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Author: Veronica Charalambous

EGIDEV Game Now Available: A Gamified Pathway to Digital Entrepreneurship for VET Students

Written by Veronica Charalambous on . Posted in Project News.

As the EGIDEV project draws to a successful close at the end of this month, we are proud to announce the official release of the EGIDEV Game – an innovative educational tool designed to support Vocational Education and Training (VET) students and educators in exploring the world of digital entrepreneurship.

EGIDEV, short for Educational Game in Digital Entrepreneurship for VET Students, was developed with the aim of making entrepreneurship education more accessible, interactive, and engaging. By integrating principles of gamification, the project has created a comprehensive board game that encourages students to learn by playing – transforming complex entrepreneurial concepts into practical and enjoyable learning experiences.

This dynamic game has been developed, tested, and translated into all project partner languages, ensuring accessibility across Europe. It is accompanied by a rich collection of digital resources, including videos and articles, to enhance the learning journey and support both students and educators.

Explore digital entrepreneurship through play – the EGIDEV Game is now freely available to download, print, and play: https://egidev.eu/print-the-game/ 

We warmly invite the VET community – educators, trainers, and students – to explore this exciting tool and integrate it into their learning environments. By combining strategy, creativity, and fun, the EGIDEV Game helps develop critical digital entrepreneurship skills while fostering collaboration and innovation.

The EGIDEV project aims to facilitate both VET students and teachers in learning and teaching the principles of entrepreneurship through gamification, across different stages of business development. Its key objective is to deliver an educational game where learning by playing enables a deeper understanding of digital entrepreneurship and its challenges.

For more information and to access all game materials, visit: https://egidev.eu

RECOVER Project Harnesses the Power of Sport to Support Survivors of Human Trafficking

Written by Veronica Charalambous on . Posted in Project News.

On the occasion of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (30 July 2025), the RECOVER project spotlights the role of sport in supporting the recovery and reintegration of trafficking survivors across Europe.

With a firm belief in the transformative power of sport, the RECOVER project unites partner organisations from Greece, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, and Lithuania to promote healing, empowerment, and social inclusion for individuals who have experienced human trafficking.

Funded by the European Union, the initiative is developing practical tools and resources for professionals working directly with survivors, including:

A capacity-building programme for sports coaches, trainers, and support professionals that focuses on trauma-informed coaching, safe and inclusive sporting environments, and trust-building strategies.

An interactive e-guide that complements the training curriculum, offering actionable guidance and gamified tools to integrate sport into recovery pathways.

An awareness-raising toolkit designed to highlight the value of sport in the rehabilitation process, aimed at both social care and sports sector stakeholders.

A key milestone in the project’s first phase is the finalisation of a Common Analysis Report, drawing on insights from approximately 150 experts—including psychologists, legal professionals, educators, and coaches—through interviews and focus groups conducted across all six partner countries. This report, to be published by the end of August, will underpin the project’s next steps and tool development.

For more information and updates, visit: www.recover-project.eu 

UST: New Handbook Empowers Municipalities to Lead in Sustainable Tourism Development

Written by Veronica Charalambous on . Posted in Project News.

As European cities face increasing environmental and socio-economic pressures, the role of municipalities in shaping responsible tourism has never been more critical. The UST Project (Upskilling municipal staff competences on planning and managing sustainable tourism) has now published a comprehensive Handbook to support medium-sized cities in becoming effective drivers of sustainable tourism.

Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme (2022–2025), the UST project brings together partners from Sweden, Italy, Cyprus, and Spain with a common goal: to strengthen municipal capacities through targeted training, practical tools, and knowledge exchange.

At the heart of this effort is the UST Handbook, a rich and practical guide designed to:

  • Help municipalities assess their sustainability performance through a dedicated self-assessment framework;
  • Showcase concrete examples and good practices from European cities;
  • Provide strategic insights on aligning tourism planning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
  • Encourage interdepartmental collaboration and long-term, community-centered approaches.

The Handbook presents not only theoretical concepts but also real-life experiences and reflections from cities such as Falköping, Scandiano, Xixona, and Kalmar, where local authorities have successfully linked tourism to broader goals like biodiversity, inclusion, local identity, and social equity.

More than a manual, the UST Handbook offers a mindset shift: placing sustainability at the core of municipal governance and viewing tourism as a shared, long-term investment in people and place.

Read more about the project here.

RoboAquaria Project Concludes Final Partner Meeting in Crete

Written by Veronica Charalambous on . Posted in Project News.

