PREDICT CSD CONSULTING

Predict CSD Consultancy is a company set up in 2006 which specialises in delivering training courses and consultancy in different fields, such as:

• Youth work
• Recruitment and selection of personnel
• Organising events in tourism
• Stakeholders engagement
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Project Management
• E-learning

We are an authorised training provider for the occupational standard “Youth Worker” in Romania, with the first authorised course delivered in April 2017.

Some of the main contract/projects in which the company has been involved in recent years:

The project “The suitcase, the map and the voyage of a youth worker” had the following relevant outcomes and results:

• One e-learning portal hosting 8 active modules/courses - http://thevoyage.eu
• More than 30.000 unique visitors to the website
• 2.920 people from 61 countries registered on the platform
• 18 follow-up initiatives
• More than 4.000 organisations informed about the results of the project
• 23 certified youth workers on the Romanian occupational standard
• One authorised organisation to deliver youth worker courses for 4 years
• 57 persons from 22 countries participated in the multiplier event
• 2 networks created: learning to learn Hanse/ youth worker Hanse
• One Facebook page of the project
• One YouTube channel prepared
• 1.100 young people from high schools informed
• 272 drawings/paintings especially made for this project
• 3 manuals in 2 languages, 1 manual for the Romanian course of youth worker
• 265 usage confirmation of the 4 products available on the website
• 330 personal development plans realised during the project
• Youth worker online course was explored by 940 users and 241 certificates were issued
• Learning to learn, the online training course and assessment tool was explored by 1.168 users, 218 certificates were issued
• The simulation box of jobs was explored by 526 persons
• The career box was explored by 1.115 users
• A package of 28 badges used for the online modules plus another set of 14 prepared for the final event
• A gamified world was created on the e-learning portal: progress bar, course completion status, ranking, experience points, badges, e-games, videos, challenges, treasure hunt, secret areas, reflection zone, portfolios, feedback system, etc.

The project was developed together with: Schultz Development, “Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad, Millenium Center, Dacorum CVS, Asociación Cultural Integra, CAT, OPEI and EURO-NET.

The e-learning platform is structured around a story about a journeyman (the user) who travels in different areas (the countries of the partners) in order to become a master. Enjoy the ride on http://thevoyage.eu!

Some testimonials about the courses can be found here: http://thevoyage.eu/mod/page/view.php?id=1437. You can try out, without registration, a preview unit available here: http://thevoyage.eu/course/view.php?id=24

THE AWARD

The work in “The suitcase, the map and the voyage of a youth worker” was very much appreciated both at national and European level and the project has been selected as a “success story” and “good practice example” by a panel of experts from the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission. “Success stories” are finalised projects that have distinguished themselves by their impact, contribution to policy-making, innovative results and/or creative approach and can be a source of inspiration for others. The selection of our project as a success story was made on the basis of rigorous criteria regarding its quality, relevance and results.  

Other relevant projects included: creating a manual for a training course – ABCs in tourism; making a design for training in tourism; consultancy for a pharmaceutical company in the fields of: general management, how to choose an efficient place for a local branch, realising marketing strategy, preparing the plans for recruitment, selection, orientation, motivation and rewarding of personnel; making interview guides; simulation exercises for potential employers, business plan etc.; building a community centre: Inform, Consult, Involve, Collaborate, Empower the local community.

MILLENIUM CENTER

Millennium Center is a non-profit organisation from Arad, western Romania, active in youth field with special emphasis on European Voluntary Service (EVS). It was founded in April 2000 out of the desire to offer a legal and organised environment for young people’s initiatives. Our AIM is to promote the interests of young people on a social, cultural, educational, sports and economical level.

As Sending, Coordinating and Hosting organisation since 2007, we have been sending abroad hundreds of volunteers from Romania and hosting hundreds of volunteers from Partner countries of the Programme.

MC is an organisation that puts the same emphasis on non-formal and informal methods of work with EVS volunteers and on training of own staff devoted to EVS projects.

The strong integration of local coordinating team of MC together with EVS volunteers makes each EVS project more and more successful, creating a friendly atmosphere between participants. Non-formal and informal methods applied since the award winning EVS project “Cultural Clusters to Be Discovered” in 2008, have evolved and got more reach within each new EVS project.

