Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA).
In May, all DESIRE project partners gathered in Florence for the second face-to-face meeting . These two days of work were rich and productive, enabling us to make further progress on our collection of practices.
Over the last few months, each partner has mobilised its network to collect testimonials and feedback on different digital practices in rural areas. This fieldwork has enabled us to gain a better understanding of the implementation of these initiatives in France and Italy. We then identified the main similarities and differences, before organising them according to collectively-defined criteria, with the aim of making our guide clear, readable and accessible to as many people as possible.
The compendium of practices will be completed in English by mid-June. It will then be formatted and translated into French and Italian before dissemination
Inspiring meetings
In Florence, we also had the opportunity to meet two of Pixel and Pegaso's Italian partner structures:
Better Social : an inclusive digital agency offering training courses in the digital field (such as digital communication), aimed at people with disabilities. It supports its learners throughout their career, from training to professional integration.
Glocal Factory : a cooperative engaged in the design and implementation of projects and training linked to education, innovative learning, entrepreneurship, social inclusion and the integration of migrants. It supports social economy organisations to meet the needs of local communities and promote a more inclusive future.
These exchanges enabled us to discover inspiring practices and gain a better understanding of how associations and cooperatives work in Tuscany, and more widely in Italy.
Next step: our Online Toolkit
The meeting also marked the start of our second deliverable: an online toolkit for digital education professionals. Over the coming months, each partner will select 4 or 5 practices, according to common criteria, which will then be integrated into this online platform.
Conviviality at the heart of the Florentine meeting
Last but not least, the meeting was also punctuated by convivial moments such as a shared dinner and a tour of Florence, which all participants seemed to enjoy. A great team dynamic to keep the project moving forward!
For our March meeting, we welcomed several members of the ANCT (Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires - French National Agency) who came to talk to us about their digital-related activities. This agency supports local authorities in reducing the digital divide and developing digital services adapted to local needs. In terms of the DESIRE project, this meeting enabled us to highlight potential links between this structure and our project.
We also took advantage of the meeting to review progress on the Compendium of practices and the various testimonials and interviews that we plan to analyse in April.
Our next meeting is scheduled for beginning of May, in Florence!
The DESIRE project partners met in January and February. This was an opportunity to take stock of our communication tools, but also, to review the progress of our work on collecting practices . Some fifteen organisations have already responded to our survey on digital education practices in rural areas. We are continuing to process the information gathered and will now be conducting more detailed interviews to present it in our "Compendium of Good Practices" in the Summer of 2025.
This meeting was also an opportunity to start planning our next meeting in Florence in May 2025.
In December, the DESIRE partners kept working on the methodology used to create our Compendium of good practices.
This questionnaire is made for organisations working in the field of digital education. This questionnaire is now finalised !
During a virtual meeting, each partner took time to present inspiring actions found in its territory.
Those actions will then be questioned about their approach using a questionnaire drawn up together. The final aim is stlll to index them into the Compendium of good practices we would disseminate during next summer.
November 14th and 15th, DESIRE partners meet in person for the first time!
This was the first of our 3 face-to-face meetings planned during the project.
The meeting, organised by the two the Familles Rurales partnership members, took place in Angers.
The 14th November morning, we took time to learn to know each other before we started to work on the compendium of good practices, our first project production.
The afternoon, we visited two different organisation that work on digital inclusion in rural area (a “France Service”, a building in a rural sector gathering different public services, and a “Point de Médiation Numérique” where people can be supported for the online administrative procedures or participate in information technology courses).
The next day, Familles Rurales organised a meeting with local partners involved in digital education to benefit from their experience for the project. We then worked on practical details and scheduled the next activities and meetings to make the project implementation successful.
Those two days were a great opportunity to share convivial moments and, for the Italian partners, to discover Angers and the surrounding area.
We will meet again in face to face in Florence in May 2025!
The kickoff meeting of the European project DESIRE – Digital Education Skills In Rural Europe took place on 14–15 November 2024 at the Fédération Régionale des Pays de la Loire in Angers, France. This European initiative, written and coordinated by the project applicant Fédération Régionale des Pays de la Loire (France), brings together a transnational partnership to address digital inclusion in rural areas. Funded under the Erasmus+ Programme, Small-scale Partnerships in Adult Education, the DESIRE project aims to enhance practices in digital education by identifying, analyzing, and sharing effective strategies.
During the first meeting, European Project Partners introduced themselves and their activities. Discussions focused on the Compendium of Good Practices in Digital Education, setting the stage for upcoming project activities.