With ocean pollution and climate change increasingly threatening marine ecosystems, the RoboAquaria project is responding by promoting environmental awareness and sustainability skills from an early age. By integrating Educational Robotics into classrooms, the project empowers teachers and students to engage with climate and marine protection topics in innovative ways.

After a year apart, the RoboAquaria partners reunited in person for the third and final Transnational Partner Meeting (TPM), hosted by the University of the Aegean (UAegean) on the island of Crete. This meeting marked a key milestone as the project enters its concluding phase.

Partners took the opportunity to reflect on progress made, including the validation phase carried out in schools, and to plan the final steps toward completion. The consortium continues its work on the project’s main outputs: a Methodological Framework for the Pilots, Guidelines for Teachers, the RoboAquaria Toolkit with Lesson Topics, and an E-Learning Toolkit with Open Educational Resources (OERs).

With strong collaboration and shared commitment, the RoboAquaria project is on track to leave a meaningful impact on environmental education through the use of robotics in the classroom.

Learn more about the RoboAquaria project, here!

UST Project – Smart Tourism in Action: Empowering Local Authorities for a Greener Future

Written by Veronica Charalambous on . Posted in Project News.

The public event “Sustainable Cities in Action: Upskilling Local Authorities for Smart Tourism” took place successfully on Friday, 25 July 2025, at the Amphitheatre of the District Organization of Local Authorities of Famagusta (EOAA). Organised by CARDET, the event was held in the framework of the European project UST – Upskilling Municipal Staff Competences on Planning and Managing Sustainable Tourism, aiming to strengthen the capacity of local authorities in designing and managing sustainable tourism strategies.

Bringing together representatives from local authorities, tourism professionals, and education and training providers, the event focused on the exchange of good practices and the exploration of innovative approaches for developing sustainable and smart tourism strategies in small- and medium-sized cities. Through targeted presentations and open dialogue, participants underscored the importance of digital transformation, innovation, and lifelong learning in enhancing the capacities of municipalities to address contemporary challenges in tourism management.

A key highlight of the event was a featured presentation of best practices from the European project fuTOURiSME, which is also being implemented in Cyprus by CARDET. The session provided practical examples of how sustainability and digitalisation can be effectively embedded in local tourism strategies, inspiring participants to adopt adaptable and forward-thinking approaches within their own contexts.

The programme included key presentations on redefining tourism in small and mid-sized cities, an overview of the UST project results, a case study on a local ecological initiative, and an introduction to the innovative WASD-AI concept currently being piloted at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The event concluded with an engaging discussion among participants, followed by a networking session.

The active engagement of attendees reflected a growing commitment to sustainable tourism planning at the local level, as well as a shared vision for building smarter, greener, and more resilient communities.

For more information about the UST project and CARDET’s work on sustainable tourism, please visit the page here.

CARDET: Ένα ταξίδι 20 Χρόνων στην Καινοτομία και Εκπαίδευση

Written by Veronica Charalambous on . Posted in 20 years, Media Highlights.

Το CARDET, ένα από τα πιο σημαντικά ερευνητικά κέντρα της Κύπρου και της Νοτιοανατολικής Μεσογείου, γιορτάζει είκοσι χρόνια πρωτοπορίας και ουσιαστικής συμβολής στην εκπαίδευση και την κοινωνία. Από την ίδρυσή του το 2004, το CARDET έχει εδραιώσει τη θέση του ως κορυφαίος ανεξάρτητος, μη-κερδοσκοπικός οργανισμός, με όραμα να ενδυναμώσει άτομα και κοινότητες μέσω της δια βίου μάθησης, της τεχνολογίας και της καινοτομίας.

Ένα Όραμα που Εξελίσσεται

Με φάρο την πεποίθηση στην εκπαιδευτική δύναμη της αλλαγής, το CARDET συνεργάζεται με οργανισμούς παγκόσμιας εμβέλειας, όπως η Microsoft, η Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή, η UNICEF και το Yale School of Public Health. Αυτές οι στρατηγικές συνεργασίες έχουν οδηγήσει σε έργα που υλοποιούνται σε περισσότερες από 40 χώρες, επηρεάζοντας πάνω από τρία εκατομμύρια ανθρώπους.

Το CARDET, βασιζόμενο σε αξίες όπως η ακεραιότητα, η διαφάνεια και η κοινωνική ευθύνη, εργάζεται για την προώθηση της βιώσιμης ανάπτυξης και της κοινωνικής ένταξης, προσφέροντας πρακτικές λύσεις για τις ανάγκες της σύγχρονης κοινωνίας.