Since 2013, MC has consecutively introduced into the learning process of EVS volunteers, elements of ICT and related techniques, to enhance non-formal and informal experiences on the one hand and keep itself updated of newest trends in education, on the other hand. In the next 5 years, MC will continue this inside trend, making EVS experience as rich and complete as possible for the volunteers.

MC is implementing KA2 projects and started to create new ones  focusing on online training courses, online tools for career guidance, for competence development, with focus on youth, for Youth Worker and Trainer professions and roles in EVS.

You can find below some examples of projects implemented in the last 17 years:

• Youth exchanges in Europe: more than 60
• EVS host each month since 2007 and sending over 150 EVS; training courses, implementing large scale EVS projects in Romania
• EVS - group projects: “Youth for Youth II” with 3 volunteers and “Cultural Clusters to be discovered” with 52 volunteers (2007-2008); “Youth for Youth I” during 2006-2007; “Stakeholders in action” with 81 volunteers (2009-2010), “EVS Express” (2009-2011), etc.
• AMICUS - group projects: “Action-Reaction-Interaction” (25 young volunteers were sent in French Guyana during 1 month) in the autumn of 2009 and “AGORA” project, implemented in Marseille (France) involving 50 volunteers for 1 month
• Training Courses on the following themes: project management, writing financing application forms, European youth programs, volunteerism, institutions and values of European Union, creativity, civil participation, communication, strategic planning, conflict management, human rights, team-building, interculturality, free access to public information, structural funds
• Creating youth councils, for example Local Youth Council from Arad, 2007-2009
• Projects dedicated to social responsibility of the corporations, in collaboration with different companies
• Projects for promoting European values in high schools, project called “Europe in High school”, during 2005-2007, in 2007 being the coordinators in the West region

DACORUM CVS

Dacorum CVS has a staff team of 42 plus many tutors and interpreters we engage as required. In the past year our European Project activity has increased and with this growth we have developed our staff team, with other colleagues providing support at times of hosting meetings / delivering training. This is part of our strategy of developing our expertise in this area. The organisation turnover is £1.6 million and the following quality standards: Investors in People, Investors in Diversity, Matrix and ISO9001.

We are an educational provider and combine this role with community development, support and services. We deliver a range of leisure and employability skills related courses, including ESOL, Interpreter training, Confidence Building and Employability, IT, Arts and Crafts, Belly dancing, Yoga and courses to support NGO’s improve their organisational capacity. Within our adult learning provision we have specific provision aimed at supporting Syrian Refugee Families and other recent migrants.

Our projects meet community needs, e.g. Community Transport, Shopmobility, Corporate Social Responsibility, Cultural Learning Project, Radio Dacorum (internet community radio station), Repair Shed, an Interpreting and Translation Service, Migration Integration and Domestic Violence support. Many have learning, health and wellbeing as an integral part of their delivery and address the needs of those facing barriers and disadvantage. 

We represent NGO's in strategic and other partnerships (such as providing the Chair of Dacorum Learning Partnership) where we sit with the public and private sectors in community planning and ensuring good current service delivery. We actively engage with a wide variety of subject areas; such as European funding, economic development, social enterprise, children and young people, migrant workers, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, older people, the environment, community safety and lifelong learning.

In the delivery of our activities we have the support of over 150 volunteers. These are primarily from three areas, with Shopmobility (admin and client welcome), Community Transport (admin and Volunteer drivers) and Radio Dacorum (admin and volunteer presenters). We have policies in place to ensure positive experience for volunteers and have passed the local six point pledge on Volunteer Management Good Practice, which is a requirement of accessing funding from Dacorum Borough Council.

We use our local activities and expertise to engage in a wide range of European transnational project activity. Within the sphere of volunteering we are accredited for EVS volunteer hosting and sending and have extensive experience of a range of funding strands within the current Erasmus+ Programme and the previous Lifelong Learning Programme. This includes over 20 current projects. We have been an active participant at a transnational level since 1997, and have expertise in hosting workshops, training courses, job shadowing, study visits, as well as sending local participants to other countries for the same purpose.

EURO-NET

EURO-NET is a not for profit association that is member or associated member of 58 international networks (5 of them are EU networks: EUROPE DIRECT, EUROGUIDANCE, EURODESK, SOLVIT and EBN-EUROPEAN BUSINESS & INNOVATION CENTRE NETWORK).

