ConnectEd: Bridging Minds, Building Communities. Project results

ConnectEd has developed a methodology and practical resources to help youth professionals support young people in three key areas: learning to learn, community building and mental health. These are the results we want to share with you.

Erasmus+ KA220-YOU · September 2024 – August 2026 · Slovenia, Spain, Serbia, Belgium

Result 1: curriculum for youth professionals and teachers

We have developed a structured curriculum in three modules (learning to learn, mental health and community building), designed to be flexible and adaptable to different educational and youth work contexts.

Result 2: digital training on Cities of Learning

Two self-paced learning pathways are available on the Cities of Learning platform: one for young people and one for professionals. They include digital badges to recognise learning achievements and can be followed anytime, anywhere.

Result 3: piloting in schools and youth settings in three countries

The ConnectEd methodology has been implemented in Serbia, Slovenia and Spain with more than 200 young participants. The workshops focused on learning to learn, mental health and 21st-century skills, with an experiential, cooperative and person-centred approach.

Result 4: 10 practical recommendations for youth work

Based on the development and piloting of the ConnectEd methodology in the partner countries, these guidelines offer practical guidance for professionals who want to apply the integrated approach in their own educational and youth work settings. The project showed that the best results come from integrating community building, learning to learn and mental health together, not separately.

1. Create a safe and active learning environment
2. Promote collective learning and a broader understanding of learning
3. Foster a strong sense of belonging through shared experiences
4. Build in meaningful rituals and transitions
5. Embody what you teach
6. Integrate reflection and personal development
7. Approach learning as a continuous, evolving process
8. Design learning that responds to the development and needs of young people
9. Integrate practical wellbeing skills into learning
10. Connect youth work with support systems and professional referral pathways

ConnectEd is a project co-funded by the European Union, run by TIPOVEJ – Institute for Creative Society (Slovenia), BACKSLASH (Spain), Gradana Libero Association (Serbia) and Connect International (Belgium).