Κύριοι Τομείς Δράσης

Η δράση του CARDET περιλαμβάνει ένα ευρύ φάσμα τομέων που αντανακλούν την πολυδιάστατη φύση του οργανισμού:

  • Εκπαίδευση και Δια Βίου Μάθηση: Δημιουργία καινοτόμων εργαλείων για την ενίσχυση των δεξιοτήτων του 21ου αιώνα.
  • Ψηφιακή Μάθηση: Εφαρμογή τεχνολογιών αιχμής, όπως η ρομποτική, η τεχνητή νοημοσύνη και η εικονική πραγματικότητα.
  • Κοινωνική Ένταξη: Παροχή πόρων και υποστήριξης για την ενσωμάτωση μεταναστών στις τοπικές κοινωνίες.
  • Ευημερία και Ψυχική Υγεία: Υλοποίηση προγραμμάτων που προάγουν τη συνολική ευζωία.
  • Βιώσιμη Ανάπτυξη και Επιχειρηματικότητα: Ενίσχυση της καινοτομίας για τη δημιουργία βιώσιμων λύσεων.

Μέχρι σήμερα, το CARDET έχει φέρει εις πέρας περισσότερα από 400 έργα, χτίζοντας ένα ισχυρό δίκτυο συνεργασιών που συνεχίζει να επεκτείνει την επιρροή του τοπικά και διεθνώς.

Επιτυχίες με Διεθνή Αντίκτυπο

Το CARDET διαπρέπει στη σχεδίαση και υλοποίηση προγραμμάτων που αντιμετωπίζουν κρίσιμες κοινωνικές προκλήσεις. Από την ενίσχυση των εκπαιδευτικών συστημάτων μέχρι την κοινωνική ένταξη περιθωριοποιημένων ομάδων, η επίδρασή του οργανισμού αγγίζει κάθε γωνιά της κοινωνίας. Μέσα από την ενσωμάτωση της τεχνολογίας στην εκπαίδευση, το CARDET προσφέρει ευκαιρίες που προσαρμόζονται στις μεταβαλλόμενες ανάγκες του κόσμου.

Νέες Πρωτοβουλίες για το Μέλλον

Στο πλαίσιο των εορτασμών για τα 20 χρόνια του, το CARDET παρουσίασε την πρωτοβουλία “Twenty4Twenty”, μια σειρά από εθελοντικές δράσεις που ενισχύουν τις τοπικές κοινότητες και προάγουν την κοινωνική και εκπαιδευτική πρόοδο. Παράλληλα, ο οργανισμός σχεδιάζει να επεκτείνει τη δραστηριότητά του με νέα έργα, ενδυναμώνοντας τη δέσμευσή του για έναν πιο δίκαιο και βιώσιμο κόσμο.

Με το βλέμμα στο μέλλον, το CARDET συνεχίζει να αποτελεί καταλύτη αλλαγής, προσαρμόζοντας τις δράσεις του στις ανάγκες των ανθρώπων και της κοινωνίας.

Το άρθρο δημοσιεύτηκε στο Paideia News

Empowering Youth and Caregivers: Sons of Silence Peer-to-Peer Program Launched to Address Domestic Violence

Written by Veronica Charalambous on . Posted in Project News.

On July 11, 2025, the Sons of Silence (SOOS) Peer-to-Peer program was officially launched as part of the broader SOOS project, a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on addressing the impact of domestic violence (DV) on young people.

The program introduced a series of presentations, brochures, and scenario-based materials developed by the project consortium, designed to help individuals recognize and respond effectively to domestic violence. The resources specifically targeted young people and parents or caregivers, offering practical examples of how to support a friend or a child who may be experiencing abuse.

Young people, youth workers, and parents participated actively in the training sessions. Their feedback was crucial in refining the program content and ensuring its relevance and accessibility to those it aims to support.

The overarching goal of the SOOS project is to raise awareness of the profound physical, emotional, and psychological impact that domestic violence can have on youth. It seeks to highlight the risks associated with exposure to DV, provide meaningful support to those affected, and educate the wider public on prevention strategies.

Ultimately, the SOOS project aims to reduce the prevalence of domestic violence and contribute to the creation of safer, healthier environments for young people across our communities.

Learn more about the project by visiting the website here.

VET4Social Impact Project Launches Advisory Group with Promising First Meeting in Palestine

Written by Veronica Charalambous on . Posted in Project News.

