On March 29th and 30th the first transnational meeting of the SMART Youth Center project, funded in 2021 by the Erasmus+ Programme - Key Action 2, took place in Athens.

Project leader is the Greek organization IRTEA (Institute of Research & Training on European Affairs), while the Municipality of Cinisello Balsamo is involved in the role of partner together with AVOD MLADINSKA MREZA MAMA (Slovenia), CHANGE YOUR LIFE NOW - CYLN (Greece), Amicus Certus (Lithuania), DYPALL NETWORK (Portugal), KEKS STODFORENING (Sweden) and the company BOLT Virtual Services and Productions.

The project aims at creating opportunities for the development of digital competencies of youth workers, to ensure greater inclusiveness in learning experiences.
The meeting in Athens allowed the staff of the organizations involved to work for the first time in presence, dividing equally the tasks according to the specific field of expertise.
In particular, in this first project’s phase, the partners will work on the creation of an online course (MOOC) addressed to youth workers: a useful path to acquire tools and skills through ideas and interactive lessons, in order to better manage online activities of youth involvement.
The staff of the European Projects Office will elaborate the contents related to the lesson "Energizers and group building activities", sharing some experiences and tips put into practice especially in the last two years, when the pandemic has forced to reshape all the proposals in a digital format. The social distance, in fact, has become for many operators an opportunity for learning and questioning the more traditional methodologies, factors that have ensured continuity of the initiatives.