Crossing the Line: Eurospectives (CtL) project is an exciting two-year transnational project funded by the Leonardo Transfer of Innovation Strand of the EU Lifelong Learning Programme.

CtL will develop and adapt innovative training tools for trainers in vocational education and training working with young people across Europe.

The project oficially ended in September 2011. In this final newsletter, we will share with you our achievements and tell you about the products we have created. We will also take this opportunity to inform you about future plans for CtL.

Crossing the Line: Eurospectives involved 6 organisations and took place across 5 different countries in Europe – United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Romania and Italy between 2009 -2011.The project developed and adapted an innovative DVD “Crossing the Line” which focussed on youth issues and developed in the UK for use in other European countries. The training products created comprise of a 6-film DVD product (which features 5 individual films and summary documentary) and accompanying workbooks featuring a handbook/manual and online learning materials. The DVD and workbooks are available in all partner languages in English,  Bulgarian, Dutch, Romanian and Italian.

The activities and results realised by the CtL project successfully identified and developed innovative approaches and tools within vocational education and training (VET) that engage young learners and highlight the challenges faced by young people living in different European countries.

Supporting the 6-film DVD product and accompanying workbooks, other key products and results include the CtL website, newsletters, the  CtL songs and music videos ‘CTL-E Theme’ and ‘Circle’, official youth blog, research reports which investigated youth issues across the partner countries and CtL marketing pack. 

An important part of the project was the huge involvement of young learners in the creation of the tools. Young people from each country had the opportunity to share their perspectives, ensuring that the finished product provided a true European perspective on youth issues, reflecting their situation and meeting the needs of VET trainers in Europe.

A new products section featuring the main results and products for CtL has now been set up on the project website www.crossingtheline.eu.

This section will display the products produced by the CtL partnership and provide valuable training resources and information outlined in the CtL workbook for VET Trainers and organisations working with youth. It will also assist people wanting further information about the CtL project.

To view the wide range of products click here

The CtL summary documentary film is available to download now on the CtL website.

A ten minute film produced by UK partner Urbeatz provides a summary of the different themes explored in the main CtL DVD by bringing together footage from all five partner films. The documentary will also be used as an “e-Lecture” to promote the project at various local, national and European e-platforms and networks introducing the project to VET Trainers, educators and organisations about the CtL training products.

To view the summary documentary visit the products section on the CtL website www.crossingtheline.eu or alternatively email info.ctleuro@gmail.com  and you will be sent an access passcode to download the summary documentary.

CtL's key aim of increasing the competencies of VET Trainers working with young people through the development of new training products has touched in many different ways the young people who participated in the activities of the project. The process of filming and exploring the issues that affected the youth was only the start to a long journey of discovery.

The final meeting involved 14 young people from Italy, the Netherlands and the UK. They met in Palermo, Sicily and spent 3 days together exploring the city, their experiences within the project and their lives.  Non-formal learning activities facilitated by CESIE’s staff enabled them to get to know each other, overcome language and cultural barriers and learn about life in another European country.

CtL has helped the young people to think about the many opportunities that can be open to them and encouraged and enabled them to talk about issues affecting them and their communities to local press, youth leaders and to other young people from different backgrounds and cultures.

Nino, an Italian participant, has now participated in a short-term volunteering project through the European Voluntary Service programme (http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/youth/programme/action2_en.php) as a result of his involvement in CtL. This has encouraged other  young participants to investigate this possibility.

CityM (Creative, Innovative and Transferable Methods in the Training of Teachers and Training Staff) is a thematic monitoring project funded and directly supervised by the European Commission, DG Education and Culture. It aims to help improve the visibility and exploitation of LLP project results that develop methods/methodologies for the training of teachers and training staff. In particular, it targets creative and innovative methods that have a high potential for transferability.

CtL is one of the LLP projects highlighted by CityM because of it’s creative and innovative tools and methods within VET. CtL will be featured in the planned results of the project which include the CityM kit of creative, innovative and transferable methods in the training of teachers and training staff. This kit will be widely promoted and distributed across Europe, being available electronically all partner languages and in printed form, in English, French, German and Spanish, and the CityM project website www.city-m.eu providing an exchange tool for partners, a tool for the exchange of information and good practice for projects, a forum for debate and a platform of relevant resources, including the project kit.

CityM runs for two years (January 2010-January 2012) and involves a partnership of 13 National Agencies implementing the Lifelong Learning Programme (Austria, Belgium (Fl), Cyprus, Denmark, Germany (PAAD), Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, UK ECORYS and UK British Council). 

For more information about the project, please visit www.city-m.eu. To view CtL on the City-M website click here.

The CtL product  and the issues explored in the films have made a significant impact on local communities during the project and the partnership have discussed new and exciting ways to mainstream CtL into media, new technology and youth training in Europe.

Project Coordinator Mereyside Expanding Horizons is looking to develop a TV documentary programme around the CtL films that would combine interviews and presentations on the different themes explored and provide a platform for further discussion amongst young people, youth trainers and key stakeholders.

Future plans also involve developing youth training projects within the EU Youth in Action programme that will utilise the CtL innovative training tools.

We are also keen to hear from organisations who would be interested in using CtL within their teaching environments. If your organisation is interested in using CtL for your training activities then please get in touch! Contact rosinandukwe@expandinghorizons.co.uk.

Project Coordinator Merseyside Expanding Horizons would like to thank all the partners and everyone involved in CtL for all their hard work and continuous support throughout the two-year project.

Kind Regards

Rosina Ndukwe

Merseyside Expanding Horizons

Project Coordinator