“Hope For Children” UNCRC Policy Centre held the second partners’ meeting during the 22nd-23rd of April 2013 for the purposes of  the European project ARCO, developing key competences for NEET (not in education, employment or training) young people. This is more pertinent now for Cypriot reality given the present political and economic situation where unemployment among young people has reached unprecedented levels. Unemployment was estimated at 31.8% in December 2012 and new sources render a dramatic increase in the following months.

The meeting revolved around mapping the needs and demands of the youth population amongst the partner countries, UK, Netherlands, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal, and their learning environment and potential employers. This resulted in the identification of 4 key skills who will form part of a training module to be delivered in all participating countries for young people. At the same time the dissemination strategy for the promotion of the project and the training toolkit produced was decided. The partners found commonalities between the situations they encounter through their work and they left the meeting satisfied for the prospective impact of the future training sessions.

ARCO is a two-year European Project funded by Life Learning Program –Leonardo da Vinci Transfer of Innovation- whose goal is to educate young people facing difficulties in school adjustment and social inclusion, while gaining transferable skills that will become useful to them in the process of vocation seeking and establishing a career. The project will employ a toolkit which covers several areas of interests that can be easily adjusted by the tutors to the precise needs of children and the context of their integration. For over 30 years WAC UK, the leading partner in the project, has pioneered the use of artistic and cultural non-formal learning to foster social and economic inclusion for disadvantaged young people.