The international partners of the Youth Work in Schools (YWIS) project gathered online on January 9, 2025, for their first consortium meeting of the year. Representatives from Finland, Estonia, Portugal, and Greece joined the 1 hour and 27-minute Teams session to discuss progress, upcoming deadlines, and the exciting activities planned for the coming months.
Creative Publications Near Completion
Partners shared updates on their creative publications and expert texts, which are due by 15 January. These materials will be uploaded to the Finnish YWIS website under the section “International playground for Youth Work in Schools.” Each country is responsible for providing four creative materials—one for each project theme—as well as two expert texts. Language experts will review the texts before publication to ensure high quality.
E-Learning Platform Progress
The Greek team reported that the new Moodle-based e-learning platform, hosted by the University of Thessaly, is under development. While some technical challenges have delayed one-on-one meetings, efforts are underway to have these sessions by the end of January.
Mid-Term Financial Reporting
The Finnish team presented an overview of mid-term financial reporting. All partners were reminded to update their work hours and to avoid adding new working days after May or June to ensure smooth preparation of the final report.
Upcoming Training Course in Finland
One of the meeting highlights was the presentation of the March 2025 training programme in Mikkeli, Finland, organized in cooperation with Xamk – South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences. Around 50 participants from partner countries will attend the event, which includes:
- A project coordination meeting and school excursions
- A field trip to Savonlinna
- Keynote speeches on youth work in schools
- The “Mixing of Potentials” YWIS Lab workshop, bringing together schools and organizations to explore Erasmus+ partnerships
- Interactive workshops on sustainability, democracy education, and wellbeing in winter landscapes
Hotel reservations for participants have been arranged at the Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna Mikkeli, with a booking deadline of 17 February 2025.
Looking Ahead
The next consortium meeting will be chaired by Portugal on 13 February 2025. In May, the project’s social media channels will focus on summarizing and reviewing the achievements of the YWIS project.
The January meeting received positive feedback from all participants for its clear structure, productive discussions, and collaborative spirit. As one participant concluded, “It’s always good to see you, and to know that we’ve reached 2025 with a well-structured and solid project. Let’s finish strong and successful.”