The VET4Social Impact project has taken a significant step forward with the successful convening of its first Advisory Group meeting in Bethlehem, Palestine. This inaugural session marked a pivotal milestone in the implementation of our initiative, which aims to enhance vocational education and training and drive meaningful social impact across communities.

Hosted by the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), the meeting gathered key stakeholders and institutional representatives from the local VET ecosystem. BCCI Project Leader welcomed the participants and underscored the Advisory Group’s vital role in providing strategic direction, fostering collaboration, and ensuring the project remains responsive to local needs.

The session featured a comprehensive presentation of the VET4SI project, including its objectives, targeted beneficiaries, expected outcomes, and its overarching vision of leveraging VET to promote inclusive social development. Particular emphasis was placed on addressing current socio-economic challenges by linking training programs to tangible social benefits.

Participants from a range of institutions – including the Directorate of Tourism and Antiquities, business incubators, vocational training centers, and tourism institutes – expressed strong alignment with the project’s vision. Their feedback highlighted several shared priorities:

  • Bridging existing gaps between vocational training and community impact.
  • Fostering institutional collaboration and knowledge exchange.
  • Ensuring inclusivity, particularly by engaging youth, women, and marginalized populations.
  • Learning from successful case studies to enhance project relevance and scalability.

Throughout the meeting, the Advisory Group demonstrated a clear commitment to co-creation and participatory planning. Members agreed to appoint focal points for ongoing coordination, hold quarterly meetings, and document best practices and lessons learned to guide future actions.

The session concluded with unanimous enthusiasm and optimism about the path ahead. The partners reaffirmed their dedication to building a collaborative, inclusive, and impact-driven VET model. A follow-up meeting will be scheduled soon to refine the implementation roadmap and finalize upcoming activities.

The VET4Social Impact project continues to build momentum, laying a strong foundation for lasting change through partnership, innovation, and community-centered training initiatives.

Stay tuned for more updates on the project! Visit the website of the project here!

REM HERITAGE – Holocaust Education Remembrance Through Intergenerational Exchange

Written by Veronica Charalambous on . Posted in Digital Learning, Education, Health & Wellbeing, Projects & Initiatives, Youth, Rights & Inclusion.

REM HERITAGE aims to educate and engage different generations in Holocaust remembrance, countering denial and distortion. The project will create a Youth Ambassadors Network and use workshops, digital storytelling, and awareness campaigns to ensure the lessons of the Holocaust remain relevant.

Young Voices for a Greener Europe: UxGE Mobility in Brussels Brings Youth Together

Written by Veronica Charalambous on . Posted in Project News.

A group of dynamic young changemakers from Cyprus recently took part in an inspiring international mobility to Brussels, as part of the United for a Green Europe (UxGE) project, on 7–10 July 2025. Organised within the framework of the UxGE initiative, this unique experience brought together young people from across Europe to present their proposals for a greener, more inclusive, and sustainable future.

Representing CARDET, Senior Project Manager/Researcher Eleonora Chrysanthi and five young participants – including two youth leaders and the three winners of the “United for a Greener, more Inclusive and Sustainable Europe” contest – joined peers from partner countries Ireland, Lithuania, Belgium, and Spain for four days of learning, networking, and discovery.

The primary goal of the mobility was to empower young people by enhancing their key competences and encouraging active engagement in democratic life through policy proposal development. 

The agenda focused on several core objectives:

  • Strengthening the personal and professional competences of participants;
  • Equipping youth with tools and knowledge to create and implement impactful policy proposals;
  • Validating and reinforcing the learning achieved through the proposal development process;
  • Fostering transnational cooperation and peer learning among youth leaders;
  • Providing first-hand exposure to European institutions and their role in youth empowerment.

Throughout the mobility, participants had the opportunity to explore Brussels, present their innovative proposals to their peers, and visit key EU institutions, including the European Commission and the European Parliament. These visits offered invaluable insights into how the EU operates, the role of youth in policy-making, and the numerous opportunities available for young people to engage at the European level.

The atmosphere was one of enthusiasm, collaboration, and cultural exchange, with young people connecting across borders to share their visions for a better Europe. From formal visits to informal intercultural moments, every activity contributed to building confidence, fostering critical thinking, and strengthening the spirit of European solidarity among the participants.

The mobility concluded on a high note, with participants expressing a deep appreciation for the experience and the chance to contribute meaningfully to the UxGE project’s mission. Their passion and creativity stand as a testament to the importance of youth participation in shaping a sustainable Europe.

To learn more about the UxGE project visit the website, here.