FutureMe: Skills for the Future Handbook

The FutureMe: Skills for the Future Handbook is a practical methodology for youth workers supporting young people through uncertainty. It came out of an Erasmus+ cooperation partnership between Gemeinsam leben und lernen in Europa e.V. (Germany, coordinator), Centrul de Voluntariat Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Associazione di Promozione Sociale JOINT (Italy) and BACKSLASH (Spain).

The handbook turns future-readiness into something concrete. Across 13 sets of skills, grouped around self-management, problem solving, teamwork and technology use, it offers activities that anyone working with young people can run directly: quests, reflection tools, creative challenges, outdoor activities, digital exercises, emotional check-ins and real-life scenarios. No passive learning and no heavy theory, only practical, inclusive, non-formal education methods that help young people learn by doing, reflecting and applying.

Future-ready young people are not those who have all the answers. They are the ones who can stay curious, adapt, think critically, manage their emotions, collaborate, use technology responsibly, make decisions and keep hope alive when life gets hard.

Its activities have already been used beyond the project: an urban quest on navigating without internet in Italy, a session on reliability with a volunteer team, and an educational escape room that turned a rural library into an active learning space and was recognised for its innovative approach.

Available in English and Spanish. German, Italian and Romanian versions are on the way.