Together, we are ensuring the project leaves a lasting impact on youth work and education across Europe,” said coordinator Beatriz Ribeiro from Portugal.
The meeting concluded on a positive note, with partners expressing satisfaction with the project’s progress and looking forward to the upcoming March meeting in Finland.