EURO-NET has 61 own antennas in 22 different countries in Europe.

EURO-NET gives to children, young people and adults these services:

• Information and project development center
• Organization of training courses, exchanges and cultural, artistic or sport activities
• Sector study, research
• Counselling, crisis support and prevention
• E-learning, networking, partnerships, training courses and workshops
• Publications, newspapers and websites

It has realized more than 385 European projects, especially with Youth and Youth in Action, Socrates, Leonardo, LLP, Progress, Daphne, Life, E-Aid, Culture, Creative Europe, Erasmus Plus (KA1, KA2 and KA3), Representation in Italy of E.C., European Youth Foundation, Council of Europe, etc.

EURO-NET is also the leader of a consortium (called CONCRETO) that is managing a “Creative Centre” (called TILT) in Marconia di Pisticci (province of Matera): the aforementioned centre is composed of multipurpose open spaces according to the “Visioni Urbane” programme’s style (a project of “Patto con I Giovani”) realized by Regione Basilicata together with Ministero Dello Sviluppo Economico (Ministry of Economic Development) and financed by the FAS, meaning Underused Areas Funds.  It covers an indoor area of about 400 sq mt, a 700 sq mt parkland, a 400 sq mt terrace, a 1000 seats auditorium (with a stage of 300 sq mt) and a large parking. The Centre for Creativity can be suitable for live performances (theatre, concerts, stand-up comedies and so on), fairs, training courses, meeting, sport events, cultural exhibitions, movies (there are also a well-equipped editing hall and a recording studio). Moreover, it includes some café areas, guest rooms, catering, info-point, show-room, etc.

EURO-NET was chosen 2 times from the European Commission in the Pan-European Working Groups for its competences and 3 times published for its best practices in the field of media and communications).

It is also specialized in the realization of cartoons, electronic games, videos, movies, etc.

The Association co-operates with many public Administrations with which it has particular agreements for the diffusion of juvenile and adult activities and helps all juvenile organisations and any other type of organizations to realize European programs.

Moreover, the association has organized the Short Movie Festival twice under the aegis of the Council of Europe and under the patronage of the President of The Italian Republic that awarded both activities with a medal.

Finally, it is also an official Trinity Centre Exam Centre (n.63814).

VEREIN GROßES SCHIFF

Verein Großes Schiff is a young innovative, organization that is specialized in innovative childcare facilities and youth work. We are a not for profit organization. Our size is small to medium, we have at the moment 13 stable employees, most of them part time. We are growing steadily for this also our interest in the EVS program, and also in this European project, because for us networking and gaining more experiences in the European field is very interesting.

We are doing activities on all scales, from local district activities till world- wide activities, but are focusing on local and European activities. We are working with youngsters with social disadvantages, mainly immigrants, lots of them refugees on one hand with the project “Saturday Club” and on the other hand with children and youngsters of the Spanish speaking population in Vienna/ Austria within the project Alaruedarueda.org. Quality systems used are Youth Work, Social Work, creative work, and professional child care work.

As partner organization Verein Großes Schiff was considering the possibility to learn from our more experienced colleagues so a know-how transfer will happen on different levels during the project. We are convinced that this project is going to work for the future of EVS and that the results could also be used in the preparatory for the new European Solidarity Corps. The organisation also prepared an EVS project: 2017-1-AT02-KA110-001956.

We did have the coordination of an LLL Learning Partnership project that was named IT4dip, which means Internet communication for disadvantage people. It lasted 2 years and brought significant results and a lot of cooperation.

We are eager to form a European Partnership, which has the aim to prepare EVS Youngster in a better way to better their experience during their stay abroad, to be better prepared.

Our association is doing also the preparation of youngsters in a similar program which is national and is called “FSJ” which means Freiwillges Soziales Jahr, translated into English would be “One Year Voluntary”. We are also having already the accreditation as an EVS (2017-1-AT02-KA110-001956, PIC Code 941996974) host, we are starting with the first volunteer to work with the EVS program in 2018. For this we are working together with “Grenzenlos” an organization specialized in the EVS program in Vienna, Austria, also a perfect resource to get in touch with a lot of volunteers going out of Austria.

Also we are in good contact with the “Jugend Info Wien”, and also with the network of Youth Information Centers in Austria another good resource for getting in contact with outgoing Austrian EVS youngsters.