WHAT IS EUROPEAN INNOVATORY?
We aim to create European Innovatory, a European movement of high-school pupils, teachers and trainers, experts and decision-makers involved in a creative and collaborative learning process identifying needs and problems in society and providing creative solutions on local and European level based on the method of Design Thinking.
European Innovatory aims for:
• involving high-school pupils and their teachers from the cities of Braga, Cascais, Cluj-Napoca, Klaipeda, Maribor, Novi Sad and Thessaloniki (all former European Youth Capitals), in developing their critical thinking, creative and problem-solving skills and proactive attitude in a creative and collaborative environment, in a safe space where they can try themselves out while receiving proactive feedback while also improving teacher-pupil working relationships through the creation of 210 creative teams,
• developing a creative way of promoting the creative and proactive problem-solving potential of young people towards local stakeholders and decision-makers involved in urban development locally, and overall community development at European level,
• creating a Europe-wide proactive scalable learning movement based on social innovation and Design Thinking as key aspects of building individual and community resilience leading to a sustainable transformation in society, involving pupils, teachers and trainers and additional experts, mentors and stakeholders,
• creating sustainable cooperation, management and decision-making platform involving 7 starting cities and 10 additional European stakeholders aiming to take care of the results of the project including its consolidation as a European programme and movement and a scalable model in Europe and the world.
WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE?
HUMANS
“In learning processes, as machines become better at rote tasks, humans will need to focus on the skills that remain unique to them: creativity, collaboration, communication and problem-solving” – Karen Hao (Taught by AI)
CURRENT PERFORMANCE
We believe our project is closely linked to the ability of young people for critical thinking and connecting theory with practice. With its format and MO, INNOVATORY aims to tackle the reversal of this trend through creativity, collaboration and communication which develop skills of young people that allow their performance to improve in the key. Students from Romania, Portugal, Serbia, Greece and Slovenia are on a descendent trend in the PISA 2018 tests compared to both 2015 and 2012 results, Lithuania being the only exception to this scenario. Most of the countries are being classified as level 2 in all three domains.
Complementary, data showed youth aged 15-17 wish they were also equipped with life skills and better training of their teachers in order to transversally help in developing these skills. The consulted stakeholders shared this view, along with the impression that schools are not equipped with the proper methods and tools to stimulate creativity and critical thinking. (LEAP Cluj 2020)
SKILLS, TODAY AND TOMORROW
Debates regarding the future of work resound through society in the light of the emerging AI or what knowledge will be valid in one or two decades. However, there is no debate on the fact that critical thinking, ability to work in teams, problem-solving skills, creativity and new ways of applied learning won’t lose their relevance and utility.
CRISIS AND RESILIENCE
Resilience was already becoming a theme of interest for urban areas, and the COVID-19 pandemic provided an additional argument. Communities around the world need to adapt, find new ways of dealing with crises and provide solutions to capital challenges. While the focus now is on short term solutions, the long-term sustainability through resilience lies in a widespread of skills through which crises can be managed. And this perspective starts with today’s teenagers as the key decision-making generation.
WHAT IMPACT WE ENVISION POST-2024?
Innovatory will be able to exist and develop on long-term only if the model is used on a recurring basis, experience gathered by local partners is collected and analysed at network level. By focusing on scalability and replicability, ensuring continued local editions through committed partnerships, connecting with other youth learning initiatives, and building a network of organizations across European cities, the Innovatory model can achieve significant and sustainable impact. Regular monitoring and evaluation will help refine the approach and maximize its effectiveness.
Scalability and Replicability of the Innovatory Model
Objective: To expand the Innovatory model to new cities in various regions of Europe and ensure it can be effectively replicated.
Continuing Local Editions Based on Each Partner’s Commitment
Objective: To sustain and grow local editions of the Innovatory model through committed partnerships.
Connecting the Innovatory Model with Other Youth Learning Initiatives in cities
Objective: To integrate the Innovatory model with existing youth learning initiatives to create a cohesive and supportive ecosystem.
Building a Network of Organizations Doing Innovatory in European Cities
Objective: To create a sustainable network of organizations across European cities that implement the Innovatory model, fostering collaboration and shared learning.
Additional actions and development tracks to be pursued
Objective: To establish Innovatory as a comprehensive and impactful initiative by promoting its results to decision-makers, securing funding, integrating it into the education curriculum, advocating for large-scale testing and significant funding from European institutions, and positioning it as a key platform for enhancing problem-solving skills among young people across Europe.