Better Study Life at VET-Institutions
The DIGI LIVES project aims to create new, inventive methods to approach the challenges that students at many VET-institutions experience today at study start and with study environment. DIGI LIVES partner NLP Aalborg/ Center for Unges Livsmestring has worked intensively with students and educators at three partnering VETs to co-create life-coping methods to tackle challenges in study life.
The students and educators at TechCollege (Denmark), IAL FVG (Italy) and affiliate VET-institutions under GIP-FTLV (France) have worked with building relations, team work, inclusion etc. to find new, innovative ways to tackle modern day challenges with study life.
"It has been a great experience to see students and teachers from three different countries throw themselves into developing new ideas and concepts that will help the students of the future to adjust to study start and create an even better foundation for a great study environment. They really have put their heart and soul into it," says Mogens Rude, project manager at NLP Aalborg/ Center for Youth Leadership, who has been conducting the development process in the form of co-creation workshops at the VETs.
Co-creation is Essential
The result and experience gained from co-creating at the project workshops are also recognized by the DIGI LIVES research partners.
"The young people get a feeling that they are important. That they make a difference. It spreads as good energy in the room. The engagement shown by the students in Denmark, Italy and France was fantastic. Everyone was there. Because it meant something to them. As a French student said, it's nice to have an influence and to be asked," says Ann-Merete Iversen, Iversen Inc, who is a project partner and is behind the follow-up research together with UCN.
"There is a far more extensive dialogue between students and teachers. Everyone feels heard. It is a derivative effect of co-creation. Everyone has something on their mind that they want to contribute," says researcher Jeanette Schade Leth from UCN, adding that it is fantastic to experience the positive approach of teachers.
At TechCollege, it has been noticed that the students also start talking about other things during the four workshops and have qualified conversations about new, relevant topics.
The outcome and inventiveness from students and educators at the workshops will be further digitalized by software project partner, Vividly.
The Erasmus+ supported DIGI LIVES project consists of TechCollege (Denmark), GIP-FTLV (France), IAL FVG (Italy), Vividly (Latvia), UCN (Denmark), Iversen Inc. (Denmark) and NLP Aalborg/ Center for Unges Livsmestring (Denmark).